Reflections of a Luddite

[74w300uteline]

I have two facebook pages

Alfonso Cannoli and Abner Carbuncle. started out as a joke among madoff employees so we could keep in touch after the company was dissolved. Alfonso took on a life of its own. read the fine print all posted images belong to them. my profile is wide open so we don't have to be freinds to view Alfonso or Abner. Ive been using FB as a soapbox for my "radical right wing views". my trucks are there too. tremendous time waster!

[Bob Thompson]

Perhaps we could simulate Twitter here.

I suppose there may be a legitimate use for Facebook. I will grudgingly accept this in light of Steve's comment. However it has been terribly misused by vapid , self absorbed tech junkies to relate all the personal and private details of their fetid little lives. I envision them pounding out their commentary from their parents basements whilst packing their faces with Oreos and Yoohoo.

Many of the subscribers have posted personal info to their own detriment. A recent takeover / home invasion robbery was traced directly to a facebook like home page. What was that thing about hiding your light under a bushel?

And now on to twittering, A more aptly named service has probably never existed. The name describes both the user and and his/her audience. I will give no examples as Gordon has already nailed down the concept.

The whole "Twitter" and texting phenomena is a product of the cult of self importance that has been burgeoning in our country for many years.
I can think of no other reason for the general public to be subjected to Ad Nauseum coverage on the recently deceased pedophile/singer or the sycophantic idol worship that has accompanied it.

I have to stop now and sit quietly until my blood pressure goes back down.

[74w300uteline]

$$$$ data mining

the bucks are in the data mining and consumer profile target marketing. remember Kids R us, they swore up and down that Kids r us club members birthdays and addresses would be private. Kids r us went bankrupt and the member list was deemed a saleable asset! someone paid big bucks for that list!
Alfonso's motto
believe none of what you read and half of what you see.

[KevinM]

NEWSFLASH.........

Facebook,Twitter and Myspace are being merged,

the new entity will be MyTwitFace......

[Hobcobble]

I envision them pounding out their commentary from their parents basements whilst packing their faces with Oreos and Yoohoo.

I thought Yoohoo was just an East Coast thing.....
It quiets noisy lifters too. You couldn't pay me
to drink that bellywash.
John

[Hobcobble]

NEWSFLASH.........

Facebook,Twitter and Myspace are being merged,

the new entity will be MyTwitFace......

Or is it.... Face My Twit?
John

[Hobcobble]

I had an eight or nine year old girl here once who wanted to try canned dog food. I rarely feed it to my dog, but it is a holiday treat kind of experience.

She thought it looked and smelled good. She tried it and said it was not bad.

"It might be better with crackers," I said, offering her a package. She had several.

My wife went down that road.... she put on a LOT of weight and I had
to switch her to Ken-L-Ration as its much lower in saturated fats and
calories.... I'm happy to say she's back to her old svelte self now and
man oh man can she fetch a stick!
John

[Gordon Maney]

I suppose there may be a legitimate use for Facebook. I will grudgingly accept this in light of Steve's comment. However it has been terribly misused by vapid , self absorbed tech junkies to relate all the personal and private details of their fetid little lives. I envision them pounding out their commentary from their parents basements whilst packing their faces with Oreos and Yoohoo.

Many of the subscribers have posted personal info to their own detriment. A recent takeover / home invasion robbery was traced directly to a facebook like home page. What was that thing about hiding your light under a bushel?

And now on to twittering, A more aptly named service has probably never existed. The name describes both the user and and his/her audience. I will give no examples as Gordon has already nailed down the concept.

The whole "Twitter" and texting phenomena is a product of the cult of self importance that has been burgeoning in our country for many years.
I can think of no other reason for the general public to be subjected to Ad Nauseum coverage on the recently deceased pedophile/singer or the sycophantic idol worship that has accompanied it.

I have to stop now and sit quietly until my blood pressure goes back down.

I have to admit, I don't understand texting. I do own a cell phone, and do find it useful. I think using the phone as a phone is far more effective a tool then awkwardly sending a note, one letter at a time.

I suppose if I had pioneered the concept and was now making millions of dollars, I would have a different view. Much like tennis shoes with lights in the heels.

If you are in some odd business setting where silently receiving some bit of information was crucial, then maybe, but it seems so needless that it appears a solution seeking a problem. In spite of all that, kids can't seem to live without it. I find that disburbing with respect to what it reveals about just how necessary that communication must be that is costing as much as it does.

I watched recently as someone [excitedly] demonstrated Twitter, revealing just how much they liked it. This person was roughly 40 or so, I believe. The demonstration and the enthusiasm was illuminating, and I don't mean in a positive way.

When I was an automotive instructor, some of the very best kids I had came from the farm. They had experience doing real things. The town kids, by comparison, had been to the mall, played video games, and eaten pizza.

Cyber world is not introducing kids to more reality, it is introducing them to less reality, and in ways I fear are disabling. Virtual reality is not reality.

It also allows people to project a persona that is outside of their own. They are not seen, they merely project from the keyboard in an environment that is about as unnatural as one could create.

How does all that prepare them for a life as a real person in a real world? That is my question and my concern. I am sure there is no shortage of techies who will gush a stream of positives and delight regarding the good things occurring, but I think it manages more to be a rationale than a truth.

[Gordon Maney]

In thinking about a constellation of things I drew a conclusion. Floating in the constellation were these thoughts:

A Facebook page would seem to have the purpose of representing the person whose name is attached to the page. The wide range of content that can and does appear on such a page seems relatively out of control, and likely NOT representative of the person. That was emerging as the case for me, it seemed.

Reading about security raised troubling thoughts. Add to that the idea that potential employers are now making judgments about potential employees based on what they find on the web about them. Who can guess what would bother an employer? Perhaps even excessively zany content? I can't guess.

A friend had someone else start a group, attributing that group to the friend, rather than themselves. I also read about an emerging problem where people start Facebook pages using the names of other, real people or businesses, and nothing can be done.

It seemed too out of control and not representative of what I am and want to be.

If I want to share photos I have other means. If I want to write to someone I can email them. If I want to communicate ideas to groups of people I can use forums.

I decided to dismantle the account. You can't delete it. You can only deactivate it; the account remains and you can log in later. They don't want you to go away, obviously.

I spent about an hour deleting all content, photos, and groups. The mechanism resists. It makes you answer questions, then more questions, with the agenda of keeping you. I found that somewhat disturbing, too.

I accept the internet as powerful and beneficial tool. I can't see benefit for me in something like Facebook. I am no longer there.

[Bruce]

Not Sure

I am on facebook, but twitter puzzles me, dog biscuits not withstanding?
(;~)

[712edf]

I have to admit, I don't understand texting. I do own a cell phone, and do find it useful. I think using the phone as a phone is far more effective a tool then awkwardly sending a note, one letter at a time.

Texting is best when only a small amount of info needs to be communicated to the recipient, who may not be able to take a call immediately and no reply is neccessary......Example: Junior is at basketball practice after school and mom (still at work) needs to tell him not to forget to bring home all of his dirty uniforms/clothing from the lockerroom so that it'll be washed for tomorrow's game. He can't be disturbed but his cell phone is in his locker. So she sends a text, "Bring your uniform home". After practice he goes to the lockerroom to change and get his belongings, sees the text message and remembers to bring the clothes home.

Texting sometimes can relay info to someone who is in an area (hiking on a vacation trip maybe) where coverage is too spotty for a call. Send the text, such as "All is well here, just fed your dog & watered your plants. See you when you return from your trip". When the person enters an area where the signal can be picked up, they get their message and are relieved that you are taking care of things back home.

Having complete conversations via texting is juvenile.

[OLD DODGE]

Having complete conversations via texting is juvenile.

Isn't that what we do here? LOL

[rickt4498]

My wife went down that road.... she put on a LOT of weight and I had
to switch her to Ken-L-Ration as its much lower in saturated fats and
calories.... I'm happy to say she's back to her old svelte self now and
man oh man can she fetch a stick!
John

hobcobble... LMAO....either your wife doesn't read this forum...or she IS a definite keeper

GORDON...my two older sons text me when communicating an idea or response that doesn't require and immediate response.

example...my second oldest is here in MI for a 2 wk vacation from CA and also for a bachelor party weekend. Today, Friday, he needed me to be a designated driver after a golf outing with the bachelor party group.

He texted me at 3:30 that the 4 pm pickup would be too early, go to 4:30, I texted back, so as not to possibly "ring" while someone was hitting the ball that I was in the bar at 4:10.

texting can save time when a discussion isn't needed.

[Gordon Maney]

hobcobble... LMAO....either your wife doesn't read this forum...or she IS a definite keeper

GORDON...my two older sons text me when communicating an idea or response that doesn't require and immediate response.

example...my second oldest is here in MI for a 2 wk vacation from CA and also for a bachelor party weekend. Today, Friday, he needed me to be a designated driver after a golf outing with the bachelor party group.

He texted me at 3:30 that the 4 pm pickup would be too early, go to 4:30, I texted back, so as not to possibly "ring" while someone was hitting the ball that I was in the bar at 4:10.

texting can save time when a discussion isn't needed.

I suppose you are right. What I question is the continuous use of texting and cell phones by kids to engage in essentially inane exchanges.

[712edf]

why they work those little fingers so well

I suppose you are right. What I question is the continuous use of texting and cell phones by kids to engage in essentially inane exchanges.

People, especially kids are generally social creatures, starved for attention & validation. They get this from peers through interaction with them via school, sports, phones calls & now texting. But its less riskier because rejection isn't as "up close" as when you get snubbed in person. Phone texting & internet forums as well have replaced the American front porch as to where we do our "bonding".

I miss those front porch days/nights. Technology killed them. First with air conditioning & refrigeration, then television, then computers & cell phones.

Third world countries still have a "tribal" or "family" set-up that I somewhat admire. Daily "physical" interaction with friends and loved ones on a multigenerational level.