Archive for December, 2006
Monday, December 18th, 2006
The newly released edition of Time Magazine has named members of the online community as “Person of the Year” for 2006. The editorial team recognizes the unique impact of bloggers and participants in forums such as Wikipedia and YouTube.
Lev Grossman explains:
“Who are these people? Seriously, who actually sits down after a long day at work and says, I’m not going to watch Lost tonight. I’m going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguana? I’m going to mash up 50 Cent’s vocals with Queen’s instrumentals? I’m going to blog about my state of mind or the state of the nation or the steak-frites at the new bistro down the street? Who has that time and that energy and that passion?
The answer is, you do. And for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, TIME’s Person of the Year for 2006 is you.”
The magazine on the shelves is featuring fifteen citizens of the ‘new digital democracy’, including a French rapper, a relentless reviewer and a real life lonely girl. There’s a story on the founders of YouTube, an essay on the connections between Web 2.0 and Andy Warhol, the rise of amateurs in new media, the capacity of digital cameras to change history, the second dot.com business boom, and an expose of the annoying downside of the internet.
I’m wondering how long it will take before Time really catches up on the global changes being brought about through the internet. Time continues to assume that its readers will be focused on what is happening within the borders of the United States. Blogging has taught me that while there are a lot of Americans online, the stories are often found elsewhere.
Alister Cameron, blogging consultant in Melbourne, put together this unofficial seal for those who share the Time Magazine award. Thanks Al!
Darren Rowse at ProBlogger lightly suggests that the online Time Magazine article is a classic case of ‘linkbaiting’. Every time someone links to the article (like I have just done) Time zooms up in the online ratings. Fair enough.
Posted in Internet, Reading | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 18th, 2006
Vlado Kekoc from Keks has announced another Australian Blog Awards. The awards will be announced on January 26, 2007. In the meantime there’s the matter of nominations and voting at Collective Apathy.
The two main categories are:
Best Overall Australian Blog
Best Post on an Australian Blog
Location Categories
For a blog to be eligible for one of the location based awards, the blog’s main contributor(s) must reside in that state, territory or be overseas. A blog cannot be nominated for more than one of these blogs. Blogs with contributions coming equally from more than one location will have to nominate which category they wish to contest.
Best NSW Blog
Best Victorian Blog
Best Tasmanian Blog
Best Queensland Blog
Best West Australian Blog
Best South Australian Blog
Best Northern Territory Blog
Best Australian Capital Territory Blog
Best Overseas Australian Blog
Style Categories
Best Humourous Australian Blog
Best Designed Australian Blog
Best Australian Personal Blog
Best Australian Political Blog
Best Australian Photo Blog
Best Australian Science and Technology Blog
Best Australian New Blog
Best Australian Collaborative Blog
Best Australian Podcast or Vlog
Best Australian Mainstream Media Blog
Posted in Australia, Blogging, General | 2 Comments »
Monday, December 18th, 2006
It’s been two weeks now that I’ve been battling the effects of pulled muscles in my lower back. I’m not sure but the condition was probably the result of intense blogging on a laptop over four hours. It was worsened by an hour at the gym and driving into work (an hour’s trip each way) for a week.
Once I worked out what was going on I went out and bought myself a new office chair to use at home. But too late. It took me a while to realise that nothing short of rest was going to fix the problem. So… a visit to the doctor, anti-inflammatories, and a week off work, a day at a time.
Despite taking each day off to be at home I found myself constantly battling workaholism. I hired a pile of DVDs to reward myself for lying the couch for hours at a time and wean myself off blogging etc.
I’m getting back into the swing of things now. I can now put a pair of socks on in less than a minute.
Posted in General, Home Front | No Comments »
