displacement

[liv]

Well, I've just spent the entire evening fussing with my webpage. It's still far from perfect, but it's somewhat less boring, at least. And I'm also frustrated because I absolutely can't get my livejournal to match it any more; in particular I can't make it display a background image despite either following the faq intstructions carefully or stealing other people's code. Grr.

Anyway, while I'm on the displacement thing, there's a meme doing the rounds where people get their friends to interview them. I like this idea; it's rather related to the concept I was trying to formulate a while ago of a "nomic-style" version of the standard email quizzes. So anyway, if anyone wants to interview me, go ahead. I'll answer any question that applies to me alone; I promise to dodge only if the answer concerns another person who might not want me to tell the whole truth for any reason. Up to and including random strangers.

If you want me to interview you, I can have a go. But making up questions is a lot harder than answering them. And if I don't know you very well you might get generic, rather than specific questions, which sort of defeats the object a bit, but anyway.

Edit 9.6.03: I've realized that the name of the group I was listening too is *The* Burning Bush, not just Burning Bush. So I've changed it because I'm pedantic like that, but also because as it was before it sounded too much like an off-colour political statement.

Comments

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

I'd like to be interviewed by you, if you felt like.

[liv]

You know, just after I posted this entry, I thought, what am I going to do if Rysmiel volunteers to be interviewed? Of course, you were actually the most likely to take me up, given that most people who read my journal know me so well that anything we wanted to ask eachother would have been asked by now, or know me so little that it wouldn't be very interesting.

But this also makes you probably the most difficult interviewee. I also suspect that, as you commented, you will pick up quite a lot about me from what questions I ask. Partly because I'm generally incredibly transparent anyway (this has to do with the fact that I almost always prefer communicating over hiding things, even when there's a motivation for the latter), and partly because you seem to have the measure of me more than most people who know me as little as you do.

Anyway, I'm not going to be cowardly about this now. I'm working up the questions and I'll post them when I think I have something ready.

Interview questions for Rysmiel

[liv]

1. Can you define a single event which, as it were, made you who you are, or at least radically changed the direction of your life? (A book or other work of art, an insight, an experience of some kind... A person if you want, but I'm looking for an answer along the lines of a particular encounter with that person, not simply the fact of being close to them, which obviously makes a huge impact.) This question does allow the answer 'no', mind you.

2. What sort of things do you most look for when you're reading? Are there any general features shared by books you would consider good? Great?

3. Is there anything that you would be absolutly unable to be happy without? (This time anything really means anything, abstract, material, situational, whatever.)

4. To what extent do you consider yourself a product of your background and upbringing? If you are ever not the person you're expected to be, do you generally try (and do you succeed?) to shape a context for yourself which suits you, or to adapt yourself to your situation, or are you indifferent to 'not fitting in'?

Bonus question: Just because I'm incurably nosy, what exactly is your connection with j4?

Meta question: What do you think of these questions? In what ways do they appeal to you? In what ways do you think they are weak questions? Are they expected or unexpected, or neither? (Of course, what I'd really like to know is, what have you inferred about me from my choice of questions, but you don't have to answer that if you don't want to!)

**

There you go. That was an interesting challenge. Do I get rewarded with some questions in return?

Right, next!

(PS: anyone else who thinks they're interesting can answer these questions if they like. But I devised them with rysmiel in mind specifically.)

Re: Interview questions for Rysmiel

[wychwood]

Wow! Those look like really interesting questions! I shall have to try and think of some to ask you.

[darcydodo]

OK, I just got a chance to look at your webpage, and it's really really pretty. And I don't mind being less anonymous, so you can change it however you see fit. First name and a link to something or other, maybe?

OK, now you've inspired me to want to do something much nicer with my webpage, except I'm feeling lacking in creativity. And I'm sitting here making the excuse to myself that I couldn't really do any nice graphics because I haven't got a graphics editor here. (Well, at least there's Paint. Which is something, I suppose.)

As for making your journal match, I'm pretty sure I've seen journals that have styles vaguely similar to that, so if they weren't paid accounts and I see one, I'll let you know.

[liv]

your webpage... it's really really pretty
Why thankyou! I was on the point of abandoning the concept altogether, cos Cath absolutely slated it last night. This has encouraged me to work on improving the effect, rather than scrapping it and starting again.

a link to something or other, maybe?
I'm happy to link to you (especially since I am having a fit of being excited about hypertext, so more links=better in my opinion). Would you rather I linked to your webpage or your lj? I'm inclined towards the latter, especially since I'm using your u/n in posts about you.

[darcydodo]

Cath being Catharsis, not some random Cath I've never heard of? :) (Anyway, whose opinion do you trust more, there! *grin*)

Umm, yeah, lj probably good, especially as it links to my webpage but not vice versa. (You may have noticed that I suddenly got excited about hypertext too, from my post last night. If you've read it yet.)

[(Anonymous)]

I like the style of the webpage, getting in the pretty background image without detracting from legibility and so on.
A

[(Anonymous)]

Sorry, didn't realise I'd pushed you quite that hard. If you ask me directly for comments, criticism or feedback on something, expect to get them (and usually the more I like it, the more and more detailed they will be- because it is worth it).

That said, I seem to be in a minority about the page- but I can see why others like it.

Francis (a.k.a Cath)

Yay, sorted

[liv]

Well, after all that complaining, I think I've done it. Webpage just about satisfactory (but suggestions still welcome); background image attached to lj, and colourscheme more or less sorted out. css is my friend at the moment.

[liv]

Oh, so you're calling yourself Francis now? Confusing.

And please don't think I took any of your negative comments personally; I did indeed ask for criticism, and I did appreciate yours. I've also incorporated quite a lot of your suggestions, in as far as you were attacking the execution rather than the concept.

In case people in general don't realize this, if I post asking for criticism, I am not in fact fishing for compliments! Much as compliments are nice.