Explaining Volcanicity
About a year ago, Jo (my sister-in-law) had scribbled "explain volcanicity" in her big book of lists as one of her objectives for 2007 in her job.
This, I suspect, is the result:
Vox Hunt: Villainous
Video: Show us your favorite TV or movie villain.
Submitted by Felipe Anuel.
He was the single best thing in the movie. Never has Christmas been cancelled so stylishly.
QotD: I Turn My Camera On
What kind of camera(s) do you own?
Most of my photography is done with a Canon EOS 300D, which I believe is known as the Digital Rebel in the US. Which is a bit sad.
I also own a film Canon SLR, but that's hardly ever used. I must get around to flogging it on eBay.
I have a couple of digital compacts, but they've been neglected of late for the camera built into my mobile phone, expecially given that I can upload pics straight to Vox with it.
Commute From Hell
The traffic this morning is hell. Locked solid from Beckenham onwards, I've spent more time checking email on my phone than driving.
Spot the car
At Gatwick. Looking for the car in the car park.
Note to self: it's the one covered in Cornish mud…
QotD: Search Me
How well does your name Google? Who are you up against? (Celebrities, etc.)
Submitted by Matt Blank.
Pretty well, thank you. Mind you, I don't do nearly as well for just "Adam".
Alanis and Her Humps
Alanis Moristette covers "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas in her traditional style:
Genius.
Singing Hexadecimal
It's interesting that the biggest tech story of the week in some quarters has been a string of hexadecimal numbers:
It's the code for unlocking encrypted HD-DVD content, for the non-geeks amongst you…
When Snow Comes to London
Some footage I shot back in February but have only just got around to editing:
QotD: I Should Make A List
What do you always forget to pack?
Submitted by quornflour.
Cufflinks. I habitually wear double-cuffed shirts for work functions (and anything smart, really) but I have a terrible habit of fogetting cufflinks.
More than once my first port of call when away is a shop selling the things. As a result, I now have an excitingly large collection of them.
QotD: What Blogging Means
What are the positive and negative associations that you and those around you have with blogging? Have attitudes changed over time?
Ah, good question, given that my day job* is getting a whole company's worth of journalists up and blogging. And, to be frank, the major problem is negative associations. Journalists' pre-conceived ideas of blogging tend to fall into two schools:
- Lonely losers blogging in their underpants in their bedrooms
- Rabid, opinionated ranting.
The reasons for those views are pretty clear to me: those are the versions of blogging that have seen the most exposure in the mainstream press, and hence have penetratrated journalists' busy minds. However, I do find it more than a little worrying that so many people who are, by nature, publishing professionals have been happy to just accept the recieved wisdom from another source, rather than exploring the issue for themselves.
As I've pointed out on more than one occasion saying "blogging is all losers ranting in their bedrooms" is a bit like picking up a copy of Horse & Pony and going "not sure I like this magazine business, it's all about teenagers and their horse obsession. It's confusing the medium with the message.
The positive side is the unbridled enthusiasm I see in some journalists' eyes when the idea of connecting directly through to their readers via the blog becomes clear to them. These are the journalists who genuinely care about providing the best information for their readers and want to interact with them. And that's just cool.
*Yes, I did have an evening job in the past, writing game stuff for White Wolf. But I no longer have the time, and they no longer seem to have the money (pay rates down, author comps cut?) to make that worthwhile part of my life.