Author: timbu
Published: Feb 17th, 2005
Category: Blog
Comments: None

Free writing

TAGS: None

I think that there is a little too much breathless talk about how revolutionary blogs are. The hype feels too much like the late nineties. Pretty soon blogs will be said to cure the intractable ills of mankind like poverty, hunger, distribution of wealth, and providing justice for all.

That said, Peggy Noonan did write an interesting piece in the WSJ today, though that caught my attention. It’s pretty clear that she gets blogging, at least the political/journalistic sort of blogs.

I found the following quote compelling.

“But when I read blogs, when I wake up in the morning and go to About Last Night and Lucianne and Lileks, I remember what the late great Christopher Reeve said on “The Tonight Show” 20 years ago. He was the second guest, after Rodney Dangerfield. Dangerfield did his act and he was hot as a pistol. Then after Reeve sat down Dangerfield continued to be riotous. Reeve looked at him, gestured toward him, looked at the audience and said with grace and delight, “Do you believe this is free?” The audience cheered. That’s how I feel on their best days when I read blogs.”

Peggy Noonan,
The Blogs Must Be Crazy

I identify with Christopher Reeve’s reaction. Some days, when I am reading some especially well written blog post, I am shocked that there was no charge for reading writing that good.

I had a similar reaction when I first came across the GNU manifesto and started using Free Software. I couldn’t believe something so good could be free.

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