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[ 3 Comments ]Posted on February 5, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Thursday, February 5th, 2009I’ve created sample accounts on over thirty social networking sites as research for clients, which is why I’ve watched the recent explosion on Facebook of users over forty with considerable amusement*. I remember well the feeling I got when, as an 18-year-old, I went from being so far on the fringe of pop culture that [...]
I’ve created sample accounts on over thirty social networking sites as research for clients, which is why I’ve watched the recent explosion on Facebook of users over forty with considerable amusement*. I remember well the feeling I got when, as an 18-year-old, I went from being so far on the fringe of pop culture that there wasn’t a name for it, to suddenly being called “Punk” by “normal” people. Just about as soon as I got used to the idea that maybe I WAS punk, everyone suddenly started taking the worst aspects of whatever I was and basing whole music genres and movies on it. Before I knew it, my friends and I had gotten normal just to avoid the creepy older people that were mimicking us. This must be a little bit like what it feels like to be an 18-24 year old MySpace or FaceBook user the past few years. First they had to watch the oldsters creep in on MySpace, pimping out their pages like high-schoolers. Recently MySpace feels like 4am at a 30-year high school reunion; only the socially inept and drunk late-comers are still hanging around. Facebook should be suffering a similar fate by mid-year, leaving kids to Twitter desperately in a difficult economy. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see new text message pricing plans that gouge these users. I for one don’t see myself opening my mobile device up to this kind of shenanigans, causing the return of the nearly-extinct fail whale (pictured here). Maybe I’ll take up knitting and join Ravelry. Any suggestions for where to go with my social networking addiction?
*Confession: I’ve used Facebook addictively the last few weeks myself.
Only An Ignoranus Would Believe In Reintarnation
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 25, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Sunday, January 25th, 2009When I recently wrote about media that appears to be unaware of its own irony, I was convinced that there must be a word for that concept, maybe in German or French. I couldn’t find one, so in my lame attempt at making up my own, I came up with “ignoronic”. Which reminded me of [...]
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When I recently wrote about media that appears to be unaware of its own irony, I was convinced that there must be a word for that concept, maybe in German or French. I couldn’t find one, so in my lame attempt at making up my own, I came up with “ignoronic”. Which reminded me of DailyCandy’s Lexicon, made-up words that were shared for free on their site between 2002-2006. Well, ignoronics strikes again. Daily Candy has released a book
Don’t Be Such A Leafpeeping Masshole
[ 5 Comments ]Posted on January 20, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009Said the Kaybecker Floatin’ On A Logan Eatin’ An Italian
 So Republicans Drink Coke And Democrats Drink Sodapop? |
I ran across yet another survey of the great Pop vs. Soda debate yesterday, which got me curious about regional dialects. I’m usually most intrigued by differences in language that are truly cross-cultural (one of my favorite books EVER remains Forbidden American English
Antisocial Networking
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 13, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009Why You Should Show Some Love For FaceBook Apps
 It’s Actually Cooler To Be Against The Thing That It’s Cool To Be Against |
As an obsessive observer of social networking phenomena (it’s like a free anthropology class!) I was amused recently when a bunch of friends proudly “became fans” of Ignoring Application Requests on FaceBook, apparently overlooking the fact that without the revenue from these Apps, the site would inevitably have to place more ads for income. Hey kids, try IgnoreAll instead! Of course that’s just not as cool as saying you’re against something. So if you want to show you’re too cool for FaceBook like other Internet Famous People, why not delete ten friends and get a free Whopper™ with Whopper Sacrifice? If you’re hip to the idea that being too cool for social networking is one of the best ways to expand your friend list, there are lots of other sites out there. Like Isolatr. Let Isolatr’s patented technology help you “Find Where Other People Aren’t”. Or Nemester, “an online community that connects paranoids, egotists, villains, and monomaniacs through networks of competing agendas and incompatable ideologies for bitter conflicts, mutual loathing, or to find their one, true nemesis.” At HateBook.com, users can share things they hate, like old naked men in the gym: “I hate the old naked men in the gym locker rooms. Why must you walk around naked for 20 minutes, its called a towel you use it to cover and dry yourself, please stop air drying your old testicles while you watch sports center, and for love of god DO NOT stretch“. And for some reason no-one’s logged in since November 26th, 2007 over at NOSO, where they offer a unique opportunity to create NO Connections by scheduling NO Events with NO Friends.
Mommy, What Does TSA Stand For?
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on January 9, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Friday, January 9th, 2009(T)housands (S)tanding (A)round (T)aking (S)cissors (A)way?
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It seems somehow fitting that the letters “TSA” stand for both Tourette Syndrome Association and Transportation Security Administration. I mean, haven’t we all felt like spontaneously erupting with a string of expletives while passing through TSA checkpoints from time to time? Yes, 2008 was an exciting year at the TSA, from the sticky-fingered screener who was nabbed stealing over 100 items from passengers (including a $47,900 camera from an HBO crew) to the $240,000 decision against the TSA and JetBlue over an Iraqi man’s T-shirt, the TSA has managed to create a reputation that ranks them as more hated than the IRS in an AP poll. That’s why it’s a good thing parents can buy a Playmobil Security Check Point