Twitter: Responders and Non-Responders

Ever since I was a child in the late 60s, early 70s, I'd see people on television and wondered who they were and how they lived. I used to wish that I could phone some of the kids I'd see on Hensons' Sesame Street and find out about their lives, for there to be some kind of two way conversation, instead of this one way thing which was happening.

Now we have internet, and I spend much of my time conversing with people from all over the world, Some I met in meat space and others I met in the virtual space, and I consider some of these people very close friends who I've met and gone out with and will again in the future.

The latest two way street is Twitter, which has been unfairly treated by some, embraced by others... what's new there?

But some people treat Twitter as though it's a one-way medium, I've had regular tweets from @petshopboys about where they're going, what they saw, they include regular photos and in general they're fairly entertaining... but they never respond, which makes me wonder if they're really in touch with their fan base or is it just "one of their guys" twittering for them, as a form of advertisement.

Even people at our ABC don't respond, not one "Hello mate, how's it going?" or "Yes thanks, I'm ok" or "Thanks for following me, I appreciate it"... dead silence.

Look, I know there's people out there with literally thousands of followers, but I know what people are like, most people get online and are happy to merely read, which may explain why one US Actor has over a million followers, but there are the talkative ones like myself who would appreciate a response.

Nobody is so flat out with work or anything else, not to respond with a wink or a nod, if they are, what the hell are they on twitter for in the first place?

I've made this media, my media, and I try to spare the time for those who want to talk to me, and find things out, or if they need help, I'll try and help them, just like I do on Secondlife, it never hurts to make time to show others that yes, you're a real person.

There are exceptions to the rule, one is @doctorkarl who surely must be one of the busiest people around, He will respond to peoples' questions, even if he doesn't have the answer.

My respect for him has increased, simply because by responding, He's shown that he's a real person, and a genuinely nice one at that, Thanks Karl.

I've decided to not follow people from now on who don't respond, however if you take the first step and send me a hello and let me know you're real, I'll definately reply, if I like you, I'll follow you, that simple.

Wolfie!

I can't get behind that!

The Pirate Bay

You know what happened, if not, google "The pirate bay", There's no need for me to talk about what so many others have already been talking about thousands of times over.

It was difficult to believe that many of my friends had not heard of The Pirate Bay.

"The guys from the pirate bay were arrested" I began
"The what?" Replied My friend.
"What, don't you know what The Pirate Bay is?" I'd ask.

This went on quite a few times last night, and these friends really know their internet, I was astonished.

But now it's all over the place, how could anyone fail to not hear the news now? and furthermore, once people do understand what it's all about, won't they want to try it for themselves?

Yes, The big companies who took the fellows from TPB to court, have effectively shot themselves in the foot, they've given TPB the biggest and best advertisement they could ever hope for, so more people than ever before will be trying TPB and other torrent sites, These companies will lose millions over the next month without doubt.

And here's a thought, Advocates of file sharing will say that companies are ripping people off. Well... I was around when CDs were brand new, and people were just starting to buy them.

I remember reading a complaint from music buyers about how vinyl albums were about $15 Australian, while the same album on a CD cost $30.

A record company head said that once LPs were phased out and everyone was buying the new format, then the price would drop in comparison to an LP.

They didn't drop, they never did.

Even though CDs were cheaper to manufacture than LPs.

In my own opinion, no product which is sold on CD is worth $30AU, and that includes software such as photoshop.

Thing about it, an artist worth millions, like Michael Jackson can write music, book studio time, the best musos, the best producers, and yet a Music CD will sell for $30AU, while software sometimes sells for upwards of $500?

Seriously, if everyone had bought and paid for their software, I feel most of what we call the internet would look vastly different than it does now, don't you think?
Afterall, many people who have produced art and video for the internet have done so with pirated copies of Photoshop and Premiere, without that software, much of the content you enjoy reading and watching, would be missing.

One final thing: Twitter is going mad, literally, over this... Set your tweetdeck to search for "Pirate bay" and you'll get at least one message per minute, out of all those messages, nobody is for the big companies, nobody.

Wolfie!

Bad bikkies

Being cocky never helps.

I had made about four lots of cornflake bikkies, and all have been really good. But tonight I tried it again, and had a bit of a failure.

I know what I did wrong, and that was to make the mixture a bit too sloppy by adding too much milk. and I got this sort of fruit slice mess which covered the whole tray.

What might have been ok was if I could have sliced it up and put the slices in a jar to eat at leisure, but when I tried to lift it, it all broke up into tiny pieces.

It's edible, although a bit on the sweet side, so perhaps I added too much sugar too.

Ahh well, even mum had the odd failure with cakes and bikkies, will do better next time, I'm glad Gordon Ramsey wasn't there to see it. ;)

In Bed

I was watching my avatar sitting up in bed, sometimes it's as though he's thinking his own throughts, and I wonder what they might be. Yes I know he's not real, but he's an extension of my soul, and as strange as it might sound to some, I care about the little guy.

Wolfie is who I am, who I've probably always been. But I can't change my shape in real life. I can present myself as my inner self to people in secondlife.

This real life version of me, what people see, isn't me... I'm imprisoned inside a human body.

And the game they call "real life" is not my game, I don't fit there, I feel wrong, and I'm not comfortable talking about my feelings with others as much as I can do online.

Real Life isn't as great as it's cracked up to be, people are having a real hard time out there, losing loved ones, getting awful news, witnessing tragedy and winding up in hospital.

I worry about what might happen if I was cut off from secondlife and my Wolfie, I think I'd fall into a well of depression, it would be a hard loss. How would I express myself like that anymore?

Sure, there are other virtual worlds, but when you look at them, they're mostly not user created, and there are no furries there.

I would have no interest in other virtual worlds if I "had to be" a choice of about five basic styles, I have a Human body now, it's the very thing I wish to escape.

I made a video of my avatar just laying in bed, which I'll make a nice video from, He looks at peace.

Wolfie!

Zapping

Zapping from Aritz Aizpurua on Vimeo.

For a growing population

"Use less energy, because our large population is using more and more"
"Take public transport, Because our roads are full of people"
"We need more roads", Our Hospitals are full, use energy efficient bulbs.... But have more kids?

WTF!

The population is the *cause* of all our problems, can't anyone see that but me?

What's really sad is the push to increase the population because we're getting older, really.
How many of those kids are going to be health care workers? Did YOU become a health care worker?
How many people do YOU (dear reader) know, became a health care worker to care for the elderly who exist now?

And finally, will the next generation we're encouraged to pump out (with a $3k payment) have some magic ability not to age themselves? or will they get conned too and end up having to live in 1m x 1m square rooms because there's no more room left... for them? the sad buggers who won't have room for nature as every last inch will be built on, and where pets will be banned due to lack of room and food.

It's completely insane.

Forget marriage, get a dog.

Wolfie!

The bush

A Poem about a sad day, written by Artfox Daviau

so finally its come this devastating day
Eight years of peace and silence and of dread
I'm sorry for the wattlebirds cannot defend
their home now gone perhaps their babies dead

I knew the block next door already sold
and slowly fell into developers hands
and all the lorikeets now gather scared
avoid at distance the harsh shouts of men

"Ok i will go up and and take a look
it seems to me it wants to fall that way"
it doesnt want to fall at all you silly man
it wants to stand and wear the light of day

"might have to take that off pete
for if it falls it can get stuck"
its in the physics that they ply their trade
they care so little for the pools of shade

"its time to drop that spotty"
"can fell these two down there
and run a rope to guide their path
falling through the air"

"yeah we simply pull that over mate"
"no worries mate it will be fine"
"we need to lop that stringy so we can
freefall the ironbark along that line"

i could not save you, made it worse
another fell because i said
a lone survivor isolated on its own
that spotted gum becomes a danger now

So wonder friends at why resistance
here was made, a minor matter in the shade
"no sir you cannot use my diveway, nor to park"
if this is all I've left, my point is made

And now i cry for what has gone
yes some are left, but how the bush is torn
and here lies littered on the forest floor
these mighty trees are down, they live no more

saw them resisting, branches catching hold
refused to fall they way that they were told
the kookabuura makes his point and shakes his coat
his laughing stops as if caught in his throat

so now the sun comes through
and so much hotter summers come
and warm the winter, yet the bush
gone cold quiet in a once nice home

I'll see the moon come gliding past the trees
that still remain.
perhaps i'll mount my telescope
and see the stars again

my trees remain upon my block of land, and still
a towering spotted gum o'erhangs my roof
the bush lies closest at my very door
an island paradise where i can save just four


And a second:


They know, you see
They hear the wind and smell the sea
They know, so long before it appears
the storm approaching ever nears

They know, the lull
That pause before the storm, they cull
Their finished leaves, they float them down
To pool around, to spread across the ground

They know, maybe they smell the air
Perhaps they also hear the crackling there
They drop their branches in the hush
Awaiting patiently the burning brush

They know, they never fear
The loss, they never shed a tear
They realise, all they have they give
The greater gift, the more the chance to live

© Artfox 2009 (all rights reserved)

The Athiests Compass

A Great episode of Compass, the religious discussion show, was on ABC recently, about what Athiests believe. You can watch it here

Wolfie!

Life On Line #4

Life On Line #4, 010409
Uploaded by stevecropper