We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

The blogs versus the hacks

Instapundit has a link to ScrappleFace, which looks like it’s worth a regular visit, and a rootle around in its archives. The target, all the time, is the portentously urgent and cliché-riden prose of the mainstream US media.

I couldn’t find any mention at ScrappleFace of Samizdata, but this could be because Scott Ott of ScrappleFace, judging by an early posting about Darwinism, is opposed to such things as Darwinism, as, on the whole, aren’t we. And then again, maybe I didn’t find any mention of Samizdata because I just didn’t find it.

I’m also enjoying the Orrin Judd versus Jonah Goldberg stuff, also flagged up by Instapundit.

Judd’s case is that although blogs won’t replace the mainstream media, and although bloggers won’t make any money, they do still profoundly influence the mainstream. One of the “under the radar” notions that Orin Judd noted as starting in the blogs and only later getting to the regular media is popular hostility to Saudi Arabia. Changing my subject somewhat, to content, it occurs to me that what President Bush may have in mind is that if all goes well in Gulf War 2, the USA will then have itself a new and staunch ally (Iraq) in the Middle East. And from this new Iraq, it can then turn around and start to discuss matters in Saudi Arabia, from a somewhat new perspective. Instead of depending on Saudi Arabia to influence Iraq, Bush will have Iraq to influence Saudi Arabia with. Which just might explain the difference in attitude of the Saudis towards Gulf War 1 and Gulf War 2.

I doubt that this kind of speculation has been much featured on the regular media, if only because the US government wouldn’t want it on the regular media – not just yet. But I bet I’m not the first bloggist to have said such a thing, and I further bet that the comments on this will quickly prove me right. (Prove me right someone – quickly please.)

Blogroll

1. noun. A list of links in the sidebar of a blog, often linking to other blogs. Also: blog roll.

2. . A blog link management system such as www.blogrolling.com

Also see: Sidebar links

Blogistan

noun. The totality of blogs; blogs as a community.

However, the term is sometimes used to mean the totality of just warblogs (qv), or pundit blogs (qv) rather than the entire blogosphere (qv).

Also see: blogosphere, blogiverse

Blogiverse

noun. See blogosphere.

Kittyblogger

noun. Technically someone who uses their blog to write about their cats, but is mostly used to describe mundane Journal Blog (qv) content. Often used as an epithet but not always taken as one.

Also see: Journal Blog

Edu-blog

noun. An education oriented blog. Also: Edublog

Slashdotted

tr. verb. To have your blog mentioned on Slashdot.org.

Also see: Instapundited

Usage: “Omfug! Our hosting server has just used up the whole month’s bandwidth in the last 12 hours! We must have been slashdotted!”

Google bomb

verb. To intentionally insert words or phrases into as many blogs as possible to increase the ranking on the Google search engine. Held by some to be a form of ‘meme war’.

(coined by Adam Mathes)

Ego-googling

verb. Looking up one’s own name in Google to check on its prominence. Also: e-googling or self-googling.

Old media

noun. Newspapers, magazines and major network television. Also see: Dead-tree media.

Dead-tree media

phrase. Paper newspapers and magazines, also known as Old Media. Also: ‘on dead trees’.

Pilger

verb. To destroy facts in a ‘John Pilger’ fashion, to ‘pillage’ the truth, poor or no fact checking, wild accusations, conspiracy theories etc..

(coined by Auberon Waugh)