AnthroBlog

2003-09-17T12:23:00.000Z

I know, I know.. there hasn't been much happening here of late. Been away most of the summer and only now getting back into blogging gear. Big shock on return: the closing down of Notsosoft! Just wanted to say how much have enjoyed reading that site over the last couple of years. But the new blog looks like it will carry on that tradition. I am already hooked on Me-ish.
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2003-09-04T17:52:00.000Z

Just back from fascinating chat with Harriet of In The Aquarium. Although she is a relatively recent blogger, her site already has a developed character. I particularly enjoy the anecdotal accounts of London living. Check it out.
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2003-07-15T15:20:00.000Z

unfortunately circumstances prevented me from attending the Voxpolitics debate on politics and blogging last night. But by all accounts it was a great success. Reviews of the evening can be found at Voxpolitics, but also at Plasticbag, and Samizdata, and I am sure elsewhere. Its interesting to hear that a few MPs have started or are considering starting their own blogs and that there is a debate about blogs as democratic enhancers.
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2003-07-13T22:57:00.000Z

CELEBRITY CITINGS: after Gert, I have my own D list celebrity sighting to register. Yesterday saw Mel from Big Brother 1 in Muji in Tottenham Court Road!!! But actually I seem to specialise in spotting members of the Eastenders cast [past and present]. Recently, on bus into Richmond sat next to Nanna Moon, walked passed Simon by Waterloo Bridge and Nigel on Church Street, Stoke Newington. Where, I wonder, do the ex members of Eastenders go? What do they do?
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2003-07-09T17:47:00.000Z

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: recently finished this memoir by Azar Nafisi. It is about her time as a lecturer in English literature during the Iranian revolution and the reading group she formed for a number of ex female students during that time. Its kind of about not just how you read but where you read [ie the circumstances in which fiction reading takes place]. Poignant, beuatifully written even if sometimes overwordy, I loved it.
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2003-07-08T14:36:00.000Z

Can weblogs change politics? this debate next monday at Westminster sounds fascinating. Apparently, there are still places available if you want to go. To find out details visit Voxpolitics.
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2003-07-08T13:47:00.000Z

didn't get much sleep last night due to yowling [is that the right word?] of local foxes. The noise is so disconcerting because it sounds like someone screaming. On top of that for the second week running they have ripped apart out rubbish bags, leaving the contents spread across the front entrance; I seem to remember Jon having similar problems. Anyway thinking of starting a Finsbury Park hunt! According to my neighbour, one is allowed to have foxes exterminated. Is this true?
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2003-07-02T15:58:00.000Z

I see Diamon Geezer's London number project has come to an end. Still nice to have it archived and put all on one page.
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2003-06-30T11:28:00.000Z

as I have mentioned before I am a fan of Pete's photogrid project with the L'espion camera. Now it has finished I see one can buy the teeshirt! If I had $16.99 spare it would be mine. I note that there has been some photoblogging with picture messaging, but doesn't seem to have really taken off yet.
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2003-06-30T11:08:00.000Z

TURNING A BLOG INTO ITS COMMENTS: I love David's idea over at Swisscottage of turning his weblog into just a comments box for his readers while he takes a break in order to 'recharge batteries'. Its interesting how Swisscottage retains its identity as a site without its author contributing at all!
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2003-06-30T11:04:00.000Z

APOLOGIES: as you can see I have been out of action for a while. sorry about that, but got diverted by other committments. I'm back.
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2003-06-12T11:33:00.000Z

Over at The Obvious there is an interesting post about blogging for its own sake, its merits and faults. Indeed, this is an issue that many bloggers I have met raise. For some, the concern is that weblog posts have started to just become about other weblog posts or about blogging in general; they're fear is that weblogs are becoming too self-referential. But for others, this development is a sign of the rising public profile of blogging itself and is to be welcomed; it is nice to be involved in an activity, which itself becomes the subject of debate and discussion.

2003-05-19T17:15:00.000Z

interesting discussion over at Plasticbag about the need for UK based conferences on weblogging and the social side of technology development and application.
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2003-04-12T10:34:00.000Z

THANKS TO PHILIP: last night had fascinating chat with Philip of Airstrip One. Particularly enjoyed discussing the details of a libertarian perspective on foreign policy. I also loved his analogy between blogging and Private Eye [in a recent post he suggests the satirical magasine was the first blog]. Thanks again Philip.
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2003-04-07T10:29:00.000Z

TRAVELS ON THE UNDERGROUND: nice site for those of us who have to travel on the tube regularly; kind of about the culture of Underground travel. Check it out.
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2003-03-19T20:07:00.000Z

THANKS TO DG: just back from fascinating chat with DG of Diamond Geezer. Although he has only been blogging for six months, DG has already caught the attention of other London bloggers. I think its a good read, check it out.
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2003-03-18T10:57:00.000Z

LINKS EFFECT: interesting post over at Diamond Geezer. To celebrate his 8000th visitor, DG has listed from which blogs his traffic has come. The ability to survey the circulation of one's weblog continues to fascinate me.
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2003-03-13T13:55:00.000Z

HIPHOP NATION: I know I must be late on the scene, but just been checking out the communal blog for Hiphop wireless blogging. Does anyone use the Hiphop device on their T-Mobile service for blogging?
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2003-03-05T14:46:00.000Z

Tom has a fascinating post about the development of marketing and PR in the blogosphere. In particular, the activities of Richards Interactive and their attempt to use weblogs as a market research took took my eye.
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2003-03-03T18:58:00.000Z

THANKS TO BRIAN: just back from followup interview with Brian. Since we talked last, Brian has got two more blogs; one focusing on education commentary and the other on culture commentary. I especially enjoyed discussing the process Brian describes on his culture blog of trying to work out what this weblog is going to be about; and the tips on writing he provides. Brian suggests that 1] it is important to work out which readers you are targeting, and 2] what you want to say to them. Brian's discussion intrigued me because as academics anthropologists rarely explicitly reflect on who their readership is [in fact as Brian pointed out, this is in part because they feel they already know the answer; the same is not necessarily the same for bloggers]. Check the two blogs out. Thanks again Brian.
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2003-03-01T22:44:00.000Z

THANKS TO CHRIS: yesterday afternoon I met up with Chris of Blogosphical Investigations. It was fascinating to talk with someone who only posts occasionally and who therefore has a quite different perspective on the impact of blogging on libertarian activism. Thanks again Chris.
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2003-02-27T12:39:00.000Z

WORD BURSTS: again thanks to Tom for pointing this development out to me. Over at Daypop they have developed what they claim to be an automated way of telling the most significant [highly used] words of the moment; these are intended to act as indexes of contemporary concerns and preoccupations. The use of weblogs as a resource which one can search and catalogue in order to retrieve cultural attitudes is an interesting, if perhaps problematic development. Or maybe this is just what happens to texts when they reach a certain threshold and visibility; maybe it signals their importance. Makes me want to go back and read Chartier on the birth of the library and the history of cataloging books.
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2003-02-26T11:41:00.000Z

interesting piece by Tom on why mainstream content publishers shouldn't host weblogs on their site. I think it puts the case nicely.
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2003-02-24T11:12:00.000Z

from the mailing list I read that many weblogs on blogspot have been deleted recently for being dormant or without new posts for a long time. Has this happened to you?
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2003-02-17T11:37:00.000Z

GOOGLE BUYS BLOGGER: big news in the development of weblogging [perhaps]. This article claims that the purchase will lead to a real take off of weblogging. It will be interesting to see. Check out Darren for more on the story and a list of links to weblog comments.
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2003-02-12T13:50:00.000Z

THANKS BOBBIE: had late night meeting with Bobbie of Blast and Politx yesterday. It was great to meet up with someone who is producing a pundit blog as well as a journal blog [especially since it is so unusual for the two blogging worlds to mix]. I especially enjoyed the discussion of the relationship between journalism and blogging. Thanks Bobbie.
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2003-02-09T15:08:00.000Z

THANKS ALICE: yesterday met Alice of Libertarian Parent in town. Long, fascinating chat; it was especially interesting to speak to someone who has become a political activism quite recently and for whom blogging has been an entry into the libertarian activist community. Thanks again Alice.
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2003-02-08T00:26:00.000Z

Just back from blogmeet in the Green Man. It was nice to catch up with people I have interviewed in the past, not seen some of them for quite a few months now. Both Cal and Gerard were busy taking photos so look out for them in days to come.
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2003-02-06T15:51:00.000Z

BLOG GENEALOGY: very late in the day, I have been directed to the BlogTree site, which allows you to view displays of the genealogies of influence bloggers claim. Absolutely fascinating; I love this service. It would be fascinating to get anthropologists or other academics to fill in a similar questionnaire and map it out in family trees. I know who my parent blogs are, and who my sibling blogs might be, but I ain't telling. Some day I hope to have kids of my own [sigh].
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2003-02-06T12:50:00.000Z

add your photo to the new rogues' gallery of UK bloggers. Should make recognising people on friday much easier. Thanks Mo.
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2003-02-04T22:33:00.000Z

BLOGMEET: just to remind folks about the upcoming blogmeet this friday in London. I quote the details from the UKB mailing list announcement:
"1900hrs until close
Friday, 7 February 2002

The Green Man
383 Euston Road
London NW1 3AU

http://streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=528915&Y=182163

Turn right out of Great Portland Street Tube, and there it is in front of
you. It's easy to get to, easy to find, there's good food, plenty of space,
not too crowded, good food, good beer (or so I am assured), and reasonably
priced.

Bring gadgets, partners, friends, pets. Failure to attend may adversely
affect your Alexa ranking."
hope to meet some of you there.
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2003-02-04T22:28:00.000Z

THANKS OWEN: just back from meeting with Owen of Bloing. Nice to interview another one of the Sydenham bloggers. Owen is half of another blogging couple. I liked Owen's reference to the 'blogging paradox: the more there is going on in my life, the less time there is to blog about it'. I guess the reverse must also follows [certainly for me]: the less there is going on in one's life, the more time one has to blog about it!
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2003-01-29T17:27:00.000Z

THANKS TO LISA: yesterday met up with Lisa of Nicelytoasted. Really enjoyed our chat; and in particular it was fascinating to explore some of the distinctions Lisa drew out between types of journal blogs [primarily between blogs that look like diaries and those that look like online editorials]. I recommend you take a look at Lisa's photoblog, where she is engaged in an intriguing project capturing the epherma of her life on camera.
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2003-01-17T13:16:00.000Z

ANOTHER BLOGGER SACKED FOR BLOGGING: sorry to hear about the situation of Iain Murray over at Edge of England Sword . I am afraid this seems to be an increasingly frequent phenomena. Since I started interviewing webloggers, a number have lost their jobs for blogging.
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2003-01-16T17:06:00.000Z

THANKS TO NATALIE: just back from trip to meet Natalie. We had a really fascinating chat about libertarianism and pundit blogging. Once again I am struck by the very different cultures of pundit blogging and journal blogging.
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2003-01-15T15:38:00.000Z

VICTORIAN LONDON: just been introduced to great new site focusing on Victorian London. Take a look.
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2003-01-10T16:34:00.000Z

WELCOME TO NEW PUNDIT BLOG: interesting to see the emergence of a new leftwing British pundit blog .
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2003-01-04T18:32:00.000Z

GOOGLISM: thanks to Jonathan for pointing out the wonders of Googlism. Just type in your name and see Google makes of you. Here's me:
adam reed is a modest guy
adam reed is a research fellow for the incite project; he is looking at issues of urban mobility and new media use in london
adam reed is an usda
adam reed is a third
adam reed is shown as listed in the household of a john thornton in 1807 in jefferson county
adam reed is a solid
adam reed is so fond of pointing out
adam reed is a graduate
adam reed is grateful for such an environment
adam reed is "bored" with the subject and chooses to give us a history of behaviorism instead of addressing my question
adam reed is correct that there isn't any deep philosophical principle that maps on to national boundaries or that says where national boundaries should be
adam reed is playing like we know he could do and the addition of porter seems to have given the defence a lot more stability
adam reed is a great passer and a lot of it is because we know when he is going to be looking to give the ball to us
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2003-01-02T14:36:00.000Z

PEPYS BLOG: thanks to Matt for pointing out this venture ; I like the idea of turning Samuel Pepys' diary into a blog. Interesting also because it is so focused on London and place.
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2002-12-30T14:55:00.000Z

BLOGGING REPOTER: thanks to Tom on the UKB mailing list for pointing me in the direction of this piece by Glenn Reynolds. It appears he believes blogging offers a genuinely unique addition to journalism, and with the opening development of moblogging, also reporting. What do you think?
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2002-12-30T14:50:00.000Z

CITYBLOGS: lately I have been taking a look at this blog , which claims to offer some kind of alternative listing service for New Yorkers. It seems like a reformulation of what journal blogs do anyway. What do you think? How about a London version of Cityblogs?
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2002-12-18T18:36:00.000Z

THANKS TO TIM H: just back from fascinating chat with Tim of Where Worlds Collide . It was interesting to meet someone who engages with both journal and pundit blogs [a rarity so far]. Thanks Tim.
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2002-12-04T15:49:00.000Z

THANKS TO TIM: last night met up with Tim in Central London. It was interesting to chat with someone who has never been to a blogmeet and has no blogroll on his navigation bar. Thanks Tim.
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2002-11-12T11:59:00.000Z

THANKS TO MARC: yesterday afternoon had a brilliant chat with Marc . It was great to talk to someone who is doing something slightly different from the public diary format: ie an emphasis on commentary. I liked the analogies to punk too. Thanks Marc.
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2002-11-07T12:02:00.000Z

BLOGGING BY CATEGORY: alongside the big increase in digital photography, one of the other changes I've noticed in blogging since I started research a year ago is an increasing experimentation with the basic form of the weblog. For instance, I find the changes Pete has made to his weblog interesting; beside the conventional blogs posts ordered chronologically, he has also ordered his posts into categories or themes, which can be accessed on the navigation bar.
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2002-11-06T18:57:00.000Z

GIVING BRITISH BLOGGERS A VOICE: in light of Tom's interesting discussion of media (and academic) commentary on blogging and the need for bloggers to author their own history and culture, I was wondering if UK bloggers had considered producing a book. I am thinking perhaps of something like the volume Rebecc Blood put together; basically short essays, reflections etc by a collection of bloggers. Do people think that British blogging has its own distinct voice and culture, one that deserves its own volume? Perhaps individuals are already working on this?
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2002-11-06T13:27:00.000Z

PRINCIPLES OF ACADEMIC PUBLISHING: following a very welcome and heplful discussion on UKB Discuss, I propose to follow these guidelines when it comes to submitting written papers on blogging to academic review:
1] I will quote from my transcripts from the formal interviews I conducted with individual bloggers, but using pseudonyms, as is convention in social anthropology.
2] I will not quote from weblogs, unless I have gained prior permission to do so from the individual blogger concerned.
3] I will not quote from mailing list conversation without prior permission.

I hope this is agreeable to all concerned? Thanks again to all those who helped me reach these decisions.
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2002-11-04T12:53:00.000Z

NEW MAILING LISTS: thanks to Mo for revamping mailing list into UKB, with now two separate mailing lists: UKB Discuss for specifically blogging matters, and UKB Social for general socialising. It will be interesting to see how conversations break down between the two.
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2002-11-01T18:59:00.000Z

COMMUNITY PROJECT?: I must apologise for not responding earlier, but I am afraid I completely missed the debate sparked by a posting I made to the mailing list [and consequently posted on this weblog] and the response it provoked from Meg and then from Tom . Basically, in response to the GBlogs portal closing I asked: "I wonder what this will mean for the 'community' project?" In her post, Meg complains at my use of language [both my use of the term project and my use of inverted commas for community]. I apologise if any offence was taken; it was certainly not intended. I agree the term 'project' was a little ill-advised and open to misinterpretation. I did not mean to imply that the blogging community was constructed in any kind of negative sense. From my conversations with bloggers I understood that in the early days of UK blogging there was a natural desire to concretise the links that were already developing between bloggers [especially in London] by creating a mailing list, a portal and by establishing blogmeets. That is what I meant when I used the term 'project'. My use of inverted commas for the word community was certainly not intended to make "the whole 'community' seem to be a subject of doubt or disdain" [Meg]. Quite the opposite. I used inverted commas to highlight the fact that I am treating the word 'community' as an artefact; just as I might were I using the term 'society' or 'individual'. This is not to doubt the integrity or reality of that community, but merely to point out that the term allows us to organise sets of social relations in certain ways. I am interested, like Meg, in how the use of the term 'community' effects the ways in which we imagine social interaction and sets of relations.
I hope this goes some way to meeting the complaints. I must of course take the bulk of the blame for not articulating myself clearly and coherently. In defence, my original post [and contribution to the mailing list] was very of the moment; posted quickly, without much reflection. I apologise again.
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2002-10-28T19:40:00.000Z

THANKS ANN: just back from fascinating chat with Ann . It was great to discuss the use of photography in blogs; and I especially enjoyed our discussion about bloggable moments. Thanks again Ann.
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2002-10-22T20:16:00.000Z

BLOGCHALKING: is anyone actually doing this ?
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2002-10-22T20:12:00.000Z

END OF GBlogs: so Jen has announced the closure of the portal. I wonder what this will mean for the 'community' project? How, for instance, will bloggers read the most recently updated entries on other blogs, and how will new bloggers find their peers?
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2002-10-10T16:05:00.000Z

BLOGMEET: thanks to Cal for organising this lunch time meeting. It was interesting to get everyone's thoughts post the Guardian Best British Weblog competition.
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2002-09-27T13:57:00.000Z

BEST BLOG: congratulations to Scary Duck on winning the Guardian competition; I have never heard of the weblog before so I look forward to reading it. Also glad to see that Darren did well. I wonder what people think of the competition now it is all over?
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2002-09-19T14:45:00.000Z

BLOGMEET: last night went to my first blogmeet organised by Meetup.com. We met at 12 Bar off Charring Cross Road. It was the first time I have been to a meeting where people did not not know each other well [if at all]. I am afraid I got rather lost in all the conversation about RS script, bluetooth etc, but it was nice to meet some new people.
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2002-09-16T15:53:00.000Z

GIVING UP BLOGGING: interesting discussion on GBlogs mailing list today. One blogger announced he had given up blogging, and this prompted a whole debate on motivations for weblogging. Another blogger also stated that he was thinking of giving up, partly because blogging was becoming too ubiquitous an activity; it no longer felt unique and special. Is this the start of a more general demise [or just the inevitable consequence of the democratisation of the medium]? Is anyone else out there thinking of shutting down?
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2002-09-13T10:29:00.000Z

NOT THE BEST OF BRITISH BLOGS: sorry to have been so quiet for a month or so, but been away on holiday, moved flat etc. Anyway, I am just catching up the developments in the blog award debate. I enjoyed Tom's contribution to the debate, but not sure what he is calling for. Is the position: no, to competition judgement and awards for blogs or just no to this particular competition? The former, I think, is a more interesting line. I do think that submitting journal blogs to competition and judgement by 'experts' is a significant step in blogging and one that may have a whole range of consequences.
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2002-07-18T10:25:00.000Z

BEST OF BRITISH BLOGS: so the Guardian has decided it is the proper authority to judge the quality of blogs. As several others have noted, this kind of award ceremony potentially changes everything. Hark the rise of the professional blog critic! All the usual questions arise when criticism emerges as an independent cultural activity. What makes a blog the 'best'? Who is the appropriate judge of blogs? How does this change the way in which blogs are written or viewed [suddenly bloggers are writing with an eye to institutional approval]? And what does the Guardian's interest in blogs and judging blogs say about UK blogging? Talk about an ethnographic moment! Still I wouldn't mind 1000 squid.
In other news: this Meet-up organised blog meet[s] tonight I suspect will go a bit pear-shaped; not just because it is now split into two separate meetings, but more because its right smack in the middle of a tube strike. I for one don't fancy braving the buses in those conditions.
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2002-07-16T08:08:00.000Z

BLOGMEET ON THURSDAY: so in its wisdom Meet-up have decided there are so many bloggers who wish to attend the blogmeet it should be held in two separate locations! These are: Starbucks Coffee, 16 Piccadilly and Pages Bar, 75 Pages Street, Westminster. Of course this is also a way for Meet-up to make more commission money from the cafes/bars. Further problem, as Gert pointed out to me, there is a tube strike that doesn't finish until 8pm on thursday! So is anyone going to the meet[s], and if so, which of the two locations is favoured?
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2002-07-11T11:55:00.000Z

MEET-UP: does anyone know anything about this meet-up site, which is linked to by Blogger? I see that if you click through to London, it tells you there is a meeting every thursday evening! And you can vote for one of three locations: Starbucks Coffee, 16 Piccadilly; Coffee Republic, 25-51 St Mary Axe; Pages Bar, 75 Pages Street, Westminster [what a choice!]. Has anyone ever been on one of these?
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2002-07-11T11:45:00.000Z

THANKS MO: yesterday met up with Mo and retreated to a pub in St John's Wood for a chat. Mo has some really interesting ideas on where web logging may go in the future; in particular on experimenting with the form of blogs [especially the template and bias to chronological organisation] and the archiving of blogs [how we might rethink their organisation]. Check out his thoughts on Mo Morgan .
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2002-07-08T09:23:00.000Z

BLOGMEET: on saturday ducked out of conference to meet up with bunch of bloggers in Soho Square. Good to meet Graham and Tom for the first time and to see some old faces [I think Cal must have some photos somewhere]. Particularly enjoyed talking to Mo; he has got some interesting ideas for development of blogging templates. I like the idea he has on his blog of doing without navigation bar altogether. Nice to see Meg again [the first web logger I met and who helped introduce me to others]. Sorry to miss Luke, but had to shoot off to birthday party in Cambridge [hope you have a good trip back to Aus].

2002-07-04T18:40:00.000Z

CHECK OUT BLOGGERHEADS: just back from fascinating chat with Tim [Ireland]. It was great to get an expert view on blogging strategies for attracting an audience [google bombing, link whoring etc]. I really enjoyed Tim's thought pieces on the potential of blogs and his broader vision for the Internet. Thanks Tim.
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2002-07-02T21:43:00.000Z

THANKS TO TIM: met up with Tim of Scratch This earlier [second interview I have done in the Candid cafe in Islington]. I enjoyed our chat; it was interesting to meet someone who mainly engages with North American, rather than UK, blogs. Rather than a journal or pundit style blog, Tim offers a selection of links to interesting news stories with commentary. Very useful resource; I am glad to have found it [through London tube map of blogs]. Thanks Tim.
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2002-07-01T10:34:00.000Z

TOP 40 UK BLOGS: thanks to Troubled Diva for highlighting the Blogdex list of most linked to UK blogs. Seems like quite a mix of journal and pundit blogs. Maybe we should a weekly countdown: how many weeks can Tom stay no 1? "Coming in at no 25", "this week down 4 to no 10 " etc. Maybe countdown should highlight top movers with edited selections of their latest entries, and then for no 1 show the entire page.
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2002-06-24T18:54:00.000Z

THANKS TO SUSANNA: just back from interesting chat with Susanna over a cup of coffee in Holborn. Many interesting topics covered; I like the idea she has of changing the blog design for each season [go check out summer at Poodlecircus].
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2002-06-21T10:04:00.000Z

LONDON BLOGGERS: thanks to Cal for this wonderful creation [just what someone researching London blogging needs!]. Would be great if one could use the lines of the tube stations to play around with texts from different blogs: so, for instance, click on the Picadilly Line and get in station order along the line the last posting made by each blogger. Anyway, thanks Cal.
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2002-06-17T17:43:00.000Z

AFTER THE GODS: I want to recommend a play I saw the other night at the Hampstead theatre . On one level it is a play about academia and the failing of human communication among academics, but draws out broader themes as well. Actually, this post is partly driven by guilt. While I liked the play, there were obvious flaws in the piece [as there are in most productions]. Problem was I chose to articulate my reading of those flaws in the theatre bar after the show to a friend, only to discover that standing behind us was the playwright himself! Needless to say I felt like a right shit about it, especially when introduced to the man and discovering he was a decent, open minded chap. I hate the academic desire to only see the faults in things [a kind of all pervasisive cynicism]; I felt like I was enacting the worst part of the academic world he portrayed in his play. So go see After The Gods. Pleeease...
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2002-06-17T17:35:00.000Z

THANKS TO SASHA: just back from coffee and chat with Sasha in West Hampstead. Once again, it was great to talk to someone who has only relatively recently started a blog [go check it out ]. Also interesting to talk to someone who writes professionally as well, who can see blogging as one writing exercise among many. Thanks Sasha.
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2002-06-17T08:42:00.000Z

BUSKER MAN: stumbled across my busker friend again yesterday. This time he was sitting outside the entrance to M&S on Oxford Street. The traffic cone trumpet was blaring out a rather nice mix of Streetlife.
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2002-06-12T20:48:00.000Z

THANKS TO BEN: just back from long and fascinating chat with Ben. He introduced me to the audio blog [potentially an intriguing development in blogging] and was a wealth of knowledge about indexing. Thanks Ben.
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2002-06-05T11:38:00.000Z

MAP OF LONDON BLOGS: just seen the link on Blogger to the New York City blogging map project. It creates a map of where bloggers are in NY [charted along the Subway map] and lists and updates. That is such a great idea. Anyone fancy doing one for London? [we are meant to be a sister global city afterall].
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2002-06-05T11:31:00.000Z

BLOGGING ON THE MOVE: Pete has just posted his account of his trip to Texas on his web log. Interesting experiment, with postings giving a sense of snatches of time on the journey. Go look.
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2002-05-27T17:48:00.000Z

THANKS TO PATRICK: just back from meeting Patrick. Had a really interesting chat about the ways in which blogging [and the Internet more broadly] have impacted political activism. One thing I am beginning to appreciate is the way in which writing pundit blogs ties into reading newspapers and other news media.
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2002-05-25T20:46:00.000Z

THANKS TO PETE: yesterday met up with Pete to chat about his blog, which I like very much. Pete showed me his L'Espion digital camera, which is tiny and kind of cool [check out his photogrids]. Go look.
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2002-05-14T20:36:00.000Z

THANKS TO ANNA: just back from meeting with Anna. Another interesting chat. I apologise for making a right pig of myself and eating a flaky almond croissant throughout the interview.
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2002-05-13T17:43:00.000Z

NEW LOOK FOR BLOGJAM: just checked Fraser's redesign. Very nice, very green.
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2002-05-07T19:44:00.000Z

THANKS TO ADIL: just back from interesting chat with Adil, another pundit blogger. I appreciated him coming down to London and found the conversation fascinating. The notions of a blogosphere and anglosphere emerge again as categories of place, partially mediated by the Internet, and also by the notion of a muslim global community. Thanks again.
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2002-05-05T19:19:00.000Z

WHEN I WAS CRUEL: always wanted to like Elvis Costello music but never quite made it. Now I can; this album is fab.
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2002-05-02T08:33:00.000Z

THANKS TO BRIAN: last night had a fascinating chat with Brian of Libertarian Samizdata. It was particularly interesting to get the perspective of a long-term political activist on how blogging links to the tradition of printed political pamphlets. The world of pundit blogging is certainly taking my interest.
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2002-05-02T08:28:00.000Z

I AM WHO?: turns out the kind of blogger I am most like is this one:

You are an AKMA.

You stand out from the crowd because of deeply held beliefs in the unknown.

You ponder endlessly and treat everyone, even fucknozzles, with respect.

WWAD (what would AKMA do) guides your actions.
Take the What Blogging Archetype Are You test at GAZM.org
but who is he? I have never heard of him. American? Oh well.
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2002-04-30T12:46:00.000Z

GARRY GLITTER IN VIETNAM: did anyone else know that glamrock Gary has been holed up in Vietnam since he was released from a British prison? Seems like he won't be there much longer though.
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2002-04-29T19:41:00.000Z

THANKS TO PAUL: just back from drink in the Round Table with Paul. Really enjoyed our chat; it was interesting to meet someone who has drawn back from a journal type blog and instead moved to a link-based blog. And also to find out more about the technical side of web logs.
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2002-04-28T11:22:00.000Z

MARMALADE PLEASE: I think I'm happy with this one [via Andrew]:

which children's storybook character are you?

this quiz was made by colleen
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2002-04-28T11:16:00.000Z

BUSKER MAN RETURNS: yesterday I came across my busker again, this time blowing his traffic cone trumpet by the escalators of Pimlico station. He was doing a nice rendition of Girl From Ipanema. Stan Getz stand aside!
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2002-04-25T19:13:00.000Z

THANKS TO GERT: just back from enjoyable chat with Gert. She has only been blogging for a couple of months and I am the first blogger she has met. It is interesting to meet someone who is still working out what blogging will mean to her and how it will develop. Go visit.
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2002-04-25T07:49:00.000Z

LEARNING TO FLY: for past months a mother pigeon has been rearing two chicks in the guttering of our balcony. Now the chicks are almost fully grown and shitting over all the balcony. They are flapping their wings and tweeting away, without ever actually taking off. Today, they learnt how to fly up to the rail of the balcony and sat there precariously watching lots of other pigeons flying past. Seems like the mum is coaxing them to fly by making them come to her to be fed [to fly up or down on the balcony]. Soon I guess they will be off; wonder if I will catch their first full flight [keep on thinking of that Neil Young song...]
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2002-04-22T21:49:00.000Z

THANKS JAMES: had interesting chat with James this evening in the Round Table [seems to be a blogger hang out]. Another London blogger yet to attend a blogmeet. What has happened to the blogmeet? There never seem to be any arranged anymore.
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2002-04-22T14:25:00.000Z

BIRTH SONG: turns out the UK number 1 on the day and year of my birth is one I have never heard of, by a band I have never heard of:
'Let The Heartaches Begin' by Long John Baldry". [via simon]
Can anyone enlighten me? Does anyone know the words?
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2002-04-17T19:53:00.000Z

THANKS TO ANDREW: just back from long chat and drink with Andrew. My second pundit blog, and another stimulating conversation. As he pointed out, there seems to be little cross-reading between journal blogs and pundit blogs. Why is that?
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2002-04-16T17:46:00.000Z

BYE BYE DAVO: read from Jonathan that Brainsluice is heading back home. Thanks for all the help with the blogging project Davo. Have a Speights and some hokey-pokey ice cream for me.
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2002-04-15T21:44:00.000Z

THANKS TO ROBYN: met up with Robyn this evening at the Round Table off Leicester Square. It was good to talk, as I have enjoyed her site for a while now. Conversation was aided by Paul and later on Dan [sporting a Superman curl]. Interesting discussion about the succes and failure of dialogue between UK and US blogs and bloggers.
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2002-04-15T21:39:00.000Z

FAVOURITE BUSKER: walking up Villiers Street this afternoon I couldn't hope noticing [hearing] a busker lying against a lamp post and singing through a traffic cone! A fine instrument indeed. I particularly enjoyed his rendition of Flower of Scotland. He made me smile. Thanks Mr traffic cone busker man.
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2002-04-12T14:00:00.000Z

URI MAGIC: paid a visit to Uri Geller site [very entertaining]; turns out he is responsible for alot more than we know; the band N*SYNC for example:
"I motivated and inspired them, bent a spoon and wished them both luck. I knew they would be catapulted into stardom and this was before they were famous. I was right. I also designed their Logo which you will now find on every N*SYNC product including CD's."
I heard on the radio that he is also busy bending Beckham's foot bone back into joint.
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2002-04-11T18:09:00.000Z

THANKS TO PERRY: met up with Perry today, and it was interesting to talk about his collaborative blog. It was also good to gain a better sense of the pundit blog; almost a completely separate animal from the journal blog.
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2002-04-09T21:46:00.000Z

THANKS TO NICK: enjoyed chatting with Nick this afternoon; another blogger who has yet to attend a blogmeet. I think his site is great; I especially love the postcard idea.
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2002-04-07T09:26:00.000Z

CRITICAL MASS: talking to bloggers over the last couple of weeks, there seems to be a consesus that once the number of UK bloggers reaches a certain peak, it ceases to operate as a functioning 'community'. There are simply too many bloggers to get to know and too many blogs to read. Part of this argument seems to rest on the assumption that the blogging community is in part dependent on the possibility of members getting to know each other offline. Already there are subgroups developing within UK blogging. What do you think? Is 'community' something people strive for as part of their life as a blogger?
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2002-04-04T11:00:00.000Z

WEB LOG AS ALTERNATIVE NEWS SOURCE: thanks to Meg for the link to the Palestinian site; an interesting example of web logs as witnessings or alternative sources of news.
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2002-04-04T10:57:00.000Z

MUPPETS AND ME: what muppet am I?

	You are Kermit! Though you're technically the star, you're pretty mellow and don't mind letting others share the spotlight. You are also something of a dreamer.
*Take the What Muppet Are You?* Quiz!**

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2002-04-03T17:49:00.000Z

MEESTER NIK: thanks to Nik for agreeing to be interviewed. I like his site and it was interesting to talk to someone who could compare his blogging to his professional journalism and broadcasting. It was also interesting to meet someone who is slightly detached from the blogging community.
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