i always feel sitting on the fence between web-experts (programmers, designers, writers etc.) and web-users (99% of the people surfing the web, i would assume).

in some ways i agree with this majority that the techniques of doing something on the web (applications, layouts, texts) are much too much too complex and complicated. on the other hand, that is for sure, it is a comfortable position to know those tricks that others simply cannot do.

however, here is an excellent piece about what can happen if you follow the wrong path: the powerpoint effect and manila. i never liked power point, i never had to make something with it. a lack of experience, as it seems, because the idea behind powerpoint is exactly what it, the web, is all about. further examples are rebol and blogger.

"don't let us technological tyrants drown you out."

at the moment i am spending more time to log the news about what is happening here in austria. the freedom party and the conservative party want to join a coalition and become government 2000. "freedom" party might sound good in english, but their policy of lies is definitely not.

the conservatives on the other hand promised to take the part of the opposition (outs) if they should be third in the elections ranking – and they are! just like the socialists party they surely could need some time of rethinking and renewing, some time off the cabinet.

albeit, it is highly probable that austria's new chancellor will be a conservative one. and we all, who we do not belong to that third of xenophobic wankers who voted "freedom" (this is so ridiculous), are asking ourselves, if this result is really what the people voted for...

gmx austria is sending me each bloody gmx-newsletter 3 times. i complained and asked for unsubscription and all i got was an ignorant answer that the majority of their users like the newsletter, "an essential part of the membership".

they walk the dinosaur.

the self-designated web-community now has every reason to celebrate the questionable victory of etoy over etoys, that's for sure: an almost forgotten artsy-fartsy collective has its come-back and a toy company at its come-down pretends to be accomodating. what an artistic act of endowing confusion and creating attention!

people talking about money in terms of millions scare me. i am not pecunious at all and i hardly can imagine i ever will be. dave winer is a nice guy but he is stuck in his world just as i am stuck in mine. he is going to davos as an invited person to represent the future of the economic world, i am not. this might sound envy but it is not meant to be.

although i think that dave winer does relate richness to a mental wealth (and health) and not to one's financial situation and amount of ownership, i remain with a feeling of defeating discomfort.

in my closer circle of friends i can notice a widening gap between people making money and people being paid. there is a distinction, probably it is not a very obvious one. however, sometimes i feel like bribed meeting with the fresh money makers. maybe i am unjust, but i think that their behavior is a first sign of an attitude that creates a mentality of megalomania.

i am not for sale.

finally someone dares to raise his voice against that disgusting assembly of world's self-declared davos elite. i am elitarian, too.

sometimes the net gives me an optimistic feeling of the return of dignity. dignity that was hurt so many times by ignorant marketing suits, ambitious politicians, their sneaky spin doctors, clumsy media planners, sensation-lewd journalists, all those greedy men. more and more often i read about somewhat old-fashioned ideals like not to cheat, not to compel, not to ignore:

jakob nielsen: "if users frequently look for something on your site that you don't have, then it is best to tell them no up front."

cluetrain: "we'd like it if you got what's going on here. that'd be real nice. but it would be a big mistake to think we're holding our breath."

there is hope. but the old system is always trying to catch up.

i took mark to local tv-station tiv and we appeared in the show as two mates similar to southpark's mephesto and kevin. we both were dressed very similarly and i showed the usual web stuff. by purpose, mark was hardly moving and completely ignored in all the talks that were going on; just looking around a little bit. he did very well, it's probably harder to be so minimalistic than having the freedom to talk, laugh and move the way you want to.

when everybody is able to publish content, broadcast movies, sell products then the real avantgardistic act will be to live as a 100% consumer. if everybody is talking, showing and producing i gotta listen, watch and consume. what formerly was rejected as mass consumption by elitarian mass producers will be the new elite, a secret circle of dedicated consumers even avoiding to "produce" any attention.

since october 3, 1999 austria does not have a working government. everything went fine from then on and all the doctors and lawyers, once sleeping in the parliament, suddenly could keep track of their own duties.

today, the final coalition talks between the socialist and the conservative party ended without any serious result (how should they without any serious effort?). the socialists move towards a minority government with independent experts, the others claim not to support such a cabinet.

austrians probably will soon have to go to elections again. the winner will be the populist party, maybe the green party as well. this country has lost already, anyway – probably even a long time ago.

i am not allowed to vote but i pay taxes in austria.