• (to David Gentle): I don’t think you come across as a dork in e-mail at all, although you sure do send a lot of it! And the reason that Waterstones don’t have a proper comics selection seems clear to me – the image of the shop is built around popularising reading as a cultural rather than purely entertaining activity, and as ever with people with pretensions, they are unable to tell the difference between what they find interesting and thrilling and what they think they should find interesting and thrilling.
• (to Zenith): Christ alone knows why you find the Underground so intoxicating, old chap, but it’s happened to a lot of other apparently intelligent and creative people, something that I feel tremendously happy about.
• (to Darren Shrubsole): Yes, on occasion I have been heartily pissed off with weblogging. These things ebb and flow – when you are writing stuff that you find entertaining or important or interesting then it all seems instinctive and satisfying. At other times it seems like a grinding drag – fighting to find words to say. It’s worth sticking at, though, because it’s become such a staple part of my life that I can’t imagine being without it. As to your other question, my plans for barbelith.com seldom get implemented because of time restraints, but at the moment it goes something like this – a webzine on the front which integrates completely with the discussion forum with attached weblogging columnists. From that stage, an anti-advertising server (joint project with Matt, and then free web-mail with barbelith.net addresses. Or something like that.
Next!