Twitter as a Social Experiment

From using World of Warcraft to study the spread of disease on a global scale from a contagious glitch in the system (yes the online game is that vast) to using Facebook to measure our ties of connection, I’m always fascinated by the many creative ways sociologists use modern technologies and fads to study the world.

So it comes as no surprise that Twitter, the new micro-blogging craze, is a goldmine for those in the field.  Short, frequent posts about the everyday life, doings, and feelings of a multitude of people all over the world… it’s like a sociologist’s dream!  But what makes it even better (and bloggable) is that they are sharing the information publicly in a very well-designed aesthetically-pleasing format.

Twistori is a constantly updating scroll of tweets on what is loved, hated, thought, believed, felt, and wished for in the Twitter community.  Bold, beautiful, and not overpowering, I warn you it is quite addictive.  Definitely worth a check.

We Feel Fine, the muse for the above, samples a sentence from Twitter, blogs, and other social media formats on how they are feeling.  I couldn’t access the platform personally because there was some conflict with Java and Chrome but it seems like a pretty interesting application.

And last but not least, the best kind of experiment of all:  a paid one.  According to this post from an internet company in America, follow the CEO on Twitter and every Wednesday you have a chance to win $100+.  Sounds too good to be true but hey, what’s one more tweet in your day?

Yummy x 1028e3757t093827!

I was feeling a little under the weather and the boyfriend just came into my room with a ketchup happy face grilled burger.  I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better way to say I love you than that.

- Artist’s rendition of the actual burger.

Earth Hour, Idiotic Moments, and Blah (but not in any way related to each other)

Earth hour was yesterday.  Went over to Nic’s and sat around his kitchen table, eating instant noodles (with the water preheated of course) by candlelight.  Tara came over after supper with her family and then Muoi and Dave joined so we had a nice little group.  We were all going to go to the movies to see “I Love You, Man” afterwards but I couldn’t make it on account of a blister that was really bothering me.  Usually I’m not bad with pain but this was hurting like crazy.  I was hobbling around for a while until I looked at it closely and saw just how infected it was.  Gross.  Anyways I’m sure everyone needed to know that.

So since the word is out and half the world around me now knows, Thursday I went to a job interview for a secretary position at the Pulse, the school gym.  Pretty sweet job that a friend helped me stick my foot in the door in.  So I dress for the part, skirt, new shoes, everything.  Get there 15 minutes early.  Am enthusiastic and smile and chat with everyone I meet on the way.  1:30 rolls around, we get invited to the interview room.  Except it’s the interview for intramurals.  So I go to the Pulse and they said that the boss had just stepped out.  I wait another half hour standing there like an idiot while no one shows up.  Finally I leave, saying that I’ll send an e-mail.  So I get home and send the e-mail.  The next day, I get an e-mail back saying that I had gotten the date mixed up.  The actual interview was two days earlier and they already have finished the interview process but they would welcome meeting me next year.  So yes, I am an idiot.  A major idiot.  Who lost out on an opportunity to have the best job ever, with the best uniforms ever.  Now you know.

You ever have one of those days where you just wake up feeling like crap?  For no reason whatsoever, your body just kind of breaks down and you’re left struggling to keep it spluttering along.  Today I woke up into one of those days.  If only your dreams reflected reality…

Last night you will be happy to know I was saving the world from earthquakes, WOW figurines, mousetraps, and certain doom.]

- Unshelved.

To Infinity and Beyond! Okay, Okay, Only to Mars.

Enthralled by the thought of leaving your mark on another planet but afraid you'll never get the chance?  Never fear - a NASA gimmick is here!

Enter your information and with the new Mars rover they're building, NASA will send a microchip with your name on it.

Useful for anything?  Probably not.  If there is extraterrestrial life on Mars, I doubt it would be advanced enough to make sense of the information, nevermind extract it.  But who knows, maybe an advanced alien life form will end up visiting there, find and like your name, and proclaim you the new ruler of their planet.  Whatever.  It's a neat idea anyway and, well, I signed up for it.

You even get an official certificate.  Nerdy I know but somewhere in the galaxy, someone is impressed.  I hope it's a cute guy.

How Cute

From Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

An Excuse and then Video Games

I have to admit, once you get into it, Twitter is quite addicting.  Melissa has over 1000 updates and I'm awed and humbled by her dedication to socialization.  It's quite a thing.  Hence the lack of posts on here.  That and nothing really has been going on in my life.

Yesterday Mike and I had Nic's car so we took a detour to a small games store, the kind of place he hasn't been for like 10 years.  Mike was happy to be able to talk to someone who knew and could appreciate the games he has collected over the years and I was impressed by the sheer knowledge of games that the guy working there had.  Watching those two get so excited about games past, present, and future I admit was pretty contagious so when we went home I hopped on his DS for another shot at Final Fantasy III.  It's not too shabby:  I can see why the series is so popular.  Sort of like Pokemon but with a much better storyline.

What's up with all the new Pokemon anyway?  The original 150 with the basic elements was what made it so good in the first place.  Like Prison Break, too much of a good thing just makes it boring and repetitive.

Tag Under "Freaking Sweet"

In honour of St. Patty's day and the "fighting spirit" of the Irish, here's a video that has got to be one of the coolest videos of all time.

I present to you Rabbit vs. Snake:

If I Only Had A Trillion Dollars...

Ever wonder just how much a trillion dollars really is?

The answer will surprise you.

Link.

What Can You Do With Aluminum Foil?

Came across this article after looking for substitutes for dryer sheets after running out and in no hurry to buy more. Though I don't have any aluminum foil presently, I am instantly a fan.

15 Awesome Uses for Aluminum Foil

When my scissors get dull, I layer about 7 pieces of foil and cut through them, and the scissors are sharp once again.

Dull scissors in the house, beware!

For Those Nights That Even Vodka Juice Has Lost Its Charm

Who is the last person who 'covered' for you?
Jesse.

What is your favorite flavor of skittle?
Orange.

Do you have a job?
Yup.

State your name:
Sandy.

What color is your lighter (if you have one)?
Silver.

Why do you have a lighter?
Needed one I could use without fear. Tealight anyone?

Have you ever bashed something before you tried it, then loved it?
Lots of things. Pre-bashing has almost become a prerequisite.

One thing that has happened this year and you didn't expect it:
Water break in my room >.<"

What is the weather going to be like tomorrow?
Still too cold.

When is the last time you used a crayon?
Tuesday =D

What is your favorite song?
At this moment: "Dawn Metropolis" by Anamanaguchi. Video game funkiness :)

What does your hair say about you?
That I am fantastic but in need of a haircut and an escape from these work buns.

Are you tired?
Meh. Woke up late today.

When is the last time you ate a hot dog?
A couple of weeks ago? Grilled one tonight though... sizzled deliciously!

Last time you took public transit?
Every freaking day.

Favorite pattern?
Depends on what it's for and what my mood is. So many pretty patterns, how can someone choose just one?

Who makes you smile?
Everyone. I'm an easy smiler.

Are your parents funny?
Sure.

Would you ever try hard drugs if given the chance?
Probably not. I would lose a lot of self-respect if I did.

What are you listening to?
"A Children's Crusade on Acid" by Margot and the Nuclear So and So's. New favourite song of the moment!

Are you legal yet?
Yes thank God! I can't possibly imagine what it was like when non-Caucasians weren't considered "persons".

Do you live with both your parents?
Nope. Student housing rocks.

If you don't know a "slang" word do you urbandictionary?
Only if someone links it to me.

Were you drunk or sober in your last kiss?
Pretty sober.

Do you listen to Kate Nash?
Who?

Are you a naturally happy person, or is your happiness forced?
Depends. There is a lot of forced smiling at work sometimes.

Do you have posters in your room? Of what?
A lot of it is just random things posted up. My only "real" poster is a map of the world.

What are your plans for this weekend?
Math assignment and work.

Have you ever skipped school?
Yes.

Do you like to hear peoples' funny stories?
Of course!

Have you ever made a t-shirt?
I've tye-dyed one.

Is it hard for you to apologize for your mistakes?
Yeah but you learn to suck it up.

What are you going to do after this?
Laundry and then study.

Tweet Tweet

Got a couple of e-mails today for people following me on Twitter. Had signed up last year just to have my name on it but haven't had any interest until now. But what the heck, I'll put an update and link it here. Who knows, maybe I'll even keep updating. At least it goes with the bird theme.

Twitter me?

Twitter in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo

The Problem with the Internet

According to this article featured on msn.ca, the steps to mending a heart consists of four easy steps:

1. Empathy

2. Meditation

3. Exercise

4.  Soothing scents

Seriously.  They told you to cry to a friend, meditate for inner peace, do cardio, and have an aromatherapeutic (is that even a word?) bath.  Are their writers naive or just assholes?  If some douche just broke my heart and I believed them and failed, I swear it would make me feel 100x worse.

The internet may be a great source of information but don’t forget that it also is the source of youtube comments and lolcats.

“Like a Death Row Inmate on Suicide Watch” – Patton Oswalt

I have a “failure pile” tube of eraser dust on my desk. Since I do much more erasing than vacuuming, I am uncomfortable just brushing them off onto the floor. Not only does it keep my room cleaner, but it also has the added incentive of feeding my hoarding addiction.

Plus, when it’s full I can knead it into a black sticky substance and sell it as hash to noobie potheads.

KFC’s Famous Bowl doesn’t even come close to this.

Oh yes you will

I already do…

"The Tall T"

Watched an old western today, one of the big ones of the 1950s. I liked it a lot. It seemed more... "authentic" somehow. You didn't even miss the swearing, nudity, or heavy violence. Everything was settled with a punch or a couple of gunshots with everything covered. Even when the woman unbuttoned her shirt for the seduction scene, she wore an undershirt... and the guy went nuts just enough to be punched out by another guy.

Not that I'm saying the movie wasn't saturated with stereotypes or other things (I mean the woman was pretty submissive throughout the entire movie) but even though they kissed and rode off together, they were on separate horses and you knew that each one was finding their way in life and that with or without each other it wouldn't even matter.

Does this make me old-fashioned or a prude to enjoy leaving things to the imagination? It seems like you can't watch anything these days that doesn't end with someone falling in love or at least having lots of sex. Not that there is anything wrong with either but come on, there's more to life than romantic love! So if it does, then feel free to pop over any time for some tea and crochet. I don't mind a smudge.

This Will Make Up For The Previous Post, I Swear

So I came across this online comic the other day and honestly, I didn’t know what I’ve been missing my entire life. 

Girls With Slingshots

 

Seriously, you won’t regret it.

Yay Kitty!

The token “fat cat” post on every blog… I just had to give in.

Best. Video. Ever.

On Reading

There is something about the completion of a really good book that you feel incredibly refreshed afterwards. You feel as if you have lived a lifetime in the mere hours you spent reading and to break from them into the "present" seems so familiar and foreign at the same time... it's hard to explain. It's all at once soothing, unsettling, bland, and invigorating that I find myself feeling just as alive and present as if I have lived, died, and come back to life again.

What a treat! But I'm afraid that will soon fade and I will be back into old routine and forget everything that I am feeling at this instant.

They say that if you cannot sleep then the best thing to do is to read a book. If you don't read books normally, then I encourage you with all my heart to do so. But be forewarned... it may so happen (and I unabashedly hope it will) that you may one day find yourself absorbed and suffer all the pleasures and griefs of the times that - tired as you may be - you cannot put that book down. And to read before bed no longer brings about drowsiness but excites your soul and your mind so that you cannot sleep but for one more chapter!

I am rambling. Sleep-deprivation does that to you. Being so totally engrossed in words does that to you.

And it is oh so wonderful.

By Mike Jacobsen

And no, I wasn't reading Wizard of Oz, I just think it's funny.