Tweet tweet?

I’ve been using Twitter lately. Part of me thinks it’s kind of stupid, but part of me enjoys it.

Well, that is, when it actually WORKS. It works about half the time when I try to use it. We’ve been using it at my part-time job to broadcast stuff such as coupons, and everything takes me quadruple the amount of time that it would if the site worked.

I wonder how long it will be before I lose patience and move on to another social networking tool. This reminds me of ICQ circa 1998 when it was down all the time. Everyone moved to AIM. Then in 2003, same thing happened with Friendster, and everyone moved to MySpace (and later, to Facebook)

As far as I can tell, Twitter has to make a choice…can they improve their service or are they going to quickly become passe as we move on to other Twitter-like social networking tools? How much time can we make for a service that doesn’t work a good portion of the time?

Spokeo: Interesting, but mostly creepy.

I read an article about Spokeo in Newsweek the other day. It’s a social networking tool that scours other social networking sites, including Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr and then creates feeds to keep tabs on all of your friends on the social networking sites.

For instance, I added Matt and it showed me when he updated his Friendster profile, MySpace profile, Facebook profile, and what is on his “Amazon Wish list.”

Unlike most social networking sites where you have to request to be someone’s friend, you can add anyone without requesting anything.

I find it a little creepy. Facebook and its ilk are created to communicate with friends, classmates, and colleagues. There is no messaging function on Spokeo…it seems like it’s mostly to just watch. It almost makes me want to make all of my profiles private.

Addicted to Yelp

I’ve been sick this week, and I’ve become totally addicted to Yelp! (Yes, Wordsteal is still down, but I’m learning to live without it.) I’ve written an insane amount of reviews while hunkered down on my couch with my purring cat and mug of Trader Joe’s Irish Breakfast Tea.

I think Yelp is actually a brilliant social networking tool. You can compliment people, and vote on reviews being cool/useful/funny. I think that positive reinforcement is what brings people back. I know I love when I get compliments on a review. I’ve even gotten messages from friendly local “Yelpers”, which is super cool. They have fun events and stuff too. Once I’m no longer a newbie, perhaps I will start attending some of them.

I joined Yelp a while ago for the sole purpose of writing a bad review of The Courtside Karaoke, and then I forgot about it. It’s really a fun site. I like to dine out, so I had lots of restaurants to review. I just went through a phase where I reviewed a bunch of record stores. We collect records.

Anyway, it’s a fun site. I’m having a good time with it and I really like writing reviews.

Banner Ads with Sound

OK, not only do those photographer’s websites with music bother me, but I’d like to see a ban on ALL banner ads that have sound. I clicked on a website and the banner ad said, “HEY! WHAT’S UP?” I almost jumped out of my seat and my heart palpitated. It scared the bejesus outta me!

Students using IM lingo in essays

Man, check this out!

“Middle school teacher Julia Austin is noticing a new generation of errors creeping into her pupils’ essays. Sure, they still commit the classic blunders — like the commonly used “ain’t.” But an increasing number of Austin’s eighth-graders also submit classwork containing ‘b4,’ ‘ur,’ ‘2′ and ‘wata’ — words that may confuse adults but are part of the teens’ everyday lives.”

Geez. That’s pretty bad. I can’t imagine having turned schoolwork in like that in high school…or even junior high school for that matter.

Look at this:

“Fourteen-year-old Brandi Concepcion, a pupil of Austin’s, said wit, da and dat — used in place of with, the and that — sometimes creep into her homework.”

Wit, da, and dat? AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Helllllp!!! I’m in a world without email!

Yahoo email hasn’t been working for me since yesterday afternoon. I’m ready to lose my mind. In fact, no Yahoo sites have been working for me at all. I’ve been getting my email via Mail2Web, which is okay for now but it’s really cumbersome. I need my Yahoo back. I’ve asked other people and nobody else seems to be having this problem. About 2 years ago we had a similar problem, but once I reset the IP address it cleared up. This time resetting the IP address didn’t even help.

I’m so frustrated! I remember back in the days of dial-up going through email withdrawal because the line was busy or something. But this is even more agitating because I can get to a billion other sites but just not my email! GRRRR.

My websight is super!

I have been getting tons of spam lately that says this:

Bonjour! What a super websight! Very refreshing to peruse from where we live in Paris (France). I eat frogs and drink wine. Woold like more informatons on this. Best regards! Mikael.

And then it always ends up being from “free insurance quotes” or “buy hoodia”…I’m getting several of these a day! They amuse me, especially the “I eat frogs and drink wine” part!

WHAT for dummies?

When I saw Mel’s post , I thought she was kidding.

Your dreams have come true, folks. There is now a
MYSPACE FOR DUMMIES book. Oh, hooray! Rejoice, everybody!

Look at that cover! All of those cheerful teens pointing at how totally awesome their myspace page is. I don’t understand who would buy this book. A 60 year old trying to be hip by tapping into myspace? It just seems weird to me. A teenager wouldn’t buy a book like that, and isn’t that the primary demographic of myspace?

Honestly, does myspace really warrant a “For Dummies” book? It’s just a website…if you can’t navigate a website, then maybe Internet For Dummies is a better book.

The irony about it, is that myspace is such a poorly developed site, that they developers should probably read some “For Dummies” books on their own.

It seems like you can write a “For Dummies” book on anything now. I should think of some things I’m good at and write a “For Dummies” book. Here are my ideas…

Proper Apostrophe Use For Dummies — (since I’m kind of a nut about that sort of thing…)

Tivo For Dummies — Oh yes, I am adept at Tivo.

Browsing At The Library For Dummies — This one might be a two-parter.

Starting Projects But Never Finishing Them For Dummies

What do you think? :-)

Funny Captcha

Today I was getting ready to download the two newest episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generaction (it promised to be drama-filled and I just couldn’t wait until they aired in the US!) from MegaUpload.

They have a CAPTCHA (you know, one of the things that looks like this: )

Anyway, when I went to download Degrassi, the CAPTCHA for one of the episodes was: “POO.” I was amused.

A few months ago, my dad got one that said “URINE.”

The Lazy Chefs take off!

Awww, I suppose I forgive Ralph and The Globe! :-)

Thanks to the Globe for commending my latest blogging endeavor and thanks to my co-bloggers and fellow lazy chefs Bev and Liz!

One of the best new blogs around is the Newton-based Lazy Chefs (thelazychefs.com). Piloted by Kristine Munroe (better known as blogger Krissy in Boston) and friends Liz Christman and Beverly Ingram, it serves up mostly easy and sometimes intriguingly offbeat recipes for busy folk.

It doesn’t get much more offbeat, in fact, than Liz’s recipe for the aptly named “Interesting Chicken.”

Read Liz’s chicken recipe here!

I need to get back into the cooking regularly…wonder what should be on the menu next?