h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's one problem with blogs, as was ironically pointed out in Skankyrich's journal at <./>F1900573?thread=5794638</.>:

"As it stands, we'll never build another St Paul's, or write another Iliad, or even play another Love Me Do. The cacophony of competing voices would drown them all out."

It's all very well that we have breaking news and fantastic blogs out there somewhere, but they're snowed under by a sea of narcissistic nonsense. Great pieces of writing now have to struggle for an audience amongst multiple of servings of literary tapioca. Also, with the true rise of advertising-driven media thanks to the internet, professionally-produced content is starting to slip in favour of simply having something to put between the adverts. Content created by any man and his dog is great, but what if there comes a day when that's all we have left?



Alex

Alex,
why strife to learn playing an instrument and create something like Love Me Do? Buy yourself an EEKpod, listen to computer-generated noise and be like everybody else, that´s the easier way.
Why take the time to write A Grumpy Old Opinion? Tell the whole world what you had for breakfast and be part of the new in-crowd.
In German we say "Join us, eat s**t* - we are ten trillion flies, we can´t be wrong."
So, you have some med. knowledge - please tell me where I can get a lobotomy, I´d love to start a blog.

Pit

I guess that being able to 'publish' one's creative efforts more or less free of charge should mean a greater chance that merit will be recognised. Perhaps instead of talent scouts touring small provincial clubs, they'll be browsing the internet. Personal recommendation will spread the word - provided we don't have a situation akin to the emperor's new clothes.

I'm not so worried about the good being lost amongst the dross, but the way that so many people seem obsessed with the trivia of other people's lives. If they're not talking trivia on their mobiles, they're writing it in their blogs or reading it online. We're losing any real meaning or depth of emotion amongst all this dross.

I'm obviously another grump!

"so many people seem obsessed with the trivia of other people's lives"

For some reason, an image of two dogs sniffing each other's behinds comes to mind. Is that really what the internet has come to?

The electronic odour of the ordure emanating from much on the net seems to illustrate your apt example Alex.

Hmmm, I wonder... dogs sniffing each other´s backside gives them a wealth of information about each other´s health, diet,sexual availability, whatsoever the likes of us can´t smell. Ask Alex about what the reek of a patient´s urine can help him to diagnose - but OTOH, the smell of "lights are on, but nobody at home" in most blogs... (Mind you, this is just me being as bloggy as the bloggers, only venting)

Let's see....what's the line?

1000 monkeys with 1000 typewriters......oh....excuse me.

Everyone here already knows that line.

There's probably a billion monkeys with a billion typewriters. My opinion? They are best ignored.

Nothing but opinions, and I hope most folks understand how to equate opinions.

NM

Fraser Nelson, writing in the Spectator was discussing the effect bloggers ae going to have on politics.
When Gordon Brown produced his line about Tory cuts versus Labour investment the blogsphere was rapidly producing rebuttals of this using the governments own figures, the result was the lie was broken before it got it's boots on.
Compare this to the lies told in a previous campaign when Tony Blair claimed that the Tories would cut investment in the nhs. Despite being challenged about the poster by a journalist at its launch, the lie span through the papers and became a facet of the campaign.

Blogging is going to change the way news is sold to the world.

The thing that keeps us being overwhelmed by blogs is something called a Power Law. In other words, a tiny handful of bloggers are the principal opinion formers and aggregators. Everyone else is more of a niche contributor. What you have therefore, are a small number of successful media outlets competing with a tiny number of successful blogsites. This idea of blogs overwhelming traditional media is just bunkum. They are a valuable complement to the media landscape, that's all.

I follow these three blogs regularly:
http://beyondthetintedglass.blogspot.com/
http://letsmakebrandsthatlasts.blogspot.com
http://helphandnmore.blogspot.com

All by the same person, but on a diversity of topics- and all of then read good to me. Try them out!

Atrijit

Atrijit,
you have a point there.

Still, I remain as grumpy as I am...the blog scene is like a gold mine for the time being; it takes people like you to wash the few tiny nuggets out of the tons of waste.

, mate, you found a blog worth watching.

Pit

Hey
I share your grumpiness about most blogs though

Dear Dr Tufty

I shall answer your posting numerically.

1. What right have you to adopt the pseudonym "old"?
2. You may be "grumpy". and I suspect that you are - although you are very young.But believe me, because you are grumpy does not de facto make you old.
3. It distresses me that you have the pseydonym "Tufty"

i shall give you the reason for my distress.

At least fifty years ago, in south Africa, there was a young keen, wonderful crickter called Tufty Mann.

He was a bowler and promised a tremendous future for cricket in South Africa.

Tragically he was struck with a fatal illness which was Ca of his "gonads"

He bore the diagnosis with enormous courage.
he had, as most of them have, a very painful illness and subsequent death.

Yet never once did he moan or complain.

He has lived on, I am sure , in the memory of a lot of other keen crickets who live/ed in Port Elizabeth.

Every time I see your name I am reminded of Tufty Mann. i actually feel deeply deeply distressed that you are turning out to be a new member who arouses such strong feelings of sadness in me.

it is not your fault that you are nicknamed Tufty.

but you do not have the right to come onto this wonderful site and crush those of us who are struggling to keep happy and alive through very diffidult times.

I am writing this with tears in my eyes, thinking of your contrituion which you made to Mental health.

I believe that your writings belong to the medical journals - to those who have to keep their hearts hard and unfeeling in order to survive in this difficult and hard world.

Please do not bring your medical analyses to this site. i do not know how your name got onto my list of friends, but probably it was because I had such happy wonderful memories of Tufty Mann. I am regretfully going to remove it - something I have never done, and I beg you not to continue with what appear to be "heartless" contributions.

Sncerely,
AlsoRan 80

I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can say that will convince me that the medical profession are heartless, or that I am doing some great wrong in writing medical articles for this site. There are a lot of upsetting things that can occur in life, but we shouldn't deny their existence just so that we do not have to think about them. It is, after all, the disease that causes the harm, and not the people who try to help. Some individuals may find an explanation of a condition helpful, and I'd ask that you do not read my articles rather than demand that I do not write them.

A reply that was to be expected.

CMe
AR80

Sadlu a reply that was to be expected.

This site is not a medical journal, and you should be aware of how some of your very clinical analysis can affect those who belong to the site.

You have a forum in medical journals. Please do try to have your ariticles published in those - not on this site.

CME
AR80

Should the editors wish to discuss my point of view I would be happy to discuss it with them.

McKay got it spot on -

"Five years ago, you could lie like this on the radio and get away with it. Space is tight in newspapers, no one would devote hundreds of words and graphs - as we did - to expose a lie for what is. But the world has changed now. Blogging has brought new, hyper scrutiny. Blogs have infinite space, and people with endless energy, to expose political lying - no matter how small. Your claims can be instantly counter-checked, by anyone. If you stretch the truth, you can be exposed - by anyone. And if you plan to base a whole election campaign on a lie, as you apparently intend to do, then you're in for a rude awakening."

http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/3725688/talking-balls.thtml

No longer do people have to rely on sources like the BBC. It seems readily accepted that every other media source is biased in some way whilst the BBC sails on unperturbed, pointing out that it is accused of bias by both sides ergo it is unbiased.

Very often bias reveals itself in what is not said and the blogosphere opens up politics and the world in a way that traditional outlets cannot get a handle on.

AlsoRan,

this site is not a medical journal. You are right.

This site is uncensored as far as personal taste of the custodians is concerned.

This site is about INFORMATION (excuse my shouting)-and information about life, the universe, and all the rest should not be filtered though a Walt Disney cuddleblanket.

I found a mine of well explained information in Tufty´s tiny part of this huge amount of knowledge - and nobody put a gun to my head to make me read it, it was my own decision.

Now, if you (you sound like there´s quite an amount of knowledge there in your brain)could retaliate by writing about something I don´t understand but would like to. Cricket e.g.? I am German and have no idea, so if someone who loves that game, I (and a lot of people who are not yet initiated) might come to love that game.

Tit for tat, AlsoRan - if I find Cricket not my cup of tea I won´t bowl at Lord´s, but I´d be happy to see it explained on Hootoo. Fair deal?


Sincerely,
Pit

Dear Pit,

You are absolutely right. I should not have said a thing. I woke up in a bad mood, I think, and that just set me off. I had no right to criticize anything and I hereby offer my apologies. .

That is the joy about this wonderful site. The diversity of views and opinions.

Thanks for reminding me about it.

Go well,

Sincerely,
AlsoRan80