For three months I've had two different versions of my SIFT blog battling it out with each other in the wild seas of the deep state controlled internet, each desperately trying to gain authentic hits in an endless stream of fake AI traffic, so I've been back to my original existential battle of purple vs. black.
My original www.frot.co.nz from 1998 was purple and that was a fairly controversial choice, with one website reviewer saying my site was a garish abomination that burned out his eyeballs and left him a gibbering wreck.
For my second version in 2000 I switched to the more subdued and conservative black. At that point black websites were less common than they are now, and it had a certain dark and stylish menace about it. I liked the look and after that I tended to stick with black websites from then on.
Over the past few months as I've been switching back and forth from cool looking black to wild looking purple, it's made me appreciate the differences more. Black is quite calming and works better as a backdrop to galleries of images. But purple stands out amongst so many colourless sites and really makes a bold statement. It says "This blog is purple".
I'm not sure which is "better" but I have to say after 25 years of black, the purple one is growing on me again. Both sites are slowly gaining more traffic, so I tried posting the same content on them both for a while to see what happened.
Here is a screenshot of my black SIFT blog with posts staring Jan 1 2025 (so only three months of posts). It is displayed here using the new FLOORP browser that I highly recommend, and which I use as my default desktop browser. It is a Japanese privacy fork of the Firefox browser available for both Windows and Linux (but not Android)
I've been directing the www.sift.co.nz URL at the black blog, but the purple blog has been getting a lot more hits, so I've decided to switch the URL back over to that instead.
Posting on two blogs is a bit of a pain in the arse, mainly because I keep noticing typos in my posts later on, and having to go back and fix them twice. So I'll continue posting on both up until the end of March, but then I'll go back to only posting on the purple blog from April the 1st.
So then, black or purple?... I've been wrestling with this life defining question for 27 years now and I still haven't resolved it. Maybe the answer is unknowable.
Coming from a background of being involved in competitive cycling in the 90's I was well aware of the drug use in pro cycling. I've read most of the popular books about Lance Armstrong, the Tour de France, and the culture of doping. This is my favourite one - Tyler Hamilton really lays it all out, and it's an entertaining read.
On a fateful night in 2009, Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle met
for dinner in Boulder, Colorado. Over the next eighteen months, Hamilton
would tell Coyle his story, and his sport's story, in explosive detail,
never sparing himself in the process. In a way, he became as obsessed
with telling the truth as he had been with winning the Tour de France
just a few years before. The truth would set Tyler free, but would also
be the most damning indictment yet of teammates like Lance Armstrong.
The result of this determination is The Secret Race,
a book that pulls back the curtain and takes us into the secret world
of professional cycling like never before. A world populated by
unbelievably driven – and some flawed – characters. A world where the
competition used every means to get an edge, and the options were stark.
A world where it often felt like there was no choice.
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration is available to read free online
Thanks to Gutenberg.net.au for sharing it
1. Teaching Maths In 1960s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?
2. Teaching Maths In 1970s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?
3. Teaching Maths In 1980s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?
4. Teaching Maths In 1990s
A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.
5. Teaching Maths In 2000s
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it’s ok.)
6. Teaching Maths In 2010’s
Who cares, just steal the lumber from your neighbour’s property. It’s OK anyway because it’s redistributing the wealth.
7. Teaching Maths In 2020’s
Lumber is no longer available. Stay safe, wear a mask, get your jabs.
