Category: Random

From a new interview with Grant Morrison: “The time of lo-fi weirdness is almost upon us. This is when everyone has to open up their heads and spill out their personal shit for all to see, without trying to catch the trend. I think the current focus on craft will shortly be replaced by a focus on integrity and uniqueness.” Remind you of anything? [Thanks to Darren for pointing this out.]

True or not – this Princeton Acceptance Letter is such an unbelievably gorgeous and funny piece of design that you’ll need it to be real.

So I found my favourite poem online again today – I talk about it every so often on this site – it’s called Employment and it’s by George Herbert. It’s a strange poem – not particularly cheery, full of references to a god that I cheerfully secularise when I’m reading it – but somehow a call to action, and an acceptance of a fundamental desire to do good works.

Last time Mark was in London (sometime in the year 2000), Katy from kitschbitch.com and I went to meet him and his mother and his friend Vance. Katy and I took Mark and Vance to wander around Soho…

Long term weblog enthusiasts may remember a precocious web-brat called Mark Olynciw, who used to run the site riothero.com. Well turns out he’s in London again and I’m going to see him this evening. What fun!

If I were a bell Dinah Washington
[being a song that makes me feel happy]

Ask me how do I feel
Now that we’re cosy and clinging
Well sir all I can say is if I were a bell I’d be ringing!
From the moment we kissed goodnight
That’s the way I just gotta behave,
And if I were lamp I’d light
Or if I were a banner I’d wave.
Ask me how do I feel,
Little me with the quiet upbringing
Well sir all I can is if I were a gate I’d be swinging,
And if I were a watch I’d stop popping my spring
Oh and if I were a bell
I’d go ding dong ding dong ding.

Ask me how do I feel
From this chemistry lesson I’m learning
Well sir all I can is if I were a bridge I’d be burning!
Well I knew my morale would crack
From the wonderful way you looked
Boy if I were a duck I’d quack,
Or if I were a goose I’d be cooked.
Ask me how do I feel?
Now that we’re fondly caressing….
Pal if I were a salad,
I know I’d be splashing my dressing….
Or if I were a season I’d surely be spring
And if I were bell,
Say if I were a bell
If I were a bell I’d go ding dong ding dong ding!

PS. In a conversation with Matt the other day about ‘generations of weblogging’ inspired by a post on sashinka.blogspot.com Matt made the stunning comment that ‘first generation webloggers’ basically means anyone who started weblogging before you did, while ‘second generation’ means you and people you consider your peers. So even though I’ve been weblogging for three years (nearly) I consider myself a second-generation weblogger after Meg, Jason, Evhead, Camworld and Memepool.

But now of course that’s no longer true – you can measure your generation – it’s simply how many generations you are below the founding godhead of weblogging as detailed on Blogroots. And don’t be starting to fool yourself here – everyone was inspired by more than one weblogger – and the generation you belong to will be the one younger than the youngest one of your influences. So Jason may be your father, but if I’m your mother then you’re third generation at best. Got that?

So when they come to write the history of weblogging – will there be much evidence of the inter-relationships, the hidden parallels and links that lie between webloggers? One of the nicest things I’ve seen in ages, and potentially a really interesting and useful site, BlogTree.com is trying to assemble a weblog genealogy of inspiration – who inspired who to start a weblog? I’ve often said that the two people who got me really excited about the true potential of the web were Jason and Derek, but looking back to my first ever entries on the site, I see that Meg Hourihan was an early influence as well. You can see my ‘Pedigree‘ if you’re interested, or if you want to participate yourself: Who inspired you to start your weblog?

So I’m known for having little patience when it comes to dumb linking policies. Just in case you’re not remembering the whole dumb-linking thing – this is when a company like KMPG says KPMG says you have to get permission before you’re allowed to link to them. It’s dumb. It’s a policy. It’s about linking. Are you with me yet? Anyway – lots of other people think this kind of thing is dumb too. And someone’s founded a weblog about it. That’s kind of cool.