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The increasingly inaccurately-named blog of journalist and futurist Chris Taylor. Either the most sporadically brilliant amateur blog, the most brilliantly amateur sporadic blog, or the most amateur sporadic brilliance on the Web since 2001.
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Daily Blah FAQ
Who are you?
I'm the newly-appointed Future editor at Business 2.0 and the former San Francisco correspondent for Time Magazine.
Wow, so does this mean everything you write reflects Time Inc's opinion? Or do you perhaps have some sort of standard disclaimer to the effect that it doesn't?
Naturally, the opinions contained in this blog are not those of my employers. In fact, some opinions may be the polar opposite of my employers. Some may be the same, for all I know. Hey, it's not like I ask my employers their opinions about everything in the news, okay? Let's just say that if this were a Venn diagram with one circle marked "my opinions" and the other one marked "my employers' opinions", there would doubtless be some overlap. But neither I nor my employers are able to pinpoint exactly where that overlap is.
What is this Daily Blah thing?
An experiment for a column I wrote about blogging back in December 2001. All these years later, I haven't been able to kick the habit.
Do you write any other blogs, by chance? Could that have something to do with the fact that Daily Blah isn't always Daily?
Yes -- the Future Boy blog for Business 2.0. And yes. If you want true, editorially-mandated daily coverage from me, that's probably the best place to look.
Mister, you talk funny. Are you one of them furrners?
Why yes I am, as it happens. I was born, raised and educated in Great Britain. I've been living in the U.S. since 1996 and identify as British.
I say, old chap, you forgot the "u" in "colour."
No I didn't. I may identify as British, but I am also an American journalist writing for an American audience about mostly American issues. These two different sides of me are a constant source of tension. Nevertheless, Daily Blah will adhere to American English grammar and spelling.
Praise for Daily Blah:
"It is fun to watch the author's navel-gazing joy." - Sunday Times (UK)
"It's really funny and informative." - Dave Eggers, author
"The Blah is becoming a daily destination for me." - Richard Marsh, Playwright
"I like it, and I don't." - Fiona Hogg, Teacher
"Better than Xanax." - Lessley Andersen, journalist
"Dude, lay off the crack pipe." - Souris Hong-Porretta, gamesmith
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Daily Blah for... Monday, March 04, 2002
You are Television Incarnate, Mr. Eisner
Every time I watch Network, number three in my personal all-time top ten movies list (right behind Citizen Kane and Casablanca), it seems to bear more relevance to the mainstream media world around me. This weekend's viewing was no exception. All of a sudden Howard Beale bears a remarkable similarity to Ted Koppel, another once-great anchorman now in danger of becoming a casualty in the ratings war.
The flap over Nightline, which ABC and its owner, Disney, desperately want to replace by tempting David Letterman away from CBS, lays bare all the entertainment-driven instincts that Paddy Chayefsky so effectively satirized and that give this industry a bad name. Television isn't the truth, as Beale said, but Koppel's show is the closest commercial television news has got to it. You can rely on Nightline not to deliver hype or puff pieces or soft focus-grouped stories on health and families. And yet Disney is concerned that Koppel doesn't attract enough 18-34 year olds, the population segment advertizers love because they have lots of disposable income and haven't yet formed loyalties to one brand or another.
Well, guess what, Michael Eisner. I'm an 18-34 year old, and I don't know a single 18-34 year old who isn't concerned about what's going on in the world today and doesn't benefit from knowing more about it. Letterman is all well and cool, but what the hell are you doing thinking of replacing Koppel at a time like this? In case you haven't noticed, we're at war. American G.I.s are dying out there. If I were you, I'd be promoting the hell out of Nightline right now. But hey, Mike, it's your call. If you want to replace Peter Jennings with Donald Duck or your entire news division with Leo DiCaprio, be my guest. Go mad. Which is, perhaps, what Koppel should do. Start ranting like a latter-day prophet against the hypocricies of our times. He'd get a 50 share, easy.
By the way, here's how to contact Disney or ABC news, if you feel like venting Beale-style. I want you to get up out of your chairs! I want you to drive to the Western Union office! I want you to send Disney a telegram! I want them to be wading knee-deep in telegrams!
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