Preoccupations

Blogs and their limits

I second some of what I have stumbled across in the latest posting at homoLudens. (See also his earlier posting. I'd like us to try out Tinderbox. Can the Department of Digital Strategy pay?) I have a number of lesser blogs on the go already — I am, indeed, treating blogs as an on-line resource for noting, and several of these blogs are not ones I want yet (if ever) to put in the public domain.

On the other hand, I am much enamoured of blogging as a medium for good writing. I find this sentiment echoed explicitly in some of the comments on this teacher's blog and also implicitly in the fine writing of, for example, Harry's Place, Oliver Kamm, Clive Soley and Norman Geras. Blogs do have a role as signposts, but they can also be much more than (just) this.

Digital newspapers

Interesting review in The Register of digital newspapers — the accolade of 'best' going to The Guardian.

Steyn on 2003

Mark Steyn looks back on the year. 'We'll be posting more links to the cited columns as soon as the chaps at The Spectator get back from their two-week Brit Xmas and notice that their website's been down since December 23rd.'

Vision for a blog: what a blog might be used for

Bill Quick (from his website): 'This is my current vision for the latest iteration of Daily Pundit. Breaking news and pictures posted here instantly, from anywhere in the world. Instant syndication of that news and those pictures all over the blogosphere, complete with inline links to everybody in the blogosphere who picks up and comments on that news, so readers can track down and read what others are saying about the posts here. And open, easily accessable comments right here from me and everybody else about that news and those pictures and the inbound links that follow therefrom. Jeff Jarvis has been responsible in a major way for promulgating the mantra-meme "news is a conversation," and that is what I hope to create with the new Daily Pundit - an endless cycle of input and output and commentary on both sides of the equation, accessible 24 hours a day. The immediacy of on-the-scene observations and pictures coupled with conversation and commentary about the news as it comes in, or, more calmly, in retrospect as the tides of the blogosphere process the happenings of the world around us. ... Call it distributed journalism, or call it a conversation. It doesn't matter. Either label is accurate. Whatever you call it, I believe it is the future of journalism and reporting.'

Christopher Hitchens revisited

A heated debate follows from Christopher Hitchens' public separation from the Left (see earlier post for the original interview).

BBC Broadband

Amongst many other services, BBC News is now available in broadband quality video - free to UK licence fee payers.

More on messiness

http://www.ipadventures.com/blog/archives/000345.html

The Messiness, Ambivalence and Conflict of Everyday Experience

' 'to rebuild the bridge between private troubles and public issues': I still think the personal is the political and that only purity of means can justify and lead to good ends.' Robert M. Young

It's the season of bad taste

This year, there seems to be a national epidemic of Xmas-lights-in-poor-taste. Glad to see this site has now gone up.

And in the spirit of fun and nonsense, try this.

The best of British blogging

The Guardian's second British blog awards found the country's webloggers in fine form, with last year's high standards maintained. Simon Waldman, chair of the judges, hands out the accolades.