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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.
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Daily Blah for... Friday, May 31, 2002
Gauls Galled by Senegal's Gall
After that last entry, I got my marching orders from Miguel in Puerto Rico. "Perhaps you should write a bit more about how you go about doing your job," he writes. "That might be interesting to people in Luxembourg or New Zealand. Or post your comments about the World Cup (or the Lakers or Australian football or Don Imus). Anyhow, I generally enjoy your observations about things."
Little as I know about the Lakers, Aussie footie or Imus, Miguel, I guess I'll either have to comment on the World Cup or my job. Happily, one dominated the day more than the other. I just spend the last few hours celebrating Senegal's triumphant upset over world champions France -- we Brits like underdogs, and we really like it when bad things happen to the French. So inspired was I by the tiny African nation's victory that I took it one step further on Fifa World Cup 2002, an Xbox game I've become strongly addicted to over the last few weeks of pre-cup fever. Taking on the persona of Senegal, I trounced France 3-0, lost to Denmark, drew with Uruguay and went through to a nail-biting African derby against Nigeria. In which, unfortunately, they lost 4-3 to a last-minute own goal. Still, little did I suspect when I awoke bleary-eyed this morning that I'd become so well acquainted with names like Moussa N'Diaye, Pape Sarr and Pape Bouba Diop. And that's just the reaction of one guy 5,000 miles away from the action. I love this world, this global sports arena, where the media can help create instantaneous multicultural heroes. Think of everything Senegal is going to get out of this: the name recognition, the tourism dollars, the pride.
Of course, most people in this country will barely have known about it. Yes, it's the moment that comes every four years where I have my standard gripe about the U.S.' profound lack of interest in the world's largest sporting event, like the big kid sulking in the corner of the field not joining in the fun because he doesn't like games where he finishes dead last. Of course, I don't mean to belittle the hundreds of thousands of Americans -- including some of my friends -- who are genuinely interested in the tournament. My beef is that many more who would probably enjoy it if the sports media deigned to give it any kind of prominence. This opening match, easily the most exciting opener in the last twelve years, possibly ever, was harder to find on American TV than skeet shooting. It was shown on ESPN2 (what, not even ESPN itself? What the hell was so important that they had to show at 4:30am?).
ESPN2 is not available in all regions or on all services; lucky I have satellite as well as cable. I might have been forced to watch the game on Spanish-language Univision, which admittedly is worth catching purely for the announcer's heartfelt celebratory cry: "goooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!" We could do with some of that passion in the ESPN announcer, who doesn't seem to truly believe in the game he's commentating on, doesn't feel the tremendous release of scoring, and keeps using American sporting language -- assists and shutouts and all that -- which really doesn't work in a global context. Come on, ESPN. Come on, ABC world of sports. Get up off the grass and stop playing this game in such a half-assed manner. Who do you think you are, France? Hee hee.
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