Disqus - Latest Comments for Darren

Re: Zookoda - blogger’s best friend

Darren — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:11:00 -0000

I think it's a good idea. I used to be anti newsletters but am finding that a certain % of my readers WANT to be kept up to date via a newsletter (that's based on the numbers that sign up for it). Very keen to test this out and looking forward to catching up with Nick in person this week.

Re: offline | chapter one

Darren — Mon, 05 Jul 2004 11:55:34 -0000

Avianto, you rock :-)

Re: http://booiyong.blogspot.com/2008/07/bubba-gump-shrimp-co.html

Darren — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:27:00 -0000

Hi there..first time dropping by..nice blog!

Wah the shrimp fish looks tasty!!;)

Re: http://booiyong.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_4224.html

Darren — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:59:00 -0000

Honestly i havn't heard this before..but it's so funny!=)

Re: http://www.h-i-r.net/2009/07/evil-wifi-part-1-jasagerfonera-setup.html

Darren — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:26:58 -0000

While the unlocking procedure is slightly different across the Fon models, the basic Jasager stuff should be the same. I've read reports of it working on a 2200 at the Hak5 forums in the Jasager board.

Re: New Arsenal Away Shirt Revealed: Photo

Darren — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:35:50 -0000

What's up with the red number and letterings?
Lack of contrast. Hope they change that soon.
The red strip also needs to be toned down.
Sticks out like a sore thumb for me.

Re: Middlesbrough Musings: Week One - Tottenham And Transfers

Darren — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:46:37 -0000

If you want to chat to fellow boro fans- there is a popular forum. the addy is www.fmttm.comeonboro.com. here you will be able to read and chat about all the latest gossip and rumours. see ya soon on there

Re: Gareth Jones » Blog Archive » Am I online?

Darren — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:07:33 -0000

You should set it to email your ISP too, they'll love receiving all those messages.

Re: Album Review: Wanderlust

Darren — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:05:48 -0000

Downloaded it. Listened to two songs. Deleted it all.

Enough said.

Re: Album Review: Evil Urges

Darren — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:31:35 -0000

I'm nearing the end of the album as I started writing this and I'm for the first time thankful for it. I enjoy MMJ immensely, but this album is sub-sub-par.

"At Dawn" and "The Tennessee Fire" were not particularly my cup of tea, but both heralded great promise, and, for me, every second song was something I could enjoy, not love, but enjoy regardless.

"It Still Moves" was brilliant. This was the potential beginning to be fufilled. "Golden" was the only iffy track there for me - I am not a fan of country music generally, and this is no different - while the rest persuaded me to air guitar. "Dancefloors", "One Big Holiday", "Run Thru", "Steam Engine" are some of the greatest tracks and are easily in my top fifty.

"Z" was a bit of a surprise. The craziness of "Wordless Chorus", "Off The Record" and "Into The Woods" threw me for a loop initially, but I grew to love it. Tracks like "Lay Low" and "Dondante" were what I craved from MMJ and "Okonokos" delivered the live versions better than I could have hoped for.

"Evil Urges"; I had high hopes for it. The title sounded interesting, the track titles peculiar.

The title track is obscure and immediately gives us the impression that the old MMJ has passed on. After the five minutes of the track, I found myself disappointed. The promise that "Z" held for MMJ and their experimentation is unfilling here.

"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream" and "I'm Amazed" are the only two tracks up to track nine that I've truly enjoyed.

"Highly Suspicious" is random, catchy, but still on the lower end of the previous albums' less interesting works. Jim James' voice - one of my favourite aspects of the band - is mutilated here, however. The backup vocals are... strange, as is the random manical laughter. Still, I can find myself listening to this again despite this. This will definitely be a hit or miss track.

"Sec Walkin'" is boring, just plain boring; "Look At You" is dull and plain; "Thank You Too!" has little interest either; and "Two Halves" is pretty much the same as the others. Not a good middle section, people.

"Librarian" is a tad odd. The sex fantasy is something we've probably all had cross our minds, and a song about it would either be awesome or appalling, but this finds the middle ground. It isn't uninteresting, but it isn't something you want to hear again quickly, either.

Having just finished it, I enjoyed "Alumunium Park", but I have a funny feeling that is because it is better than the wrecks before it.

-time passes-

"Remnants" is a nice return to more typical MMJ territory. I can find myself tapping my foot to this one.

"Smokin' From Shootin'" has a slow start, but then picks up and is something I'd listen to again, definitely. It has a catchy mid-section and a nice closer.

"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2" is epic. It starts of hauntingly from the close of "Smokin' and Shootin'" and enters this catchy, foot stompin' riff nearly ninety seconds into it. Jim James sounds excellent in this song. Around 2:30, we get a weird set of sound effects on top, which are both distracting and, eventually, intriguing. This plays out over eight glorious minutes - though the ending is quite lackluster. The first six and a half minutes of this song alone has made the album worth treking through. This track is a keeper, people.

"Good Intentions" is a useless addition that lasts four seconds. God knows why this is on here. It doesn't offer anything to the album. We have screams and someone saying "Okay, cool" to end the album. Riiiiiiight. Thanks for that one.

In the end, "Evil Urges" is a real hit and miss album. There are decent tracks, epic tracks, and disgustingly dull tracks in these fifty-five minutes. Some will certainly enjoy it far more than I do. I apologize to them for the negative review - I am a massive fan, and pray they one day visit Australia on a tour - but I can not find myself enjoying this album anywhere near as much as the rest. For the first time with MMJ, I leave the room disappointed.

Must Listens:
Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pts 1 & 2
I'm Amazed
Remnants
Smokin' From Shootin'

Re: ecobutton Provides An Energy Saving Alternative To Shutting Down Your PC

Darren — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:55:23 -0000

.. it could be USB flash memory that redirects the contents of the Hiberfile to itself. Pressing the ecobutton would trigger software (like media keys on a multimedia keyboard) that triggers Hibernation and then tells Windows to write the Hibernation data to X: (drive where the ecobutton flash memory is). At that point, the system shuts down quicker, and restarts almost as fast.

Re: Site

Darren — Fri, 13 Jul 2001 20:19:00 -0000

Do what I've done, and simply use relative font sizes.. ie: font-size:
small|x-small|xx-small; That way, it'll still be scalable, but you can
have things smaller as well.

Re: Doldrums

Darren — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 02:30:41 -0000

call me when u go out without a bra..i would like to see ur protruding nipple :P

Re: Selftimering in Singapore

Darren — Sun, 06 May 2007 15:03:17 -0000

hahaha...great nipples!!! you don't wear bra at other people's house?

Re: Glasgow Rangers F.C ver1.0 : All PS3 Themes

Darren — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:46:50 -0000

my first theme

Re: Glasgow Rangers F.C ver1.1 : All PS3 Themes

Darren — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 16:49:13 -0000

updated icons now bear the union jack flag as requested.
hope thats what you were after.

Re: Glasgow Rangers F.C ver1.2 : All PS3 Themes

Darren — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:14:20 -0000

glad you like the update. any more improvements i can make? feel free to comment. there are still some original icons there i plan to change in the near future

Re: Ultimate Fighters Clan : All PS3 Themes

Darren — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:34:17 -0000

Ultimate Fighters Clan Theme, might not work well on non widescreen tvs

Re: Meet The Key Party

Darren — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 10:52:00 -0000

Thanks for the support man. It's greatly appreciated. I"m real proud of The Key Party record. The website will be fully functional soon. There is a CD available on iTunes CD Baby and other places but yea, there's free songs on myspace. Have no other news on The Shakes but TKP seems to be taking up my time and we'll keep ya posted. So, Cheers. Darren. TKP>

Re: Ryan Adams @ DAR Constitution Hall, DC [10/30/07]

Darren — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 10:35:00 -0000

Yeah, I got pretty damn bored myself. My wife and I decided the whole megaphone thing was pretty passive-aggressive - he'd go to the back of the stage and hide behind amps before he'd use it and turn his back to the crowd, almost like he didn't want to confront the audience directly in the fear that we'd completely turn against him. But yet he still couldn't keep himself from complaining. Maybe if he didn't take so long screwing around in silence between songs, people wouldn't call out so much. Of course, then the band comes out after the break and does the exact opposite of the pregnant pauses - a half-hour continuous jam that was interesting at times but otherwise just got tedious.

Still some great songs, though, and what a voice. But I don't feel any need to see another live performance from him.

Re: Monkey in your old High School Cliq

Darren — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:03:06 -0000

Thanks for the mention. I wanted to help shead some light on exactly what we're building here at Cliqset.

Cliqset is *not* a social network. Yes, the user-facing site has some social features but they're merely designed to help users build their social identity (friends, profile, activities, status, etc). That's one aspect of Cliqset but not our focus.

Cliqset is all about the platform. We've build a suite of underlying APIs that allow 3rd party application developers to not only read aggregate social content about you but instead act as first class citizens with your social data. They have the ability to shape and mold it as if it was their own, with your authorization of course.

We're trying to create an eco-system of social information sharing that's completely transparent to the social application but still hyper focused on what the user wants, where the user wants it.

We're pretty excited about this. It's a completely new take on how social information is consumed, reshaped and reused.

Re: Photo Hunters #61 Shoes

Darren — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:28:00 -0000

Very Nice, Great Shot!

Re: Last Chance in 2006

Darren — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:39:00 -0000

Hey there TC! Glad to know that you are seeing a few of the tourist hotspots.
Hugs to the Prez!

Cheers,

Darren (The Band Secretary)

Re: I’m DEVASTATED!

Darren — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 02:06:00 -0000

Personally, I think you should reject Mr. Pyatt because he eats at Swiss Chalet. From a Canucks forum:

http://tinyurl.com/wkyqp

"I was at Swiss Chalet today and to my surprise who do I see sitting there eating chicken and ribs? None other than Taylor Pyatt. Yep he was just sitting there with his hat all off kilter talking to his hot wife."

I don't know if it matters, but it looked to me like Mr. Schultz was having some serious male-pattern baldness issues.

Re: I’m DEVASTATED!

Darren — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:55:00 -0000

Well Chouinard is tall, and he's making $1.1 million, but if you got serious, be prepared to move around. He's a role player on the Canucks, and likely will be playing in Ohio or Atlanta by next season.

Most hockey players come from small towns, so they're the early marrying kind. Maybe you shot target the junior teams instead?

Re: 2006

Darren — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 13:09:00 -0000

Wow, that's pretty hardcore. I'm sure 2007 will be a vast improvement. Here's the best advice I ever recevied when things sucked: chin up.

Re: Why Do You Blog?

Darren — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:25:00 -0000

Thanks for the linkage.

Re: New Blog Title?

Darren — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 20:25:00 -0000

I really like the tonal quality of that photo. Combined with the old school park sign, it looks like a Polaroid from the sixties. Mind you, the coffee cup is a bit of a problem, but Photoshop can solve that in about 37 seconds.

Re: Nerdery

Darren — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 14:13:00 -0000

I see your 80%, and raise it by 9%. That's just embarassing.

Re: Things That Make You Go.. wtf?

Darren — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 02:33:00 -0000

That's awesome. Can I use that photo for my Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness (currently under renovation at www.darrenbarefoot.com/hall/)?

Re: Spoiled

Darren — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:03:00 -0000

Is her tongue black? I believe that's a symptom.

Re: I’m a Vancouver Socialite

Darren — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:08:00 -0000

I was about to complain that I got Warren into the conference, and instead of me he (understandably) goes with photos of the attractive young women.

Then I found the actual PDF, and apparently me and Anil made the cut.

Re: With Apologies to Darren

Darren — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 21:23:00 -0000

Heh, no worries, I'm over it. Thanks for the inclusion.

Re: The uglification of the Canucks

Darren — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:32:00 -0000

Did you hear that the Canucks tried to get rid of poor Marc on waivers? Nobody took him (he makes too much money for his performance this season), so he's down playing with the, ahem, Moose in Manitoba.

Re: Thesis Data Cloud

Darren — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 11:19:00 -0000

That's very cool. Another possibility I discovered along the way is this IBM project:

http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/home

Re: And so the streak ends…

Darren — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:31:00 -0000

What's that Tallulah Bankhead quote? 'It's the good girls who keep diaries, the bad girls don't have time." I've always been a bit haunted by that one--not because I aspire to be bad or a girl, but because I didn't want blogging to displace having a life. Sounds like you've got that covered.htt

Re: My First Ever Half Marathon!

Darren — Mon, 07 May 2007 14:54:00 -0000

That is hardcore--strong work.

Re: Days are measured out, measured out, measured with vitamin supplements*

Darren — Thu, 17 May 2007 06:16:00 -0000

Er, I know you're a scientist and all, but your apologies ought to go to go Mr. Eliot first, and the Crash Test Dummies second:

http://tinyurl.com/yv4g53

"For I have known them all already, known them all—

Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons,

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;

I know the voices dying with a dying fall

Beneath the music from a farther room."

I've been trying to memorize the whole thing, but I get distracted after the first page or so.

Re: Days are measured out, measured out, measured with vitamin supplements*

Darren — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:30:00 -0000

I'll let you off the hook this time, but if I hear you saying that you love that clever, original musical hook in Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl", you're in serious trouble.

Re: What the F is That?

Darren — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:32:00 -0000

I'll go ahead and say what Kelly wouldn't: "my, that's rather dildonic".

Is it maybe some kind of fan with its propeller wings closed up?

Context is important, of course. Is it a kitchen device, or are you leading us astray?

Re: Binaries

Darren — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 07:48:00 -0000

On the contrary (well, I enjoy the funny posts too), I enjoyed this little meditation on gender. I did feel a little cheated by the lack your impressions of the men's bathroom. There's no doubt potential for comedy there.

Re: Watch These Videos

Darren — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:23:00 -0000

Thanks for the linkage, and for not dissing my lousy performance.

Re: Another In-depth Canucks Trade Analysis

Darren — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 06:25:00 -0000

Thanks for the update--us Canucks fans stranded in Malta appreciate it. I doubt the Canucks will be very active in the free agency market as of July 1, but you never know, they might pick up a hottie or two. Of course, they'll be veteran players, so they're likelier to be a bit, uh, road-worn.

Re: 400

Darren — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:51:00 -0000

Not to be crass, but this post is an evil marketer's wet dream.

I recently passed my 4000th post. I think I'll just hold on this badboy until the big 5-0-0-0.

Re: 400

Darren — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 05:49:00 -0000

Hey, I'm a marketer! Sometimes. And I almost always use my powers for the forces of good.

Re: 400

Darren — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:07:00 -0000

I was foiled by the lack of smiley.

And now I'm making fun, beause emoticons must die.

I was also lying about using my powers only for good. Do you know any teenagers with addictive personalities?

Re: 400

Darren — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:20:00 -0000

'beuase'? Bad spelling must also die, but I fear it's hardier prey.

Re: Nightmares, Hump for the Hip and omg it’s freaking hot out

Darren — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:42:00 -0000

Er, graduated from high school 16 years ago, still have dreams about not being prepared for tests. Mostly French class, which isn't suprising.

Re: Addicted to Blogging

Darren — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:33:00 -0000

Wow, I only ended up with 61%. I believe there are any number of 12-step programs for you. If necessary, I'm happy to stage an intervention to get you started.

Re: Adventures in Packaging

Darren — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:51:00 -0000

Truly, as a former technical writer who is cursed to notice bizarre things like this for the rest of my days, I applaud your geeky thoroughness. Or your thorough geekiness.

In any case, you may enjoy www.thisisbroken.com or my own, old project, www.darrenbarefoot.com/hall/. Speaking of which, can I include that nutty label page?

Re: Isn’t it ironic?

Darren — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:04:00 -0000

I really wanted to comment on the polar bear entry, but I'll comment here to balance things out.

Polar bears are funny.

That is all.

Re: Isn’t it ironic?

Darren — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 06:10:00 -0000

My brother's chest hurt after his wisdom teeth extraction. We eventually figured out that it was because the dentist had his knee on Kevin's chest, to get leverage while pulling out the offending teeth.

Re: Allergic

Darren — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:21:00 -0000

That just reminded me of an unusual reaction I had to the anesthetic when I had my wisdom teeth out years ago.

Hours after the surgery I couldn't actually urinate. I needed to, but something was not working. It got seriously uncomfortable until my girlfriend procured for me the appropriate narcotic counter-measure.

Re: Addicted to Scrabble

Darren — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 04:14:00 -0000

You wrote that entire post and didn't use the phrase 'double word score' once. What gives?

Is that a Facebook app, or a standalone site? And do you play in real time, or is turn based?

Re: Brainlessness

Darren — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 03:29:00 -0000

I've had my brain for three years now, and it's been quite a burden. I miss my smaller, more useless frontal lobes.

I was pleased to see 'the British' on your list. I have a pet peeve about bloody foreign nationals coming to my country, swooping in with their 'puckas' and 'cuppateas' and stealing our women. I have three female friends who have been sucked in my British accents.

It's kind of like high school, when all the girls in your grade dated guys in grades above you. It was an indefensible position, really.

Re: Zookoda - blogger’s best friend

Darren — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 20:11:00 -0000

Re: A Night of Firsts

Darren — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:40:00 -0000

This entry (http://tinyurl.com/34a3dt) may help explain why the Canucks have few right wingers. I think that in North America you tend to play the same side as you shoot--it's different in Europe.

And well done on the Car Co-op--just think of all the good karma you're generating.

Re: Insert Your Own Caption Here

Darren — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 04:18:00 -0000

"Come on, Mr. Layton, throw me another peanut."

Meh. Weak.

"Help, my Emotion-o-lator is stuck on 'shock'!"

Ah, a little better.

Re: My First Ever Camping Trip

Darren — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 02:59:00 -0000

Yep, those are almost certainly bear tracks. Bears actually have five toes, but the fifth often doesn't make an impression. Also, you can see where the tips of its claws have sunk into the mud. I don't think you get that with dogs.

Re: Blog Action Day

Darren — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 08:58:00 -0000

If that's your biggest eco-sin, you're in pretty good shape. I give you permission to whack a couple of baby seals in celebration. I call it the 'mammal offset' program.

Re: Elizabeth

Darren — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 17:34:00 -0000

They missed 'Lizbee', which I have added.

I wonder how they're going to source these badboys?

Re: Hockey Terms That Sound Dirty

Darren — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 05:36:00 -0000

My favourite has always been:

"He couldn't get it up (over the sprawling goaltender)."

Re: Support My Hockey Team!!

Darren — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:29:00 -0000

Are you PayPal enabled? If so, I'll buy some.

"Would you buy a calendar of me and my teammates like, for example, wearing our hockey jerseys and looking all cute and suchlike?"

That depends. How hot is the rest of the team, compared to, say, Brendan Shanahan?

Re: My new printer!

Darren — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:17:00 -0000

Wow, that is a big box.

Good luck with the printin'.

Re: My new printer!

Darren — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 17:02:00 -0000

Heh, yeah, that is kind of a fast ball over the middle of the plate, isn't it?

Quite innocently, I actually originally wrote:

"Wow, that is a big box. Can you fit in it?"

But I deleted the second sentence because it sounded, well, indistinctly rude.

But it is a really big box.

Re: Products That I Just Don’t Understand

Darren — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 04:43:00 -0000

Wow, that's a lot of goofy product. The only one I will defend is the Wifi detector. I've always wanted one of those, but have never bothered to buy one.

There are plenty of times when I want to access my email or look something up on my laptop, but would rather not pull it out to check if there's a wifi signal. The little keychain thingie is a dorkiness-reducer.

Re: Beth in a Box

Darren — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:38:00 -0000

Strong work!

Re: I don’t care what you say, I like Quatchi

Darren — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:23:00 -0000

I give you an anthem for 2010:

http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/archives/2007/11/an-anthem-for-2010.html

Re: What Not To Get Me For Christmas

Darren — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 04:26:00 -0000

I think it says "I put no thought into this gift, everything else was closed, and I didn't even include one of those cheap roses on the counter that dies tomorrow."

Re: One Missed Movie

Darren — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:07:00 -0000

You had me until "Margaret Cho vehicle" (which would have to be an SVU...thank you, I'll be here all week, try the veal). Unless I haven't been paying attention, she doesn't exactly have a storied career in cinema, does she?

Re: The Naughty but Nice Sex Show. And did I mention they had lube?

Darren — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 04:44:00 -0000

You know, Ireland entirely ruined the whole sexy Catholic school girl thing for me. Once you've seen plenty of actual Catholic school girls, all pasty and pimply, it's difficult to separate the reality from the fantasy. I imagine that, in the same way, few doctors have a naughty nurse fetish.

Re: Meet Marla

Darren — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:43:00 -0000

"Maria, say it loud and there's music playing.
Say it soft and it's almost like praying,"

Podcasts I like:

CBC Search Engine

CBC Spark

CBC Q

BBC Documentary Archive

Slate's Daily Podcast

Re: Cobre Restaurant

Darren — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 02:26:00 -0000

Leaf table?

Mismatched?

I think Cobre is exactly what it claims to be 'nuevo latino'. You should expect something a little different when you come in. Sounds like you didn't.

Strange that you got a bad vibe vis-a-vis service...cobre has been nothing but first class each time timinganddelivery.com has been there.

Hope things work out for you next time.

Re: You Have No More Excuses

Darren — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:31:36 -0000

What an awesome clip...Dustin and Scott...amazing.
I would love for Dustin and Scott ot conact me...would possibly like Dustin to speak at our school to our students in Yorkton Saskatchewan...
d_wandy@hotmail.com
thanks
Darren

Re: Venting

Darren — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:34:28 -0000

Don:

How about an EconTalk where you can passionately vent said anger?

Re: Practicing Our Faith

Darren — Sun, 22 May 2005 09:31:00 -0000

I'm reading a couple of JB books in that line at the moment.

its certainly good stuff, the practicing faith book is in my list of books to purchase...

Re: Australian Theologians Writing On Mission

Darren — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 01:35:00 -0000

Darren here (posting from university)

There are a number of people that I believe are writing and thinking about theology and missiology in an Australian context...

A couple of people that automatically come to mind are Scott Cowdell and Stephen Pickard who are both at St Marks Theological College in the ACT.

I do have a longer list somewhere... I'll find it.

Re: Ministers Deacons and Pastors

Darren — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 04:51:00 -0000

i guess one of my concerns with this suggestion is the supposed herarchy of ordained/pastor/lay preacher...

in particular how this is shown in the way that people are supported and paid for particular roles...

i'd lean more to a one title fits all, categorise people on the job because of qualafications and experience.

I's also possibly remove the concept of "lay preacher" but recognise that some have more training to preach than others... How many young people are able to do the amount of training to preach as lay preachers?

Re: Bangkok, Thailand – Day 1

Darren — Sat, 24 May 2008 10:57:00 -0000

I think the fish is a barrmundi

Re: Day 2 : Maesa Elephant Camp

Darren — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 02:15:00 -0000

Those elephant very cute...

Re: Its Britney Bitch: Relevant in New Music, etc.

Darren — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:18:10 -0000

I second what James and Perez said. We only care about this because we want to see Britney crash and burn!

-D

Re: Why I Chose Blogger and Not Wordpress

Darren — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:15:07 -0000

Okay, giving another go :)

4. WordPress.com is now mobile friendly for readers and there are also iphone and blackberry apps that you can manage/post to your blog with. Self-hosted WordPress has plenty of plugins to choose from to make it mobile friendly.

6. WordPress.com doesn't require manual upgrades. No maintenance hassles there.

10. WordPress has OpenID

11. You can email posts to WordPress.com and WordPress.org (built-in to both)

12. Who says' you have to deal with plugins on WordPress.com? For that matter, you don't HAVE to deal with them on the self-hosted version either. But it's nice to have the option if you ever change your mind.

13. Lot's has been written about WordPress's built-in SEO goodness.

15. Version compatibility issues are a problem with WordPress.com? Not that I'm aware of? They take care of all updates for you.

20. So blogger doesn't have storage caps on uploads? That's news for me.

23. WordPress.com has a lot of widgets to choose from.

I predict that a year from now you'll be on WordPress - it's good they have an easy importer from blogger! If I'm wrong, well that's fine ha! The thing I like about WordPress is its flexibility. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it but at least the flexibility of choice is there. Not so much with blogger.

Re: Why I Chose Blogger and Not Wordpress

Darren — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:52:25 -0000

Had a long reply that I just typed in to respond via the comments and then when I previewed I lost it all. blogger #fail ;) I've bookmarked this and may come back later to try entering the reply again but there a few points you've made that aren't really correct about WordPress.

Also, looking forward to reading your blog though! In the end, content is what really matters.

Re: You know you're in Brampton when Elvis is…

Darren — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:34:54 -0000

I second that notion. LMAO.

Re: Why Is So Much Green Architecture So Ugly?

Darren — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:03:18 -0000

some of this architecture is ok (CAS building) IMO...

but on this same idea I'd also say that so many organic or sustainable clothing companies have such poor cuts to their clothing.. it's like if you use good materials, you forget that the item needs to fit well too if people are going to buy it...

Re: Do You Trust Raw Milk?

Darren — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:37:36 -0000

Cow milk still? Really??

Re: Collaborative Business Model Engineering [CBME]

Darren — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:33:00 -0000

Anonymous, good question. I have tried a couple of things, but the main lesson so far has been that you need to find the right people to build with [only 10% of people I approached took any action whatsoever]. Currently I am trying it in smaller form with a like-minded individual, and I hope this will spur the development in a short while.

I would like to hear more about your ideas too, so don't be a stranger.

Re: How to structure… [The big chief]

Darren — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 13:37:00 -0000

Here's a fascinating take on this story from a [US] Venture Capitalists point of view -> http://www.gobignetwork.com/wil/2007/8/9/how-mu.... The gentlemen makes some good points.

Re: Retail rules – what is face value?

Darren — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 12:12:00 -0000

Hi Carl

Great to hear that you are making progress! What you say is sot true.

Hopefully in a little while we will all see the rewards of your efforts... I know it is a long road, but once everyone sees the benefits [from both sides] I believe it will become a non-negotiable, and we will swell with pride when foreigners visit here and leave with amazing stories of friendliness and spectacular service, bringing even more visitors to our shores.

I'll keep an eye on your progress.

Re: Those who can, do. Those who can’t… blog?

Darren — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 13:57:00 -0000

Exactly right Dave! You sound like you speak from experience. I was playing on the specific words, but its clear that leaders are experts in a different way - virtually all skills and professions can be learned in books, whereas leadership is only really mastered through experience. Hence the scarcity and great value of true leaders.

Re: What we have here is… failure… to communicate

Darren — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:50:00 -0000

Thanks Justin. Your experience counts volumes - in the article comments, its mentioned that there is possibly a cost advantage of starting the business here versus in a "developed" market. I believe this is even more true for internet-based business where we have all the upside and global-reach potential [telecom infrastructure aside] without a lot of the other hassles some of those markets face. Bring it on! I will watch your progress with great interest.

Re: The school of hard knocks for aspiring entrepreneurs

Darren — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 08:59:00 -0000

Thanks nils - Hi from SA.
And thank you too Beverley, nice to have you here! I look forward to reading more on your experience and thoughts.

Re: How free haircuts could revolutionise the economy…

Darren — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:13:00 -0000

Thanks for the link - I guess it will always be difficult with food, where people can really go overboard but seems to have worked nicely for Relish. I wuold hazard to guess that if they [in the food industry] can do it, pretty much anyone can!

Re: Just when I thought I was starting to understand…

Darren — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:22:00 -0000

Thanks Justin! I had heard of SocialRank before in passing, but honestly... there are many awesome South African blogs out there that should rightfully be in that spot, so I'm still wondering how the ranking works. Must still be in its teething phase. Glad to see you up and running - trust you've managed to shake off the cobwebs now.

Re: Is less really more?

Darren — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 05:31:00 -0000

I hear you on the e-mail accounts but four calendars? Google one is an excellent idea, only trouble is in trying to synchronise with the different offices.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels this way about simplifying life.

Re: Seeing a little more clearly now – at long last

Darren — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:35:00 -0000

Thanks Feisty! What an awesome compliment coming from you. I'm at a loss for words...

Re: Calling all the real players in SA – put your money where your mouth is!

Darren — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:26:00 -0000

Thanks Justin. Yes, I'm also hoping for some constructive comments that can help bridge this great divide, or at least bring a better understanding of it.

Re: Calling all the real players in SA – put your money where your mouth is!

Darren — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:57:00 -0000

You make a good point Grant. Thanks for noting the VC perspective [being profit/money driven] and as much as I can understand it, I can see also see why it can't work. But that's where I propose a new solution is required [its not all about the money] - one which is feasible but where the people who are currently able to do it just aren't bothered.

If I have a couple of million to spend on a new M6 [my M5 is showing its age with a whole 4,000km on it] why not rather 'spend' the cash on young talent and let them just go for it. Sure, the structuring can be an issue [% ownership] and so can the feasability [generating any sort of revenue] but both can be addressed fairly sensibly and with a little bit of creativity.

Sadly, though, still no takers.

Re: Calling all the real players in SA – put your money where your mouth is!

Darren — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:01:00 -0000

Christopher - I hear you on the time and skills side of things. All the best with your idea - don't give up the search... there is strength in team!

Anonymous - you tell it like it is, and I can't argue with that - again, bottom line in that scenario is profit/money for me right now, forget the intangible benefits on a bigger scale. My point is that in order to improve the current status quo - to create an environment where these things can flourish [are they right now? Personally I don't think so] we need to change things up a bit. As for the bucket of cash... that's tangible cash, which is all most people understand - what about the intangible value [but still REAL value] being lost everyday through lost opportunities or genius being squashed into submission by corporate red-tape and 'people who know better' - and I'd venture to guess that the lost value for SA would far outweigh any tangible financial losses suffered to date.

Re: Calling all the real players in SA – put your money where your mouth is!

Darren — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 09:08:00 -0000

Wellingtons - thanks. FYI I am writing this more from an observational perspective - I used to be what you call a "bean-counter" [my technical skills leave much to be desired] and I'm not looking for someone to fund my projects.

This is my independent observation of the state of affairs - so how come it takes an "outsider" to get upset about the way things are when it just doesn't make sense?

What I was hoping to get out of this was some creative solutions [come on, would someone at least try?] - as I said this is not about one "little" business opportunity, its about someone doing something insanely different to make the world sit up and take notice!

Re: Calling all the real players in SA – put your money where your mouth is!

Darren — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:37:00 -0000

Grant - thanks for revisiting with some valuable info! That's a good link and much appreciated, as we're trying to find solutions here.

Re: Since the real players won’t help, how do we put the fun back in funding?

Darren — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:48:00 -0000

Thanks Grant! That's a very good break down of what's going on. I agree totally with the mentor side of things, but not everyone is fortunate enough to find one.

You mention the horrible dichotomy - that of the admin side and the 'fun' side. I'm still trying to work out if it's best for all to take the admin load off and let them go for it, or if those learnings are integral to growing as a good business-person [used to think the former, now leaning toward the latter].

As for the networking - exactly right. So, when are you going to head back to SA to shake things up a bit :)

Re: Since the real players won’t help, how do we put the fun back in funding?

Darren — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:51:00 -0000

Just had to put this here - part of a comment on this entry on muti which shows that some of these things aren't as crazy as they may seem:

"... As a Boomer myself, I would absolutely love to give a few hours a week toward some experienced advice and guidance for any young startup cell."

Now, maybe there's even a business in that. Just imagine... [plus it is part of the solution to the mentor story]

Re: Since the real players won’t help, how do we put the fun back in funding?

Darren — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:39:00 -0000

Now that's an interesting link - something every young gun should read. And also exactly what we need to work against in coming up with viable solutions! Thanks again, Grant. Your contributions here are very valuable.

Re: 27… and loving it

Darren — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:12:00 -0000

Charl, me too. We met very briefly, hope to chat longer next time.

Stii, keep up the fantastic work! Maybe meet on your side of the world next time.

Re: Failure 101 – a lesson from the great one

Darren — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:20:00 -0000

Thanks Stii. Totally agree! I like the quote too - could be why as a country we're struggling so much now, people in high places too scared to try something that might work, because they have too much to lose - becomes a self-defeating cycle. Wonder how we can break it.

Re: Finding relevance in an age of difference

Darren — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:39:00 -0000

Justin - LOL, very good. Keep the faith man, good things come to those who wait [and do things for the right reason, as you seem to be].

Yusuf - thanks for the feedback. I hear what you're saying, and perhaps thats because truly caring has become so rare that, like you say, it is a differentiator itself.

Re: At last, a Hollywood movie about South African business

Darren — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:04:00 -0000

LOL. Well spotted - how could I have missed Mr Polokwane himself, although he's more a story-line influencer than a lead character.

Re: 8 Things

Darren — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:17:00 -0000

Ha, something to think about to make a change from deciding on domain names. As for the new blog - as soon as I see your post on wp vs blogger. Actually is in progress, just need to make time to actually set it up. Should've gone for daz though, would've been a nice short domain. Read ya later.

Re: 8 Things

Darren — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:48:00 -0000

Ha ha, Justin, its a small world after all... beginning to sound a bit like that game "six degrees from Kevin Bacon" or whatever it was. As for Daz, Mr Sidwell informed me its a brand of washing powder in the UK, so I'm still sulking after that one. :)

Re: 8 Things

Darren — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:24:00 -0000

Max, is that a polite way of saying you're not doing it again? Ha ha, thought this might be the catalyst to get you posting again, but seems it just wasn't enough. Or perhaps you'll surprise us? Even if we give you the 5 you had, you at least need to come up with another 3 more :)

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:56:00 -0000

Feistyfemale - thanks for the feedback from a contributor's perspective. I suspect your 'bad news sells' suggestion is probably not far wrong.

As for more contributors - could be a very good thing as long as there is not too large a political bias and there is some way to easily refine what you are interested in.

It could also be that those with negative news just post more often. I do find that the writers I most enjoy following post very rarely, but then again, as M&G; doesn't pay its contributors, can we expect more?

Justin - only time will tell. Hopefully , if nothing else, this will give them some food for thought as they grow.

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:09:00 -0000

Justin, as I say, I hope I'm wrong. The reason I wrote it is because it seems that, as "Thought Leaders", they should not just be bringing problems, but solutions too.

I don't mind reading about SA's problems [we know there are enough of them] as long as the commentators also bring any sort of ideas for resolving the problem. Stimulating movement forward, not just moaning about what everyone else moans about.

Hope that makes sense.

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:17:00 -0000

Steven and Marc, thanks for your feedback, I do appreciate it.

Matthew, great of you to stop by and give this commentary. As I said, I respect what you have done - it is certainly not an easy task to take on.

Quality control is a good thing in this forum, and its understandable that you cannot control the content [as you could if it was generated by yourselves]. As you say, all you can do from your side is censor the content received to a certain degree. [I'm glad to hear about the rejecting of comments too - it would be quite painful to wade through unmoderated comments in this "high temperature" arena, as you put it]. Its evident that your media-blog hybrid has been well executed and offers a fantastic forum for creating stimulating debate.

In the end, my challenge is aimed at the writers themselves. They have a fantastic platform in Thought Leader and probably more opportunity than they realise to significantly impact on our reality - it would be great to see them all using it to best advantage, rather than just join the growing chorus of naysayers. If they are going to wait for the prevalent mood in the country to change, then they are following, not leading.

I wish you and your team all the best as you develop this further, and look forward to the content really living up to its name in every respect!

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 10:25:00 -0000

Vincent, very good - I can appreciate your perspective. Just saw your comment after replying to Matthew, but it all holds true here too.

I don't think it is your responsibility to have to steer this, I would like to see the writers do it themselves. And I trust they will, hopefully sooner rather than later.

PS Please stay away from the razor blades. SA needs all its talent.

Note to Matthew - please ensure there are no razor blades in the offices either. Thanks.

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:15:00 -0000

Hi Diana, thank you for this positive feedback! It feels like you took many of the words right out of my mouth.

Your junior Thought Leader suggestion is absolutely fantastic and well worth consideration for the M&G; team - you should send it through to Matthew/Vincent immediately!

As for me being a contributor - I appreciate the compliment! I believe SA has a wealth of talent, with people capable of putting together far more inspirational and thought-provoking writing than I am, and I trust that M&G; have targeted these people for their growth phase. Like you, I look forward to seeing the improvement in quality and all of this thought leadership in action.

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:23:00 -0000

Hey Michelle, thanks for what you've said! Really good to hear that you feel the same way, and hopefully people will at least look at the underlying issue and realise that they can make a difference by changing their attitude.

Well, we'll see what happens...

Re: Thought Leader? Really?

Darren — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 08:33:00 -0000

Bridget, great to hear from you and I fully support your views. I'm glad you will not be discouraged into believing you need follow the herd. Carry on leading the way! Feistyfemale... ditto for you.

Anonymous, that is probably a question on many people's minds but I won't comment as I don't believe race has anything to do with my point here. If that is your question, may I suggest reading this post by Sandile Memela, which offers an interesting viewpoint. In addition, Vincent's post linked to in my post above also touches on these issues. As for "the internet in SA in general" as you put it, I would believe that the race-class breakdown arises from accessibility and would probably be represented in the majority by people classified as LSM's 7 to 10. Until we have low hardware and connectivity costs locally, this will continue to be the case.

Re: Local relevance. Global excellence.

Darren — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:38:00 -0000

Thanks Elaine for this great feedback. The map is awesome, I will have to get one myself!

Re: Forget old school, we need some new school

Darren — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:16:00 -0000

Wow Diana, brilliant input, thank you! It's great to hear from people who are passionate about this, and I would love to see that passion going to work.

Perhaps if we can start exploring practical ways that these types of ideas can be put into action, the 'powers that be' might cotton onto it.

And if not, perhaps there is a viable business in it, much as private schools have arisen, that could make these changes a reality. Thanks for your contribution here, it is greatly appreciated!

Re: When knowledge becomes a commodity

Darren — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:11:00 -0000

Well said Dave.

Must admit I was hoping to extract some comments from practising consultants on this, but alas, none would bite.

Sadly, this type of change would face far too much resistance and would be scrapped immediately, but I love the possibilities that it generates, and perhaps some of the younger generation consultants will be able to run with it and generate that value you talk of.

Re: On the origin of diamonds, deals and dermatological advancement

Darren — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:07:00 -0000

Agreed Dtaila, particularly about such gatherings in difficult times. We all need encouragement and support in times like these.

I am also looking forward to it growing from here. Thanks for the great comment!

Re: It’s amazing what a change in perspective can do

Darren — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:39:00 -0000

LOL, thanks Justin - well spotted. Force of habit I guess, but have made the edit now. Besides, there's far more than R6.5bn sitting around to be taken - more like trillions of US$.

Thanks for taking the time to visit, I appreciate it!

Re: SA blook – meet the authors

Darren — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:24:00 -0000

Thanks for the wishes Emil! Much appreciated. Whatever happens, it should be fun and interesting, so I'm looking forward to it too. As for extracts, don't think it will work. The plan is for everyone to post on the same day, and since I won't see anyone's until the day, no-one else will either I suppose, unless they decide to give a sneak peek... we'll have to see :)

Re: SA blook – meet the authors

Darren — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 13:52:00 -0000

Thanks Vincent. Yes, we're hoping to encourage some great things through this.

Exclusive club? Have a look at the complete listing and you'll see there are five volunteers amongst the authors, which I'm pretty thrilled about because it means we have writers who want to contribute to it.

Could've been 6... :)

Re: Perspectives: Is Brazil more significant than the whole of Africa?

Darren — Wed, 28 May 2008 05:08:00 -0000

Good point Grant, it would be very interesting to see. Last week's Fortune had a piece on Brazil indicating that a lot of it relates [ironically] to energy.

Thanks for commenting, I'll see what I can dig out and would appreciate any further input you have on this.

Re: The 3 Web 2.0 experts that ITWeb missed

Darren — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:41:00 -0000

Don't worry Mandy, lesson learned for next year's list. Can't expect to win 'em all.

Just kidding. Thanks for stopping by, glad you can laugh at it too. ;)

Re: SA Blook, Introduction

Darren — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:56:00 -0000

Mandy and Andy, thank you both for your fantastic chapters. Its been fun so far, and will be interesting to see where it heads next.

Dave A, glad you like the idea, and I trust you enjoyed reading through the chapters.

Rozanne, well said. Thanks for the support through putting this together!

Re: More Tickets for Big Stupid Cars

Darren — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 11:31:20 -0000

Oh oh oh!!! I so want to see one of these with statistics from American auto pollution listed.

This is a great idea.

Re: Common Eco-Myth: Wind Turbines Kill Birds

Darren — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:09:05 -0000

Thanks so much for this article, and I'm in total support of wind energy.

Although I must say that I'm not in support of using phrases like "probability of Tweety being smashed to bits" and references to "bird-o-matic" wind turbines which will only upset people already sensitive to this topic and in turn may keep people like myself from forwarding this article along to those sensitive people.

Just my .02 cents.

Re: Crocs. Birkys for a New Millenium?

Darren — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 11:36:39 -0000

The bottom of the shoe says "Made in Boulder, CO". I was in a store this weekend where all the Crocks had a flimsy sticker replacing this statement that now says "Made in China".

This along with the fact that they are made entirely from petroleum, the only thing green about this shoe is that they come in a few shades of green.

Re: Bike Lift 'Trampe' Stimulates Cycling

Darren — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 09:32:18 -0000

Cycling is for EXERCISE. I *want* to ride up the hill! I can think of about 5000 types of bicycle infrastructure that would be more useful than this ridiculous and expensive gimmick, which would only be the butt of jokes in north america and would do nothing to encourage cycling. (more bike racks on buses, for one... which takes care of the riding up the hill problem too).

And to the person in Toronto who couldn't ride up to Casa Loma.... OMG! Sorry, but you're a bit of a wimp.

Re: More Talk About A Dim Bulb, Part I

Darren — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:35:03 -0000

One acronym will put this all to rest: L.E.D.

The CFL bulb is just a way to slow down the ultimate transfer towards the far more energy efficient and stable LED light.

The main issue holding back the advancement of LED's is the manufactures who will be putting themselves out of business rather quickly by perfecting the LED. It's better business for them to sell us many versions of the CFL claiming each one better than the last but none that truly get the job done. We end up buying way more light bulbs this way.

I wonder what are the figures for people who purchased a CFL, didn't like it and put the old incandescent back in?

Re: A Picture is Worth...Homemade Applesauce

Darren — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:27:56 -0000

An Apple a day wont keep this van away...

This is silly, why did I just post here??

Re: GREEN DEETS 006 Jack Johnson Video Interview

Darren — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:33:37 -0000

I think 6 consecutive articles about Jack Johnson is more than enough... I tend to read Music blogs when I want stories about musicians. But hey, that's just me..

Re: Graphics Of The Day: USEPA Submits Latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory To IPCC

Darren — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:35:31 -0000

Interesting to see no decrease shown from the amount of production jobs sent overseas which of course, would appear as an increase in emissions from other countries with less strict environmental policy.

Difficult to believe that while our overall energy needs are growing rapidly and only 1% of US energy production comes from renewable sources, that small sector while yes it is increasing, is apparently enough to make a noticeable dent in overall emissions...

This is just the sort of report data on emissions that the powers that be would like to to show the American public to foster the belief that there is no true sense of urgency and that we must be already doing something to address the emission problems.

Re: New Over-Packaging Record? 17 Boxes For 32 Pages

Darren — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:10:10 -0000

I can believe this -- A few years ago I ordered some additional screws for a Dell server I bought for my company. I received 4 boxes (each about 30cm x 30cm x 10cm) each containing two screws wrapped in packing material.

Companies with practices like this should be named and shamed.

Re: Georgian Residents Aren't Buying Green Power Plans

Darren — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:24:22 -0000

I'm guessing this was meant to say that only 0.2% of the state is participating.

2% participation would be greater than the national average. According to NREL's Trends in Utility Green Pricing Programs (2006) report published October 2007 the national average for participation in utility green power programs is only 1.8% which in itself is quite sad really...

Thanks for catching that. Its actually less than 1% of Georgia's customers which are participating. Nationwide less than 2% of customers participate in their local green energy program.

Here is the link to the NREL listing of top ten green power programs: http://apps3.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/resourc... />

Re: Why Is So Much Green Architecture So Ugly?

Darren — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:03:18 -0000

some of this architecture is ok (CAS building) IMO...

Re: Do You Trust Raw Milk?

Darren — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:37:36 -0000

Cow milk still? Really??

Re: Are Filipinos Asian?

Darren — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:18:41 -0000

lol. These comments can't be real.

Filipino's = Asians. That's it, end of story. Legalities, racial history, cross government identification, international recognition. They are asian, period.

I'm convinced people who keep posting that they're not are just trolling the site. It's not possible for people to be this ignorant.

Re: Are Filipinos Asian?

Darren — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:29:07 -0000

Dear Empress (The Troll),

What point are you trying to make again? I kind of lost your point in all of the self-opinionated, ignorant bull crap you've been writing.

Re: I am confused, and I am a Christian still (maybe) - Letters to the Webmaster

Darren — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:24:00 -0000

BULLSHIT!!

If you ARE really experiencing the things you say you are, look up James Randi on google, go to his site and take the 1 million dollar challenge.
If you win the money, I'll believe you...otherwise, you are a fraud.

Re: http://www.crimene.ws/2008/07/youtube-tagger-busted.html

Darren — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:08:02 -0000

Damn, Trench sounds like a real jack ass.

SHAME.

Re: http://vixandmore.blogspot.com/2008/10/futures-limit-down-today-will-be-very.html

Darren — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:19:00 -0000

What do you mean by "adverse reaction loops"? Negative feedback?

Re: http://www.crimene.ws/2007/11/girl-commits-suicide-over-myspace-hoax.html

Darren — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:38:13 -0000

I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EARS THIS
MORNING , AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE
DEATH OF THIS 13 YEAR OLD GIRL ON GOOD MORNING AMERICA IT BROUGHT FEAR TO MY HEART AND TEARS TO MY EYES TO THINK SOME
GROWN ADULT WOULD STOOP SO LOW
I HOPE GOD PUNISHES THE PERSONS
ALL BEHIND THIS ORDEAL THAT LED
TO MEGANS DEATH , I MYSELF SUFFERS FROM BIPOLAR AND
I KNOW THE STRUGGLE IT IS TO BATTLE MENTAL HEALTH DISEASES , IT IS
NOT EASY AT ALL .. MEGAN , I PRAY
THAT YOU ARE AT PEACE WITH THE LORD , I KNOW SOME WHERE YOUR
SOUL WILL LIVE ON IN THE KINGDOM
OF HEAVEN , AND I HOPE MYSPACE
WILL GET SHUT DOWN PERMANENT
THIS PLACE IS NOTHING BUT A PLACE
WHERE PEDOPHILES HANG OUT ..AND MYSPACE IS FULL OF TROUBLE MAKERS
THAT HAVE NO LIFE BUT RUIN THE LIFE OF OTHER PEOPLE ..WELL, TO MEGAN'S FAMILY GOD BLESS YOU!

Re: http://hgamer.blogspot.com/2009/05/h-is-for-hypocrite-and-heartless.html

Darren — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:22:00 -0000

Welcome to the darkside of fun ;)

I'm disappointed that there are ninjas, but no pirates. If you want to continue hating SOE, there is your source sir.

Re: http://hgamer.blogspot.com/2008/07/word-of-day-hypocrisy.html

Darren — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:57:00 -0000

Again...it's SUWT, not Maury Povich.

Heartless, if you've been listening to the show for long you'll notice I go from guest to guest, getting their opinion on the topic and then moving on. If I were to put more debate into the show it would:
1) lead to a rathole show
2) increase length of show
3) decrease focus

I could do this, but it would change the current format. Gamers With Jobs is a more debate like podcast, but they only have one topic per show.

As for being a hypocrite...well, whatever.

Re: Blogging Infomercials: Making New Money Online the Old Fashioned Way

Darren — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 04:53:00 -0000

All valid comment Bloke - but let me respond with a few thoughts:

One of the things that Andy and I set out to do with our sales page and promotion of this product was to avoid hype. Of course selling a product is difficult to do without telling the good things about it etc so it might be interpreted as hype I guess but in comparison to a lot of e-products on the market I think we're anything but hyped.

I think if you listen to the free preview call that we supply to potential people that we actually speak about the realities of blogging for money and attempt to give people a realistic picture.

You're right that the blogosphere is about sharing ideas, information and collaboration - I've no issue with that. In fact when I've promoted this course in the past I've told people that most of what they get in the course they could find on ProBlogger for free. However what they do get in the course that they don't get on ProBlogger is:

1. A verbal explanation rather than a written one - something a lot of people find helpful as not all learn well via the written work

2. A condensed packaging of ideas - on Problogger there are 2600 posts which take considerable time to work through. I guess SFB is a best of type approach where we attempt to condense the lessons I've learned over 3 years into a more manageable form. We found people were very willing to pay for that type of thing.

3. You get two people's experience - it was interesting as we ran the course to see what came out of the combination of our ideas. Any has expertise in areas I don't - and I have expertise in areas he doesn't.

I've written a little more about what the course is and isn't here.

In terms of admitting I have multiple blogs - I've always said that. In fact the few times I've talked about my income I've emphasised again and again that it's been a long term process, working long hours and working on many blogs. I emphasised this in the preview call and throughout the course. We never talked about getting rich quick like many of the other courses out there.

Do we guarantee six figures - no, we don't and we're clear about it.

How many bloggers took the course and are making six figures? - I'm not sure about that but I do know that a number of the bloggers who took the course told us that at the end of the six weeks that they'd already made what they paid for the course numerous times over already.

Are we making six figures ourselves? - I can't speak for Andy (and he's never claimed to have made six figures) but I can for myself. I've talked on a number of occasions about the fact that I make six figures (over $100,000 USD - considerably more) per year from my blogging.

Why not give the information away? - I do at ProBlogger. If people want to spend a week or two reading my archives and surfing around the web looking at numerous other sites they'll get most of what is in the course. Some people are willing to pay to have a more concise version.

Why do we sell it? Why does anyone sell anything? I have a mortgage, I have a family I'd like to clothe and feed, I'd like to build a sustainable income. I have built up expertise in an area and there is demand for that - people are willing to pay to learn something I know - its demand and supply I guess. I'm presuming you didn't offer your services when working in the computer industry, doing journalism etc for free?

If you don't buy the 'schpeel' as you call it then so be it. We're not pressuring anyone to do the course. I rarely mention it on my blog, we don't send endless pushing emails telling people it's something that its not and on the one occasion that someone has been dissatisfied with the course we fully refunded the money. I've even told a number of people who asked me whether the course was suitable for them that it wasn't (once I heard what level they were already at) - if anything I anti-hyped this course.

Like I say in the link above - this is not a course for advanced users, its something for those getting into blogging for money. It's not for everyone and we don't sell it as that.

The feedback we had in our final session with those doing the live version of the course was extremely positive. The main thing we were told by participants that we covered too much information and that they'd need weeks more to digest it all. I've kept in touch with quite a few of the participants since and know of a few that are now full time bloggers. I wouldn't claim that SFB was the only reason for this - but many of them feedback to me that it was well worth what they paid for it and that they are recommending it to others.

I'm not sure if this really answers all your questions and concerns.

I do acknowledge that it's difficult to know how to promote a product. Perhaps our sales page has moved towards hype in your eyes but I'd love to hear your suggestions on how to sell a product that you are proud of and that you think would help people without some level of marketing.

Of course you might not be able to answer this as you wouldn't sell such a course at all - but I guess that might be a point where we have to agree to disagree.

Anyway - happy to talk more about this with you as doing so helps us improve what we do. I'm always willing to learn more or hear others ideas or suggestions on how we can improve.

Re: Blogging Infomercials: Making New Money Online the Old Fashioned Way

Darren — Sun, 27 Aug 2006 08:49:00 -0000

Bloke - can I recommend that you do a little digging before you post assumptions. It wouldnt take you too long to find out that ProBlogger makes me very little money (I've said it many times on the blog).

The six figures that I earn from blogging is made from blogging - not selling information products. I'd hit that mark before I releases SFB (my first and only informational product). I can only wish that SFB had made that kind of level of money. It's had some moderate success in terms of numbers of participants but is not a huge money spinner - it makes significantly less than blogging makes me.

I use the words 'make money' in my blog title because it's a blog about making money from blogging - something I do and something that a lot of my readers do to different extents (here's a poll I did of my readers).

I too don't believe successful blogs = money making blogs. I believe this because my most successful blogs make very little (including problogger). There's much more to life (and blogging) than making money :-)

With regards to the title - I see your points but I guess this is one of the decisions we made that we're now living with. On one hand we didn't want to hype, on another we wanted to get some attention and I was a six figure blogger that wanted to share what I had learnt. I think it's a valid title because I wanted what we produced to not only educate but inspire people to see that it was possible (with work, creativity, committment and a long term view) to make a good living from blogging.

I work very very hard at not hyping or tricking my readers into thinking they can make easy money from blogging. I've written many articles about how long it takes and how much hard work it is (here are just some of the posts I've written trying to bring balance to the get rich stuff that I see a lot of people writing about).

I genuinely have work very hard to build up a reputable and balanced blog on the topic and get frustrated when people look at the surface and make assumptions. I'm sorry if I'm sounding mad here - I'm not angry but am frustrated to be honest as I go out of my way time and time again to answer these types of critiques and accusations. I can understand them on one level because I know there is a lot of rubbish out there on the 'make money online' front - in fact that's the reason I decided to start the blog - I wanted to give people honest, balanced lessons from my own experience. Unfortunately people see 'make money online' and a claim to be making money as a scam.

Guess I'll have to learn to live with it because every time I help one critic to see I'm not a scammer another pops up asking the same questions :-)

Anyway - I'm off to bed. Life's too short to be arguing about this sort of thing at 10.30 on a Sunday night when I've got a baby to change the nappy of!

have a good weekend everyone.

Re: Copycat Bloggers

Darren — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 09:23:00 -0000

I'm hardly going to spend the time to do the research to find whose been blogging longer than you on the topic of blogging. I'm assuming that you must be talking about blogging on another blog than this one because your archives only seem to go back a year. It's probably not a debate worth having I guess - just seemed like a bizarre claim to make.

I take your point on me critiquing you about critiquing others - although my suggestion to you was that perhaps you get along side some of the bloggers you think are copycats and help them become better. I hoped that in doing so my criticism was constructive rather than just taking a pot shot.

I'm not quite sure where I toot my own horn in this way. In fact I regularly tell my readers about my insufficiencies and weaknesses and I've never claimed to be the first at anything. I do talk about what works for me and what doesn't - but always try to do it in a way that tries to help others rather than is arrogant. Of course arrogance is open to interpretation and I guess what is arrogant to one wont be to another. I'm happy to be called on it if I have been.

This wasn't a knee jerk reaction to your previous comments about me. While I disagreed with you there I moved on quickly and it hasn't crossed my mind since. Life's too busy at the moment to hold onto that type of stuff.

In terms of whether I read your post carefully - in actual fact I read it about 10 times and understood what you were saying. Perhaps I didn't convey myself very well (it's been a pretty tiring few weeks) but I did understand what you were saying (and agreed with some of it) - I guess it was just the tone of the post that left me somewhat frustrated.

Anyway - happy to take on your critique of my critique and am glad you're willing to hear mine.

Re: Copycat Bloggers

Darren — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 20:30:00 -0000

a couple of things.

1. I didn't say you were not helpful. I was writing about this one post - which I suggested might have been more constructive if you (as an experienced blogger) actually got alongside the new bloggers in your niche to help them improve what they were doing. While I've only come across your blog in more recent times I do think you're a helpful blogger in terms of the content you write. At times you come across (in my opinion) as a little arrogant in a few of your posts - but the majority of what you write is helpful and interesting (which is why I'm a reader of you via your feed).

In terms of your claim - from what I can see you've been blogging at blog bloke since september 2004 - the same month I transferred all my archives on blogging from my personal blog to Problogger. I'd been writing blog tips on my personal blog in a category dedicated to the topic since October 2003. I started reporting in another category on that blog about blogosphere news in 2002.

Does this make me the earliest? I highly doubt it - I would never make that claim because at the time I started writing on the topic I had been following others who had been writing on the topic for a lot longer than me (Rebecca Blood, Jeff Jarvis, Doc Searls, Dave Sifry etc etc etc). I am not sharing this because I want to stake a claim on being the original blogger on blogging - but because I don't really think any one can or should make such a claim. Blogging is a communal collaborative activity - we've all contributed something to it and the way people have grown in their understanding of it.

I have read your about page and FAQ - I've read them on numerous occassions. It was there that I first saw your claims of being the 'original' blog on blogging tips etc (you make it on both your FAQ and About page). Your 'off the cuff' remark seems to be one you've been making for a while.

Ultimately - I don't care if you call yourself the original or first blogger about blogging.

All I was doing by leaving my comment above was to have a little discussion about your post and to let you know how it came across to me. I'm not wanting to cause offence - but give feedback about how you occassionally come across. Perhaps it's not my place to do so - I know such feedback isn't always easy to hear as I've had my fair share but as I reflect upon the critiques I've been given from time to time as a blogger it is them that have helped shape me into the person I am today - they help me improve and refine my own blogging (which has a long way to go).

Having said all that - if you're happy with your blogging style and your readership is responding well to it then ultimately you're on the right track. We all do things that others don't like from time to time and in the end we either take them on board and adapt or we keep on keeping on and possiby lose a reader or two - either way is a legitimagte response.

PS: I show people respect based not upon their age or how long they've been going around the block but based upon who they are as people, how they lead their lives and how they treat those around them.

Re: Copycat Bloggers

Darren — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 01:57:00 -0000

Am I hung up on this? maybe - but is there anything wrong with that? I thought we were having a conversation.... but if you'd rather I didn't respond to your comments and just let you have the last word unanswered then I'd be happy to do that. I could have just gone away from your initial post frustrated and not said anything - but I thought that feedback might have been appreciated. I guess I could have stopped commenting on this thread at any point too - but when I see a conversation half finished and someone responds to me I think it's good manners to respond back until we find some resolution. But if you'd like me to stop responding then you just have to say the word.

In terms of whose been blogging longer - I don't care if it's me or you - my intention in bringing my own history of it wasn't to prove I'm better or have been blogging longer etc - but to say that I think there are plenty of long term people blogging on the topic. I'll take your word for it that you've been blogging about blogging for the longest although i guess we can only go back as far as the archives of your blogs go - perhaps some of your archives have been deleted or you've had some blog that proceeded your current blogs - if so then I've not found them and if you want to make the claim to being the first then go for it.

In terms of my comments being a diatribe - mate, if you think this is a diatribe I'm sorry. My dictionary defines diatribe as a 'bitter or abusive speech' or a 'thunderous verbal attack'. I thought we were having conversation. I've conceded that I'm not a perfect blogger, I've put my comments in terms of it being my opinion, I've tried to be reasonable - but if it hasn't come across that way then I truly am sorry. I tried to respond to you in a similar tone to your own post/comments. To be fair your post was written about some unknown blogs who you were displeased with and it was written as a bit of a 'rant' (your word in your last sentence of the post). When I rant I generally expect people to pick up the tone in comments - some continue my rant in agreement - others in disagreement.

You say that I started this - I disagree. You wrote a post that made certain claims, that was written in a certain tone. If you're not willing to have someone question that, express an opinion and tell you how your post makes them feel then I'm sorry - but we have a different understanding of blogging.

You have been in and around computers for a long time Blog Bloke - I don't doubt that - I think it's great and admire your sustained involvement with the industry - its inspiring. I guess the main thrust of my comment was just asking you to consider that perhaps you might get along side the young blogger who is still finding their way with your wealth of experience rather than complaining that they don't do it right. We all start somewhere with our blogging - we all need mentors - we all need to learn that perhaps there are ways of blogging that are not constructive or even ethical.... While you're frustrated by some of these emerging bloggers perhaps you could use the influence that you have (if you have inspired them to copy you as you seem to think) and guide them into being better bloggers (something that you seem passionate about writing about).

Is this payback for something that you wrote months ago? I can honestly say it isn't. I don't know what else to say - you obviously don't believe me so I'll step away from that one and let you think what you wish as there's no way to prove it either way.

Am I jealous that someone has more knowledge than me on a topic? Not a chance. I love that people know more about blogging than me - I love to learn from others and I subscribed to your blog in the hope that you'd help me become a better blogger (like I subscribe to hundreds of other bloggers). We can all learn something from blogging and no one has a monopoly on knowledge about blogging.

I never said you were thinking about me when you wrote this post - I'd not considered that you were and would hope that if you had something to say about my blog that you'd put my name on such a post or shoot me an email with feedback as I'd want the chance to take it into consideration as a way to improve what I do.

I'm sorry that you're angry. I'm sorry that you see this thread as an attack - I worked on my initial comment for 30 or so minutes and did a couple of drafts in the hope that it would be constructive rather than just a criticism. I obviously failed at that.

If you want an apology (and I think I've used the word sorry 5 times already in this post) I apologize that you feel hurt and attacked by my comment. While I made it feeling some frustration I wrote it with the hope of a constructive conversation. Unfortunately somewhere along the line it was interpreted differently and I think this interaction has become anything but constructive.

As a result I think it best that we both step away. I'm happy to end things and if you'd like to have the final word on anything I've said in this comment then please do. I'm more than happy to be critiqued and as with all the interactions I have with other bloggers and my readers this will no doubt inform my future blogging.

I'm not really sure we've really resolved anything as we're both probably feeling the same things that we did at the start of this conversation - but as we're not getting anywhere we can probably both find better things to do with our time.

So all the best. Blog on.

Re: Text Link Ads for Blogger Blogs

Darren — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:00:00 -0000

hiya BB. Sorry, didn't see this post.

I got a similar email from Patrick a few days back telling me that they would be releasing this over the holidays but saying not to announce it til it went live.

It's also been on their own blog a day or two. I do link to sources when they don't come from the original source of news but as I've barely touched my news aggregator since Christmas I didn't see your post til you pointed to it in the comments on my post.

Re: Keeping Your Blog Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

Darren — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:17:00 -0000

yeah - great insights. I think the more bloggers in a niche that you know and have a working relationship with the better for all. It can actually grow the whole niche to work together.

Re: http://www.blacknbougie.com/2009/10/one-problem-with-social-media-u-dont.html

Darren — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:33:58 -0000

Yeah he does. OneChele, let him know we'll be looking for him in the skreet!

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