Category: Random

Support the eToys boycott (entry Dec 21). More tomorrow.

Every so often you come across a site which is interesting, incredibly well designed and really meshes with your own personal zeitgeist. Check out kabbalah.com.

So I finally watched Pirates of Silicon Valley the other day, which a friend had sent me from America a year ago. (I have just bought a new video which can actually show American standard tapes.) I am confused about my feelings towards it – and as time has passed it has remained stuck in my head.

There are a couple of reasons for this – it’s portrayal of Bill Gates and Microsoft is resolutely unpleasant, and while Steve Jobs doesn’t seem entirely pleasant either, I have more respect for his attitude and his vision. It doesn’t hurt that the whole film treats Gates as nothing but a scheming opportunist, nor does it hurt that Jobs is played by Noah Wyle, about who I made one of my first proper sites (and which I still occasionally update). But that isn’t all of it.

I think I have fallen for Apple. More musings as they come to me.

The non-corporate poll reaches 1000 votes…

I’ll tell you something for nothing. If we make contact with Aliens via Heineken‘s website, then I will be completely gutted. We’d be an interstellar laughing stock…

Something to make the Americans sick. You can now preorder the new Invisibles trade paperback “Kissing Mister Quimper” on amazon.co.uk but you can’t on amazon.com. More information on The Bomb (in the news and collections sections).

I missed a day. That hasn’t happened for ages. Perhaps I am suffering from the apparently catching weblogger flu… [Powazek feels bad][Kottke was sick]

Quick bit of politics. Imagine British party politics as two weights, one arranged on the right wing and one on the left wing of a finely tuned set of scales. Traditionally, as one party moved further out on its wing, the other party either had to extend itself similarly down its wing or gather more support in the middle. We now have a new model, as the party that moves further and further to the right sheds voters and MPs, while the party on the centre left has a quick lie down and a glass of port.

It’s a strange state of affairs when even Tories think their party is too right-wing…

I was going to suggest some links from people who hate Christmas. Yahoo has a reasonably decent selection of pretty average sites made by people who hate Christmas. But I don’t hate it – not really – I just hate the inconvenience and responsibility which I feel when it starts to approach. It would be better if Christmas really was a holiday – but families are hardly holidays – in fact quite often quite the opposite.

Still it will be nice to see my brother, who as ever I miss terribly…

No word from potential main squeeze as yet. There probably won’t be any unless either I make the effort or the New Year approaches.

Disinfo.com is having a conference in NYC. Apparently, Mr Morrison is to attend. Very jealous.

There is this comic book called Doom Patrol, or at least there was a good few years ago. It was written by the immortal Grant Morrison, whom we adore. Anyway – in this comic book there was this character called Crazy Jane. Jane had multiple personality disorder, with a separate super-power for each one. It sounds amusing, but it wasn’t – she was a traumatised character who had been abused in her youth and who had absolutely no control over which personality (aggressive, catatonic, violent, sexual) appeared.

I don’t mean to scare people, but this cutting-edge and much-loved character may be the focus of a new movie featuring (gulp) Sandra Bullock…

Blogger is wacked out on drugs and speed. Whoa baby – watch that new, intricate and clever interface do its thing. Woof.

There’s this quote in Heathers (the film with Christian Slater) which goes something like “Now I use my high IQ to decide what colour lip-gloss to wear”. If you added to that discussions about inter-racial relationships and cultural stereotyping in Star Trek, you might have some idea of how far I have fallen over the last couple of years. Kudos to Nick to listening to me ramble on last night.

Red Meat appeals to the cynic in me, but is somehow unfulfilling. There’s something too easy about most of it. You know – not quite biting enough. Having said that, this one is pretty lovely…

The non corporate poll has got into silly money as the glassdog.org crew blast it with infinite votes. I can’t really be cross since it isn’t a competition. Still it is a funny thing to do with your time.

In the interests of fairness, here’s a few words about a few of the other sites that you should look up if you get a chance: Pixel Junkie is an elegantly designed site (rebuilt a couple of weeks ago) itself filled with links to sites of a similar classy standard. Much recommended. Soulflare takes design completely away from the technocracy of much online work towards a much more fluid, photo-impressionist style (forgive me if I get a bit florid here). A series of rotating exhibitions demonstrate some of the most intelligent work you will find on the net.

On an altogether more amusing note: for those of you who live in London check out pages 4,6 and 44 of the latest issue of Time Out. Advertrasharama.