It’s been a rather hectic week for us Rough Reviewers, so please accept our apologies for the lack of our usual myriad of exciting updates this week. We’ll be back on track soon with more insights than you can poke a really big stick at. Here’s a rough review of the week that was…but be warned, you’ll find no mention of that ridiculous bar mat incident. This week the blogosphere has been buzzing with controversy and doubts in a higher power, debating the concept of celebrity and pretty pretty guest posts. Enjoy!
1. Goodness God Talk
The New York Times bloggers have been at their thought-provoking best this week, dealing with a range of touchy subjects normally reserved for university tutorial discussions and intrusive political interviews. Stanley Fish, noted university lecturer and professor, has written two very interesting blogs concerning “God Talk”. In response to Terry Eagleton’s latest book, Reason Faith and Revolution. The two part series, the second post slightly more interesting than the first, deals with the question of religion in American society -
You won’t be interested in any such promise, you won’t see the point of clinging to it, if you think that “apart from the odd, stubbornly lingering spot of barbarism here and there, history on the whole is still steadily on the up,” if you think that “not only is the salvation of the human species possible but that contrary to all we read in the newspapers, it has in principle already taken place.” How, Eagleton asks, can a civilization “which regards itself as pretty well self-sufficient” see any point in or need of “faith or hope”?
Hooked? Check out the first post which appeared May 3rd here, and Part II from May 17 here.
2. Alpha Beta Google.
In the spirit of doubting a higher power, Tech Crunch has posted this week about Google’s reluctance to remove the Beta tag from their products. Why?
Retaining the Beta notation in the logo gives the company a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card when problems occur. Hey, it’s still in Beta, so don’t be surprised when something goes wrong.
It seems even Google worries about losing its users faith, but is hiding behind the Beta tag the best way to prove their worthiness? Check out the post here.
3. Corey’s Getting Bored
Speaking of worthiness, Corey Worthington – that ellusive Myspace/Narre Warren Party teen from yesteryear. The teen unfortunately made headlines for weeks upon end after throwing a house party which morphed into a boozy neighbourhood rampage, catapulting the bleach blonde teen, along with his surgically attached sunglasses, to ‘celebrity’ status. Now, the Herald Sun reports, Mr. Worthington has decided he’s ready to join society and get a real job now that his fame has worn off -
Markson said Worthington, who had asked him for help in finding work, would be no trouble to an employer.
“He is not a pest by any standards,” he said. “He is a quiet, shy, retiring sort and if I had a job for him I would employ him.”
A likely story…read the full article here!
4. Making Mochatini
The delightful art and design blog, Mochatini.org, has been featuring an array of guest posts by design enthusiasts (including yours truly!) whilst Manvi, the owner and main blogger, is on holidays. The blog is incredible at the best of times, showcasing pretty things and innovative design sure to brighten up your day, but the guest posts this week have added a level of collaboration and community that makes it all the more wonderful.
Pay a visit to Mochatini and you’re sure to find something new, something exciting or something pretty to brighten your day!
5. The power of the Brand
There’s just something about the unwashed and potty mouthed Russell Brand that makes us females go weak at the knees. It’s hard to put it into words, but Marieke Hardy of The Age has done a pretty good job -
The man himself is a great curiosity. Part devilish raconteur, part shriekingly hyperactive cousin, he’s sharp, verbose, and looks like what would happen if Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh and Stephen Fry made a baby (I know, what a lovely thought).
Her article this week focusses on the new offering from Brand, his new show Ponderland, as well as trying to decipher why the public is so mad for him.
Russell Brand smoked copious amounts of heroin and turned up to an MTV taping dressed as Osama bin Laden on September 12, 2001 and still the public are mad for him. Why? Because he doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what he is and he doesn’t apologise and he is smart as a whip and looks saucily as though he should be crawling around a stage at the Monterey Pop Festival imploring people not to eat the brown acid.
What can I say, sounds like good enough reasoning for me! Have a read of ‘Bedevilled by Brand Power’ here!
Hope you all have a lovely weekend!
THE ARIA AWARDS WERE ON LAST NIGHT, CELEBRATING WHAT HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE YEAR OF AUSTRALIAN MUSIC.
1. There are thousands of overjoyed commuters, thrilled with the news that Connex will no longer be responsible for Melbourne’s public transport system. Yay! My well documented hatred (“
2. In the hunt for the perfect laptop bag, I lent my findings to 
4. The newest issue of Frankie (issue 30) hit newsstands this week, embodying all the prettiness one has come to expect from the vintagey and uber-cool publication. Girl With a Satchel 
