Archives for May 2000
A letter to Doctor Laura... (May 31, 2000) I got an e-mail from Kerry which included this open letter to Dr Laura: Dear Dr. Laura, Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and I try...
Quotes from Barbelith... (May 30, 2000) Quotes from my current favourite threads on the Barbelith Underground: Manifesto "It seems to me that it is indeed this action of destabilising categories, proliferating categories and generating diversity that will produce a more interesting world. In a sense I...
My shower is borked... (May 30, 2000) The shower in my flat has gone wrong, leaving us with dubious water pressure, occasional scalding heat and quite a lot of icy cold. Showering is now nigh on impossible. We have a bath instead, but that isn't the point....
Will I leave Blogger? (May 28, 2000) I'm not normally an unfaithful person, but recently I have been having urges. Strange ungodly urges. The object of my current affection and I have been together for seven months now, and we've never even really had an argument, although...
Notes from the world of design... (May 28, 2000) Cannot find server The most interesting thing about this design is the amount of times you might glance at it before you actually notice what's going on. It's not a design that will get you read a lot -...
Odds and ends of news... (May 27, 2000) gaylery.com has been redesigned (I am probably the last to notice this fact). Basically, it looks amazing. Very clean, intelligent design complements the already sharp content. A great quote from eod.com: "This whole external male genitalia thing is really...
Does NetSol sell information on domain name searches? (May 27, 2000) I'm continuing my quest to discover whether Netsol is selling information on the domain name searches performed through its service. I've had a few e-mails from people who are divided in opinion as to whether I am being paranoid or...
Like a stream of bat's piss... (May 27, 2000) Katy quoted Fire Bad, Weblogs Good a couple of days ago. He said (about our recent stint at riothero): "Now, I came around when Tom and Katy were Accidentally Rio Theros, because Goddamn those two are witty, smutty and vile....
Chronicle of a bad night's sleep... (May 27, 2000) I drank far too much caffeine last night, so even though I was exhausted when I got home at midnight, I couldn't sleep until nearly two in the morning. Around three in the morning I had an appalling nightmare,...
Mission Impossible 2 sucks monkey balls... (May 27, 2000) I went to see Mission: Impossible 2 last night at a special press screening at the Empire in Leicester Square (I'm having quite the glamourous life at the moment). My honest opinion: it was bloody awful. Totally ridiculous, pointless film...
Jeffrey Zeldman could vibrate through a mountain... (May 25, 2000) I'm sorry, but Jeffrey Zeldman rocks so hard and fast he could vibrate himself through a mountain. In his latest article "HTMHell" at Adobe's site, he comes across as a freedom fighter for independent creative content on the web. And...
On the Time Out Complete UK Festival Guide... (May 25, 2000) After two days and considerable pressure and tension, I hereby reveal my latest design project for Time Out. I'm pretty pleased with it - Time Out's Complete UK Festival Guide......
No news is? (May 25, 2000) No noise from current squeeze since Sunday night. I wonder if that means anything?...
Losing reptilebrain, losing subbacultcha... (May 25, 2000) I don't bloody believe it. The new domain name I had decided to buy as soon as my pay-check came through has been sold. This is the second bloody time this has bloody happened. First reptilebrain.com, now subbacultcha.com! I don't...
Brief update stuff... (May 25, 2000) Two brief pieces of site update stuff. 1) This seems to me to be a great idea. 2) I have had lots of translations of Mr Arcos' unpleasant comments sent to me. Thank you very much everyone......
What mean thing is Eduardo Arcos saying? (May 24, 2000) I have no idea what he is talking about, but I kind of get the impression that I don't like Eduardo Arcos. Anyone want to translate for me?...
We went to see "Honest"... (May 24, 2000) Katy and I went to see Honest yesterday at the big première in Leicester Square. I have to say I don't think I have seen such an absolute pile of twaddle in years. Individual scenes were great, some of the...
Time Out is taking me to New York! (May 24, 2000) Best news of the moment - I am sitting at work thinking about this site I am building for Time Out which covers all the summer festivals in the UK when I get given an envelope by my boss. I...
Meeting up with Mark Olynciw... (May 24, 2000) Mark asked: "Tom, Katy? What do Brits do on July 4th? This year, instead of shutting yourselves indoors and mourning the loss of this wonderful land I'm presently standing on... How would you like to meet ME? I'll be in...
On writing for riothero... (May 22, 2000) I'm all over the place today - I can't concentrate on anything for more than about thirty seconds. It's probably the riothero effect. I'll tell you this much for nothing, writing for that place is like bathing in Class A...
You didn't go out with David Hockney did you? (May 22, 2000) Peter, can I ask you a question? You didn't go out with David Hockney did you? It's really hard to explain why this is interesting to me......
Sir John Gielgud has died... (May 22, 2000) Sir John Gielgud has died....
I run a website and you are on it... (May 22, 2000) I had a lovely evening last night with current squeeze, although his complete inability to arrive anywhere on time might get a little galling over time I fear. I reached that "I run a website and you are on it"...
On Mark, Beebo and Mrs Olynciw... (May 22, 2000) Apparently, Mark is really chuffed that Katy and I haven't thrown riothero down to the pits of beebo.org's ratings. Anyway - he's back soon, so no doubt I'll hear all about it soon enough. I have to say that I...
Conversations about where to go out and eat... (May 21, 2000) I was looking around beebo.org's metalog about half an hour ago, and came across a really cool site (an onfocus component) all about that conversation that you have with friends or significant others about where to go out and eat....
Moving to Pair.com... (May 21, 2000) So I have moved over to pair.com with relatively little difficulty (although I lost half a days worth of e-mail so resend it if it was important). The only thing that I am really slightly concerned about is the lack...
Moving to a new host... (May 21, 2000) Apologies about failures of service over the last 24 hours. The move to barbelith's new hosts is going pretty smoothly, but is still relatively time consuming. The Bomb and Microlith will be up and running shortly (an hour?). The Nexus...
We redesigned Riothero in Mark's absence... (May 20, 2000) Mark said I could do it. Honest he did. He said I could redesign in his absence, and by christ, have I......
"You're probably publishing it on a website" (May 19, 2000) I'm going to see Final Destination tonight with a group of friends. I went to a press preview of it about a week ago, but it is no fun going to see scary movies by yourself. At least half of...
Is it legal for two gay men to nail each other's testicles to a table? (May 19, 2000) As moves are made in the UK to sort out the mess of the sex laws (many of which are ignored, some of which implemented savagely - at least until relatively recently), the Guardian presents a quiz that may surprise...
Did I inspire him to this lunacy? (May 19, 2000) Speak Out Loud is a new blog that is just getting itself started. He admits that he has been mercilessly refreshing my page (á la prol), in order to get the pretty pictures all in a row. He's even got...
I'm blogger of the week... (May 19, 2000) Oh. My. God. Barbelith is Blogger of the Week over at blogger.com. I'd like to thank my mother, God and the Coca-Cola company for making this day possible. I'm actually quite floored by the whole thing. Wow. There is a...
Two pieces of Barbelith news... (May 19, 2000) Two pieces of barbelith news: Barbelith Brownouts: At any moment the whole site might collapse under its weight. The site is currently being moved over to new hosts at pair.com and so I am afraid power outages, non-existing sections and...
Anyone want to be a web designer at Time Out? (May 18, 2000) Anyone want to be a web designer at timeout.com in London? Talent and passion a must! Check here for more details: timeout.com vacacies....
On Feminist Media Watch... (May 17, 2000) The Feminist Media Watch has been getting a hell of a lot of coverage in the weblogging world over the last few days. I myself wrote a couple of long pieces on them a few days back [have a look]....
Lance Arthur on "Awarding"... (May 17, 2000) Lance Arthur on "Awarding": "The corral is closing in. Can't you feel it? They're rounding up the wild horses and taming them. They're sending in the thought police. They're closing down the library and burning any book they deem dangerous,...
Books that I am currently reading... (May 17, 2000) Books that I am currently reading: Neal Stephenson: Cryptonomicon, William Powell: The Anarchist Cookbook. Music that I am currently listening to: Beck: Midnite Vultures, Beck: Mutations, Jeff Buckley: Mystery White Boy, PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love, Bjork: Homogenic,...
Artificial inflation of stats... (May 17, 2000) I'm not entirely sure that I feel entirely comfortable with my new random display of images (above). I mean - I love it, but it seems that people are refreshing the page to get a different set, which is completely...
Is it Ok to design for 800x600px resolutions? (May 17, 2000) How cross would you guys be if I decided to start designing for a baseline of 800x600 screen resolution and above? I mean I know that around 10% of you still view sites at that resolution (Global Statistics), but that...
Am I in the wrong city? (May 16, 2000) While at work today, I was rung up by an old University friend from Bristol, who was stopping off in London for a minute period of time between his epic jaunts around the world promoting his internet empire. He's heading...
Film pitches on HSX.com (May 16, 2000) If you are ever on for a laugh, check out the descriptions of films at the Hollywood Stock Exchange. Ignore for the moment the tremendous fun of investing in stocks based on the performance of films and stars at the...
In which BMW interferes with my love-life... (May 16, 2000) In the UK at the moment there is this whole debacle about Rover, a company that makes cars that very few people buy, even though they look rather nice. The company, which has been owned by BMW for a while,...
Derek Powazek becomes Creative Director of Pyra... (May 16, 2000) Congratulations are due to Derek Powazek, who has been named Creative Director of Pyra, the young team of web scamps and entrepreneurs who are fighting corporate evil in San Francisco. Katy is completely right though - in about three months...
Weirdly, a lot of people (May 16, 2000) Weirdly, a lot of people have commented on my thoughts on why a weblog is popular. More interestingly, exactly what I feared would happen has happened - by actively trying to demonstrate whether or not my theory was true or...
I've been meaning to do (May 16, 2000) I've been meaning to do it for ages and now it is done - the photo bar at the top of the page rotates the images, thus making the site infinitely more interesting than it already was. Will the excitement...
Oh the power! Oh the (May 15, 2000) Oh the power! Oh the sheer undreamt-of power! Watch in stupified awe this weekend as Katy and I assassinate Mark and take over Riothero. No promises that Katy will take all her clothes off or start a big fight with...
I have been using an (May 15, 2000) I have been using an Ultimate Bulletin Board for ages at the nexus. I have always been really happy with its functionality (although it is pretty heavy on the old bandwidth), but less comfortable with it aesthetically. It's highly adaptable,...
Wow. Woke up this morning (May 15, 2000) Wow. Woke up this morning and read this on prolific.org: "I started reading Barbelith because it was a relief to find a 'British' voice in the ocean of mainly Yankee blogs. But I wouldn't have stuck with him if it...
I'm in a bit of (May 14, 2000) I'm in a bit of a mood with SwallowingTacks. I don't think that was the point at all. Still, never mind, eh?...
Men, Women, Breasts and Circumcision... (May 14, 2000) Very much delighted to see that blogger has chosen the feminist media watch collaborative weblog as their log of the week. I'm relatively well informed in feminist theory as many of the issues in queer theory are derived from previous...
About bloody time. I have (May 14, 2000) About bloody time. I have FINALLY updated The Bomb....
I've had a great day. (May 13, 2000) I've had a great day. On Thursday night at the party I bumped into this guy who I had only met once before (when I was told very firmly that he was straight). Well, I am now reasonably sure that...
Blogger could do with a global search-and-replace... (May 13, 2000) It occurs to me that the awesome blogger could do with a search and replace facility. I mean, I know it could be a right pain in the arse, but what happens when someone moves their blog to a new...
I found text through my (May 13, 2000) I found text through my referrer log. She was writing really nice things about many of my favourite blogs (and indeed myself). I get a few comments about my colour scheme, but really it is nothing compared to this -...
I know that everyone in (May 13, 2000) I know that everyone in the world has blogged it, but still - I'm pretty keen on the MetaCamPage. Gives me the opportunity to keep tabs in a big-brotherish fashion on lots of people at the same time, rather than...
I have finally decided which (May 13, 2000) I have finally decided which domain to buy when I shunt the weblog onto a new server. Please god let it not go in the few days it will take me to get organised. I don't think I can take...
Still Anti-Microsoft... (May 13, 2000) Even though Anti-Microsoft Day is now well and truly over pretty much everywhere in the world, I just thought I'd add one more thing, gleaned from powazek this morning. There is a current discussion at Metafilter about an article at...
I'm really worried that when (May 13, 2000) I'm really worried that when I move this weblog to a new domain, that you'll all forget me and won't link to the new site. Which would really upset me. Nothing I can do about it though really....
Anti-Microsoft day... (May 12, 2000) It's Anti-Microsoft Day at Barbelith Towers today, as completely spontaneously I have come across several pieces of information about the many-splendored Macro-Company that have caused me to feel little white-hot daggers of outrage course through my body. If you feel...
So, I am sitting at (May 11, 2000) So, I am sitting at work, having spent the day being shown how to force quark documents through extraction tools and sql databases, thinking about organising my travelcard, sending off replies to letters about preview screenings of films and wondering...
Theories of weblog popularity... (May 11, 2000) I have a theory that for a weblog to be popular, it must i) have a definite focus for its writings, ii) be written well, iii) have a clear and appealing visual presence and iv) fabricate some form of online...
I thought it would be (May 10, 2000) I thought it would be interesting to come up with some really cool, and yet weird and fucked-up domain names - you know - ones that no one would ever buy, and then name them here and see if anyone...
Barbelith... Now with permalinks! (May 10, 2000) Now with permalinks. I have been resisting this trend for quite some time now, because it would expose my weird habit of continually adding to an individual entry. I have used this technique to keep a certain amount of logical...
Come on now kids, play nice... (May 10, 2000) Come on now kids, play nice......
Oh Lord, won't you buy me... (May 9, 2000) Does anyone want to buy me a computer? In my two months of homelessness, I have used net cafe computers only. And now I finally set up my own computer and it seems like I have stepped back about eight...
God! I finally took the (May 9, 2000) God! I finally took the emode "What is your true colour" test that has been cycling around the blogs, and it came out with this, which is a bit of coincidence if you ask me: "Vibrant and charming, ORANGE is...
My comments about language (yesterday) (May 8, 2000) My comments about language (yesterday) seem to be echoing around the net with some speed. In the course of the day I have written a very apologetic e-mail to Tracy for using her as a launch-pad for what is clearly...
LEWD, the London Elite Weblogging (May 8, 2000) LEWD, the London Elite Weblogging Detachment that I alluded to a few days ago is beginning to come together. Or at least it seems likely that it is - people seem to have been rather flummoxed by my complete lack...
Why don't Americans understand British English? (May 7, 2000) This post is SOOOOO not going to go down well. Tracy and Katy are having a conversation about American and British English. Before I begin, I know that I am jumping rather savagely into the fray on this one, that...
Death of the Weblog? (May 5, 2000) Did everyone in the weblogging world get sent this link: Death to the Weblog? It's a really weird site, which I can't quite get a handle on. It seems to be about 2/3 spoof and 1/3 serious, or maybe the...
Referrer logs reveal that yesterday, (May 5, 2000) Referrer logs reveal that yesterday, Barbelith was visited by 666 people. This unholy convergence of number and anti-establishment content leads me to conclude that I must be the anti-Christ. This is quite frustrating as I have enough to do already....
There aren't that many weblogs (May 4, 2000) There aren't that many weblogs talking about the riots in London on May Day. I had decided initially not to talk about them (I thought everyone would be at it), but as time has passed I find the subject more...
The Cenotaph and related issues... (May 4, 2000) I've had a few comments about my post yesterday about the daubing of the Cenotaph. They tend to say that there are legitmate targets for protest who have transgressed morally (one person included Churchill in that list) and non-legitmate targets...
Katy has been talking about (May 3, 2000) Katy has been talking about the Anti-Capitalist Riots that happened in London on May Day: "I don't think even the sensationalist news reports quite prepared me for what I saw:essentially the aftermath of pure carnage. I'd expected to see looted...
Moving into 69a Heath Street... (May 2, 2000) Weekend over. And not a moment too soon. I returned home on Friday, had a brief row with my mother on Saturday morning about the way I ate weetabix, sorted out all my personal belongings into "london", "storage", "throwaway" and...
