The background is outlined by Keith Anderson in the Guardian PDA.

In 2007 the company behind the Telegraph’s previous closed propriety blogging system went into receivership, leaving the client somewhat up the creek.

Needless to say, this is not a situation that would apply to WordPress, with many individuals and companies across the country available to support the platform, one of which, InterConnect IT, contributed to developing the Telegraph system.

Dave Coveney, of InterConnect IT, is scheduled to speak at this year’s WordCamp UK.

• The Cult of Done Manifesto [Bre Pettis] Some interesting advice – however, as one of the comments says, it may not be applicable in all circumstances: “Let me know when you design an airplane, or automobile, or CAT scanner, or fire extinguisher, or elevator, or SCADA system, or microwave oven using this method, so I can be certain never to use it”.
• Designing for your least able user [BBC Radio Labs] Epic post by Micheal Smethurst on “usability, accessibility and search engine optimisation from an information architect’s perspective”. Excellent.
• What is the Open Platform? [guardian.co.uk] Good move by The Guardian: Content API and Data Store.
• Newspapers and thinking the unthinkable [Clay Shirky] What is the future for newspapers?

• NASA Mars Lander sees falling snow, soil data suggest liquid past [NASA] Snow detected and evidence of past interaction between minerals and water on Mars.
• Four years [43 Folders] Merlin Mann’s site “about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work” is four years old.
• The 25 most influential people on the web [BusinessWeek] The 2008 list compiled by BusinessWeek readers and staff.
• Time Out at 40 – Covers archive [Time Out] A selection from the distinctive covers of London’s listing magazine.

• New Number10 site goes live [Puffbox] Powered by WordPress!
• Time Out at 40 [Observer] London’s ground-breaking listings magazine is forty, its covers have always distinctive; some background from ex-Editor Dominic Wells.
• Phoenix discovery may be bad for Mars life [New Scientist Space Blog] Has perchlorate, a highly oxidising substance, been found, or is it connected with rocket fuel?
• Obituary: Sir Bill Cotton [Guardian]

• Startup ideas we’d like to fund [Y Combinator]
• How much money does the BBC need? [Media Guardian]
• Careful language is central to our technology [Inside guardian.co.uk]
• The biggest barrier to accessibility and inclusive design is us [Chris Heilmann]
• Why bother writing an article at all? Why not just scan in a few naked photos and have done with it? [Charlie Brooker - Comment is free]

• Oyster Card failure recovery [Going Underground's Blog]
• Maybe normalizing isn’t normal [Jeff Atwood]
• European Directive on Public Sector Information [Power of Information Task Force]
• Smart CSS ain’t always sexy CSS [Digital Web Magazine]
• Sound and vision [Jeremy Keith]

• Guardian Media Group buys paidContent for $30 million [All Things Digital]
• Digital TV takeup growth continues [Guardian]
• Flickr on TV [BBCi Labs]
• Phoenix diary: Mission to Mars [BBC]
• The Faces likely to reunite [NME]

• AP took it to the wire but needs to rethink its role [Guardian]
• 10 things you need to know about WordPress 2.6 [Technosailer]
• Is the pace of change really such a shock? [plasticbag.org]
• Soul [Jeremy Keith]

• Go home, Bill: It’s time for a new era at Microsoft – if only the company were ready [I, Cringely]
• Bill’s excellent adventure ends in tears – and torpidity [Observer]
• The MBA myth [37signals]
• Why did you hire me? [A List Apart]

• Nokia in full buy-out of Symbian [BBC]
• @Future of Journalism: Jeff Jarvis on 10 questions we should be asking now [Guardian]
• Fresh thinking! [One Golden Square]
• HTML5: Linking up [Eric Meyer]