Word of the day: "ecdysiast"

Here's another interesting article about the joys of blogging

Funny how the Internet goes through these phases of explosion, contraction, and assimilation. I remember when bad Flash was the order of the day, particularly amongst independent media sites and new start-ups. Then it contracted when people started having difficulties with plug-in compatibility (especially in older Netscape versions, before Microsoft stepped up to the plate with automatic plug-in/dll updaters). And now the assimilation; virtually *every* major media and news site has some form of Flash-driven menu or content, particularly movie promotion websites.

I recall when irc exploded onto the local Internet scene as well. Although it shows no real sign of contracting, a lot of the people I know who were intrigued by the possibilities of irc at first have now largely sworn off it, particularly as more and more inane content(ie. people) started encroaching on to the various popular channels en masse. Another factor driving irc's growth these days seems largely to be the easy availability of fserv scripts and the proliferation of broadband; it's a good alternative channel for file-swapping and acquisition, particularly with Napster's demise.

Another friend of mine is coming into town this evening; who says I don't have a social life? *sardonic drawl*

In any event, it should be an intriguing time out; it's Dom who's cruising up here, and staying for a couple of days. He's coming up with a couple of mates from Cambridge; who are apparently "impressed" by his "contacts" in KL who were able to procure a place to stay, gratis. *shrugs* I offered to send the chauffeur to pick him up from the train station, if he wanted to take it all the way, but he decided to be a bit more discreet about things.

A weekend of pure brooding appears to have turned the bipolar emotional tide, so I think I should be reasonably centered for the next week or so. Thankfully, because as much as I like Dom, I don't anticipate our soiree to be as gleefully nihilistic as the last time I entertained a guest from out of town. As such, a semblance of normality and sanity would probably be more appropriate as well.