Archives for August 2000
Meet the geeks... (August 31, 2000) There's a London meeting tonight of webloggers this evening, with many luminaries of the UK geek scene lurking in and around Leicester Square. I'm quite looking forward to it - particularly as I get to see Katy. If it gets...
On "Blog on for an ego trip"... (August 31, 2000) "Blog on for an ego trip": So there was an article on weblogs in London's Evening Standard a few days ago, based around interviews with Katy of kitschbitch.com, Meg of notsosoft.com and myself. I knew that it was upcoming, but...
Money for food and cable TV... (August 30, 2000) All I can say is thank god this month is nearly over. I ran out of money weeks ago and finally get paid tomorrow. Which means I probably have enough money to eat, and to get cable television....
The unflattering George Clooney... (August 30, 2000) Is it just me that thinks that it's pretty much impossible to be played by George Clooney in a movie and to be portrayed in a "false and unflattering light"? I can't helping thinking that such a statement is bordering...
The Battle of Saville & Merton (Part Two) (August 29, 2000) After a very helpful e-mail I have been directed to the Guardian Newspaper's website in order to find out more about the Have I Got News For You debacle I was discussing yesterday. This particular article [News Unlimited] alleges that...
The Battle of Saville & Merton (Part One) (August 28, 2000) Bursting a Meme Bubble: [thanks for linkmachinego for almost everything I am about to write]. In the UK, we have a topical comedy program called "Have I Got News For You". The show consists of two teams, one headed up...
Happy birthday to Mark... (August 28, 2000) It's Mark's birthday today. I'm in a bit of a mood with him at the moment (although less so than I am with Kerry) due to an event last night which we won't go into detail about. Still, it's not...
Channel 4, burn in hell... (August 28, 2000) Fury in W9: The Bank Holiday Weekend was summarily butt-fucked yesterday by Channel 4's decision to cancel the second Dawson's Creek Day. Concerned citizens, when seeking an explanation for this turn of events, were horrified to discover that it had...
Something to do with Blogger... (August 27, 2000) <Blogger> <BlogDateHeader> <span class="datehead"><$BlogDateHeaderDate$></span> <p></BlogDateHeader> <a name="<$BlogItemNumber$>"></a> <a title="Permalink" class="permalink" href="<$BlogItemArchiveFileName$>#<$BlogItemNumber$>"> •</a> <$BlogItemBody$><br> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#5A97AC" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr><td> <img src="blank.gif" width="1" height="1" border="0"> </td></tr> </table> <br> </Blogger>...
Holy crap! Hot man alert! (August 27, 2000) I don't think I've ever done this before - I don't consider myself to be a particularly tacky person - but holy crap is this man gorgeous... I was watching Eurotrash on TV the other day with Kate and Mella...
Abandoned for drink in Crete... (August 27, 2000) I tell you, you leave Katy alone for one minute, and she wanders off to Crete to get completely trolleyed. I don't know. Young people nowadays......
On being A-list for a few moments... (August 27, 2000) Well, it's never going to happen again, so I may as well get a kick out of it while I still can. For (probably) one day only, plasticbag.org is #6 on beebo's weblog ratings. I'm so pathetic. I can't believe...
On different stages in gay identity... (August 26, 2000) I've been through three major episodes in my quest for a decent gay identity, and none of them have really fitted right. First came the pre-gay "Can't we be just like everyone else" episode, where I wore what everyone else...
If you sneeze, you'll miss it... (August 26, 2000) Is it just me, or has Derek been at Blogger about the length of time it takes for a reasonably-sized booger to be ejected from one's nostril during the process of blowing one's nose? I don't get it. I thought...
Super-villain or cringing victim? (August 26, 2000) There's a really bizarre article about Richard Hatch, the so-called "Evil Queen" of America's "Survivor" (which we don't get over here in UK) over at the Washington Post: "Hard to Beat, Impossible to Avoid". I kind of skim read the...
Boylog thinks I'm cute... (August 26, 2000) Yay. Boylog thinks I'm cute. How cool is that? And I quote: "Tom has taken the big step and gotten a webcam. This is not good, as my attraction to him has now grown exponentially."...
Almost functioning webcams... (August 25, 2000) Ha. Thanks to Luke, I now have an almost functioning webcam. This is a significant step forward for me - particularly as I have had such overwhelming trouble with Oculus (I don't want to go into details, but it seems...
Plastic everywhere... (August 25, 2000) I should also point out that I have nothing to do with plasticboy.com - which is another currently operating weblog out there. Plastic everywhere. It must be a sign of modern living....
On plasticbag.de... (August 25, 2000) I should point out that I have absolutely nothing to do with plasticbag.de, that I think it is an amazing site, and that I didn't know it existed until after I bought plasticbag.org. Otherwise - perhaps - I would have...
The future is masturbatory... (August 25, 2000) Sometimes I think it's important to just feel good about yourself. So that's what I'm going to do. I read a post at Metafilter praising blogger and then I read a snarky comment about weblogs in general. Such comments are...
On competitive impulses... (August 25, 2000) Christ. Plasticbag.org is mentioned twice on beebo.org's metalog in two days. I think that's pretty cool. Whether that means I should be out buying a pocket protector is debatable. I had a long conversation with Mark the other day about...
On British Blogs... (August 25, 2000) I started weblogging pretty soon after blogger launched. I think it had been going about a month and a half. And when I started, I don't think there were many of us doing this, and certainly not that many in...
I threw a little strop... (August 25, 2000) I was at work and I was talking to my boss and he revealed that they'd put the date of the launch of the new Time Out site back again, much to my surprise. So I threw a little strop,...
I may be a porn star... (August 24, 2000) A certain friend of mine has pictures of me that he isn't really supposed to have. His boyfriend has been enjoying these photos which he isn't really supposed to have been doing. These photos have been sent to someone else...
If Ivan Massow is 32... (August 24, 2000) If Ivan Massow is 32, I'm a hatstand - but other than that, I found this interview with my favourite ex-Conservative, "Gay who lost heart for the Tory fight" to be entirely absorbing. It's interesting watching the press try and...
In which Tom appealed for good people to help him with filmsoho.com (August 24, 2000) A quick appeal: I'm looking for UK (ideally London) based people who are involved or interested in the film industry for a new collaborative project that I am about to start working on. I need people who are intelligent, film...
On the world premiere of Snatch... (August 24, 2000) So I went to the world première of Snatch last night, and I can now give you the low down on the film and the event. Quick bit of preliminary guff first though - I wasn't actually looking forward to...
On the World PremiËre of Guy Ritchie's Snatch (August 23, 2000) I'm off to the world premiËre of Guy Ritchie's Snatch this evening. I have such a glamourous life sometimes. It's a strange one this one, because about half of all the people I know in the world seem to be...
I can state quite clearly (August 23, 2000) I can state quite clearly what my reasons were for getting heavily involved in web design. They were Derek Powazek and Jason Kottke. I'd been building sites here and there for a while before that, but I'd never really approached...
Welcome to plasticbag.org - the (August 22, 2000) Welcome to plasticbag.org - the new home of what was barbelith.com, and what is soon to be the hub of a re-energised and fully functioning system of sites that I have had at the back of my mind for a...
BANG Barbelith is dead - (August 22, 2000) BANG Barbelith is dead - but death is not the end. Introducing: plasticbag.org - the site that will be taking over all weblogging duties from now on. Please adjust your bookmarks and any links you may have on your website,...
1 On the End of (August 22, 2000) 1 On the End of Things: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."...
2 On redesigns: Mark has (August 21, 2000) 2 On redesigns: Mark has finally gone and partially designed hero.nu, which we said about nine months ago was going to be a collaborative project between him and I. Unfortunately, we never got around to actually doing it. The new...
3 On countdowns: I can't (August 21, 2000) 3 On countdowns: I can't actually believe I'm having to come out and say this - but in response to a couple of letters: Yes! The countdown does mean something. Something will happen to barbelith when the countdown reaches zero....
4 On postcard pages: I've (August 21, 2000) 4 On postcard pages: I've never noticed launch.nu's postcard page before. Now you can send photos of girls' backs and Mark growling on a baby's dummy to anyone you should wish to. [via momblog]...
5. On radio silence... (August 21, 2000) 5 On radio silence: I haven't posted at all since the 17th, and nothing interesting since the 15th. That's nearly a week. That has never happened before. I feel a bit strange about the whole thing. I wonder why it...
6. On people who rip off epinions... (August 17, 2000) 6 On people ripping off epinions: I was wandering through my copy of .net magazine this morning, when I stumbled upon their web site of the month, an opinions site called "dooyoo.com. "But surely," I said to myself, "this is...
7. Those days when you really really hate your job... (August 17, 2000) 7 On work: There are days when I really hate my job and there are days when I love it. And then there are those days when I really hate it....
8. On high school drop-outs... (August 16, 2000) 8 On high school drop-outs: "Local high school dropouts cut in half" David Pannett | cortex...
9. On playing games in the cinema... (August 15, 2000) 9 On playing games in the cinema: The period before the movie begins is possibly the most important part of the film-going experience. At least two-thirds of the fun of two-thirds of the films lies in their anticipation - in...
10. Expectations about the X-men premiere... (August 15, 2000) 10 On this evening: I don't feel as excited as perhaps I should do, although I certainly feel slightly apprehensive. Tonight is the big night - the "gala" première of X-men followed by the post-première party in North London. I'm...
11. On being rescued from trees... (August 15, 2000) 11 On people who rescue web designers from CSS trees: We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!, We love Meg!,...
12. On the love of pandas... (August 14, 2000) 12 On the love of pandas: "Panda mating fails, Veterinarian takes over" [Meg Pickard | notsosoft.com] "Panda mating fails, Veterinarian takes over" [Marshall | tippit.org/sm]...
{13} On common decency... (August 14, 2000) "Good manners reflect something from inside - an innate sense of consideration for others and respect for self" My arse!...
{14} On entries to the headline competition... (August 14, 2000) With reference to this post: "Police begin campaign to run down jaywalkers" Jason Theriault | www.dispossessed.com...
{15} On cool names in Harry Potter I, II & III... (August 13, 2000) Lord Voldemort Sirius Black Draco Malfoy Severus Snape Tom Marvolo Riddle Remus Lupin Cornelius Fudge Rubeus Hagrid Salazar Slytherin Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington...
{16} On what I have to do today... (August 13, 2000) Go to the Gym It's been over a week since I last went to the gym and I am feeling ridiculously lardy and gross (the two may not be related, of course). Hence, time to go do some exercise....
{17} On Caroline from Big Brother... (August 13, 2000) After four weeks and three evictions, finally we have an escapee with some bloody opinions, who isn't afraid to give some good headline: BBC: "Big Brother's Caroline vows revenge" Ousted Big Brother contestant Caroline O'Shea has vowed get her own...
{18} Matches, Glue and Razorblades... (August 13, 2000) Work Well Together [via metafilter] "Step 3: Catch a bunch of flies. Put them in a jar and put the jar in the freezer. In a few seconds the flies will be chilled out completely. This is called cryogenics, and...
{19} On the nineteenth word of nineteen books... (August 12, 2000) "thank" Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling "in" The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald "and" The New York Trilogy, Paul Auster "it" The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud "much" The Crying of Lot 49, Thomas Pynchon "building"...
{20} On what happens after Big Brother... (August 12, 2000) What's next, one wonders, when Big Brother judders finally to its close. Well, I've got an idea. How about you get, like, 14 people, and then you put them in an astronaut training camp and throw out one a week,...
{21} On winning competitions... (August 12, 2000) Which brings me to my current predicament. I have just won two tickets to the Gala Première and After-Show Party of X-men, to be held on Tuesday night in Leicester Square, and later in the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. I...
{22} On marriages and priorities... (August 12, 2000) When I was at school, I was really good friends with Glyn and Simon. We shared some (relatively geeky) passions, which in some cases we still do. When school finished, I took a year out before going to University. Glyn...
{23} On living in science fiction... (August 12, 2000) 'Antimatter factory' starts work Scientists at Europe's biggest high-energy physics laboratory have built an "antimatter factory" to study why the world is made of matter, not its mirror image. A spokesman for one of three antimatter projects at Cern, Rolf...
On advice from Lance, ignored as usual... (August 12, 2000) Advice from Lance, ignored as usual. I've been doing it for nearly a year now and for some reason people keep coming back (at least I think they do)... "My life is really boring. I can't think of anything to...
I've been wished a happy birthday... (August 12, 2000) I can't believe that I didn't notice that boylog wished me Happy Birthday on the 19th. Thanks!...
Those whom the gods love die young... (August 11, 2000) Just discovered that barbelith (and I) are all over Jason Kottke's site today. Which is a really strange feeling. It's stirring up a lot of weird resonances in my head. Part of me is clearly delighted: Jason's site must get...
More headine competition pictures... (August 11, 2000) I'm still getting images for the headline competition. Keep them coming. "Minors Refuse to Work After Death" [Meg Pickard | notsosoft.com]...
How old is Thomas? (August 11, 2000) The BBC is known for it's high editorial standards and the supreme quality of it's reporting. This being the case, could someone please explain this article on Big Brother UK: "Third time unlucky for Caroline". Quote One: "The results of...
Blog Family Robinson... (August 11, 2000) Good god. I can't believe it. Mark seems to have got his whole family writing weblogs now. Some favourite quotes follow: Momblog "I try to keep track of what is going on in Mark's life by reading his blog but...
I want a webby... (August 11, 2000) Okay, I admit it, I could probably cope with winning an Webby......
Chef throws his heart into helping feed needy... (August 11, 2000) Another headline: "Chef throws his heart into helping feed needy" [Neale Talbot | wrongwaygoback.com]...
"It's only a gameshow" (August 11, 2000) Keep reminding yourself: It's only a gameshow, It's only a gameshow It's only a gameshow, It's only a gameshow It's only a gameshow, It's only a gameshow It's only a gameshow, It's only a gameshow...
More entries for the headline competition... (August 10, 2000) The headline competition keeps getting new entries. Two of them particularly appeal to me: "Include your children when baking cookies" [Brad Morse | 120degrees.com] "Prostitutes appeal to Pope" [Meg Pickard | notsosoft.com]...
There's something cool about being in print... (August 10, 2000) Young Katy has scanned in the article from newmusic which talks all about weblogs. Congratulations to eatonweb and kottke as well - there's something really cool about being in print......
More cool headline competition images... (August 10, 2000) I've been sent two or three cool images for the headline competition so far - still hoping for more. My favourite so far is below (thanks to David Pannett): "Kids make nutritious snacks"...
An article by Grant in the Evening Standard... (August 10, 2000) There's an article by Grant Morrison, absent godhead of the Underground, in today's Evening Standard. It's about X-men......
Introducing the Headline Competition... (August 10, 2000) Below is a list of apparently real English-language headlines. I have a proposal for you. Find (or make) an amusing or apt 320x240px image for one of the headlines below and I'll put the best ones up onto the site....
God, I'm bored. (August 10, 2000) God, I'm bored....
I am traditional, yet soft. (August 9, 2000) I am traditional, yet soft. I am of Belgian descent. I have a creamy yellowish body, with a red/brown surface and a slightly corrugated edge. I taste almost meaty and have a legendary aroma caused by enzymes on my skin...
Tom promotes blatant copyright theft: (August 9, 2000) Tom promotes blatant copyright theft: It occurs to me that a really good template for a weblog would be the Wired News Template (with a few adaptations of course). I've even got a name for it. You could call it...
I love Metafilter... (August 9, 2000) I really love Metafilter. Almost an unholy amount, in fact. For those of you who aren't webloggers yourself (I'd place a bet on around 5%), and are thus unfamiliar with the site, it's a community weblog, where anyone who signs...
Mr Massow... (August 8, 2000) Things that are in today's Evening Standard: A long article about Ivan Massow. Things that aren't in today's Evening Standard: A long article about weblogs featuring interviews with Katy and myself. I can, of course, only quote from the former:...
Guy Ritchie at the backdoor of Time Out looking moody... (August 8, 2000) Guy Ritchie, boss of a friend of mine, spouse of icon and creator of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the upcoming Snatch (NB: snatch.com is not the film site!) is guest editing Time Out this week. There's even...
When is all publicity not (August 8, 2000) When is all publicity not good publicity? Penguin Books have just released a book called katie.com [Full Article: Guardian]. The book describes the experiences of a girl who runs her own website and who came into contact and was finally...
Friends that I really don't see enough of... (August 8, 2000) Dan, a doctor. Danny, very important. Fenner, a barrister. Gideon, a foreign correspondent. Michael (Tall), a painter / waiter. Rachel, a manager of puppets. Rachel, a mother. Rhys, a web designer. Toby, an entrepreneur. [site] Will, a free spirit....
It turns out that my (August 8, 2000) It turns out that my mother was right. Neither she nor my brother liked Being John Malkovich at all. Not even a little bit. I could feel them next to me in the cinema squirming, desperate to get out. My...
Major flashback: Maggie Let It (August 8, 2000) Major flashback: Maggie Let It Go has finally got its arse in gear and scanned in the pictures from the epic collision of Mark, Katy, Vance and myself. The first thing Katy then did with them was write dodgy captions...
I am having substantial difficulty (August 7, 2000) I am having substantial difficulty persuading my mother that she needs to go and see Being John Malkovich this evening. She seems convinced that she just won't like it. The problem is, I go and see so many films, that...
The weblogger's new hair... It's (August 7, 2000) The weblogger's new hair... It's surprisingly difficult to get a decent photo which adequately shows up what are essentially relatively subtle new hair effects, which may go some way to explain why it's taken me so long to find something....
So you've decided to be evil... (August 6, 2000) I'm really letting it all out today - venting left, right and centre - weblogging like there's no tomorrow. Which might indeed be the case if I fulfill my ambition and become an Evil Supercriminal. When I was a kid,...
On Mothers... (August 6, 2000) Mothers: My mother never reads my weblog. I think maybe she did once, and then decided that she didn't want to hear about what happened in my life after all. And then stopped. I don't know if that's true or...
Mr Massow's fun new haircut... (August 6, 2000) Mr Massow was on television this morning again, with his rather alarming new haircut. The irony is, he's never looked more right wing. My interest in him is long founded and based around the four major features of his life...
A weekend with the family... (August 6, 2000) My mother and little brother arrived in London yesterday. They are staying with me in my flat for a few days while Kate and Mella are out of town. I have to say that part of me was extremely worried...
Mighty Campaigning Organ... (August 5, 2000) The Onion is right on the mark again - this time let the chocolate giants feel the wrath of this mighty campaigning organ: "The five-state class-action suit accused Hershey's of "knowingly and willfully marketing rich, fatty candy bars containing chocolate...
More Mister Massow? (August 4, 2000) Ivan Update: Crme - An insurance office, but not as we know it Massow Dumps Tories for Labour...
The results of the poll... (August 4, 2000) You're a sensible lot, and were quite correct. The results of the poll are in, and the picture of the child with the fox is indeed Nick, a screenwriter....
Things are heating up in the Big Brother house... (August 4, 2000) Things are apparently heating up in the Big Brother house - at least if you believe the BBC. They, along with many of the other British papers, are printing pictures of Melanie and Andy apparently engaged in the beginnings of...
In which Tom gets his haircut... (August 3, 2000) "Tom goes to get his haircut" (or "Plumbing the Depths of Personal Content on the Web") In the UK, we get quite a few American TV shows. These shows are on a little after they are on in America depending...
On intoxicating viewing and Big Brother UK... (August 3, 2000) I haven't talked much about Big Brother UK to date, although it is intoxicating viewing. In the meantime, while I make up my mind, the BBC has an archive of all their articles on the show....
On Exposing Genitals to Webcams... (August 3, 2000) I don't get it. Does anyone really want to see Ben Brown's Dick? This is clearly where I've been going wrong all these years - I don't expose my genitals to webcams. I'm doomed to a life of mediocrity....
More Massow Linkage... (August 3, 2000) More on Mr Massow: Ivan Massow: Gay Abandon A trio of defections Tory Defector Targets Hague Millionaire Rebel With a Cause...
Nice people I met for (August 2, 2000) Nice people I met for the first time when I was on AIM tonight: robotgirl, ellie, geoff, nick doro, charlene, sheepish andy, erica. People I knew already but are still nice: Katy, Andy, Megnut....
So I have an idea (August 2, 2000) So I have an idea for the next project after Big Brother. I call it "Lord of the Flies' Celebrity Big Brother Quake Castaway Deathmatch", and involves introducing novel ideas like easily transmittable diseases, LSD-spiked foods, a ready supply of...
Revealed - a picture of (August 2, 2000) Revealed - a picture of myself and David schmoozing at the Yell.com awards. I'm the one next to Mr Ross......
Thanks to Neale for incorporating (August 2, 2000) Thanks to Neale for incorporating one of my lines into "Da Bomb Rap by Front-End". To quote: "yo this is homey.d.j.action-item empowering and embracing the love of the internet and telling everyone that the heart and soul of the net...
Today's game, Name A Friend (August 2, 2000) Today's game, Name A Friend From A Baby Picture [E-mail him for clues or to comment on his cherubic hair]...
Ivan Massow linkage... (August 2, 2000) More on Ivan Massow: BBC News Guardian Unlimited Yahoo! News Massow Associates...
Massow defects to Labour... (August 1, 2000) In the UK, there is this extremely successful young gay businessman called Ivan Massow. He is also, unfortunately, drop dead gorgeous. He is the friend of a friend of mine and I've met him a couple of times in passing....
A fragment from a fan letter... (August 1, 2000) Dear Ms Elastico, I read your recent comment about my site with considerable interest and attach a part below so that anyone who wishes to comment can do so. "After some consideration, I've realized that this blog is the equivalent...
