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Because it’s genius: The Wheels of Madonna…

I’m feeling kinda lonely over at the TCN boards today. Come and join me – let’s talk about trashy celebrity stuff.

Last night I dreamt that I was at some kind of large function and that people were milling all around me, and that everyone was hectic and busy and professional. There was a large banqueting hall and a vast area with rows of narrow tables serving food and drink. The place felt like a hotel – it had those desperate carpets and florid decoration that no individual would choose, but hotels seem to crave. I felt strangely disconnected from everyone – like they were talking from far away, and like they weren’t quite real. And I wandered through the crowds really quietly. And I went to a counter to get some food, and a man behind the counter – dressed in a white shirt, waistcoat and bow-tie, with his hands locked behind his back – looked at me and paused, and I looked at him and kind of breathed in. And we stood silently, looking at each other for a few moments, and it seemed like some kind of feedback loop had been established – like something wonderful had gone seriously wrong with the mechanisms that keep the world turning. I felt completely unconcerned with myself – as if all my anxieties and neuroses had fallen off. And a few moments later I turned and walked away from him.

Sunday night – trying to polish off the gay section of the London guide for the new Time Out London book. I’m currently thrilled with myself for the final three words in the following sentence: “A stylish and affordable brasserie serving trendy but substantial food to a mainly gay clientele, Balans remains the premier restaurant for queens and company.” I don’t know precisely why, but I think it’s because of the resonance of ‘Queen and Country’. Hmmm. I need to get out more.

What makes great web design?

Speaking of which – if you get bored of your current job – why don’t you apply to be an Astronaut?

Beta Challenge: Colour in this lizard… My entry:

This has got to be my fetish of the moment – ever more pseudo-Apple product designs – some weird, some awful, some truly beautiful. The mistake that is made a lot – particularly in the renditions of the potential new design possibilities of a flat-screen iMac – is that the iMac has to be a friendly looking computer – a computer that has removed all the ‘computery’ bits that worry people. Some of the projected designs look like flash-backs to 1990, or earlier. Or they look like sleek designer products for people with very urban, stark sensibilities. Where’s the ‘cute’ appeal that the iMac has?

Wired is reporting that the new device from Apple is a portable music device called the iPod. This doesn’t sound that impressive – but we shall have to wait and see.

Lots of weird pseudo-Apple product designs, entertaining to look at… here.