Thursday 31 August 2006

read between the lines and you'll find the truth...

Apparently today is "Blogday 2006".

"Blogday was created with the belief that bloggers should have one day dedicated to getting to know other bloggers from other countries and areas of interest. On this day, every blogger will place a recommendation of 5 new blogs. In this way, all blog web surfers will find themselves leaping around and discovering new, previously unknown blogs."

I'm a little bit put of by some of the spelling on their website (a "summery" of 2005?), but it's a good idea, and one that's very much in the spirit of my "Blog of the Week" thing that I seem to have stopped doing.

So here are my 5 recommendations. Some you may have seen before, and some of them are probably stretching the definition of the word 'international', but......

1) A Big Stick and a Small Carrot

In the spirit of this, my first recommendation is the first blog that came up when I hit the "next blog" button on the top of the page. Well, that was the plan anyway. I don't know if you've done it recently, but apparently the number of blogs is doubling every 6 months... but it's all about quantity and not quality.

Not to mention the fact that my "make poverty history" band actually seems to be stopping the "next blog" button from working, I'm going to need a new strategy.

6 Steps then.... go to a familiar blog and go out 6 clicks using the links that you find.

i Silent Words Speak Loudest
ii are the stars out tonight?
iii cage of monkeys
iv the whole wide world of fat buddha!
v bloggerheads
vi a big stick and a small carrot

Rather pleasingly, I've wandered into the world of politics - well, political comment anyway. This blog has been (sort of) recommended by the BBC, and has a nice light touch when dealing with serious issues. Plus it's always good reading to see the failings and inconsistencies of our leaders held up for our examination. And he's scottish, and that's international isn't it?

I think this is the first time this exercise has turned up something interesting.

2) Paul Daniels

It's only proper that I should recommend the blog of the greatest magician in the history of the world. Right? At the moment he's passing on his thoughts on the film "Dr. Doolittle 3" which he has just watched on his new surround system. The Paul Daniels view?

"It was SO BAD. AVOID this disk at all costs"

Phew. Thanks Paul. Narrow escape there.

3) Kerblog

Mazen Kerbaj is a Lebanese musician and comic book artist based in Beirut. He's been blogging about the war - well worth reading.

4) 1000 Shades of Grey

Brought to you by one half of Black & White & Read All Over, this blog welcomes you into Paul's world. Most recently, Paul's world has been detailing -- and critiquing -- the 8 step strategy to adopt if trapped in a lion cage (including the sage advice to 'Fend off attack' as well as to 'Keep screaming as loudly as possible'). Brilliant.

5) Travelling in a Fried-Out Combie

Blogging all the way from Sydney, Australia.... ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Jonny. Technically, he's from Bristol, but let's gloss over that for a moment and call this a proper international blog. He's mates with Mike, he's just started a new job, and he spends his time doing things like taking beach volleyball lessons, drinking in the Opera House Bar, watching Dwight Yorke bossing the Sydney FC midfield and going for early morning surfs before work. Bastard. (Except possibly for the Dwight Yorke thing).

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This is harder than it looks.

8 comments:

  1. "I'm a little bit put of by some of the spelling on their website"
    Hee, hee :-) Petty I know, especially when my spelling/grammar is so bad but you've got to laugh haven't you :-)

    You're totally right about that site though, it's down at the moment but even the error page has a spelling error on it! I suspect english is not their fist language.

    The sicky/carrot one looks quite good, I think I'm going to have a little root around.

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  2. because it totally serves me right, the typo stays!

    ST

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  3. I found that the 'Make Poverty History' banner was doing the same on my site, but it's pretty easy to edit the template so it switches to the left hand side. I'm sure it's as simple as changing 'right' to left' in its code.

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  4. I read in First magazine yesterday about a bonkers woman from Wales who's travelling to a friend's wedding in Australia without a flight as she's so keen to avoid carbon emissions. She's going to be keeping a blog along the way (presumably because she's going to be so bloody bored on her long, long journey) which would tick the international box (hey, Wales, right?). I admire her spirit, but frankly I'd take the flight any day.

    It's just a shame I read the magazine in the bath and can't remember the address...

    (I'm the grammar and punctuation police too - nothing more annoying. Although I'm not above the odd typo, of course.)

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  5. Hey- try trippingonwords.blogspot.com - It is excellent, and was recently named a blogspot 'blog of note' (whatever that tells you...)

    Alex

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  6. Thanks for the kind words ST.

    I should mention that I am from Brighton, but spent the last five years in Brissol, so I guess you could say I was from there. But now I am a Sydney-sider and loving it. I'm pretty sure Dwight Yorke would've been to The Opera Bar during his 14 months in the city. It's a shame my Dwight Yorke days are numbered though (having seen him play in Sydney's opening game of the season). Apparently he'd prefer to live in Sunderland!

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  7. Will have a look at those recommendations, you always find good blogs!
    I've got "Down Under" by the Men at Work stuck in me head now cos of "travelling in a fried-out combie"! but i don't mind cos i love that song :)

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