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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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Daily Blah for... Thursday, August 19, 2004
God and Politics
A little housekeeping to take care of today. I've got a line of potential Blah entries lining up, waiting to be born. First off, journalism. Everyone should go read Lessley's cover story in this week's SF Weekly. It's about an appropriately mad scientist-artist called Jonathon Keats, who is currently trying to pin down the evolutionary location of God by broadcasting prayer tapes at fruit flies. We had drinks with the guy on Tuesday, and a more interesting fruit fly-observer you could not hope to meet.
Secondly, here's what all that --ahem -- research last week netted:
Could Bill Clinton Beat Abe Lincoln?
The first video game to mimic a presidential election
By CHRIS TAYLOR
Say campaign to a computer-game addict, and he's more likely to think Alien vs. Predator than Kerry vs. Bush. But that may be about to change as The Political Machine (Ubisoft), the first major PC game to mimic a presidential election, hits store shelves this week. You get to play either of this year's presidential contenders or just about any fantasy matchup imaginable. How might Hillary Clinton fare against Arnold Schwarzenegger? Or Thomas Jefferson vs. Abraham Lincoln? Designer Brad Wardell based the game on real polling data from red and blue states, intending to make the playing field as balanced as it is in real life. "Most people have made their minds up already this year, and a game is one way of getting their frustrations out about the race," he says.
As you fly your candidate around the country, you need to raise money, seek endorsements from semifictional groups like the Civil Liberty Union and the Gun Owner's Association and take positions on real issues, from Social Security to the war in Iraq. You get help from spin doctors, war heroes and a video-camera-wielding "kook" who looks suspiciously like Michael Moore. You have to manage the media too — by answering softball questions on Barry King Live or risking a roasting on The O'Malley Scenario. There's enough here to keep political junkies happy until the real game wraps up in November.
From the Aug. 23, 2004 issue of TIME magazine
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