|
|
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.
Oh My God, the RSS Feed Actually Works!
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.
Arik
Bill
Dan
Cole
Emily B
Emily G
Helena
Jee
Jewelz
Kaila
Kathryn
Mac
Robin
Slim
Souris
Mr. West
My TIME articles
All magazine articles (subscription required for older stories)
Online column index
|
|
|
|
|
Daily Blah for... Monday, June 28, 2004
What the %&*@?
We all know Dick Cheney is supposed to be an attack dog; that's a long-standing tradition among Vice-Presidential candidates. They snarl and chomp at the opponent while their bosses wear jus' folks grins. But even attack dogs don't foam at the mouth. And in case you missed it, that's exactly what Cheney did last week, suggesting a biologically impossible activity to the venerable Patrick Leahy on the floor of the Senate. Leahy's crime? Asking questions about Halliburton's no-bid Iraq contracts. Even now Cheney refuses to apologise, saying the outburst made him "feel better". I'm sure we're all glad about that. Let the man fling obscenities at you, for God's sake; he might have another heart attack.
If a Democratic Vice President had done this, we'd never hear the end of it. If Al Gore had uttered so much as a damn within five miles of the Capitol, conservative commentators would have torn their garments and wailed about the collapse of civilization. But it's one of their own, so he's just blowing off steam, like the soldiers at Abu Ghraib.
I myself don't give a flying %$£@ that Cheney swore; what bothers me is that he used it to foreclose debate. This is how the GOP operates these days: scream your opponents into silence. Michael Moore's got a new movie out? Let's try to bully theater owners into not showing it. The New York Times is reporting that the 9/11 commission found no credible link between Iraq and Al Qaeda? Let's blast those liberal wussies for even daring to print such a thing. But for @*!$'s sake, let's not get involved in any real conversation.
|
|
|
|
