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Hans Rosling is in the house.
Veteran contributor Boštjan writes:
This is not one of those usual “internety” thingies I send you but rather a quite interesting website containing webcast videos from TED, a unique conference where top people from around the world exchange their visions and ideas. The link below is to a presentation from a Swedish professor of international health and – of course – there is Slovenia in the presentation. But you have to watch it really carefully to see it: link
Slovenia aside, it’s a fascinating lecture about our preconceptions about demographics and very much worth watching. Plus it’s always fun to try to spot Slovenia somewhere. It’s like hunting for easter eggs.
(Thanks Boštjan!)
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Chimapzees! hehe. Seriously, Michael M. this is one of your better posts, content wise, that is. True, that one has to hunt for Slovenia with an electron microscope. Why don’t you start a different category of posts, that is generally intersting though not directly pertinent to Slovenia, and the information may be projected in the Slovenian context by your blog participants. That would be something!
Though, I must warn you that SLOBs don’t really seem to take much interest in affairs not directly pertinent to their country. And they have the temerity to poke fun at the American affliction of ignorance! (Sorry about that Michael).
Keep up the good work!
Have I overlooked this link?
Google-Gapminder
Hi Michael. That’s really one of the best videos I’ve seen on the internet and Hans Rosling is clearly on the same track as Edward Tufte (and maybe a little less self promoting?).
Dear Michael,
you are losing the edge. Yes, this link is super interesting, but you blog is getting more and more boring. No personal stories or experience, no clever insights. Just links to anything that happens to mention Slovenia, even if it is completely irrelevant and coincidental, and of course, your beloved mix-ups with any other country.
Your blog used to be the fresh eyes of a foreigner on good old Slovenia, and it was appealing to people interested in discovering Slovenia’s unconventional sights.
How on Earth would you define your blog topic yourself??? What is its purpose, the advertisement on the right side?
No offence, my question is only well intentioned.
Best!
m&m,
i second jaz - where’s the soul ? i’m a Slovenec stuck in Nor Cal and I miss your ironic takes on everything Slovene, the details that make Slovenija so small! and prescious. internet topics are too general therefore unspecific (ie boring imho)
again, this goes out with deepest respect so keep at it!
The fact that Blog-Reader says that this is one of the best posts ever while jaz and tujec say I’ve lost my way kind of shows how hopeless my current position is.
Still: I think I would agree that there has been less insight as of late. The sad fact is that I have tons of neat stuff I’d like to do, tons of things I want to write about, tons of improvements I’d like to get done, and no time to do any of it. I’ve actually got some unfinished, half-written posts that are now years old. Really years. I’ve been trying to update the blogroll page, for example, since autumn of 2006.
The problem is that two jobs and two small kids, both under the age of three, make for a very time-consuming and devestating mix. To say that I’m getting my ass kicked by all of this is an understatement. I consider it a success if I can shower and eat once a day. And all of my other hobbies basically no longer exist.
But all is not lost! The youngest one is rapidly becoming more manageable, more independent, and will soon ship off to kindergarten. Once that happens, I’ll suddenly find myself with hours upon hours of time.
I don’t know what to do until then. I suppose I could shut everything down and wait until I can give carniola much more attention. Or I can keep on trucking. I suppose I could make a poll or something. What do you think?
I think your blog is as OK as it has ever been. I loved the Austrian prison story and many others very much… Since many of us, your fans, may be as hardworking as yourself, it is even conceivable that a daily dosis of good, in-depth posts on important topics would be wasted on us, because we may have no time to really read them or think about them… I’d say: keep the lighter parts, too. One cannot forget the more complex ones and your abilities showing through them in such a short time…
… of course you’re not going to shut down carniola…! how could we survive if you did?
I do agree carniola hasn’t been on top lately, but it’s strange that complaints are made today, when you’ve had such a great week. Tuesday’s post was great (oh, that lovely sarcasm…) and on today’s post I agree with Blog- Reader - one of your better posts for sure…
about the post… makes me proud to be swedish, seems to be an amazing man, and it’s a realy interesting and imortant topic. His swenglish dialect is just awful though
And hey, Slovenia was in top!
Michael,
jaz and tujec are probably right. Ironic insights are much more fun to read, but since you basically don’t have any other option (as you clearly described yourself) or an extra hour or two per day, it will be perfectly fine as it is. I’m glad that the future looks brighter though.
Carniola is still an amazingly good blog (way better than 95% of blogs of people with far more time) and you’re keeping me company every day at work. So I think you’re doing a great job in those two roles. I can’t say anything about your parenting skills, but I have no doubts you excel there as well.
What also makes me wonder: How many new, surprising, really unbelievable things can one find and write about after having lived in Slovenia for a few years? Especially with all the work that needs to be done?
And some of us live somewhere else now and find nothing to write about 
I mean, some of us lived there for much longer and don’t have so many stories to tell?
Another thing: there aren’t many bloggers one is looking forward to reading every day…
Michael, your blog still rocks. That is all.
Actually, I notice the Slovene blogosphere is generally downhill these last 2 or 3 weeks, maybe weather or something they put in the water, but we all are talking bout what I had for lunch yesterday or copypasting that Drnovsek’s cheeks look more sucked-in than usual. Hell, I don’t even feel like being ironic about Slovenia myself.
But I don’t think that makes Michael’s blog suck, nor that it’s forced to have a topic. Today’s post was interesting, the Austrian prison one as well, and I prefer to read some interesting **** than a boring copypaste of our little Slo-mafija latest politic undoing… or whatever, just because that’s the editorial mainline of Carniola’s style guide.
So, Mr. M, don’t worry, you still rock.
Maybe you could allow some of your fellow readers to waste even more time of their daily worktime and help carry ur burden by writing something…
Thanks for all the kind words so far. I’m especially relieved to have crni’s confidence, since he was around virtually from the start.
We’ll see how things go.
disablez: Thanks. I’ve long thought of pulling someone on board to help write but I’m not sure it would go well. If there was someone to help, I think I’m the kind of guy who would rely on them more and more and eventually be writing less and less. But a guest blogger might be interesting to try one time.
Michael,
my critique above perhaps didn’t convey the fact that I check your blog daily and just want it to stay fresh (tall order I know)- it’s one of few virtual windows into Slovenia that I like looking through (a homesick sigh). I also agree you’ve had great posts lately (loved the Austrian prison etc) - and you’ve got a kid - ’nuff said.
Carnolia rocks and we want to salute you! bam! baam! baaaaam!
Let me be absolutely clear: I do not think your blog sucks!
And I did find the link today super cool!!!
And maybe my English is not good enough to express eloquently what I wanted to say.
My feeling is just that you don’t give any personal touch lately, no real added value, and that it is more important for you to post every day something, even if it is anything (except Saturday and Sunday, and on Friday the obligatory links to some other blogs).
The whole thing seemed to me like it has turned into more “keeping up with the schedule” than really contributing something.
So what is driving you to keep the blog? What is your personal goal that you are trying to achieve by blogging? I think this is the key question.
Do you have it stipulated in a contract with your sponsors that you absolutely have to post five times a week?
Of course, you do not owe an explanation to anyone. I just used to read your blog daily with great interest, and lately I was wondering: did I change or your blog.
Best!
jaz: I do see where you’re coming from. My underlying motivation is that I enjoy doing this and learn from it. Not always, but most of the time. I post five times a week because I know that if I don’t set a schedule for myself I won’t post at all. If I can get away with skipping a day, I’ll start skipping weeks.
It could just be that you’re burned out. This happens with me too. There are a lot of sites that I used to love but that don’t get me as excited anymore. I think it’s just a natural process. You can always take a break and come back. It might seem fresher then.