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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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My TIME articles
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Daily Blah for... Thursday, August 07, 2003
Aftershocks in California
-- The San Francisco Chronicle has an excellent piece by movie critic Mick LaSalle, whose reviews I normally abhor, pointing out that having Ah-nuld run for governor is practically typecasting. His movies have all followed one principle: take the big lug and make him [insert unexpected occupation here]. Also, his punchlines have included shooting his wife in the head (Total Recall) and detonating a nuclear device (True Lies). The man has a twisted sense of humor.
-- No word yet on whether independent filmmaker Brian Flemming will bow out of the race now that Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante has entered it. Flemming's campaign, which has gotten ink in the LA Times and Mercury News, was based on one catchy slogan: "If elected, I will resign." This was effectively a way to get Bustamante, who is next in the line of succession, into the statehouse. Up until yesterday, Bustamente was loyally sticking by Davis, but Ah-nuld seems to have changed his mind (Bustamante's announcement was barely noticed in all the Schwarzenegger noise, which calls into question Bustamante's media savvy). As of this morning, though, Flemming's website was still proudly proclaiming his campaign. Could the taste of media attention have gone to his head? Is 15 minutes of fame not enough, Brian? If elected, you will ... rule the world! [insert evil cackle here]
--Ah-nuld's public speaking style is levity mixed with self-deprecation, but he may have met his match in Arianna Huffington. Considering the possibility of debating the Terminator, the heavily-accented Greek-born Huffington told reporters she looked forward to "the first gubernatorial campaign with English subtitles." It was the first statement in this whole mess to make me smile.
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