Saturday, February 09, 2002

Apologies to Jonathon, whom I inadvertently dissed when trying to thank him for the Blogsticker below — I don't really consider myself an experienced blogger (three weeks), but I don't believe or mean to imply J. could ever spend too much time on the thoughtful insights his log provides, any more than I believe that joking, "Mary showed she had too much time on her hands by doing such-and-such" (cf. "Thanks, you shouldn't have") is the same as sniping, "Mary has too much time on her hands."  Taking time out from one's own site to create (both GIF and PNG!) artwork plugging a quip from a newbie is downright altruistic. 10:45:21 AM    commentplace ()

I stand by my Thursday post about our '80 hockey team maybe not being the ideal lighters of the Olympic cauldron — there are moments when chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" is the perfect thing to do, and theirs was one, but we've done it rather a lot since.  But I admit I was pleased with the non-jingoistic tone of the Salt Lake City opening ceremonies, chilled by the sight of the World Trade Center flag, delighted by the animal puppets and wagon trains of the trek West (though nothing may ever top Sydney's flying young girl), and smiled at the NBC hosts' deferring to ABC legend Jim McKay, whose voice-overs are as vigorous as ever though on camera he looks enfeebled at 80.  Happy Olympics, everyone. 9:38:29 AM    commentplace ()

Now in my 14th minute: I joked about starting an Internet legend once that in all photos of Bill Gates you never see his feet, because they're cloven, but my remark about last week's coincidentally hot topics of Tubcat and John Dvorak has been circulated by some real Weblog stars: first Jonathon kindly quoted it, then Meryl Y. says I'm her kinda guy, and now Jonathon proves he has way too much time on his hands by immortalizing it as a Blogsticker.  When I first saw the site I thought Blogstickers were kinda twee, but then I found several I'm furiously jealous of for not thinking up myself, and now they're positively growing on me. And Mark Pilgrim has a kind word for the world's lowest-priority Weblog, as well.  I don't know whether to be thrilled by the friendliness and warmth of the Weblog community or appalled by discovering all these people who surpass me in both composing prose and nerd knowledge. 9:12:10 AM    commentplace ()