Archives for June 2001

Mardi Gras (June 30, 2001) Mardi Gras...

Today on Barbelith: Rap is (June 29, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Rap is Gay - "At its most expansive and inclusive, hip-hop, like the Zapatista movement, extends to include anyone who is dispossessed."...

On Sarcasrony... (June 29, 2001) Word of the day: 'sarcasrony' - being a useful word to use when you're too confused by Alanis Morrissette to tell the difference between irony and sarcasm. Particularly should be used in confused American accent to highlight cultural stereotyping: "Jeez...

I want to sleep for a thousand years... (June 29, 2001) I'm excrutiatingly tired. Totally, completely, ridiculously exhausted. Workshy fop, you say? Not at all. But a combination of stress, work-related self-hatred and an inability to sleep brought about by three months of gradually escalating worry has finally taken its toll....

On Morrison on Barbelith... (June 29, 2001) Yesterday on Barbelith: Grant Morrison (Part Two) - "It's 1999 all over again with the second part of our classic interview - featuring Grant's thoughts on The Invisibles, the future and Dictaphones..."...

On the death of a thousand temp jobs... (June 29, 2001) I find squeezing plasticbag.org completely around work incredibly difficult and frustrating. I hate temp work with such a passion....

On 'Unsightful'... (June 29, 2001) I am stunned to report that I've had a word accepted into the pseudodictionary. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you 'unsightful'....

Death to work! (June 28, 2001) It's just not fair. I should be able to post to plasticbag.org during the day if I want to. I have to feed my baby. It's so unfair....

On Barbelith on Morrison... (June 28, 2001) Yesterday on Barbelith (so sue me, I'm stressed): Grant Morrison (Part One) - "In the first part of this archived interview from 1999, Grant Morrison talks about the Justice League, Animal Man, Alan Moore and 2000AD."...

Not just for Porn! (June 27, 2001) Possibly the most useful thing in the world: images.google.com - and not just for porn!...

The Problem of Happiness... (June 27, 2001) In my mind at the moment is the following quote from Brave New World, combined with my refreshed memory of temp slavery and the realisation that business news is full of conversations about unhappiness at work, frustration and stress and...

Pixies DVD retrospective? (June 27, 2001) Thanks to Luke for finding me a news story about the soon-to-be-released Pixies DVD retrospective. I'm awed, and a little scared by how excited I am....

Buy Davo presents... (June 27, 2001) My life has been saved several times by the kindnesses of young Davo. At this precise moment, however, I am unable to buy him a gift for his birthday (tomorrow). So I'm going to send all of you guys off...

On Pleasing Poofs... (June 27, 2001) Kerry and Sean got their presents. The wonders of Amazon.com vouchers. Twister, Pets.com glove puppets and an Austin Powers Shaguar. What more could two poofs want?...

Looking for Tom Coates... (June 27, 2001) I'm not the Tom Coates that likes curling, swimming or hunting (although he's kinda cute), nor am I the Tom Coates that is married to Judith. The most spooky part of this whole process is that I've seen both of...

Today on Barbelith: Echelon (3) (June 26, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Echelon (3) Protecting yourself - "So what is the threat to privacy that Echelon poses, and what can we do about it. In the third part of out Echelon series, Frances Farmer get practical."...

I want to sell myself (June 26, 2001) I want to sell myself to someone, I want to be owned. I want that sense of responsibility to go away. I want to be a thing that someone uses. Property. I don't want to have to think any more....

I hereby declare Ralph to (June 26, 2001) I hereby declare Ralph to be stroppy guardian of my soul and well-being and agree in principle to being 'his project'....

Barbelith is an online publication! (June 25, 2001) Hey look kids: barbelith is an 'online publication' according to plastic.com - the metafilter that it's only just about ok to like, even when they link you. I'm chuffed, nonetheless. Now I need more bloody articles, so stop sitting on...

Temping thrills (1) Arrive at (June 25, 2001) Temping thrills (1) Arrive at assignment. Sit down. Start computer. Start Outlook. The first e-mail is being displayed in the preview pane. It reads, "Why doesn't Michael Barrymore use ashtrays? Because he puts his fags out in the pool". 9.35am...

And the vote is in, (June 25, 2001) And the vote is in, and yes - the answer we were all dreading - temping is the dark lord Satan's way of making humanity's life even more of a godawful fucking living hell than we ever thought possible. Swear...

For those who don't believe (June 25, 2001) For those who don't believe that it's possible, I will on cam in my suit in a few minutes. That should give you all an opportunity for a giggle or two....

Today on Barbelith: Echelon (2) (June 25, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Echelon (2) Science and Patents - "The technology for these terrifying prospects is not new - the means for interception have stepped hand in hand down the aisle with the means for communication all along."...

There's another picture of me (June 25, 2001) There's another picture of me over at The Mirror Project - this time with most of my clothes off. Not that you can see anything of course....

Question: Why do kid's movies (June 24, 2001) Question: Why do kid's movies invariably contain large amounts of scatalogical humour. Surely there must be more funny things you can do with a dog / bear / raccoon than make it crap everywhere?...

Must hurry - otherwise will (June 24, 2001) Must hurry - otherwise will miss press preview of Dr Doolittle 2, which I'm am reviewing for the BBC. I've tried everything I can think of to get someone to come with me including e-mailing everyone I know in the...

Tom's Top Twelve Bowie tracks: (June 24, 2001) Tom's Top Twelve Bowie tracks: 12) Fascination [Young Americans] "Every time I feel fascination, I just can't stand still, I've got to use her, Every time I think of what you pulled me through, dear, Fascination moves sweeping near me."...

Big Blogger: "Nobody has (June 23, 2001) Big Blogger: "Nobody has a clue what the National Anthem of Barbados sounds like but Tom says it's a bit like Dancing Queen."...

I'm feeling tremendously positive after (June 23, 2001) I'm feeling tremendously positive after half an hour lying in the sun, three episodes of Angel and lots of bread and houmous. I have a sudden transformative feeling, as if I were shortly to be emerging from madness....

Tremendously unsettling experience: talking about (June 23, 2001) Tremendously unsettling experience: talking about your problems with a friend on AIM and then discovering that you weren't actually talking to said friend at all, but to someone involved in the whole problem, albeit indirectly. Suddenly feel crushingly exposed....

LA Barbelith regulars may remember (June 23, 2001) LA Barbelith regulars may remember me in this particular outfit when I met them outside a café in February: What the Mirror Project Found....

I'm weirded out. Max is (June 23, 2001) I'm weirded out. Max is sodding off abroad in a week. Which weirds me out. Don't normally talk about him here, but I've decided this is different. Maybe it's not. He might send me an e-mail I suppose - telling...

It's official. Jeffrey Zeldman officially (June 23, 2001) It's official. Jeffrey Zeldman officially kicks fucking arse. As another expensive online project folds, so the little man takes a stand:"The Web is not in trouble. Big businesses are, when they think they can own or master it. Bye-bye, Big...

How can I go forward (June 23, 2001) How can I go forward when I don't know which way I'm facing? How can I go forward when I don't know which way to turn? How can I go forward into something I'm not sure of? How can I...

Today on Barbelith: The Death (June 22, 2001) Today on Barbelith: The Death of Pop - "More than anything else, this is what's killed pop - a self-consciousness has crept in, a knowingness that's half decadent and half neurotic."...

American Beauty score on the (June 22, 2001) American Beauty score on the stereo, sitting in a duvet looking out of the window at the sun on the trees, tapping on a keyboard. My teeth feel unbrushed and uncomfortable, my mouth is dry, my leg keeps bouncing and...

Dan has been obsessing about (June 22, 2001) Dan has been obsessing about the new movie AI for ages - to the extent of creating a whole community for the film and the online game. I'm finally beginning to realise why - the New York Observer's review is...

I'm wondering at the moment (June 22, 2001) I'm wondering at the moment if I could make money by doing really strange things - like collecting envelopes of my hair and auctioning them on Ebay. Or maybe I could do that thing that Japanese girls do - wear...

I am, at this moment, (June 22, 2001) I am, at this moment, trying to build a full weblog design without using any tables or images or spacer gifs of any kind. None. Not a one. I'm finding it challenging, but not impossible. But my one issue is...

You know, I think those (June 21, 2001) You know, I think those Blogger chaps are getting a bit big for their boots: click here. This is a joke by the way....

Today on Barbelith: Tarot in (June 21, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Tarot in a nutshell - "A magician consults the tarot to examine the causal influences surrounding a situation or action which might not otherwise be consciously available to him or her."...

New useful weblog: status.blogger.com - (June 21, 2001) New useful weblog: status.blogger.com - started by Ev to keep everyone calm during down-time. While we are at it, you should probably go vote for Blogger in the personal site category of The Webbies....

Today I agreed to fill (June 21, 2001) Today I agreed to fill in an empty week of work with secretarial temping. Just to fill up the time, you understand. God, I'm depressed....

The groovy orange pubic orangutan (June 20, 2001) The groovy orange pubic orangutan wasn't andisestablishmentarian except after copulation of course; those who feel his swollen forebrain just here rustling beneath the firetruck in hushed screams of pleasure. Motherfucking is illegal under full latex umbrellas. Unless groovy membranous exterminators...

Another poignant day for me, (June 20, 2001) Another poignant day for me, loser that I am....

Today on Barbelith: The murderers (June 20, 2001) Today on Barbelith: The murderers of Jamie Bulger - "To take a life in cold blood is appalling in and of itself, but to take that of a child seems to go beyond that. And this time the crime goes...

Unedited list of things in my bookmark file... (June 19, 2001) Bookmark dump: Being an unedited list of everything in my bookmark file, providing biographical insight and good linkage. Today: Toolbar Favourites: plasticbag.org, WebMonkey Search Engine Secrets, FilmFourExtra, ThisIsLondon.com Jobs, Chinwag Recruitment Consultancies, SamSpade.org, Scott London, Tom on HotOrNot, AOL.co.uk jobs,...

We live in strange days... (June 19, 2001) We live in strange days. And they get stranger all the time. That feeling you get when you don't know what's happening - that sensation you get when you're uncomfortable in a strange situation and you don't know why -...

Today on Barbelith: Echelon (June 19, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Echelon (I): History and Politics - "The first part of our Echelon series takes a look at the background of the top secret surveillance project that has the European Union in uproar."...

Donations for a TiBook? (June 19, 2001) I am contemplating running a parallel campaign to the barbelith one. I'm wondering if I can persuade the world to contribute dollar by dollar towards getting me a G4 Ti Powerbook. I'm dribbling at the propect, but it occurs to...

I need donations... (June 19, 2001) Because of the sheer weight of running barbelith.com, I have decided to start to take donations from people for its upkeep and maintenance. 300,000 page impressions a month, CGI heavy-bulletin boards and up to 700Mb of bandwidth a day wasn't...

Getting Simon Traffic... (June 19, 2001) Can you guys find some pretext to link to http://simon.fneh.net ASAP? I linked to him and he bet me that he'd get less hits today than yesterday just in order to spite me. So now it's a matter of honour...

So Simon's redesigned... (June 19, 2001) So Simon's redesigned minor 9th but wouldn't beg me to link to him. So I have linked to him anyway, just to prove that having nerve is sometimes worth rewarding. As long as you all remember that you are all...

"Tom Coates Naked" (June 19, 2001) OK - confessions time. Who found my site by typing in 'Tom Coates Naked' into Google? I feel violated in a strangely pleasant way. Mummy, does this mean I'm a deviant?...

Mark the Beatle... (June 19, 2001) Mark's new haircut makes him look like a Beatle. And he's started posing more. Which is, you know, fun....

Mass Slaughter or Suicide? (June 19, 2001) I remember saying to myself in March that if I hadn't found a permanent job I wanted by my birthday, then I would seriously consider either mass slaughter or suicide. I'm no longer comfortable with the stresses and insecurities of...

Drink at Smolensky's? (June 18, 2001) Read this and then read this and then come and join us at Smolensky's for a drink this evening from 7pm to 9pm - all welcome, from regular readers to first-timers....

Today on Barbelith: Marquis De Sade... (June 18, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Marquis De Sade: Profile - "Being a comprehensive guide to the life and work of the world's most passionate and depraved libertine and lover."...

On Close Encounters... (June 17, 2001) I took a break from the nightmare reinstallation from hell in order to catch the last half hour of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It's weird - Simon and Mark probably weren't even born when I last saw it....

Breaking Infopop's Windows... (June 17, 2001) I swear to god, if the Barbelith Underground reboot doesn't work this time, I'm smashing something. I'm going to get a great big fucking rock and throw it through Infopop's windows....

"Why do you fight, miniscule (June 16, 2001) "Why do you fight, miniscule blonde one?" Today has been filled with a profound inability to connect to anything or anyone, the frustration of discovering that an application form that was supposed to arrive this morning hasn't done, a couple...

Evening in a Nutshell: Was (June 16, 2001) Evening in a Nutshell: Was late getting everything done, half-tidied bedroom, met Nick H and Davo at The Edge, drank a couple of drinks, behaved like idiots, had fun. Went to GAY, downed a couple of drinks, bumped into ****,...

Ok. You're all missing the (June 15, 2001) Ok. You're all missing the point. I want you to vote for the other people (ie not me), so I get to see them naked. Jeez, people. Pay attention. So in attempt to guide your voting a little, I've found...

The disturbing mind of Cal (June 15, 2001) The disturbing mind of Cal Henderson has come up with the most evil thing I've seen in years: which uk blogger would you most like to see naked? I have it on good authority that whoever wins this poll will...

I don't even know what (June 15, 2001) I don't even know what to say. The person who got me Buffy on video - wow. This has been the main symbol of my currently tightened circumstances - that the thing that would be my first frivolity sits on...

Today on Barbelith: CCTV in (June 15, 2001) Today on Barbelith: CCTV in a nutshell - "Britain leads the world in the use of closed circuit television to discourage crime on our streets, and enjoys the highest known proportion of CCTV coverage."...

More grotesque photos of the (June 15, 2001) More grotesque photos of the most recent Blogmeet (12 /6/2001). When will someone realise that the pallid complexion, RSI'd arms and over-caffeinated geek world will never photograph well?...

Matt Haughey relaunches haughey.com as (June 15, 2001) Matt Haughey relaunches haughey.com as his professional site. It's a startlingly simple and elegant design, using high quality images. The front page feels like a window. There's something familiar to me about the text formatting on the images. It reminds...

Proposal: Combine weblog with diary (June 15, 2001) Proposal: Combine weblog with diary and journal by making it possible to (1) post in advance, (2) assign times to events, (3) be able to choose whether the post should be public or private, (4) have private posts be viewable...

Secrets are the battery acid (June 15, 2001) Secrets are the battery acid of the mind. If you had secrets - if you had three things that you wanted to talk about but couldn't - what would you do? Would your defences collapse under the pressure. If I...

Reel giddily before the might (June 14, 2001) Reel giddily before the might of my final review involving people in rubber masks going 'ook': Battle for the Planet of the Apes sucks ass according to highly intelligent and trustworthy sources (ie. me). Experience the full depths of monkey...

"If you're wondering why all (June 14, 2001) "If you're wondering why all the love that you long for eludes you and people are rude and cruel to you, I'll tell you why. Today I am remembering the time when they pulled me back, and held me down...

Fascinating stuff on the Josh (June 14, 2001) Fascinating stuff on the Josh / Brian debacle that's emerging in the Big Brother house. The Guardian talks about Josh's A-list status, JoshandPecs.com goes the full self-promoting mile and Barbelith goes all analytic (I love the Underground). Totally engaging....

"I decree today that life (June 14, 2001) "I decree today that life is simply taking and no giving. England is mine and it owes me a living..."...

Today on Barbelith: Porno People (June 14, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Porno People - "Real people that I knew went from three dimensions, conversation and thoughts to cartoon sex zombies mouthing, 'I like it in my mouth'."...

We would just like to (June 14, 2001) We would just like to give our gracious thanks to Nick Jordan for presenting us with a full gallery of the goings-on on Tuesday night. We know at the time that we may have groaned every time the camera appeared,...

Commenting on Barbelith... (June 13, 2001) More mentions of Barbelith and comments upon the various articles: Richard's Dish takes on Harry Potter and Capitalism....

Cool news of the day... (June 13, 2001) Cool news of the day - Barbelith has been picked up by Moreover.com via Grouse as a Cool Site....

Tremendous thanks to Ashley! If (June 13, 2001) Tremendous thanks to Ashley! If you want to see what I'm on about, check the cam (the yellow/orange bullseye above). I will be wearing it all day as a statement of my allegiance to the highest cause in the land....

On the political compass... (June 13, 2001) Quick thanks to Fran for sending me the URL of politicalcompass.org - a site which aims to estimate your politics not only on a left-right spectrum, but also on a libertarian / authoritarian axis. Based on +/- 10 on both...

Today on Barbelith: Execution USA (June 13, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Execution USA - "Think you're safe? Maybe you are. Nixon wanted to have all war protesters classified as traitors. Being a traitor is punishable by death. That was 30 years ago."...

I got an e-mail from (June 13, 2001) I got an e-mail from a friend this morning who said he'd stumbled upon a whole range of galleries of Bristol's gay life. I lived in Bristol for over six years so there are a few (although surprisingly few) familiar...

Select quotes from the general public on the Labour general election victory... (June 12, 2001) "Isn't there - can't there be - more to living than hard work and families?" Louise Holden "I never thought I would live long enough to see a Labour government treat asylum seekers so disgracefully, attempt to restrict the right...

I hereby declare the excellent (June 12, 2001) I hereby declare the excellent Radiohead to have been renamed "The Down-Beatles", and Thom Yorke to be "John Lennon on Helium and Methadone". I expect these quotes to adorn Radiohead posters within the next week"....

Very funny insight from davezilla (June 12, 2001) Very funny insight from davezilla - bored of Fucked Company?, then check out FuckedWeblog - described by Haddock.org as the bonfire of the vanity sites.......

If you get bored and (June 12, 2001) If you get bored and wish to promote your site, then the best thing you can do is get yourself over to Webmonkey and read their article on Search Engine Optimization. It cuts through a lot of the bullshit and...

Davo found an article (to (June 12, 2001) Davo found an article (to prove a point to me) about the relationship between a couple's perceptions of each other's (and their own) physical attractiveness - [article]. When reading it, a few issues occurred to me - whether one can...

Today on Barbelith: Kevin O'Neill (June 12, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Kevin O'Neill Part One | Part Two - The artist of Nemesis the Warlock, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Marshall Law talks dirty in the our extended two-part interview....

Recent Additions to the Mirror (June 12, 2001) Recent Additions to the Mirror Project include: Mo Morgan [momorgan.com], Simon Pearson [simon.fneh.net], Tom Coates [plasticbag.org]....

Calling Mason Lang: Could the (June 12, 2001) Calling Mason Lang: Could the person who sent me three tremendously wonderful presents off my wishlist - all of which arrived this morning - but neglected to leave their name, please mail me so I can thank you in person....

Hmmm. I find myself strangely (June 12, 2001) Hmmm. I find myself strangely missing Ralph - who's not posting on the Underground as much as he used to, is hardly posting to his site either. And he's never on AIM. Things seem oddly flat without someone to bounce...

12 places talking about articles (June 11, 2001) 12 places talking about articles at barbelith.com: The Null Device, beautiful MIDNIGHT, If Then Else, Virulent Memes, As Above, qwertyuiop, Come Back, shrapnel.org, Devil or an Angel, Minor 9th, OutSider, Blogadoon....

Am I the only person (June 11, 2001) Am I the only person in the world who thinks that Josh from Big Brother has slightly alarming sticky-out teeth? I probably am. What a ridiculous thing to focus on, Tom. I can't believe I'm saying it, but I'd rather...

Literally about a year ago, (June 11, 2001) Literally about a year ago, I ran a headline competition, based upon illustrating some amusing headlines that I'd found somewhere on the net. During the process at some point I think I became suddenly horrified by how ridiculously geeky I...

Tremendous thanks are in order (June 11, 2001) Tremendous thanks are in order to Prol for finding me Peter Mandelson's speech online. This is wonderful stuff - although I think it cuts out too soon - because I remember it taking an eternity for him to stop talking...

American Beauty Soundtrack... (June 11, 2001) Delivered in the post this morning: American Beauty OST. Thanks so much to Ann for this. Here's a sample that I've listened to over and over again with the windows open, looking out over the garden at the back of...

Frustration of the day: Contracts (June 11, 2001) Frustration of the day: Contracts come and contracts go and you go through periods where you can't get enough work and other periods where you can't fit in the work that people want you to do. At the moment it's...

It's amazing, astonishing even, what (June 11, 2001) It's amazing, astonishing even, what you can find when you wander through Haddock.org. Started off with a couple of self-searches for plasticbag and barbelith and ended up stumbling on this picture of Matt Interconnected. For ... more ... on Matt,...

Post-Napster, I find myself increasingly (June 10, 2001) Post-Napster, I find myself increasingly obsessed with filepile.org as a source of random mp3's to experience....

The BBC presents an article (June 10, 2001) The BBC presents an article on GW Bush's European tour. This is a fascinating article, particularly as it shows up the differences between American and European culture. The section that interests me most (and which I agree with) goes like...

The decision to spend all (June 10, 2001) The decision to spend all day at home has led to me having had a frustratingly tedious day. I've accomplished little, built nothing, talked to almost no one. I did some washing up. This is my contribution to my planet....

Today on Barbelith: Division X (June 10, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Division X in a nutshell - Of all the fiction suits in the world, someone had to put together the grittiest London cops and the feyest dandy of the crimefighting world, and call them a team....

There's a fascinating site full (June 10, 2001) There's a fascinating site full of Blogger hacks and trouble-shooting advice over at archives.blogspot.com. Regulars may have noticed my own trouble with archives recently. These should be resolved shortly....

From a year ago this (June 10, 2001) From a year ago this month - see pictures of me, Katy and Evil Nick poncing around for the Mirror Project: KatyTom & Evil Nick. I look way fat....

Laziness is not an excuse. (June 9, 2001) Laziness is not an excuse....

Available finances: £3.62. After consultation (June 9, 2001) Available finances: £3.62. After consultation with my colleagues, it has been decided that this money should be spent as follows: £3 on National Lottery Lucky Dip tickets, 2 packs of mini-Mars bars. This provides us with a budget surplus of...

Considerable information is now being (June 9, 2001) Considerable information is now being released on the sunked city of Heracleion that was found in the Nile Delta last year. Makes for fascinating reading....

Today on Barbelith: Kevin O'Neill (June 9, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Kevin O'Neill (Part Two) - The artist of Nemesis the Warlock, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Marshall Law talks dirty in the second part of our interview....

Cal needs to get out (June 9, 2001) Cal needs to get out of the house more. His latest project? A choose your own adventure collaborative story website, which has, unfortunately been taken over by lunatics already....

It's ape-madness at plasticbag.org industries (June 8, 2001) It's ape-madness at plasticbag.org industries today as my latest batch of film reviews for the BBC go live. Wow to time-travelling monkey madness with Escape from the Planet of the Apes. Coo to the violence of When Apes Attack (also...

It's a slightly frustrating day (June 8, 2001) It's a slightly frustrating day when you can't get through either to the bank to discuss your financial shortcomings or to the employer who is supposed to be helping you resolve them....

I watched the election results (June 8, 2001) I watched the election results roll in until three in the morning, settled on my sofa with a shot-glass full of whatever was handy. I watched Peter Mandelson's astonishing "Nerves of steel" speech. Watched Tony Blair lay it on as...

Today on Barbelith: 'King Mob' (June 8, 2001) Today on Barbelith: 'King Mob' Through History - Painted on the wall of Newgate prison was the proclamation that the inmates had been freed by the authority of "His Majesty, King Mob"....

News of the day is (June 7, 2001) News of the day is that Davo has redesigned his site, bringing it firmly into century 21.16 with a stunning bold, bright design oozing with thrilling CSS glamour. And in the About section of the site, you are treated to...

Tiny online weblogging exit poll (June 7, 2001) Tiny online weblogging exit poll of these sites - plasticbag.org, TajMahal, Life as it happens, qwertyuiop, LinkMachineGo, Interconnected, wherever you are, pixeldiva, NickJordan.co.uk, parallax view, extenuating circumstances - reveals the centre-left political dispositions of our fair community: Labour - 7,...

Meet the author Quite how (June 7, 2001) Meet the author Quite how you people get through your sorry lives without my continual presence has always astonished me. Well, if you're finding it difficult, there will be yet another blogmeet this coming Tuesday in Central London. Come along....

Today on Barbelith: "Pearl Harbor's (June 7, 2001) Today on Barbelith: "Pearl Harbor's Fatal Flaw" - A look at the presentation of the human cause in the war movie, following the release of Pearl Harbor. By Tom Armitage....

Thursday morning anxieties... (June 7, 2001) So the first e-mail was of course tremendously exciting and yet absurdly ill-timed. My renewal notice for barbelith.com arrived this morning, making it nearly two years since I coughed up $70 in a bedsit in Hampstead. Of course that also...

I bought 24 Years of (June 6, 2001) I bought 24 Years of Hunger in 1991 because it was in Q magazine's top 50 albums of the year. I loved it at the time, and unlike a lot of the music that I listened to when I was...

People who diet are profoundly (June 6, 2001) People who diet are profoundly stupid, says BBC. Ok, that's unfair. What the BBC actually says is that Thinking 'drains the brain' - essentially of glucose, and extraordinarily quickly. Traditionally, it has been thought that as long as you have...

Today has so far been (June 6, 2001) Today has so far been foul. I don't know what the hell I ate but it certainly hasn't agreed with me. I feel continually betrayed by my biology - it's like a web-server that hasn't been keeping up with its...

Harry Potter and Capitalism... (June 6, 2001) Today on Barbelith: "Harry Potter and Capitalism" - being a series of novels in which Harry and Hogwarts are deeply implicated in a capitalist organization of the world....

Happy birthday, PGP... (June 6, 2001) Happy Birthday to PGP: "Phil Zimmermann became the world's first cyberspace hero 10 years ago this week. In a public move, which transformed the way Internet users viewed privacy and made him the target of a federal criminal probe, Zimmermann...

Metafilter is hacked... (June 6, 2001) News of the day: Metafilter hacked - and this put up in its place. Courtesy of Matt....

Headsplurge: Good morning and thank (June 6, 2001) Headsplurge: Good morning and thank you to Nick Jordan for the new REM album. It's one of those albums that I've wanted since before it came out, but have felt somewhat conflicted about because - you know - it's REM....

Another response to Ralph's anti-GAP (June 5, 2001) Another response to Ralph's anti-GAP piece on Barbelith: "Rebel Without A Sweater". This particularly piece is extremely long and involved - and written intelligently (albeit with vitriol). And I quote: "The author of this recent cookie-cutter rant against corporate homogenization...

Gay ethical dilemma: You are (June 5, 2001) Gay ethical dilemma: You are a Catholic Conservative gay man - a commentator and writer for mainstream America. You have written a book called Virtually Normal, which is a frustratingly anaemic book advocating a very basic view of whatever the...

I really desperately need to (June 5, 2001) I really desperately need to get my mitts on Conquest of ... and Escape to ... The Planet of the Apes. Into London with you Tom. You can do it....

Today on Barbelith: Situationism in (June 5, 2001) Today on Barbelith: Situationism in a nutshell: "The SI are known to most people through their supposed links to punk rock. However these links are at best tenuous and at worst spurious."...

There have been a lot (June 5, 2001) There have been a lot of responses to Ralph's article on Barbelith on "Evil Gap Clones". There's an interesting piece on Shrapnel.org which includes some strange lines: "If we worried so much about child labor and animal slaughter, we would...

As part of an experiment (June 4, 2001) As part of an experiment in 'Googling' people - ie. finding out information about individuals by simply putting their name into search engines and intelligently filtering the results, I decided today to take a random name "Leon Fleury" and create...

Today on Barbelith: 'The Prisoner' (June 4, 2001) Today on Barbelith: 'The Prisoner' in a nutshell": "Episode after episode showed Number Six fighting every attempt to win his secrets and gaining no ground in the battle with his warders."...

A long conversation with a (June 4, 2001) A long conversation with a random punter via AIM leads to the statement that I look just like Dave Matthews of the Dave Matthews band. I go to the net at once. Do I really look like this man?...

Weird evening / Weird party: (June 4, 2001) Weird evening / Weird party: After which I felt even more as if everyone in the entire world thinks I'm pointless and cruel. Weirdest part of the evening was weighing myself while trying to avoid conversation by hiding in the...

A strange place to find (June 3, 2001) A strange place to find a link? Infonie.fr posts about Barbelith (translated wonderfully by babelfish: "The libertarian site of a revolutionary series of Grant Morisson: The Invisible Ones. Or how the data base can become political. Cliquez here for accèder...

ANNOUNCEMENT: Today, at 1pm GMT, (June 3, 2001) ANNOUNCEMENT: Today, at 1pm GMT, the Barbelith Webzine was launched, after many many months of procrastination. Destroy the evil GAP clones "Thus began the GAP's supervillianous campaign to end diversity and herd the world's population into marketing categories." by Ralph...

A quick question about the (June 3, 2001) A quick question about the BBC. If you read this piece of writing in the Weekly World News, would you believe it? "A Derbyshire housewife has sold what she says is a video of a flying saucer to a Hollywood...

"Not everything in this magical (June 2, 2001) "Not everything in this magical world is quite what it seems."...

"I told you my work (June 2, 2001) "I told you my work is almost completed. Let me tell you now exactly what I'm planning to do. I've spoken of the importance of catastrophe to progress and change. Think of the minor accidents that made you and the...

Simply as a response to (June 2, 2001) Simply as a response to those of you who have asked via e-mail, the reason why I look ridiculously stubbly on the cam is that I've decided that I'm not going to shave until I get a job - or...

Newsflash: Lance launches storyFUCK. (June 2, 2001) Newsflash: Lance launches storyFUCK....

I'm at home, and I'm (June 2, 2001) I'm at home, and I'm working on a site and it's two in the morning and I lean over and put a random CD on, and a song comes on and suddenly I'm fifteen, writing in my journal, learning to...

Stunning insights from Anarcho-Boy: "It (June 2, 2001) Stunning insights from Anarcho-Boy: "It must not be forgotten that every media professional is bound by wages and other rewards and recompenses to a master and sometimes to several, and that everyone of them knows he is dispensable."...

Excellent Two more reviews for (June 1, 2001) Excellent Two more reviews for the BBC to be written by Monday. Now all I need is for them to actually pay me for them....

Random thoughts on modern culture: (June 1, 2001) Random thoughts on modern culture: 1) Anyone who wanted to Kill the President of the United States would find it difficult since he so closely resembles the upper echelons of comedy incompentent heroes (see Pink Panther movies), that any assassination...

I've spent quite a lot (June 1, 2001) I've spent quite a lot of the morning trying to sort out my entry into press screenings of films. This was a hell of a lot easier when I worked on Time Out's Film Guide. People are naturally suspicious of...

Drinks with Ev Williams... (June 1, 2001) Er. Saw Ev and Cami for a drink last night with Darren, Meg, Matt and Davo. My colleagues were very difficult to organise in such last minute conditions - particularly as they had clearly decided to wind me up over...

Tasteless site of the day (June 1, 2001) Tasteless site of the day comes courtesy of popbitch, nose candy, space invaders and Daniella Westbrook. I present for your amusement: "Gak Attack". Top Tips: Daniella's faces will only throw noses at your breasts when you are directly underneath them....