Category: Random

Tuesday May 1st 2001: The May Day Demonstrations are happening in London today, about five minutes from where I am working at the moment. I have decided to take the day off work rather than deal with the fallout of moving in and out of town. Part of me thinks I should be there. Another part thinks I very definitely shouldn’t.

Where to go for online coverage? The Guardian is doing a Special Report online all day, which includes a statement of intent that you can’t really fault. There are also discussions on Barbelith, dossiers at disinfo and live updates at uk.indymedia.org. Meanwhile the BBC gets right down to the practicalities of being snotty and concentrating on violence and injuries.

Of all the questions about the net that people have asked or continue to ask, this one does seem to be one of the more significant: Why is it perfectly legal to post a diagram of how to build a bomb on the net, but you can’t post a code that descrambles DVDs?

Seethru once again proves itself to be of rather higher quality than your usual online zine, with the stunning feature 10 Reasons Why Jamie Oliver Is So My Bitch [made by: ampnet]. You can take Salon and shove it up your arse, frankly. I’m happy with my new ziny chums. I wonder if they’ve got any jobs going…

“The picture-story fantasy cuts loose the hampering debris of art and artifice and touches the tender spots of universal human desires and aspirations. . . . Comics speak, without qualm of sophistication, to the innermost ears of the wishful self.” — William Moulton Marston [Wonder Woman’s Powers]

Or to put it another way, comic books appeal to those people who are cursed to have imagination and desires far far beyond the ability of the world to fulfill, and who are not prepared to give up this magic in exchange for a suit and a desk job.

1. Having respect for what you do (equals creative input).
2. Doing that thing well (enjoying it to the extent that you don’t clockwatch).
3. Being recognised for same.
4. Changing the world in some way (for the better).
5. Getting enough money to not have to worry about stuff.

Today 3.00 GMT: Anti-globalisation protests : Naomi Klein Live Online. Get yourself a comfy seat and a packet of bourbons, as Ms Klein takes on months of media doublespeak. Then go buy her bloody book. If it doesn’t inspire aggression and post-capitalist ire in you then you’re a better person than I want to be.

Yesterday I went to see The Mexican with Meg. But afterwards I didn’t do anything creative at all. In fact I wandered into town, had a brainfart and came home again. My mind operates in prescribed orbits at the moment – and the orbits get faster and smaller. I want my old mind back – larger orbits, slower, more thorough. Peaceful.

As I experience yet another entirely frustrating battle with page rendering on Netscape, I am forced to agree (for a moment at least) with Jakob Nielsen: Frames Suck Most of the Time.

A while ago I was looking for a site that could simulate how sites would look in other browsers. Well thanks to a co-worker at Avondi, I’ve found one. The only problem is you have to pay them up to $120 a year for the privilege. If I had that much spare cash at the moment, however, I’d do it in a heartbeat – I’ve watched it in action, and it’s a sweet piece of online kit. Designing cross-browser and platform is tricky enough if you are using a PC, but when you design on a Mac, something like this would be an absolute life-saver.

As the song says, “Wouldn’t a smarter man, simply walk away?”