Category: Random

I’m currently suffering designers-angst. I’ve been re-styling the Barbelith Underground overnight and did a quick new content bar, based a on the Guardian. This was partly piss-take (subculture ‘respectable’ / ‘detournement’), partly homage (I adore the Guardian’s layout) and partly effective design solution. But it’s still weirding me out and making me feel like a phony. Opinions, please on the new look.

Does this look and work in a remarkably similar way to this? I think I liberally ripped off the code for it from someone years ago, before I developed scruples. Can’t quite remember who. Probably arehaus. It was a long time ago. [Amusingly Matt pointed me in the direction of this, built by a friend of his, which is much more honest in its source code than I ever was.]

Via Barbelith (the caring subcultural community):

Plasticbag.org | Articles: An interview with a young lesbian woman about her experiences at school: “When I was about 15 I decided to come out as being gay to my best friend. She was great about it. I remember being so overwhelmed. Shortly afterwards I told some of my other close friends. They seemed fine, but were more cautious. They didn’t discuss it with me afterwards. I started to notice a change in attitude towards me at school. People kept their distance. Overnight there always seemed to be whispering around. Rumours started up that I was a slut – that I had slept with virtually every boy in the class – that I was weird – that I was a boy. When I was 16, a girl passed me a note. She asked me if it was true that I was gay. I was really surprised. I told her that I was, and she invited me to see a film with her.” more >>

Can someone tell me whether the organisation NARTH is essentially a hate organisation – albeit of a slightly different breed than the KKK? I read their stuff and I think to myself, ‘if they were saying this about black or asian people then they’d be screwed’, but it’s not quite the same is it? There is a quantifiable difference there.

I’m going to keep pushing this until I’m sure everyone has read it: “In November, an inquest heard that a 15-year-old choirboy had been found hanged in his bedroom. Darren Steele had been left at home watching Neighbours by his mother when she went out for the evening. When she returned she found him dead. A note by his body explained that he had killed himself because of the bullying that he was suffering at school. Darren had been bullied because other students thought he was gay. At the inquest, his friends explained that he had been regularly taunted as a ‘gay boy’ and a ‘poof’ because of his interests in drama and cookery. Over the previous five years he had been systematically punched, verbally abused and even burned with cigarettes by other students. He never told a teacher.” More >>

I have decided that the web would be greatly improved by the development of things™. We would not implement said things™ purely for their own sake, clearly. Instead they would be part of a coherent thing™ strategy. Said web thing™ will be on the cutting edge of emerging web technology and will be central to all e-commerce / community-building enterprises in the coming dot.com resurgence. Warning: things™ may not work. Things™ may cause bleeding.

It is clear to me now that when I get home I must move the coat hanger from my picture rail. I find it difficult to countenance my own cruelty in this matter. I am making people unhappy by not doing it/ I’m really sorry, Firda. I will open my psychic floodgates and let you in. [related thought: psychic AIM buddy-lists?]

With a general election fast approaching, it is time to start thinking about how to cast your vote. In previous years, there has always been the threat of another Conservative victory to force you out of your comfortable sofa and out onto the street. This year, that seems rather unlikely, but complacency will result in that horrid little troll as Prime Minister. You know who I mean. In order to facillitate the voting process, I suggest that you go immediately and find out the track record of your local MP at UpMyStreet.com, and then go to tacticalvoter.net to see how you might make your vote count more than normal, without compromising your values and beliefs. The latter site is a must see. [PS Issues of political bias are addressed in the source code.]

Game of the day is Celebrity Battles, the only online arena where battling celebrities can fight to the death. Complete with instantly updated charts showing you who you wouldn’t like to be trapped in a deathmatch with. Currently beating the crap out of all contenders under a purple sky in a dark alien arena is the almighty Patrick Stewart. Let’s get ready to rumble!