This was a really bad idea for my whole productivity scene, because it meant I spent the entire day finding things that Marisa might like to watch (or I might like Marisa to watch) when she gets here and telling it to record them. Including but not limited to:
Today I was craving something in my diet. After a long and interesting discussion with Hazel the cat, I decided it was sugar. Having only just managed my RDA for the day, I decided it would be wise to "stock up" just in case I missed the mark tomorrow. Next came the laborious task of deciding how best to ingest the sugar. I decided a new and exciting way of injestation was in order, so I concocted a devious recipe involving ice cream and golden syrup. For anyone interested in replicating the experiment, here's the recipe vertabim:
Kamm, of the Times, wrote "Blogs typically do not add to the available stock of commentary, they are purely parasitic on the stories and opinions that traditional media provide". Which really translates as "People with blogs are not educated enough to have a valued opinion on anything". Well, Mr. Kamm, I think you'll find there are educated people out there, and surely it's pretty easy to see how much 'value' you should attach to someone's opinion just by reading a little more of their blog. Mr. Kamm's problem, I fear is that up until blogs became really popular, opinion in the media was dictated by "the high-brows". Suddenly, everyone has an opinion about everything. Personally, I think this is fantastic. Suddenly, it's easy for me to see what the average Joe thinks about pretty much anything. I can do a blog search on Google or Technorati, and up pop 100 blogs, with opinions from a diverse range of backgrounds, race, gender, age etc. Let's say I want to watch a film. I've read a review in the paper that says it's a bit crap, but still, the storyline really appeals to me. So I look online for people that have already been to see it. Take a quick look through the blogs, and find that whilst women in general hated the movie, all the men that had been to see it loved it. I look at the newspaper review, and see it's done by a woman. I go and see the movie and love it. What I'm trying to say is that you have to remember that blog opinion is just that, opinion. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, the only difference is how you choose to convey it. Yes, there are a lot of blogs that talk shit around, but it's not really that difficult to tell which they are.
The other thing that the article seems to fail to take into account is the fact that while everyone can have an opinion, nobody is forced to read it. If anybody is reading my blog right now, it's because they chose to do that in the first place, not because someone was sticking bamboo under their fingernails (At least I hope not). I began to ask myself why it is I have a blog in the first place, and came to the conclusion that it's not because I want everyone to know who I am, what I think about everything and my every little intimate secret. It's because I want to leave something behind after I leave this place. There's my own little digital fingerprint left on the web after I go, this stream of electrons proves that I was here, that I was alive. It's my own little social commentary of what happened on this day in my life. It stops me having to send out those photocopied letters that your great Auntie Hazel does every Christmas detailing everything that's happened that year, and that are so bloody impersonal you just want to slap the person sending it ("James fell down and broke his leg in January, and had to be taken to hospital" - Yeah I know, Hazel, why the hell are you telling me this in December??). I read my friends blogs because I like to know what they've been up to - they don't have to email me or phone me to tell me every little thing, because it's all right there for me to read. It lets me know they're still about. I read Marisa's Blog because it reminds me of her and her little thought processes when I miss her, it feels like She's just telling me about her day.
In political terms, again, I think this is fantastic. For the first time, politicians can see what the people really think. Not just the people at the top of the food chain, but the people at the bottom as well. They don't have to rely on polls that give little to no indication as to why people think a certain way. By rights, politicians should be better informed about the inner workings of the common man than ever before. And if they don't choose to use this information to make the country a better place to live, then it'll just confirm what we all already knew: They don't actually care. If civilization does crumble around our very ears because of this, then maybe we deserved it.
What I'm really trying to say of course, is that I'm higher than Dutchboy in the iTunes charts. You might as well pack your bags and go, old chum. Yeah, I'll play that show for you tonight, oh and if you wouldn't mind leaving that suitcase of cash as well.
Thanks very much.
This could well be the new home of Ruforia in Leeds - I've been in talks with the owner about getting the night going there, and he's definitely up for it. I've just got to get a proposal to him for Monday, and all going well, we should be able to organize the first Ruforia UK night in about a month's time! If anyone wants to help out with this project, or just knows a shitload of people they can bring down, get in touch! I'm thinking the way I might work it is to charge £3 on the door, or free if you can get 6 or more people together (perhaps before a certain time). There will not be a guest list, but I will also not have people queuing outside if there is room in the club. There's also going to be drinks specials all night. Any ideas?
Fudge seems to have exactly what I'm looking for in terms of intimacy, atmosphere, straight/gayness (around 50/50), size, sound system, lights, and just general aesthetics. At first it will just be a once a month party, but if things go well, there's no reason why we can't make it once a week. I want the emphasis to be on just having a party and a good time rather than "going clubbing", that was how House Music started out, and that's how I want to keep it. Likewise, I will not be labeling the night with one specific genre of House Music, rather sticking to my "if it's good, play it" philosophy that's worked so well in my podcasts and previous Ruforia nights.
