IDGAF

Old codgers never learn. They just play the age card. In the case of this old codger, he has been reading Facebook comments and text messages and just assumed that the attachment of "lol" was an expression of affection. The fact that "reading this and lol" did not properly translate into "reading this and lots of love" was perplexing but did not jar me into seeking a more proper interpretation of this twenty first century jargon. Just another example of slovenly "speak" among the younger generation. Trying to understand the Millennials (whoever came up with that moniker was definitely high at the time) is too formidable a task for a member of the greatest generation. Besides, if one watches enough videos, all mysteries are effortlessly cleared up. That was the case with "lol". An episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" made it clear that "lol" translated into "laughing out loud". Now that makes sense if you are reading this and laughing out loud. If not, perhaps, like me, you just "dgaf "

Tweets, Chirps & Squawks

A couple of days ago I started to compose a post for this blog. As I mused over what I had written, I was shocked to realize that I was not blogging, I was Tweeting.

My blog page, About Blogging, states : At times my posts may resemble “tweets” and I may wax sentimental about some event or person in my past but I’m not ready to abandon blogging for Twitter or Facebook.

I guess I’m ready. Not to abandon blogging, but to admit that tweeting is not a substitute for blogging. If I find myself tweeting, I will delete the post and in turn “tweet, chirp or squawk” on Twitter (see the sidebar). So far, I have kept my distance from Facebook. In the meantime, if I have anything to say beyond 140 characters worth, Blogger is it.

ed note: Of course this was an underhanded way of breaking my blogging slump. In my defense it did take more than 140 characters.

Digitally Savvy

The Chicago Tribune reports that its sister publication, The Chicago Sun-Times, has fired all of its photographers and plans to use freelance photographers and reporters with smart phones to shoot photos. According to the Sun-Times:

"The Sun-Times business is changing rapidly and our audiences are consistently seeking more video content with their news. We have made great progress in meeting this demand and are focused on bolstering our reporting capabilities with video and other multimedia elements. The Chicago Sun-Times continues to evolve with our digitally savvy customers, and as a result, we have had to restructure the way we manage multimedia, including photography, across the network."



The story did not shock me. It is just the latest in a newspaper taking action to improve its bottom line by the novel approach of cheapening its product. What intrigued me were the words, "The Chicago Sun-Times continues to evolve with our digitally savvy customers.....". Digitally savvy customers? Sounds impressive but what in hell is a digitally savvy customer?

As I understand it, the modern definition of a digitally savvy person is someone who can use computers or other digital equipment. A digitally savvy person is also one who can use numbers and do arithmetic. Now that explains the "evolve" part of the Sun-Times statement. When all we could do was work with numbers on a sheet of paper we needed professional news coverage. Now that we have evolved into computer savvy individuals and become addicted to smart phones we have no need for sophisticated newspapers; Twitter, You Tube and Facebook will do the trick as well as dumbed down newspapers.




May Day! May Day!

To be inert is inexcusable. To be alert is commendable. To be an introvert is not all bad. To be an extrovert is not all good. To be a pervert is definitely all bad. They all find their way to the social media.

Twitter encourages an introvert to assert himself, while Facebook is an extrovert's dessert. Both medias are a home for perverts anxious to exert hurt with their dirt.

Writing this post was a lark but its bark may not hit the mark. Inert as it is , I will insert it anyways. Oh what the hell, it is better than ranting and raving about things better left to the experts. Or is it?

Stay tuned for my post about  dandelions.

 May Day! May Day! Blog in trouble!

Facebook Billionaires Are Boring

I'll be glad when the Facebook IPO dust settles and it becomes yesterday's news. The media has gotten through to me that we now have new millionaires and a few new billionaires. I'm supposed to be impressed but I'm not. I must admit that I am jealous but I'll get over it when I come to terms with my limitations.

So this is what the American Dream has come to. No great novel has generated millions for the author. No new industry has been born with plants employing thousands of people. No technological breakthrough which will saves lives or make lives better. I must confess that I'm not quite sure what makes the Facebook concept worthy of spawning zillionaires.

 Social media? I wouldn't spend a dime to make it a necessary part of my life. Obviously others are willing to spend much more. When all these cute computer games, stupid smart phones and social media interaction suck up what's left of our wealth, where will we bury the American Dream? Actually we shouldn't worry. China will see to it that our Dream gets a respectful burial.

I respect creativity in the form of the Arts. I respect scientific research. I respect the application of technology to create better products. I tolerate the social media. I'm sure Zuckerberg and his associates will enjoy their wealth. I question whether they have earned it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I'm too lazy to play computer games and too cheap to get a smart phone.  I do wish I had thought of the Facebook concept but I would have preferred to invent the transistor or write "Turandot".

What price privacy?

The most uninteresting person in the world - on the left

Just finished reading Consumer Report's expose on privacy. The emphasis was on Facebook but I suspect that Twitter and even Blogger are targets for invasion of our sacred privacy. I'm flattered to think that someone is lurking in blogoshere to usurp my identity. I would forewarn them that they are barking up the wrong tree. To assume my identity, the would be usurpers will be doomed to being the most uninteresting  person in the world ( my apologies to Dos Equis). Just to play safe, upon Consumer Report's  recommendation I have removed my John Barrymore image from Twitter and Facebook. Blogger for the time being will have to put up with my true image.

I wonder if all this privacy crap has something to do with the phone call I got today. I have won 5.5 million dollars. The caller did not want my bank account number or my my credit card number. He, in broken English, just wanted me to confirm that I was who I was. Of course I am who i am. Am I a millionaire? I wouldn't be wasting my time on blogger if I was.

After seeing some of my more recent images, I'm seriously thinking of changing my Blogger image. Not in the interest of privacy but in the interest of propriety.

Listening Post

One of the definitions of a listening post is:

A position from which to listen or gather information.

Listening Position

While in my favorite listening position in the recliner,  I heard a cerebral voice suggesting that I write a listening post. Why not? A post devoted to what I've heard is just what the blogosphere has been waiting for. One problem. My listening position invariably subjects me to dreams and nightmares which affect the recollection of what I've actually listened to. Nonetheless, I'll try to recall what came through at my listening post.

Listening Post

I heard Arianna Huffungton on the Colbert Show dismiss the right and the left in favor of right and wrong. At first blush it makes sense. At second blush some rightie might say that he heard that you are either a right rightie or a wrong leftie. As I listened to more from Ariana, I concluded that what we really need is common sense rather than righties and lefties. That's what happens when dreams confuse what you are actually listening to.

How about all the speculation on presidential candidates? If you listen to the pundits, the 2012 presidential election is old news. The real news is who is going to run in 2016. I've listened to all of their guesses and decided that it was time to wake up. If these characters lull us to sleep by declaring that the 2012 race is boring we are likely to be confronted by President Romney. Now that would indeed be a nightmare.

I keep hearing that Social Security and Medicare are in trouble because of an aging population. As I understand it, these programs were needed for the aged, so why are we blaming the aged. If everyone passed on before the age of 65, Social Security and Medicare would be in excellent shape. I'm sure some rightie will come up with a program to make this happen. I've also heard that those vitamin pills advertised for those past the age of 55 may be a version of Soylent Green. 2022 is just around the corner. I wonder if Charlton Heston is planning a presidential run in 2022. Probably not, I've heard he's still knocking at those pearly gates clutching his favorite rifle.

How about those Secret Service agents carousing with prostitutes in Colombia? I listened to a female lawmaker suggest that the solution to this sort of male behavior was to enlist more female Secret Service agents. I'm not quite sure whether the intent is to eliminate the need for prostitutes or just give gigolos a shot at the president.

I put my ear to a railroad track the other day hoping to pick up some news but discovered that all the news makers are flying these days.

Many people these days get their news from Twitter and Facebook. I tried listening to both but the silence was deafening.

I listened to some Cleveland sports pundits proclaim that Johnny Damon will be the second coming of Christ when he is activated as a Cleveland Indian. This will only happen if he grows a beard  and lets his hair grow down to his shoulders. He's done that before.

The High Primal has a habit of accusing me of not listening to a thing she says. Not true. How else could I have come up with "According To Marge".

That yawn I just heard was either from my horde of readers or just me getting ready for another listening post session.

About Friends

The bad news is  that the cliché “ any friend of yours is a friend of mine” is in danger of losing its cliché status. The even worse news is that it has become the motto of the Facebook social network. If you have a Facebook page, you are besieged with ways to find and add friends. The easiest way of course is to make a friend out of someone who is your friend's friend - any friend of yours is a friend of mine. Not only do you get a new friend , you get a photo, bio and countless comments about things you would rather not know. Gossip finds its way into many comments which is perfectly acceptable. After all, what’s a little gossip among friends. Pre-Facebook, if you dared to consider anyone a friend because he or she was the friend of a friend and you later found out that the new friend was obnoxious, you were faced with the difficult choice of telling that new friend to go and pound salt. Not a problem with Facebook. With a click of the mouse you can unfriend any friend and that friend will never darken your door or better yet your screen again. In fact that friend will not even be told he or she has been unfriended. If you are unfriended and somehow find out, you can always rationalize that with friends like that , you don’t need a friend.

Are social networks that powerful?

DavidMixner.com: Internet: Lessons For Us From The Middle East

The above link is typical of the credit being given to Facebook and Twitter as the powerful communication weapons which facilitated the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. They have also been invaluable during natural disasters. I must confess that I do not fully understand how this is done. One thing for sure, I need to become more familiar with the power of social networks and how they are used in movements which are capable of bringing about reforms and changes in government. Up until now I had dismissed them as purely sociable and trivial, friend to friend communication, primarily designed for the young. Facebook and Twitter have obviously become something more, and I don't want to be a social network Luddite. Interesting that Mr. Mixner considers the "right to the Internet" as akin to the right to bear arms. I wonder what the NRA thinks? Could Facebook be used to curtail the abusive lobbying powers of the NRA? That I would like to see. In the meantime , I'm keeping my Facebook page and pondering whether or not to get back on Twitter. It might come in handy if I ever figure out how to use it as a rallying point for the silencing of gun fanatics. Just a fantasy!

About Friends

    What are friends for? Normally one would think that friends are people you share your personal concerns with, that friends are people  you share your successes and personal disappointments with, that friends are people you socialize with. In this day of social networks; however, friends are people who patronize Facebook. Facebook urges us to accumulate hundreds of " friends". In fact the cliche, 'a friend of yours is a friend of mine' could very well be Facebook's motto. I dare say that many of the "friends" accumulated on Facebook are fair weather friends. I don't mean to make a big deal of Facebook 'friends'. After all , what's a little hypocrisy among friends.
    As an aside, although I would have liked to have seen a stronger response from the United Sates on the side of the protestors in Egypt , I'm sure Mubarak used the friend card with Obama - what are friends for! If he did , I'm sure he didn't do it thru Facebook - he's not a fan.

Some Fleeting Thoughts

• Watching it snow outside, diversity came to mind. No two snowflakes are the same.  As the snow flakes reach the ground they forget their differences and join together to form a blanket of snow. No two human beings are the same but unlike snow flakes, their differences linger on in the form of bigotry, racial tensions and religious intolerance.
•  The competition among credit cards concerning rewards and cash rebates is becoming fierce. Moreover the fine print defies understanding. It looks like the time is ripe for a " credit card reward financial advisor" and maybe a listing on the NYSE.
• Are social networks like Facebook creating a bubble which is bound to burst as personal privacy is sacrificed more and more?
•  Why is it so important to be connected most of one's waking hours?
• As dashboards in cars become more complex, how many accidents have to occur before there is a clamoring for the ultimate gadget- a horse!
• Boehner's House has passed legislation calling for the repeal of the Health Care Act. Repealing so called Obamacare is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
• Do we really need a State of the Union address by the President?

Facebook Update #2

I've been on Facebook for four months now and it's time to decide on my Facebook future or better put, it's time  to sh#t or get off the pot ( thought I'd sneak in some fun with cliches). I guess I'll sh#t! Facebook appears to be serving the purpose I was seeking - keeping in touch with family. I've learned how to tune out most of the cute information and trite comments. I've learned how to restrain my inane comments. I don't feel like a voyeur ( most of the time). The high primal likes having a Facebook page and she has the deciding vote. I probably have the fewest  Facebook "friends" on record - that's the way I want it. Actually I share Paul Krugman's views in his blog post, I Don't Want to Be Your Friend,  but not wanting to make waves, there  will be no more vacillating about my Facebook participation -end of Facebook story.

Twitter is another story. I took Twitter up on it's comment that many people who have a Twitter account neither follow other twitterers or tweet. Tweet, tweet - it hasn't been fun. Tweet.tweet - Twitter for me is history!

Facebook Update #1

I've been on Facebook for about 2 1/2 weeks. My experience has been mixed - mixed up is more accurate. First on the positive side. The picture and album sharing feature is great. As I have said before, this is about the only way family members share pictures nowadays. Another positive is that posting to my wall makes me laugh and these days that's a real plus. Its not that my posts are humorous although  I'm sure my Friends find them ludicrous. Its the whole idea of posting something to let people know what I'm thinking that makes me laugh. What's funny, at least to me, is the searching for words which do not disclose what really is on my mind but at the same time satisfy the Facebook protocol. I have discovered that there is a protocol. Foremost one must be cute. Secondly, one must imitate stupid emotions like "ughh". Graphics is very important. It is not enough to indicate that you like something, a happy face, (:, is required. If I screwed that up, it's because I haven't figured out how to be happy with Facebook.

Now for the negative - you thought I already covered that. Facebook provides 2 + info ( learned that from the Facebook protocol). I feel like I'm a snoop or a voyeur. Some of the sharing ( an excuse for profanity and sexual innuendos) is more than I care to know about. The solution is not to surf through your friends pages. That works, but then the one positive thing is lost - photo sharing.

I'm sure that there is way around this dilemma. Facebook's Help page is not of any help. I can understand that. I'm trying to circumvent the very feature that Facebook touts; namely, get connected. I did spot something in their FAQ page. I can solve my privacy problem by deleting my account. I'm not ready to do that yet. I want to wait a while longer. You see the only Friends I have are those I solicited myself. No one else has come forth asking to be my Friend. This is very disturbing so I want to give it a while longer for those who want to be my Friend to come forward. After a few more weeks , I may very well Unfriend Facebook but for now to all who have agreed to be my Friends, c u - LOL.

( The High Primal just told me that the nutty pastor in Florida who wants to raise the Muslim wrath by burning their Quran on 9/11 is very active on Facebook. Hope he doesn't ask to be my Friend- ughhh!)

My Facebook Plunge

I'm on Facebook! I know that I have questioned the advisability of joining the Facebook community in the past ( see my Facebook label) and to be completely honest ( is there such a thing as incomplete honesty), I still do. I'm not a fan of small talk so I predict I will fall on my face in my Facebook wall writing. Incidentally, when did writing on the wall become acceptable. I've noticed that it has all but disappeared on bathroom walls; Facebook and Twitter seem to have taken over. I have no desire to connect with my high school or college friends. We have ignored each other for decades. Besides connecting with most of them at this point would probably involve a one way trip to the hereafter. I would also have to decide between heaven and hell and that gets too complicated for me. I could also try connecting with some of my work friends but that presents the same challenge. Not having a business , I have no need to promote a business ( now that was a no brainer). My granddaughter Jenny told me that Facebook is fun. OK, I'll keep trying. When it stops being fun I'll opt out.

I've become a dinosaur

Last week's TIME cover story featured Twitter. After reading the article and taking a good look at my communication tools, I reluctantly concluded that I've morphed into a dinosaur.

If Twitter is changing the way we live and showing us the future of innovation , it completely bypassed Tony. Blogging is my game , not Twittering - and that makes me a dinosaur. Worse yet, I have yet to send a text message! Photos? I still rely on a camera that can't get on the internet or place a long distance call.

This is a sad state of affairs for someone who spent his entire working years in engineering and manufacturing. I hardly recognize myself. Having cut my teeth on diodes, transistors and LED's, it's a real comedown.

What really bothers me is that none of this bothers me. The bottom line is that remaining relatively anonymous in this age of a communication revolution suits me fine . Don't get me wrong , I tried to twitter but ended up being a twitter dropout. I even toyed with Facebook. When I mentioned the latter to my son, the response was "Why?" That ended that. My Space? I have all the space I need.

Breaking news! Apple has introduced a $99 Iphone! Now that may bring me into the twenty-first century, but I'll wait a while longer, Tracfone may offer an equally smart phone.