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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
Friends, Bloggers, Countrymen ... lend your ears to these people. I come not to bury them, but praise them.
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My TIME articles
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Online column index
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Daily Blah for... Monday, April 15, 2002
Back in the SF groove
Sorry, I've slipped again, haven't I? Put it down to the first-week-back blues. What have I been up to? Learning how to hack my iPod, and chatting with Steve Jobs. I've interviewed the Apple supremo many times before, but this was the first time he called me up out of the blue. You usually have to pass through a huge phalanx of flacks to get to the man. When my phone rang and the caller ID displayed "Pixar studios," I assumed it was another one of said flacks. But no. It was Jobs, sounding very nasal and apologizing for the cold he'd caught. I can't remember much of what we talked about, other than that it was off the record and that I spent much of the conversation thinking "I am not cool enough for this phone."
Saturday night I went to a regular rave called Radiance at Kelly's Mission Rock, one of my least favorite rave venues since alcohol is served on the premises. There's nothing more deleterious to the vibe in a chill-out room than a couple of stumbling drunks. Nevertheless, it was a highly enjoyable night and, thankfully, about half as crowded as the last time I went to this event, about a year ago (more evidence that dotcom doom has thinned out the ranks of the city's young). And it got me back in the west coast swing of things. At the opening ceremony, as soft red lights bathed the bar and mirrorballs swirled above the crowd, we were all encouraged to sit down, close our eyes and "feel the energy of springtime passing between our hands." Yes, I thought, I'm definitely back in San Francisco.
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