Wednesday, October 21, 2009

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION TIME


Above: THIS image is the first result that appears when you Google-image-search Illogical Contraption. And only I know why.

With the one year anniversary of Illogical Contraption looming just around the corner, big surprises, big changes, and some serious restructuring are on the horizon. We've had some good times, sure, but this blog will never be content to just kick back and rest on its many laurels -- oh no, hard work and diligence are the cornerstones of the I.C. legacy, and rest assured that multitudinous amounts of fascinating features are coming down the pipe soon. But we are approaching a crossroads, and Illogical Contraption needs your help.
According to Sitemeter, several hundred of you fuckers hit this site up on a daily basis. But relatively few of you leave comments, in fact, I.C. hasn't even received a single comment since Sunday. But I'm not compaining. I'm not one to grovel for your input -- It's purely up to you whether you want to chime in or not. Outside of a select few Illogical Bros (Seth G., Helm, stargraves, Steven, Mr. Ginguene, Ambassador MAGMA, and Mister Booze, just to name a couple), the overwhelming majority of our readers choose to be silent observers. Which is fine.

But today, I am asking for a little input. With imminent change on the way, I'd like to hear from as many of you as possible, answering two very specific questions. Namely:

1) WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OF ON THIS BLOG?

and B) WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE LESS OF ON THIS BLOG?

Any sort of other recommendation, request, criticism, or unrelated ranting is welcome as well, and feel free to be as brutally honest as you wish. I'll be okay.
The purpose of Illogical Contraption is to inform as well as entertain, and with a little teamwork, I think we could really improve things around here, to make both your reading experience and my writing experience more enjoyable, fulfilling, and educational. Like I said, change is coming, so pipe up now to assure that it is a change for the better. Illogical Contraption is here for YOU, my children.

SPEAK.

Below: Another slow day comes to a close at Illogical Contraption Branch HQ.

21 comments:

post-felix said...

More cowbell.

I use an RSS and that is less conducive to commenting. And I'm lazy like everyone else.

For music uploads, include a myspace link or youtube video if possible. It's nice to be able to sample without stealing a whole album.

The D-grade movie stuff isn't my thing, but whatever. The foreign movie posters are awesome though.

post-felix said...

Oh yeah, and thanks for your efforts entertaining us ungrateful hordes. Happy Anniversary and to many more.

Anonymous said...

dude, different colors
different header, this makes my brain hurt.
for the rest its all good

Steven said...

How you manage to remain so prolific and so up-beat is beyond me. The bevy of writers over at -Metal Inquisition- couldn't keep up. I haven't checked out MI in several weeks now, and I don't miss them one bit. Those cranky old coots are depressing. I think the balance of power should shift to yer camp.

One thing I'd to see a little more of is yer take on current scientific research. Yer ability to see the improbable interconnections that we the masses are unable or unwilling to is (or should be) renowned.

Rock on, bro.

Anonymous said...

Hey there Shelby, it's been awhile since I last commented but thanks for the kind words!
I can't honestly say what I'd like less of on IC, variety is one of the things I love about your blog. I'd have to agree with Steven on what I'd like to see more of, those articles are always interesting, a bit like Stephen Gould's book, but cooler... and also, more of those live movie reviews, though I realise these must be quite demanding.
Keep up the good work and Happy 1st year anniversary!

chris said...

i like not knowing what i'm in store for when i click the link to your blog, so keep doin what you're doin. i look forward to your blog probably more than any other. i also enjoy hearing new music, so keep that coming too. happy anniversary!

Aesop said...

Don't go changing just to please me.


Congrats on the year, few blogs are this good this long.

Helm said...

Hey, happy anniversary. Here's to many more :)

I'd like to see more posts about things you love and I'd like to see less posts about cultural artifacts you seem to hate and/or want to make fun of, personally. Not that you're not funny but it's just that it's forbidden, along with moshing, core and trends. I realize my position might be unpopular with the hundreds of silent readers, though.

ReallyGood@Wounding said...

I have to echo the sentiment of the other commenters: my interest in reading your blog is based on your roulette wheel style of content. The variety is what sets your blog apart.
Happy Anniversary.

mikeTM said...

just keep using mediafire for the downloads, rapidshare is a pain in the shit.

definitely one of my top daily blogs, love the variety of content, especially the music. happy anniversary and keep it awesome!

Shelby Cobras said...

1) Whoa whoa whoa, I didn't say yesterday WAS the one-year anniversary, just that it is APPROACHING. Thanks for all the kind wishes, but we're still a full month away, and there's still a chance I'll get hit by a bus and I.C. won't even make it a full year. God forbid.

2) I was hoping for some harsh criticism, but gee whiz, the kind words are overwhelming. Despite my claims, it IS really nice to have a little feedback, and your ongoing patronage of this blog is the highest compliment you can pay. Thanks guys.

3) Anonymous - I agree that the header is an eyesore (especially on a PC). That's something I've been meaning to change for awhile. The tacky colors stay, though.

4) post-felix - Good call on the Myspace links. I will take your words to heart.

5) Jag - Dang, a Stephen Jay Gould comparison! Way to "go there", dude!

6) m. alexander - Mediafire for sure, dude. I don't know why I didn't switch a long time ago.

7) Helm - No fun, no core, no mosh, no trend. Got it.
Really though, shit-talking isn't necessarily my strong point. I really should stick more to stuff I LIKE.

Thanks again, dudes. I'll do my best to keep you guys guessing, keep reading and spread the fucking word.

Again, thanks for the input. I'm taking

Shelby Cobras said...

Oops, failed to complete my sentence up there^^^. You all get the point, though.

SEANFORD said...

i want to hear more about contemporary metal bands that are actually worth listening to. so many metal oriented blogs are totally all over their current events but they cover so many horrible bands its really hard to give a shit. im pretty sure they prefer to cover shitty bands. but I want to know about all the good underground metal bands that are coming out, not all the worst and most hilarious ones. there are some really ripping new bands out there right now getting no attention because all the other blogs cant get their dicks out of the asses of Attack Attack! and Winds of Plague. Fuuuck that man, it was funny once. also, I know everybody is stoked on the new Baroness record or whatever and sure the new Skeletonwitch rips and stuff but why haven’t you heard of Christian Mistress? Or Dark Black? Or Blackholicus? Its fucked up. Also, I think you should have me cover this for you.

Shelby Cobras said...

Sean - I am absolutely, positvely, 100% in favor of that idea. I am always totally open to adding more folks to the team, especially non-flaky ones (ahem.). If you are truly interested in joining up, just send me an email and I'll send you an official invite that will give you access to the I.C. posting realm. I'm stoked.

PS is this sean from SF? If so, even better. An official 'I.C. Contributing Writer' badge will get you backstage to all the hot I.C.-sponsored events -- raves, Burning Man Decompression parties, tranny revues, and even Warped Tour.

Not really.

Shelby Cobras said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Helm said...

Hey if you want a header proper metal logo, I'm offering.

Shelby Cobras said...

And I am accepting. Hit me up, sounds rad.

chrisc said...

basically it's your blog and you can do whatever the hell you want.but since you were kind enough to ask,i always had a fondness for all the posts about the conspiracy theories/crazy sects/secret societies posts you've done.i love that stuff!and of course more music is always welcome.thank you very much.

Shelby Cobras said...

chrisc - Yeah those ones are always the most fun to write/research, too. I guess I sort of feel like I'm out of subject matter in that realm, though. Like, I know there's plenty more conspiracy/secret society stuff out there to learn about, but I think if I walk that path too far it might consume my entire consciousness. Or something. But yeah, I want to do more of that in the future.

atanamar said...

Gotta be honest - I like things just the way they are. I dig the metal content as much as the absurd movie content, and everything in between. Stay absurd, that's all I have to say.

Anonymous said...

yeah stay absurd! i love yr observations on music...i agrre with the one asking for info on new bands (who have balls and soul and are non-arty)IC forever.