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Add one part satire to two parts sincerity. Sprinkle on a couple of rants. Stir liberally.
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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.
If it's called Daily Blah, how come you don't ... hey, wait, you're writing every day!
See? Told you I'd try harder.
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)
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Daily Blah for... Wednesday, March 03, 2004
That's Rich
News from the So Glad You Noticed Dept.: Frank Rich quoted me in his column in last Sunday’s New York Times. Or rather, he quoted my quote of Gavin Newsom channeling a Hollywood mogul: “Put a human face on it. Let’s not talk about it in theory. Give me a story. Give me lives.” Others may wonder why he didn’t just get a quote of his own. I, however, am happy to share, and will take it as a compliment.
In fact, I like to picture Mr. Rich sitting at his big New York desk, probably oak, possibly mahogany. The latest issue of Time sits on a lectern, open to my article, and Mr. Rich is staring at an immaculately polished old-style rotary phone. “You know,” he thinks to himself, “I could pick up this phone, and within five minutes I would be interviewing Gavin Newsom, for I am Frank Rich, super columnist. But it would be like trying to repaint a Picasso. This, right here, is the perfect quote. In its Hemmingway-esque brevity, repetition and imperfect grammar, it is like a beautifully flawed jewel. There is only one like it in the world. What kind of charlatan would not pay homage?” With that, he picks up his goose quill, unrolls a papyrus scroll and gets to work.
What I’m absolutely positive about is that it had nothing to do with him being on deadline, doing a Google News search for “gay marriage San Francisco”, and cutting and pasting the first quote he could find from a half-way reputable publication.
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