bsa, you are clearly correct. i actually laughed when i read the "self-indulgent" comment, especially from the ninth circuit! pot, this is the kettle; we need to talk.

Regardless of whether he's self-indulgent, he's absolutely right about blogs in general.

You go, Judge K!

I have to agree with Judge Kozinski. So many blogs (e.g., mothers having a blog devoted to the wonders of their toddler) are pointless.

Also, I hate the word "blog." A few years ago it would have just been called a website.

I couldn't agree more.

Of course most blogs are crap - a slightly more permanent version of hearing yourself talk.

But this from Kozinski?

Pot, meet kettle.

For someone who hates blogs, he spends an awful lot of time reading them--he seems to stay up late most nights IM'ing with Lat, and he obviously knows who Bashman is. Methinks he's jealous that his judgeiness means he can't blog. (Or maybe he has an anonymous blog out there somewhere that nobody reads, and it makes him sad. If so, I feel your pain, Judge K, but it doesn't justify nastiness.)

This blog is so much better when it isn't all Lat all the time. (And I can't stand how Lat always uses the plural "we" to describe himself). Keep up the good work - the past few days of ATL have been refreshing.

Kozinski is right, of course. Just because blogs have a readership (including Alex K.), as well as other people intrigued by them doesn't mean they reflect self-indulgence, narcissism, and a healthy dose of grandiloquence. I think you have blogs in context with the rise of MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, etc., which also, among other somewhat functional uses, serve as giant examples of self-indulgence and "PAY ATTENTION TO ME"-levels of annoyance.

Kozinski is right, of course. Just because blogs have a readership (including Alex K.), as well as other people intrigued by them doesn't mean they DON'T reflect self-indulgence, narcissism, and a healthy dose of grandiloquence. I think you have blogs in context with the rise of MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, etc., which also, among other somewhat functional uses, serve as giant examples of self-indulgence and "PAY ATTENTION TO ME"-levels of annoyance.

What better way to get the blogs to pay attention to you than by saying how hateful blogs are.

This is a pathetic publicity stunt by a pathetic man.

"self-indulgence, narcissism, and a healthy dose of grandiloquence"

Sounds like a certain Ninth Circuit Judge to me....

"I find it annoying, particularly if I'm in an audience and people are sitting there typing in their computers."

Kosinski, the irritated spectator? thats one of his main gripes with blogs?

as to the self-indulgency of blogging, besides the inherent irony of Kosinski saying that, it bespeaks a personality that believes only the important voices (read: Kosinki's) should be taken seriously.

It's ridiculous to criticize liking blogs. If you don't like them, don't read them.

It's like criticizing people for reading the newspaper.

he's really gonna be mad now, what with his name misspelled in the title of this very blog post.

Bashman is a total pompous ass. His blog was just the facts for a while, but now he thinks people want to know what he has for lunch, which baseball game he went to, etc. The guy's ego is the size of Scalia's.

Posting about how a federal judge mentioned your name and then posting email after email of folks who wrote to say they read your blog b/c you pull the daily news clips for them so they don't have to surf the web themslves sounds pretty self-indulgent to me.

Koz could blog if he wanted to, Posner does.

I guess Judge K. feels that only people who have licked some politician's ass and therefore get nominated by the President have a right to broadcast to the world their thoughts!!

I agree with the all the pot-kettle comments. The Koz is as self-indulgent and grandiloquent as they come. I think the Koz is clearly jealous of bloggers. Deep down, the Koz wishes that he had a popular blog.

I mean, thew actually used the word "grandiloquent." That just about sums up his grandiloquence right there.

This sentence "I find it annoying, particularly if I'm in an audience and people are sitting there typing in their computers." Is actually, iirc, a set up for a joke where he goes (paraphrasing): "I hope they're playing minesweeper." [Actually he says "minesweep"]

Kozinski isn't entirely serious here when you hear the audio. Bashman is also a running gag in it. There's also a long section on him and Lat which has some pretty sad news in it. On a funnier note when people give him (Kozinski, not Lat) gifts for giving talks he peels off the name tag and sells them on ebay.

Oh for God's sake. The man is kidding. Not serious. Joking. Come on!!

Agree, this was a joke. Who's too pompous now to realize it?

Read his speech on how to lose an appeal and you start to understand the tongue-in-cheek approach he uses. http://notabug.com/kozinski/loseappeal