Thursday
(1)There is a snarky article in the Guardian about UK bloggers (including us). I was rather puzzled by Oliver Burkeman's description of Samizdata.net being "operated from a large and dimly lit flat in a pristine mansion block in south-west London".
Flat? Pristine mansion block? I do not recall if we gave Oliver a drink or three at our famous Cold War era bar when he came to visit but Samizdata HQ is a semi-detatched four floor house. Oh well, this is the Grauniad we are talking about.
I was about to say something, but Perry interrupted.
Posted by James Waterton at November 17, 2005 12:44 PM
Now why do I get the impression that there is a bit of displacement going on here? Seems to me the subtext is that it is the Guardian which does not like being interrupted by upstart bloggers.
Posted by Old Jack Tar at November 17, 2005 12:49 PM
The Guardian, remember, castigated Scott Burgess for living "indoors", so there is clearly a theme here. Most Guardian writers are homeless peasants living in cardboard boxes who couldn't tell the diference between a mansion and a tent. As far as they are concerned it's all "luxury". You've got to feel sorry for them, really.
Posted by Peter Briffa at November 17, 2005 01:13 PM
Oliver Kamm works for a hedge fund??
As behalf of the financial markets, community : we are truly sorry.
Posted by Front4uk at November 17, 2005 01:22 PM
Give Burkeman a break -- clearly the light was too dim for him to take proper notes.
Posted by Tim Haas at November 17, 2005 01:46 PM
Perry, the Guardian is jealous. Remember, these guys work in the craphole that is Farringdon Road.
Posted by Johnathan Pearce at November 17, 2005 02:10 PM
Conservatives don't get much in the way of a 'fix' at 'Conservative Commentry' these days either.
Posted by Paul Coulam at November 17, 2005 02:11 PM
Interesting collection of blogs in that list...clearly the author didn't bother to trouble himself with anything like Technorati to chose the "top political blogs". Of course the Guardian must have a more accurate meter than incoming links to judge "top" or not.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at November 17, 2005 04:09 PM
Technorati is shite.
Google is better for measuring linkpower as is bloglines' blogpulse, which has a better algorithm by far, which is updated daily.
http://www.blogpulse.com
It ranks the top 10,000 blogs worldwide much more accurately.
Posted by Guido Fawkes at November 17, 2005 05:49 PM
Thanks for the link Guido that is a pretty good site. I showed up on it when I searched for myself at least.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at November 17, 2005 07:23 PM
Of course, you realize that now Samizdata is in for an influx of Guarniadistas....
Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll misspell the URL.
Posted by rosignol at November 18, 2005 05:00 AM
Good old MSM, highlighting blogs just as they become moribund (Harry's Place, the Islamophobic swamp) or pack up (Peter Cuthbertson, too busy commenting on Samizdata) and failing to distinguish between genuine forums for discussion and spasms of solipsism such as the ineffably pompous, polysyllabic Chomsky-stalker Oliver Kamm or Mad Mel of the Mail ('Is the entire world except Israel evil and crazy? Yes, yes!').
Don't think the Grauniad's quite got the hang of this newfangled electronic reading and writing thingy...
Posted by Matt O'Halloran at November 18, 2005 01:01 PM
Peter is not blogging as much because he is concentrating on his studies and working for the Taxpayer's Alliance in his spare time. Wonder if the Guardian only picked sites they could be nasty about? Nah...they would never do that!
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at November 18, 2005 02:08 PM
What?! You mean you guys do not operate out of a mansion filled with top flight computers and oversized heated swimming pools and martinis served day and night by hot conservative babes? Imagine my disappointment!
Posted by akaky at November 18, 2005 04:55 PM
What?! You mean you guys do not operate out of a mansion filled with top flight computers and oversized heated swimming pools and martinis served day and night by hot conservative babes? Imagine my disappointment!
I been there once and they kinda are actually although I don't think they have a swimming pool.
Posted by Blogger Bash Freeloader at November 18, 2005 05:12 PM
...ar. yes bloggers, those brave people who end up being dissappeared.
Posted by mybraina/h at November 21, 2005 10:25 PM
those brave people who end up being dissappeared
I certainly hope not!
Posted by Perry de Havilland at November 26, 2005 05:06 AM
