Secrets of the City

I find I really don’t care about Soucheray’s opinion on anything. Until you mentioned it I didn’t realize he was still around.

Seriously – people still listen to radio? I guess its the same people who still buy a newspaper.

And maybe not.

Twitter is what Twitter does. It’s not for everyone. There isn’t one simple definition or explanation for it or what it’s good for.

Be that as it may, Twitter’s benefits (and weaknesses) would probably have to be demonstrated to the ol’ Mayor … much like the time he was shown why a gasoline-powered carriage was superior to pure horse power at the turn of the last century.

P.S. Curmudgeons aren’t known to be early adapters of anything.

i actually had the pleasure(?) of listening to his rant about twitter about a week ago on 1500. and unlike his rants on…well… just about everything, he actually was RIGHT on this one. twitter is the most substance-free, meaningless pop culture phenomenon since the pet rock. but seriously, if you can find audio from this show, you should listen… i thought the dude’s head was gonna implode live on air. serious, serious entertainment.

ps – max, sorry for the link drops in previous threads. force of habit, being the shameless whore that i am and all.

I wonder if it’s the old Medium is the Message thing. It’s another way for a certain group of people to set themselves apart and distinguish themselves by the simple act of Participating.

And that’s as old as the hills.

I’m registered at Twitter and aware of it’s capabilities, but I never use it.

The people that don’t “get” twitter are the same people that haven’t been following Shaq.

Joe is just a poor man’s Rush Limbaugh. Pay no attention and he’ll self destruct.

Whoopity doo. If he doesn’t get twitter, that’s his problem not ours.

Anyone who doesn’t understant the value of Twitter wasn’t paying attention during the recent terrorist attack on Dubai, when Twitter became a direct feed of the news from the ground, before it made it to any mainstream news (CNN eventually started publishing Twitter feeds), including first-person accounts of what they were seeing.

Sure, it’s not vetted like traditional news, and so must followed with that in mind, but it’s still a hell of a resource.

Mostly I’m just excited there is a user here named “Blaine Fridley.”

As for Twitter (or Facebook, blogging, etc.) – I don’t waste much time trying to convince anyone these tools are actually interesting or useful. They are of course, but people kind of have to discover it on their own or have someone close to them make the case.

I don’t know who the fuck Joe Soucheray is, but I know he has a receeding hairline, crooked eyebrows and an outdated leather jacket. Only because I see his ugly mug above the urine trough at some of this region’s finest watering holes.

That the Mumbai attack your talking about, Max?

Mumbai, yes.

@Max: I thought of mentioning the Mumbai (not Dubai) attack, too, as something that may become known as Twitter’s defining moment; when more than a cultural subset or proto-culture found value in it, much as CNN gained a much wider audience for its coverage of the first Gulf War; being play on an international stage. It reminded me, too, of what IRC (Internet Relay Chat/Channels) did during the OKC bombing in ‘95 for people who did not have ready access, at that moment, to other mass media.

Locally, the #snowmaggedon feed on Twitter a couple of weeks ago was very fascinating to watch. Even though the storm didn’t live up to its billing, there was a lot of information being shared by people all across the metro … and information being consumed by people halfway around the world.

Twitter demonstrates an interesting dichotomy, though. On the one hand, it proves that information and knowledge dissemination can no longer be restricted to newspapers, television, radio and, yes, even blogs; that the days of traditional (and generally corporate-borne) “mass media” are fading fast. On the other hand, however, Twitter has created an entirely new definition of “mass media;” one that is more participatory and democratic.

Which is why some governments would like to restrict the use of cell phones, etc. during emergencies.

Say what you want about the accuracy of some of the Mumbai information that was being passed along. The fact is, traditional mass media also disseminates rumors, bogus news and outright lies.

don’t get me wrong, i’m no technophobe or joe soucheray apologist (g rote, that trough ad is about all you need to know about ol’ joe. really.). my fear is this: with an ever-growing selection of online social avenues to “express ourselves” are we spending too much time spewing inanities and distracting ourselves with relatively meaningless updates, text msgs, etc. while conversely not taking enough time absorbing and quietly pondering items of actual substance? sure, our ability to communicate has vastly improved from even 5 years ago, but has our actual message? if we’re constantly busy updating our twitter, facebook or myspace (which a friend of mine has labeled the shitty mall of social networks) accounts, when do we take time to feed our brains with the stuff that meaningful discourse is built upon?

When Twitter is useful.

Arguing that Twitter is dumb is like arguing that the AP Wires are dumb. Some stories that cross the wires are interesting, some are useless, some share vital information, some give beneficial tips on how to save money, and some are funny little stories. That’s what Twitter is.

If you log on to Twitter, and don’t find it useful or entertaining you are either following the wrong people, or have a hard time processing information that isn’t organized in any way.

I just Tweeted Blaine Fridley’s statement “Twitter is the most substance-free, meaningless pop culture phenomenon since the pet rock,” and asked people to RT it.

Next, I’ll start the #BlaineFridley hashmark.

It’s the least I can do to hasten the Twitter Apocalypse.

I do think Blaine Fridley raises an interesting point about the need to take time for quiet thought. But I don’t update my Twitter and Facebook and blog around the clock. I can multitask. I take the little updates from people and often use them as springboards for larger thoughts and conversations.

Research indicates that the people most active in social networking tend to be people who are extremely social. So it’s incorrect to think people are retreating in front of their computers and not engaging with others on a deeper level. It’s just the opposite.

I just signed up, someone give me your twitter name so I can test it out and stalk you.

What’s wrong with the simplest use of Twitter:

“We’re leaving bar A and going to Bar B. Meet us there.”

Twitter’s not particularly useful the overwhelming majority of the time. Still, it has it’s charms: I got my computer fixed and someone came to my office to help me pack up after I was laid off, all thanks to Twitter.

Still, I’m easily amused so I will keep using it.

I believe Twitter has some merit, but you would have to be more ignorant than a talk radio blowhard to claim that new forms of electronic media are not displacing real world, media-free interaction to at least some degree.

Just as automotive technology wreaked havoc on our physical landscape, information technology is now wreaking havoc on our social landscape.

@Noodleman

Are you coming to trivia tonight? We’re (me and KC) getting there around 6. I would have used Twitter to contact you but I have no idea what your screenname is.

Twitter.

There, I’m back on topic.

Also, I’m morally opposed to saying “Tweet” and will only refer to my posts as Twitterings. Now, GTFO my lawn!

@baker: stevesundberg.

@Bixby: Yes, I’ll be there around 6, too. I’m not on Twitter much during the day but we can figure out communications this evening for future use.

@justbob: well played.

@Jason DeRusha:
“I can multitask.”
i’ve always wondered what that’s like…

max and jason, your remarks have helped me shed some light on how tweet CAN be used for good. however, i’m still gonna have to request that you get off my lawn

lastly, this debate reminded me of a daily show report from last week, which you’ve all probably seen. if not, enjoy : http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219519&title=twitter-frenzy

xoxoxo,
blaine

Thanks, Blaine. It’s working!

stevesundbergRT @justplainbob #blainefridley sez: “Twitter is the most substance-free, meaningless pop culture phenomenon since the pet rock.” Please RT!

@noodleman I’ll give you one of my homemade business cards that I mainly use for restaurant drawings.

Twitter.

G Rote I am with you on the Who teh F*ck is Joe Suocheray????

I gather he is a radio personality of some sort.

I use twitter like facebook as a tool to passively track people I know and occasionally as a signal amplifier for my own communications.

When it comes to breaking news, twitter is the new AP Wire.

Last week my favorite college bar blew up in Bozeman, MT. A freind textd me but nothing on the news (cnn, fox etc) when I checked twitter #bozexplod was all over the place with updates and pictures…really its remarkable. CNN and the strib picked up the story about 40 minutes later.

Wow. His attempt at sardonic wit was actually embarrassing. He might as well be a parody of a grandpa writing about rock n roll. Come to think of it, is that REAL? Was that really him?

saw this tweeted recently and thought it offered a decent explanation of Twitter’s relevance at least in terms of real-time search, etc.

As a mid-twenties student seeking a graduate education in a technology-related field… I don’t get it. As best I can figure, it’s just the status update thing from Facebook, without the other features of Facebook.

Seems there are two attitudes you take toward new pop culture phenomenon could go toward one or the other extreme.

1) you might hop on the bandwagon of every trend, no matter how ridiculous or useless

or

2) you suffer from ‘the world is going down the crapper’ism and you thereby reject all possible opportunities that might, on the face of it, appear ridiculous or useless.

@jeffk: Yes, they’re similar but I think the diff between Twitter and Facebook is that Twitter pushes its updates to users … and there isn’t all of the Facebook clutter and distraction when all you want to do is retrieve morsels of information.

Six weird and wonderful things people have built with Twitter.

Also, Twittering encouraged at Seattle church.

Btw, I’m here at Merlin’s Rest but see no sign of my trivia partners.

I like twitter for its very inanity.

I spend a coupla minutes a few times a day seeing what some friends/acquaintances are up to; I chime in with a remark or two. So what?

@noodleman, did you twitter them? Email me if you want their twitter names.

I’m entertained by how angry some people are at twitter. Talk about inane.

I think I could handle it without the word “tweets”.

Yeah that word is deeply annoying, I will grant that. I never use it. I’ll say “twittered” maybe, or “said on twitter.”

Nood, I saw your trivia teammates entering Merlins Rest from the comfort of my mighty Gillig Phantom across the street! I’m guessing you’re all done now… hope it went well. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

@cjc: Yup. Bixby and kc arrived shortly after I posted (and had to log off because of my battery running down), as did Ed Kohler. We did well. The Minn Avengers won! Yay team!

The “hint” for the evening was body parts. Here are a couple we missed:

Name the crater in Sasakatchewan 5 miles in diameter and 395 million years old.

Name the screenwriter of To Kill A Mockingbird who recently died.

Oh … and the title of the 1982 WWII spy thriller starring Donald Sutherland based on a book written by Ken Follet.

Eye of the Needle for the last one?

I actually never heard of Horton Foote until he died, one of my Facebook friends was a friend of his and eulogized him on his page.

Right-o, kurtis, for both. We had fun with the Mockingbird one, figuring something creative would be a tie-breaker even if we were wrong. We submitted Seymour Butts for our answer.

To get this back on-thread, I didn’t notice anyone twittering for answers during game play.

I’m not sure that citing the Mumbai attacks and other big news events really shows twitter’s usefulness as an everyday thing. I mean, anyone can check twitter for that kind of event, whether or not they have an account, and they don’t happen that often. (not saying it’s not incredible, because it is, but I’m not on twitter as a news source.) This nytimes article was actually a big motivator in getting me to join, and it still explains why I enjoy it – sure, the little snapshots seem inane, but over time they actually tell a lot about people, and I find that really interesting.

(eh, no one will read this, as it’s way longer than 140 characters and way too late)

I think it’s the elbow crater … or China.

I like twitter, I just never use it. You would think that my self-absorption would have me twittering away all freakin’ day and night, but I’m way too busy viewing myself in the mirror.

Oh, wait, I don’t show up in mirrors. Damn.

Carry on.

It was Elbow Crater. WTF, Cat? Do you look up answers online just to make us feel bad you weren’t there or do you really know the answers and are intentionally not showing up to sabatoge our chances at winning? Which is it?

At Kurtis was also right with his guess. Hopefully we’ll see him next week.

Also, Noodles, it’s MinnVengers on the sheet but MNVengers in reality.

@Cat: In Chinese it would be 肘部陨石坑.

*at = and.

@Bixby: My bad. I should know that by now after two weeks of play, dontchathink?

Details, detail, details.

Remember when the radio shows used to ask weird questions and they would take like the 8th caller to answer? I was that person … a lot.

I have weird crap info. in my brain that’s only useful for trivia and drinking games with the Irish.

If I showed it up, I’d be able to answer only in Samoan. Not helpful so much.

Speaking of relating to other races…

Tonight at Merlin’s this black guy who was hustling goods and merchandise sought me out at our table and thought I might be interested in purchasing some lotion from his paper sack of lotion and shampoos. I believe I was the only person he approached. My question is: did my white friends experience racism? Also, didn’t the election of Barack Obama mean that anyone everyone could be approached to buy lotion? My skin is soft and luxorious, for the record.

Nope. What you experienced is movement to the head of the class, Bix.

Bask in the glory of your blackness, B. – Soft, luxx skin and all.

Speaking of race relations…

Today, this dude in line in front of me at the grocery store asked me if I was making some cool oriental dish — I had snap peas, tofu, and green onions. WTF?

Does it matter that I was making miso soup?

Is it weird that people still say: “oriental”?

Will Delta change their name to Northwest Orient?

Is Black the new White?

These questions are keeping me up tonight.

I was always caller #9 with the correct answer. Cat and hour fellow callers #8 (is that how you pluralize it, like attornies general?) ruined my teen/tweenhood. I did win something from radio AAHS, sparing my childhood from ruin.

Hey, I won a ski trip to Montana, a trip to NYC, a bike, and a microwave.

Is oriental the new black?

You should’ve said you were making black-eyed peas and greens. I think it was great that you were making miso soup though. Yeah, who still says Oriental? I’ll bet he would have asked me if I was making a cool colored dish. And yes, that is the new name of Northwest. It’s a throw-back airline now, everything on NO is going to be all old-timey.

Oriental is the new Colored.

Also, for the sake of staying on topic:

Twitter.

I wish I’d been there and they could interrogate me on how I knew the answers and I could have flashbacks to how I met this guy in Denver… er, the slums of Mumbai, and how he knows Horton Foote, etc.

That would’ve been tweet of you, kurtis.

Re: Oriental. By definition, it’s a geographical description; not a racial moniker. I don’t call people “oriental” because I don’t refer to Westerners as “occidentals,” either.

It’s interesting how we understand and apply labels. Before moving to Japan, I’d never heard “Westerners” used before to describe Americans (North or South) and Europeans. I was confused at first because the only “Westerners” I knew of at that age were cowboys. “Western society” to me back then meant Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Gabby Hayes.

I don’t think it’s necessarily racist to speak of oriental food. “Asian,” the other option to use, is a very broad term; Israel and Iran are Asian countries but we never think of them as being a part of that continent.

I try not to use racially loaded terms but sometimes I do it by Occident.

“I was confused at first because the only “Westerners” I knew of at that age were cowboys.”

They’re the only ones worth knowing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMko5LelBdA

I, for one, weclome our Ketou (毛唐) Overlords, noodleman.

Oh, wait…

@justpbob: In Chinese, that would read “Mao Tang.” (Google Translate is a wonderful thing!) And here are where your Mao Tang overlord already overlords.

More widespread than “ketou” in Japan, though, is “gaikokujin” (outer country person); often shortened to “gaijin.” Some foreigners in Japan resent its use nowadays as derogatory or even racist.

Hmm. I translate it to mean “fecal plug”. I speak chinese, english, and jive.

@LDD: Not by a long duk dong shot, it doesn’t.

Hope these links work:

Ke

Tou

Twitter-sized message: Bristol and Levi are splitsville.