tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post5001393702870787303..comments2024-02-10T08:13:07.736+00:00Comments on Round-The-World Barstool Blues: And other reasons whyFrooghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-83721651527042895002010-10-01T03:31:54.477+00:002010-10-01T03:31:54.477+00:00There are other forums you could use beside (inste...There are other forums you could use beside (instead of, better than) Twitter - on one of the expat rags, for example. And I'm told there's a 'members only' BBS called Beijing Salon or Beijing Cafe or something that's very good for that kind of query.<br /><br />In Beijing, the Twittering community is relatively small, and you probably know most of them anyway. You would probably reach more people if you just sent a text message to everyone in your phone address book (although, of course, that wouldn't be so thrillingly 'real time').<br /><br />The idea of consulting strangers in public or semi-public forums does not appeal to me. I prefer targeted communication.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-73884830460570824042010-09-22T05:13:32.271+00:002010-09-22T05:13:32.271+00:00An example use case for Twitter: I want to put out...An example use case for Twitter: I want to put out a general question to a large number of people -- say, "Are there any places in Beijing that sell Product X?" Twitter's more effective for this sort of thing than SMS, because it allows you to reach (potentially) a greater number of people. Ditto for bon mots that may come to mind. I'm actually surprised you haven't picked up on it for that very reason.The Weeblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-18531180284428162952010-09-22T01:58:34.579+00:002010-09-22T01:58:34.579+00:00OK, Guy Pearce used a Polaroid in Memento. Not a ...OK, Guy Pearce used a Polaroid in <i>Memento</i>. Not a very 'normal' person.<br /><br />Great piece of product placement by the Polaroid people, but I don't think it did much to revive their commercial fortunes.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-81254910176986431242010-09-22T01:56:12.630+00:002010-09-22T01:56:12.630+00:00The only people I know who Twitter have smartphone...The only people I know who Twitter have smartphones. Maybe that would be because you can't <i>read</i> Twitter off a regular phone?<br /><br />And why the fuck would you want to SMS something to Twitter when you could just SMS it directly to the person/people you wanted to read it?<br /><br />What the fuck is Tumblr??? And Polaroids?! They have found a tiny niche amongst professional photographers who find them useful for doing quick previews, particularly of studio lighting set-ups. But I don't think any normal person has used them during your lifetime. In the 'mass market', they were only a short-lived fad back in the 1970s. It is my fervent hope that this Twitter nonsense will prove to be similarly short-lived.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-62140158625217124152010-09-21T06:51:27.111+00:002010-09-21T06:51:27.111+00:00Tommyrot and poppycock, old bean. Think of it this...Tommyrot and poppycock, old bean. Think of it this way: Twitter is to SMS and e-mail as Tumblr is to blogging, or as Polaroids are to photography: conceptually similar, but intended for fast throwaway applications. In my case, this is a good thing, as Twitter allows me to release my brain farts in a manner that doesn't require me to e-mail, mass-SMS, or - heaven forbid - blog. <br /><br />(Also, iPhones and other smartphones aren't necessary for twittering -- regular SMS messages will do the trick just fine. As will web clients. There are even e-mail gateways, should that float your boat.)The Weeblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-38088705403942422542010-09-20T10:22:51.470+00:002010-09-20T10:22:51.470+00:00Weeble, you're talking like a man who's ha...Weeble, you're talking like a man who's had two sleepless overnight train journeys in the last few days!<br /><br />It is silly not to deride things that are worthy of derision. And there are some things that it would plainly be silly to try, under any circumstances. And the derision-worthiness of most things is readily apparent without having to experience them directly (and thereby exposing yourself unnecessarily to the derision of others).<br /><br />You can't really do anything on Twitter that you can't do equally well by SMS (or e-mail, or on a blog or a BBS or Facebook). It's just that a handful of geeky types like you have made it your favoured forum of interaction - a surrender to faddishness and techno-snobbery which <i>excludes</i> the great majority of us who do not have (and NEVER will have, even <i>if we could afford one</i>) an i-Phone or similar.<br /><br />You are so devoted to 'real time communications' that you do not neglect to bombard people with e-mails and text messages (and blog comments) as well. But you are a statistical freak in that. Most people who get the Twitter bug come to rely on it almost exclusively, and jeopardise their relationships with non-Twitterers.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-40721150104110332822010-09-20T02:06:53.833+00:002010-09-20T02:06:53.833+00:00Oh, pshaw. Twitter addiction is a sad thing, to be...Oh, pshaw. Twitter addiction is a sad thing, to be sure, but conflating the 140-character cries for help of lost souls with the majority of Twitter users is just sloppy thinking. I find Twitter useful as a back-channel for discussion and as a way of rapidly putting a question or a thought out to a large number of people. It's not replacing anything; rather, it's offering a new channel for communication. You can choose not to use it if you like, but it's silly to deride it without having used it.The Weeblenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-59018295919020915822010-09-19T15:40:02.058+00:002010-09-19T15:40:02.058+00:00Don't toy with me, Weeble.
Twitter addiction ...Don't toy with me, Weeble.<br /><br />Twitter addiction is like touting Hello Kitty accessories or thinking that going to shows at D-22 is a worthwhile thing to do - an indication of a sorry dislocation from reality.Frooghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06738623732860210935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33211583.post-72668016035824333192010-09-18T09:51:43.581+00:002010-09-18T09:51:43.581+00:00@Froog: No mentioning Twitter...or what? You'l...@Froog: No mentioning Twitter...or what? You'll "unfriend" us?The Weeblenoreply@blogger.com