Blogging is Hard
Bernard Finel has been trying this blogging thing for a while and finds that it's harder than it looks. He notes that even very short posts require quite a bit of effort. Even short posts take me forever. Not writing the text, per se, but I think most posts are useful if you include a couple or three links to relevant ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 7, 2009 07:50
McSuderman
Hearty congrats to the world's tallest female econoblogger and Reason's newest Koch fellow, who, I have it on good Twittority, are engaged to be married after dating slightly less than a year. Rumors that Peter was guilted into making an honest woman of Megan by Stacy McCain are completely unfounded. UPDATE: A picture speaks 1000 words: Confirmation from Suderman and McArdle.Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 4, 2009 07:41
14 Reasons List Posts Are Bad
Responding to a Twitter exchange this morning, Jay Canono lists "Fourteen reasons I hate list posts." Several of his reasons are valid. The genre is popular for understandable reasons and they can in fact (contrary to objection #6) sometimes produce very interesting debates in the comments sections. But the posts themselves are seldom very illuminating.Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 30, 2009 18:09
Taking Ockham’s Razor to Sarah Palin Haters
Since his departure from the Washington Times, Stacy McCain has become perhaps the most skilled attention whore in all the blogosphere. Yeah, I just wrote that. And put it on the Internet. In seeking to explain why Ken Layne and Andrew Sullivan seem to loathe Sarah Palin and, in particular, make sport of her Down Syndrome suffering infant son, Trig, Stacy puts ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 30, 2009 07:45
Google Reader Annoyance
The other day, Kevin Drum noted that he was having trouble with his blog and Google Reader: Instead of showing up a few minutes after I write them, my posts seem to sit in limbo for a few hours and then show up in batches all at once. I've checked the feed itself, and it goes out within a few minutes ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 26, 2009 07:42
FTC to Monitor Blogs
Here we go again: The government is looking to get into the business of regulating blogs, reports AP's Deborah Yao. Savvy consumers often go online for independent consumer reviews of products and services, scouring through comments from everyday Joes and Janes to help them find a gem or shun a lemon. What some fail to realize, though, is that such reviews ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 22, 2009 06:38
35 Million
OTB crossed the 35 million unique visitor mark, as measured by SiteMeter, a few minutes ago. As always, thanks to all who visit, link, and comment. Previous milestones: 30 Million - October 14, 2008 29 Million - August 26, 2008 28 Million - July 11, 2008 27 Million - May 20, 2008 26 Million - April 5, 2008 25 Million- February 16, 2008 24 Million - December 31, 2007 23 ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 17, 2009 14:59
UK Court: Blogger Anonymity Not a Right
A British judge has ruled against a blogger who sought an injunction against having his secret identity published in the Times. Thousands of bloggers who operate behind the cloak of anonymity have no right to keep their identities secret, the High Court ruled yesterday. In a landmark decision, Mr Justice Eady refused to grant an order to protect the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 17, 2009 07:02
Information Deficit Disorder
Via Twitter, James Poulos passes along an interesting piece by Conor Friedersdorf titled "Iran, Twitter, and The American Information Elite." Basically, he noticed over the weekend that all of his blogger/journalist friends were intensely aware of what was happening in Iran whereas other well educated people he encountered hadn't the slightest clue. I can't help noticing that information elites are able ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 16, 2009 09:38
Revolution is Not a Spectator Sport
Like James Poulos, "I like the Iranian reformers more than I like the mass politics of solidarity by symbolism." As such, I'm sympathetic to John Cole in thinking that the rabid coverage of the Iranian election controversy by enthusiastic American bloggers who know next to nothing about Iran is overblown. (I include myself in the decided non-expert on matters Persian category.) ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 16, 2009 09:07
Condolences
My condolences go out to videoblogging pioneer John Amato, who is mourning the loss of his father. Despite living on opposite coasts, I've had the good fortune to meet and spend time with John on a couple of occasions. While our politics and personalities couldn't be much more different, he's one of the good guys, a warm, decent fellow who presumes the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 15, 2009 12:34
The Blogger and the Damage Done
Ed Whelan realizes the error of his ways: On reflection, I now realize that, completely apart from any debate over our respective rights and completely apart from our competing views on the merits of pseudonymous blogging, I have been uncharitable in my conduct towards the blogger who has used the pseudonym Publius. Earlier this evening, I sent him an e-mail setting ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 9, 2009 08:47
Outing Anonymous Bloggers
National Review's Ed Whelan has outed The Blogger Formerly Known as Publius, revealing his name and employer despite being informed by TBFKAP that he had a "variety of private, family, and professional reasons" for wishing to keep his identity private. While I generally find the practice of revealing people's secrets to the public distasteful, there are times when it's appropriate. Public ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 7, 2009 07:37
Writing for Money
Harlan Ellison's rant "Pay the Writer" is getting some favorable linkage, notably from Max Boot and Michael Totten. He vows that "I don't take a piss without getting paid." Which, I suppose, is good work if you can get it. Ellison is an all-time great and he's been getting paid to write -- and been famous -- since before I was born. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 6, 2009 08:18
Abu Muqawama Moves to CNAS
Andrew Exum moved to CNAS a while back and now his blog, Abu Muqawama, has moved, too. All your COIN belong to us and all that. No word on whether Erin Simpson et al will be moving along with him. Update your links, feeds, and whatnot accordingly.Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 5, 2009 17:38
