I check my logs. I’m a bit of a log sitter really. Noticed a visit from Dispatches from Outland who wondered if I’d seen this. Well. It’s not our fault we’re morally superior to the US. Dispatches from Outland also noticed the article notes we are more humble too.
I had to respond to his question. Read the comments section. An aphorism even! I’m so humbled.

Colby Cosh wonders if Google might become a Hal.

Do you think the people who came up with the name “Google” knew that they would essentially be running the world within a few years, and they deliberately gave their creation a cutesy, frankly imbecilic name so we wouldn’t despise and fear them? The typical instinct would be to create a menacing, ahistorical brand that made you think of a gory metal maw gnawing live babies by the cord. Like “Omnix” or “Info-stopheles” or “Lycos”. Instead they called it Google. Google!

Begging on a Blog
There are a lot of people who would like to see weblogs make money or who would like to make money blogging. Andrew Sullivan isn’t really. He wants to. BuzzMachine picks up.

In a long, defensive spiel (you know you’re in trouble when it starts, “This isn’t an easy post to write, since I’m not used to begging…”), he tells us about all the time he’s spending on his blog and then comes up with the too-clever-by-90-percent idea of creating a blog pledge week, in which he’ll mercilessly bother his readers with begging (and then promises to lay off). He even acts as if he’s doing this for some greater good: He says this will help the economics of the blogopshere (though, unless he shared the blog begging booty bounty with others, I fail to see the end of that equation).

So the net result of this development is that even the guy who was supposed to be making money at this isn’t and that means there isn’t money to be made. Blogs are wonderful. Blogs are fun. Blogs are good reading.
But blogs are no way to earn a living.

But Jeff Jarvis doesn’t leave it there. He makes the case for a blogger making themselves a brand, which I think he is on the way to doing. Interesting.

Delinking
Update: Jordon Cooper posts that he has received about 100 hate emails from ‘evangelicals.’ I have no idea how he defines ‘hate.’ Maybe name calling, finger pointing and moralizing without the swear words. This will die down quickly. It will be someone elses turn. When it does I hope a beleaguered blogger notices that he is getting some reasoned and sound support from some good blogs like Shalom.

Too many of us have insular opinions and do not wish to look beyond some fairly narrow horizons. I too have been roasted for mentioning sites or books I have read which appear to some people to be a betrayal of my beliefs. Not so at all. I’m secure enough to be able to benefit from wide contacts and different views. Unfortunately, not all are.

Bloggers with healthy world views are speaking openly. Some are Mark Morris, John Campea, Rachel Cunliffe and Kathryn Lively who muses:

We’ve been hearing so much in the news about what Jesus would drive; reading Jordon’s blog seems like a setup for a grand “Whom Would Jesus Link” discussion.