It's that time again everyone. Time for my annual year-end break which some crazy people have decided to call “Christmas”.
Since I'm now in an age demographic that suggests I should have my blood pressure monitored constantly in case bits of me fall off or explode, I intend to be doing precisely “bugger all” (as Dylan Thomas almost put it in Under Milk Wood) over the “Christmas break” and that includes blogging.
I'll be back with the news on January 3rd - assuming there's any by then - as well as, fingers crossed, reviews of the Big Finish plays The Girl Who Never Was and Return to the Web Planet. I'm not sure what else though.
Survey time
Tell you what, let's take this as an opportunity to have a reader survey. What sorts of things would you like to see on this here blog in 2008? More of the same, less of the same? Do you still want reviews of Big Finish plays? Do you still want the daily new round-up? Has the Carusometer outstayed its welcome - are its “shades of justice” obscuring it from producing decent reviews? Do you want individual episode reviews of all the latest US shows, assuming they'll be making any next year, given the writers' strike?
Leave your requests for more, less or the same below in the comments and I'll decide what gets the chop and what stays alive when I get back.
In the meantime, a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all and thanks as always to Stu_N, Stu, Stuart, Marie, Mark, Espedair, Rosby, Toby, Cindylover, Jon, Anna, Rullsenberg and anyone else who's left a comment for livening up the place!
As a present, here are the World of Warcraft commercials starring William Shatner and Mr T. They're most entertaining. There's also one with Jean-Claude van Damme in French, which is a tad more bizarre.
Updates and related entries
January 10, 2008:
The news for Thursday 10th January 2008
January 14, 2008:
The results of the readers' survey are in so now we can decide what direction the blog should go in
December 24, 2007 | Reply
Those WoW ads are mega weird. We have long debates in our house (yes, THAT'S where all the hours go) deciding if Shatner is desperate or game.
For my perspective, and as a Carusometer fan, I would be very sad to see it go: but maybe it is past its best time. I'm less keen on seeing more ep reviews from the USA partly from the selfish reasoning that it will give me even MORE spoilering info (I just can't shield myself from everything). But your season openers, Caruso reviews of the journey across 5 eps, and finale reviews are well worth reading...
Damn: I just contradicted myself didn't I?
I DO like the Big Finish reviews, and I particularly liked your potted good/bad/worth buying mini-reviews of the 8th Doctor narratives. I'd maybe like some more on that: if you like, some interspersing of current reviews with reviews of older CD sets that we may wish to buy in retrospective (since, with the best will in the world there have probably been a significant proportion of less than wonderful productions of late... possibly no more than in the past, but picking some highlights for review - or even just some of the most hysterically bad ones - would be much appreciated from this corner).
Cheers!
December 28, 2007 | Reply
Ah, well, I wouldn't have been rude enough to bring it up, since your blog is generally excellent and useful and pretty, but since you ask ... please get rid of that Caruso thing. I've never actually understood it and thus skip anything it is tagged onto.
December 28, 2007 | Reply
Maybe it is time to retire the Carusobot gimmick in the reviews. I didn't feel particularly strongly about it one way or the other, but the wrap-ups were starting to fall short as pay-offs. And this way, you can avoid repeating yourself with those scenarios - there's only so many situations you can set up for the Carusobot, I'd think.
Besides, you don't want him coming after you; he might ::shudder!:: take off his sunglasses at you!
December 28, 2007 | Reply
Oh dear. Poor old Carusometer. It looks like its days are numbered, even if one of those comments is from an obvious David Caruso fan. And I was going to make a cut out and keep version you could use for yourselves. Oh well.
Still, I can't help but feel a little disheartened. The survey's been up for a week (even if the blog software did sabotage it for three days) and I've had three responses, one from a minority pressure group. Nothing in favour of the news. Nothing saying "More memes", "More canon", "More DVD reviews", "More Brit TV". No proper lurkers unlurking to voice appreciation and say what they'd want.
Sure it's a crap time of year to hold a survey. But at the moment, I'm sorely tempted just to call it a day on the blog - it's a bit hard to justify spending two hours a day on something that no one actually seems to want!
December 30, 2007 | Reply
Aaaaaah! Nobody's saying that, Rob! It's become an addiction for me here - even knowing there wouldn't be fresh content until after the New Year's, I still pop in once a day just to look around.
Although I don't listen to Big Finish audioplays myself, I love reading your reviews of them; I look to this site for your take on our shows over here as well as for the reviews of the shows I'll probably never get to see from over there. But ESPECIALLY the news! I always can see how much work that can be and I'm always thankful you collect it all for lazy fat gob like mys- um, some people I know....
We need to get you a Clarence if you're out on that blog bridge, thinking about giving it up! Why do you think it's as high up on my blogroll as it is - because I think it's one of the more important ones my visitors should check out!
Don't make me come all the way over there to knock that idea about giving it up out of your head! LOL
December 30, 2007 | Reply
You're very kind, Toby, and I'm glad you enjoy it. If I were a man of means, had plentiful free time or had a sponsor, I'd glad put the whole blog together every day - and make it bigger and better - just for you and the rest of the commenters (both regular and irregular - lovely people, all of you).
But I'm not and there's the problem. Over the past year, I've switched from working mainly from home to working mainly in other people's offices. Doing the news every day means I normally have to get up 45 minutes early and rush through breakfast every morning before heading off to work, rather than doing it at my leisure first thing. Add on the time I'll spend listening to audio plays and watching the latest episodes of programmes I'd never normally watch while commuting, then finding the time to write reviews of it all, find YouTube vids, do Carusometer graphs, etc, and I'm doing a 60 hour week. Since that's contra-indicated by most leading health authorities, would lead to blogging to the exclusion of anything else and doesn't make for much time with my lovely wife, something's got to give.
Deciding what that is is what this reader survey is all about. If essentially I'm writing a lot of tatt that only eight or so people find useful - and I'm not so egotistical as to assume that my writing is both fantastic and obligatory reading - it does seem an awful lot of wasted effort that could be better spent elsewhere (such as fee-paying work).
I can't help but notice that the number of regular commenters has been decreasing over the past six months (eg Poly and Scott have more-or-less disappeared), various regular commenters (eg Ms Rullsenberg, Anna) have become irregular commenters and there's no one new who's joined in for a while. Fair dos, they're busy and are occupied elsewhere and I'm grateful to everyone who's posted so much as a single comment; I also could have done more to promote the blog, visit other people's blogs, etc, if I'd only had more time. But if everyone else is busy and occupied elsewhere, again, there's not really much point writing the blog for them if it's not going to be read. And right now, judging by the feedback, etc, I'd say most people are busy and occupied elsewhere.
If enough people were to stick their hands in the air right now (anonymously, using their real name or whatever and using the lovely, simple Quick Comment feature - for busy people who can't muster together a full comment - I don't reckon that would take more than 30 seconds) to say "Yes, please carry on with the news/reviews/whatever. I find it/them useful", I'd happily carry on with the news, the blog, etc, even if it did mean ditching something else/any chance of a life. I just need to know there's a sufficient audience for it. And right now, I'm getting the indication that there's not.
But as I said, it's a crap time for a survey so I might well make a bigger point of it, etc, post New Year's Day, before I do something irreversible. Maybe I'm suffering Winter blues.
December 31, 2007 | Reply
Please don't take offence. I personally find the news round-ups very useful and entertaining, I probably check them once or twice a week. Audio plays are not my thing, I'm afraid, but I like your other reviews. And I'm a lurker, if it helps, I don't think I've posted before or maybe once.
December 31, 2007 | Reply
Wasn't taking offence - sorry if it seemed that way. It's just the last person called Andrea to come near the blog emailed me to ask if I'd been writing "derogatory comments about the actor David Caruso" – and if I could point her in the direction of the comments, presumably so she and her friends could start a flame war.
So any thanks indeed for de-lurking and letting me know how you feel about various aspects of the blog and apologies for suggesting that you're a Caruso-lover. You're very kind to take the time to let me know. I'm feeling slightly more heartened as a result!
January 1, 2008 | Reply
Less David Tennant please. I am sick of the sight of the man. You use any excuse that you can to post a photo of him and it is getting tired. YAWN.
Ooooonly Jooooking!
I like the news round-ups and the reviews, though I sometimes wish you'd review more stuff that's on in the UK at the moment because by the time we get the US series I have generally forgotten what you wrote about them. I like the US reviews too, mind. I am just being demanding. Also, personally I still like the Carusometer. I never ever read the Big Finish reviews though.
January 2, 2008 | Reply
Oh god, that definitely wasn't me, I can't stand him. In fact as far as I'm concerned you're free to rip him to shreds. But because I don't like him, I avoid his work and therefore could never follow the references. A friend tells me CSI Miami is "so bad it's good" because of him but life is too short, I think. Glad you're feeling cheered, new year will do that.
January 2, 2008 | Reply
Woo! I love those WoW ads (as a former severely addicted World of Warcraft player). Jean Claude is a mage! Sheep boy
More of the same, less of the same? Do you still want reviews of Big Finish plays? Do you still want the daily new round-up? Has the Carusometer outstayed its welcome - are its “shades of justice” obscuring it from producing decent reviews? Do you want individual episode reviews of all the latest US shows, assuming they'll be making any next year, given the writers' strike?
Essentially, I do want more of the same! I love the news round-ups. I'm looking forward to hearing individual reviews of Torchwood and recommendations for UK television. Individual reviews are great, assuming that it's a program I watch. Hee hee! Otherwise, I'll skip it. The Carusometer is alright, but having only a vague sense of his work, it's only fairly amusing.
January 3, 2008 | Reply
More of the same for me. I tend to buy the BF audios before you review them but find the reviews very interesting (I'm an Evelyn fan). I like the news update and read generally via RSS feed.
The blog is one of my daily reads and I'd like to thank you for the work that goes into making it continually interesting.
Best wishes
Scott
January 3, 2008 | Reply
Happy new year Mr B!
I like the Big Finish reviews, although I pity anyone trying to find something remotely interesting to say about some of them (Absolution, anyone?).
With the curtailed American TV season meaning there could be little new in the near future, I would welcome you taking a more regular look at episodes of some of the more popular shows just to see how our views match up across a season. An opinionated episode guide to CSI, maybe?
Oh and more Torchwood. Lots more Torchwood.
January 3, 2008 | Reply
Been away for New Year myself, but that now I'm back can I say that keeping things as they are here is my prefered option. Yours is one of only three or four blogs I read every day and I'd be lost without the news section in particular.
But if you need to lose something to give you more time for one of the Real Lives - maybe the Carusometer?
January 3, 2008 | Reply
I like you! I like the news! I like it all! Except that, as you have probably spotted, my own online life has been both less online and frankly less of a life. So far this year, two days of sickness and a day in the office booked up with students but already full of problems. meh.
keep me cheered by keeping on: but please, if you need to make money to keep the lovely Mrs B and you in gadgets and mortgage payments then ignore us no-fee-paying accolytes.
happy New Year
xx
January 3, 2008 | Reply
[c'est top] It's classy if it's in French, innit?
I think the Carusometer is ditchable if, as my namesake above says, you do need to ditch something. And for my part, I rarely read the Big Finish reviews. But I hope you carry on the daily news and the episode reviews. Hell, I liked the 'What I Learned from TV This Week' posts.
I'm sure m'colleague Shawna would chip in as well if she were here, but she's sweating over the Iowa Caucus results back home. But you do have a small but devoted following on The Engineer. Shawna really likes the US show previews.
January 3, 2008 | Reply
I don't really have any problems with the blog as it is; I read what I'm interested in and skip over what I'm not (the reviews of the Big Finish plays are in the latter camp since I'm not a Doctor Who fan, but other people like them...). The episode reviews are fine.
I check the blog out every day, and I'll keep doing it.
January 4, 2008 | Reply
Please don't kill the Carusometer! It's clearly the finest rating system ever devised by mankind. =)
January 4, 2008 | Reply
The Carusometer hears your cry for help, Andy. It will protect you.
January 4, 2008 | Reply
Hey Happy New Year everyone.
If you want me 2p's worth. I say keep going Rob. Your site is excellent. I have the daily email and check here first for the news and views. The ep guides are great especially those for things that us Brits won't see for a while. Perhaps also reviews of current UK and European series (spring special!) Though I think you have done things like this in the past. Also what about podcast reviews. There are loads for tv series Dr Who, BSG, Lost included. Just a thought!
I read your comments about lack of posting visitors. Perhaps we can help? Maybe if we Digg the site or even make a new group for it on Facebook we can get more visitors and hopefully more comments. I don't want to lose the chance for well written opinion and insight. So please don't stop.
George
p.s. I love the caruso meter. Perhaps a permalink to a section for it .. .for us lovers of the Carusobot!
January 4, 2008 | Reply
Ooh ta for that. But erk. More work? Let me think about that...
As for Digg, Facebook, et al, I'm always mindful that my writing is something of an acquired taste that is incompatible with the tastes of many Internet denizens (eg Caruso lovers), resulting in a net number of bad comments from purely temporary commenters, which doesn't make it an especially nice place to be for the regulars - in the last two big deluges, I don't think any of the new arrivals ever stayed once they'd vented, even if they chose to vent at all, rather than just deciding to ignore me in future.
Generally, I prefer people to find the blog by themselves rather than in hordes - never mind the quantity, it's quality I'd like. I'm using comments more as a metric of how many people are reading the blog, rather than because I need a huge amount of attention (although it's good talk with you guys). A [this is good] now and then from the occasional lurker might make me feel a little less like Will Smith in I am Legend at times. And right now, I need the comments just to now what to keep and what to chop. So if you're lurking (and according to my Feedburner stats, there's approximately 70 RSS lurkers at the very least), come out and play, at least long enough to let me know what you like, just so you don't lose one of your favourite features.
There's already a Carusometer permalink - it's the "The Carusometer" tag in the tag cloud at the bottom right. There's also a complete explanation of The Carusometer for the uninitiated. Enjoy the shades of ratings justice.
January 4, 2008 | Reply
Should have replied to the survey earlier. I say "keep up the good work".
The DAILY NEWS is essential reading for me even though it's hard to resist clicking on those spoiler links from time to time.
The BIG FINISH reviews I could live without but only because I only ever seem to buy one on those rare occasions when I have some long-haul commuting to look forward to. They pass the time but are not essential purchases for me.
As for the CARUSOMETER, I'm a sucker for a good graph, so would be happy to see them continue (may be even stretch them out to cover entire seasons, assuming you don't ditch the show before that).
All the best, Kev
P.S. Really must sort out my gravatar/avatar thingy too!
January 4, 2008 | Reply
When it comes to Big Finish, I think you should branch out into reviewing the occasional book.
But only if you're nice. :)
January 4, 2008 | Reply
God. They're expecting literacy of me now.
I haven't read it Scott, I'm ashamed to say, but I'm sure it's lovely ;-)
January 5, 2008 | Reply
Ok point taken about the random reader from Digg who flies by, moans and runs away.
I say.. keep it up. Perhaps the site is just missing a key link... a bit like Fully Ramblotic needed the escapist?
If you seem what I mean?
As for I Am Legend... I was at the UK premiere and that is all I have to say about that ;)
Keep up the good work and don't worry about literaciy (hoho)
January 5, 2008 | Reply
As one of those RSS lurkers, spose I'd better add my ha'porth.
Big Finish: If anything had to go, I would miss this the least.
Daily News: It's interesting, but not essential.
Carusometer: Nooooo, don't axe the Carusometer! Otherwise I will be forced to wear a bad ginger wig and gratuitously take my sunglasses off at you. In fact I recently thought of an idea: the single episode Carusometer. This was while thinking about the Dr Who Xmas special, which started off Partial Caruso early on, varied up and down a bit, but by the time Kylie was chucking Davros-lite down a pit using a forklift truck and the Doctor was being levitated by robot angels had veered well into Full Caruso territory.
January 7, 2008 | Reply
Hi Rob, I read your blog most days, please please keep the Daily News & wonderful Carusometer!! I also like the reviews, only I find I have to skip a lot to avoid spoilers! The only thing I would change would be to merge the Daily News Dr Who section into the general British TV section, as giving Who its own section gives it a status it really doesn't merit. But that's a minor niggle. Thank you for blogging, I do really enjoy reading it! :)
January 7, 2008 | Reply
Interesting. And I try so hard to avoid spoilers! I'll try harder in future. Anyone else want a DW/Brit TV merger or are you all after only one thing, most days?
Thanks for de-lurking, BTW. Please comment again!
January 7, 2008 | Reply
I didn't mean that YOU spoil stuff - quite the opposite! You're very careful NOT to give spoilers at the start of your reviews so that the spoilery stuff only appears if we click 'read more', which is very considerate. I meant that you often review stuff that I haven't seen yet but want to, eg Heroes season 2 & Battlestar Galactica Razor. I'm tempted to read your reviews of those, but I know I mustn't! :)
January 8, 2008 | Reply
On a slightly more serious note, I can appreciate the amount of work a blog like this one entails, and I imagine that the last thing any of us would want is for it to become a chore for you, Rob.
If you are finding it too much to keep up with, my suggestion would be to drop the things that people can find elsewhere, and focus on the stuff that's unique.
For example, the daily news round-ups are very convenient, but in all honesty, there's rarely anything in them that I couldn't find out with a spot of browsing or some well-picked RSS feeds, especially when it comes to the US TV and movie news (this isn't intended as a criticism, simply an observation).
On the other hand, your reviews and opinions can't be found anywhere else, and so they're the thing that keeps me coming back to the site (and not just because I love the Carusometer - you also seem to be cursed with similar tastes and sensibilities to my own).
Just my tuppence, for what it's worth. =)
January 8, 2008 | Reply
De-lurking to say please don't give up the blog! I'm a regular reader, and particularly like the daily news.
January 8, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for letting me know! Every de-lurking gladdens me considerably!
January 8, 2008 | Reply
Cheers! Glad you like them. And it appears our thinking coincides on other things, too. But as is clear, quite a few people seem to like me aggregating things for them as the daily news, so it's not as clear cut as I'd hoped. Still a few days left on the voting...
January 9, 2008 | Reply
Hey there Ms Heathen, you little de-lurker you! Rob is great isn't he!
MediumRob: this is where you can come in and add "yes, I am!" (somehow I heard that in a Casanova stylee voice...)
January 9, 2008 | Reply
The meek shall inherit the Earth, and since that sounds like a good deal, I shall endeavour to never be so crass. ;-)
All compliments are gladly accepted, however!
January 11, 2008 | Reply
Please continue the news. I read your blog every day, but unfortunately I'm also one of those who comments rarely. Thank you for all your hard work!
Morjana
January 11, 2008 | Reply
Glad you like it. Thanks for de-lurking BTW: it's nice to have you aboard!
January 11, 2008 | Reply
[いいですね] More daily news and reviews please :D
January 12, 2008 | Reply
Rob, I agree with AndyB that this blog is your gift to us, it's not supposed to be a chore. So I think that you should write as much as, and about, whatever the hell you like, and we will be grateful for it!
January 14, 2008 | Reply
Aw, thanks!