"Can Twittering be considered a new cultural phenomenon or will it fade away?"
Do you Tweet? If you think I’m referring to chirping like a bird, you’re probably not on Twitter. Twitter is the latest microblogging website that has taken over not only the internet, but all of media. Users share their thoughts in 140 characters or less with the world (or however many followers they have). Twitter can be considered a cultural phenomenon because it is frequently featured on television, radio, in magazines and newspapers. It is utilized by many powerful and famous people including musicians, athletes and politicians. Finally, it has changed the way we send and receive our news.
Chances are you’ve heard of Twitter whether you have an account or not. If you turn on CNN you’ll find that they have a Twitter page that they often check in on. Viewers send in questions and breaking news information that the anchors then relate to the audience. Many radio stations now take requests via Twitter with no worries of having tied up phone lines. Magazines and newspapers create accounts to post links to articles online, enticing followers to buy their product and become readers. These Twitter accounts inform followers of current and upcoming television programming, radio contests and album releases, and featured articles and authors.
One of the biggest allures of using Twitter is the vast amount of celebrities who endorse it. From musicians to athletes to politicians, there is virtually no end of A-list accounts to follow. Those in the spotlight Tweeting include moguls like Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama. Ellen DeGeneres has been credited with bringing thousands of users to the site through mentions of it on her talk show; users who previously did not fit the typical demographic. Those interested have signed up to follow their favourite pop stars, rock bands and musicians. John Mayer has nearly 3,000,000 followers that he can quickly and easily share concert dates and new songs with. Shaquille O’Neal, about 200,000 followers shy of Mayer, opened up an account in an attempt to combat impersonators on the rapidly growing website. Former U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin received a lot of attention for her Tweets during the 2008 campaign.
The greatest impact Twitter has had on our world is its effect on the way we send and receive news. It’s been responsible for real-time reports of the spreading H1N1 virus, the Free Tibet Movement, Iran protests and the recent Haitian earthquake. Twitter is the most popular microblogging website used today. The simplicity of 140 character or less messages enables users to send off important information worldwide in a short amount of time. With so many users, this information can be passed around at previously unheard of rates. A teenager in Guam can post an update and minutes later it can appear on our local news. This leads to quicker, more accurate reporting. No longer requiring a reporter to be sent on location, stories can be shared with millions as they take place.
Twitter shows no signs of slowing down, and why should it? It’s a cultural phenomenon that can be seen all over our media and is a convenient method of keeping track of celebrity exploits and breaking news. How do I know? A little bird told me.
January 21, 2010
June 12, 2009
What's In Your Bag?
I haven't been able to access my Flickr account for over three years so this is going to have to go on here. Now stop asking!
May 29, 2009
May 26, 2009
Get A Flip!
This morning I was reminded of doing flips into my pool. With summer quickly approaching, this was a major bummer.
We moved out of our house with the pool when I was 14. Back then, I spent most of my entering-the-pool energy on perfecting the Superman dive and pool running. I was late to the whole front flip, back flip thing. A few belly flops here and there but there was definite improvement over those last couple summers. Still, I was nowhere near qualifying for the Olympics. Unacceptable.
I guess my point is that I miss running as fast as I can, jumping into the air, and flailing my body around without having to worry about paralysis when I land.
This reminds me of another pool-related point. Plugging your nose while jumping, diving, or going down the slide is considered bad form. Just breathe out your nose when you hit the water dummy! For Your Health.
We moved out of our house with the pool when I was 14. Back then, I spent most of my entering-the-pool energy on perfecting the Superman dive and pool running. I was late to the whole front flip, back flip thing. A few belly flops here and there but there was definite improvement over those last couple summers. Still, I was nowhere near qualifying for the Olympics. Unacceptable.
I guess my point is that I miss running as fast as I can, jumping into the air, and flailing my body around without having to worry about paralysis when I land.
This reminds me of another pool-related point. Plugging your nose while jumping, diving, or going down the slide is considered bad form. Just breathe out your nose when you hit the water dummy! For Your Health.
May 23, 2009
May 22, 2009
May 20, 2009
May 16, 2009
May 15, 2009
Omeggelette
Since I like to keep my postings as incestuous* as possible, this post is inspired by a post from another blog which was inspired by a post on my blog which was inspired by yet another post on another blog. Got it? Good!
*None of us are related as far as I know.
This one got a little out of hand... or should I say robotic claw?
A quickie:
*None of us are related as far as I know.
This one got a little out of hand... or should I say robotic claw?
A quickie:
May 14, 2009
In Transit
I took six buses yesterday. Here are some things I saw while either waiting for them or trying to board them:
A man in a suit paying the $2.40 fare in pennies. The coin receptacle jammed a few times so the driver pulled out his pocket knife and stabbed them down. He was in an unusually good mood for a bus driver, going so far as to make a crack about how there must be a China piggy bank in pieces somewhere.
A man wearing short shorts, a backpack, a fanny pack and a purse digging through garbage cans. There were four cans in close proximity and he would walk back and forth between them. (Perhaps because he might have missed something?) He took a leisurely break to smoke a cigarette butt from off the ground and read a newspaper from the garbage.
A blind woman feeling around on the ground for her guide dog's poop. Need I say more?
A man in a suit paying the $2.40 fare in pennies. The coin receptacle jammed a few times so the driver pulled out his pocket knife and stabbed them down. He was in an unusually good mood for a bus driver, going so far as to make a crack about how there must be a China piggy bank in pieces somewhere.
A man wearing short shorts, a backpack, a fanny pack and a purse digging through garbage cans. There were four cans in close proximity and he would walk back and forth between them. (Perhaps because he might have missed something?) He took a leisurely break to smoke a cigarette butt from off the ground and read a newspaper from the garbage.
A blind woman feeling around on the ground for her guide dog's poop. Need I say more?
May 13, 2009
Missed Connections
You: Pretty young woman on the bus with blonde highlights in a pink sweater minding your own business.
Me: Vincent Price circa 1988 look-alike with arched eyebrows and a cane sitting next to you watching your every move.
Me: Vincent Price circa 1988 look-alike with arched eyebrows and a cane sitting next to you watching your every move.
May 12, 2009
May 11, 2009
May 10, 2009
May 9, 2009
Omegle
Drew from Toothpaste For Dinner brought this website to my attention. My conversation lasted a little bit longer than his.
It's the wave of the future.
It's the wave of the future.
May 8, 2009
May 5, 2009
Sitting On Babies
More babysitting, you guys!!!
It started out with the mother dropping off her daughter along with two Happy Meals. Theses meals succeeded in making me happy since I was hungry and did not feel like cooking or doing the subsequent dishes. Mama also gave her a fiver, so I took her to the store to buy candy, which I ended up picking out for her. She's far too indecisive and agreeable with me.
Not wanting to watch the Disney channel for three hours, I took her to the park. Kids LOVE the park. My maternal instincts we're kicking in; all the adults at the park were male and middle-aged. I watched her like a hawk, which was easy since I was running around with her the whole time. From the swings to the slides to the rocking horse thing, it eventually escalated into Tag.
"I call T!"
"I call coffee!"
"What's coffee?"
"A substitute for tea!"
She even let me swing her around by her hands! I say let because, though she does enjoy it, I have an impulse to swing small children in circles by either their hands or feet. Is this so wrong? Maybe it's because I quickly grew too big to be swung around by my limbs as a child. Making up for lost swinging time.
It was all good until some nine-ish year old boy showed up with an overly-active man in his early sixties. They were pretty much playing tag with a tennis ball. The boy had quite the arm and the man had quite the face to have hit with said tennis ball. The boy was racing around the jungle gym telling toddlers to get out of his way and using a sprinkling of mild language. When he started shouting "WHO WANTS TO PLAY?!" I knew it was time to leave.
A couple of Disney channel shows later, I broke out the arts and farts and crafts. Markers, crayons, spider writers, gel pens, stickers, construction paper, funky scissors, glue sicks and even feathers! She made cards for her parents, I made a cootie catcher. All in all, it's a pretty good way of making money. Maybe I should do it full time. Motherhood, that is. Baby makin' 24/7.
It started out with the mother dropping off her daughter along with two Happy Meals. Theses meals succeeded in making me happy since I was hungry and did not feel like cooking or doing the subsequent dishes. Mama also gave her a fiver, so I took her to the store to buy candy, which I ended up picking out for her. She's far too indecisive and agreeable with me.
Not wanting to watch the Disney channel for three hours, I took her to the park. Kids LOVE the park. My maternal instincts we're kicking in; all the adults at the park were male and middle-aged. I watched her like a hawk, which was easy since I was running around with her the whole time. From the swings to the slides to the rocking horse thing, it eventually escalated into Tag.
"I call T!"
"I call coffee!"
"What's coffee?"
"A substitute for tea!"
She even let me swing her around by her hands! I say let because, though she does enjoy it, I have an impulse to swing small children in circles by either their hands or feet. Is this so wrong? Maybe it's because I quickly grew too big to be swung around by my limbs as a child. Making up for lost swinging time.
It was all good until some nine-ish year old boy showed up with an overly-active man in his early sixties. They were pretty much playing tag with a tennis ball. The boy had quite the arm and the man had quite the face to have hit with said tennis ball. The boy was racing around the jungle gym telling toddlers to get out of his way and using a sprinkling of mild language. When he started shouting "WHO WANTS TO PLAY?!" I knew it was time to leave.
A couple of Disney channel shows later, I broke out the arts and farts and crafts. Markers, crayons, spider writers, gel pens, stickers, construction paper, funky scissors, glue sicks and even feathers! She made cards for her parents, I made a cootie catcher. All in all, it's a pretty good way of making money. Maybe I should do it full time. Motherhood, that is. Baby makin' 24/7.
April 27, 2009
Take The White Pill
Now I know this is going to sound crazy but I found some pills in my medicine cabinet. I don't know why I have these particular pills. I don't remember what they're prescribed for. My name is on the bottle but I don't recall what I went to the doctor for in July 2008. I Googled the name. This didn't help much, unless I've been diagnosed with arthritis and forgotten. I also asked a nurse who claimed to have prescribed this particular medication in the past. She could not remember why. Perhaps it is a memory-erasing pill? Inconclusive.
This is about as reckless as I get. I had a headache today so I took one of these pills, since they seem to be for some type of pain. It's been a few hours and I still have the headache. Here are my options: throw them out, sell them, crush them up and snort them.
This is about as reckless as I get. I had a headache today so I took one of these pills, since they seem to be for some type of pain. It's been a few hours and I still have the headache. Here are my options: throw them out, sell them, crush them up and snort them.
April 26, 2009
Hometown Glory
Today my brother mentioned a movie starring Vivica A. Fox that had been filmed at our old high school. This reminded me of a few others that had been shot in the area. As I was reading through a list of local filming locations on IMDB, I came across the Four Seasons Family Nudist Resort.
We had also been discussing our upbringing and comparing it to others, for better or for worse. I think never bringing us to a family nudist resort earns my parents some points.
Notable movies filmed in my hometown: The Incredible Hulk, Hairspray, Glitter, American Pie Presents The Naked Mile*, American Pie Presents Beta House*.
*direct-to-video releases
We had also been discussing our upbringing and comparing it to others, for better or for worse. I think never bringing us to a family nudist resort earns my parents some points.
Notable movies filmed in my hometown: The Incredible Hulk, Hairspray, Glitter, American Pie Presents The Naked Mile*, American Pie Presents Beta House*.
*direct-to-video releases
April 25, 2009
Psychoanalysis
I babysat tonight. After she fell asleep I went on MSN.
Sara says (12:50 AM):
I think the little girl is dead. What's the best way of disposing a 6 year old? her shoulders may fit through the garbage chute
Sara says (12:51 AM):
I hope George Bush isn't tapping my MSN
Okay, so I'm stalling. I have some projects in the works that will most likely show up on here once complete. Patience is a virtue.
P.S. I will babysit your kids if you want.
Sara says (12:50 AM):
I think the little girl is dead. What's the best way of disposing a 6 year old? her shoulders may fit through the garbage chute
Sara says (12:51 AM):
I hope George Bush isn't tapping my MSN
Okay, so I'm stalling. I have some projects in the works that will most likely show up on here once complete. Patience is a virtue.
P.S. I will babysit your kids if you want.
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