Learning Twitter

So I’ve recently started using Twitter after having set it up well over a year ago.  I never really understood it, at least how it would work for me.  Since then Twitter has gotten HUGE. There have been some Twitter scandals involving professional athletes and lots of other happenings with celebrities and the like.

Back in early June I became aware that this years World Series of Poker was underway and as I scanned the poker news websites that I’m familiar with I found that most poker players that I am a fan of update twitter often.  So I dusted off my twitter and added Gavin Smith, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, and a few others.  I set up Gavin to update my cell phone as well as www.pokernews.com.  This became very useful.

I still have no clue how to use #hashtags and I don’t know how to figure out a way to see if anyone out there has sent me a message using @jdesab if they aren’t someone I’m currently following.  I also need to figure out what lists are.  For now, the people I’m following numbers right around 40. 

I’ve also come to believe that next time I’m in a project management position I’m going to use twitter to keep in touch with my techs. I’ve skimmed some articles in the past written on tech republic about the usefulness of Twitter, yet until getting my hands dirty with it I really Wasn’t seeing it.  You can keep track of several people from one page.  Of course telephone conversation is still necessary for complex issues or help, but managing a team can be easier if they are simply tweeting their status from time to time.  Also, if you know that your team has your tweets delivered to their phone, you can disseminate information to large (or small) groups very easily.  I also think it’s even more useful as a tool in upper management.  What better way to play the role of a fly on the wall and see what sort of info is being passed among your front line supervisors and their team. 

There’s even more interesting possibilities for twitter.  As we move into more and more internet capable gadgets and appliance we can set up twitter updates from the most interesting things.  My friend Hans has hooked up his toaster to tweet when it begins and finishes toasting.  You can follow it here  http://twitter.com/mytoaster.  Hans has written an exceptionally interesting blog describing how he set his toaster up on twitter but also how this technology is a sign of things to come in the future.  I highly recommend taking a couple minutes and reading his blog. (click here)

I’m still learning and exploring but I really think this is a cool application. 

my twitter = www.twitter.com/jdesab

  

Another Political Email Debunked Muslim Postage Stamp from US Postal Service

 

Today I received an email letting me know that there’s trouble afoot. President Obama is selling us Americans, and our culture, out to those damned Muslims.  It seems that radical leftist bozo in the White House directed the Postal Service to create a stamp that commemorates a Muslim holiday. 

The email goes on to ask me to “adamantly and vocally boycott this stamp.” All that I have to say at the post office is “NO thank you, i do not want that Muslim stamp on my letters”. 

Further it goes on to name all of the horrible things that have been done by radical Muslims. 

For the record I’ll say that I don’t really like Muslims and to my way of thinking this is silly for our country to have this stamp available.  But, we’re a large country with diverse Cultures, I’m sure there’s many a Muslim walking around that will think it’s really cool that their country is acknowledging their culture.  The interesting thing here is that this emails real message is to watch out for that Obama bastard, he’s selling us out to the Muslims.  I decided to investigate the origins of this stamp and discover what role Barrack Obama played in bringing this stamp to the public. 

First, I must inform you, when you visit the post office, if you want one of these commemorative stamps you have to ask for it specifically.  Therefore, the need to ever correct the teller and refuse the stamp is alleviated. You would only ever get this stamp if you expressly asked for it.

Second, this 44 cent stamp went into circulation September of 2009.  However, the basic stamp design has been around over 9 years longer. 

This 34 cent stamp was originally issued August 1, 2001.  42 days before the bombing of the World Trade center.

Even more interesting, it was re-issued in October of 2002 as a 37 cent stamp. 

What’s very interesting about the October 2002 version, accompanying the issuance the White House posted the following item explaining the stamp.

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/ramadan/eidstamp.html

Obviously, George Bush thought it was ok to issue an Islamic themed stamp not once but twice, why is it a slight on Obama that it’s being issued again 8 and 9 years later? 

Look, the right puts a lot of effort into their emails.  I’m sure many of us get mad at those damn liberals all the time.  Wouldn’t it feel better to get mad over something that Obama truly has earned? 

As I said from the outset, I’m not excited about this stamp, but then again, I’ve never been excited about a stamp except for one time when a relative sent out Christmas cards that had their baby’s face where the postage stamp would go.  http://photo.stamps.com  You can breathe easy, this is not the dreaded final word that Barrack Obama is really a Muslim activist planted here to destroy our country. 

My advice to you when you see an email like this.  If it interests or angers you, go to www.snopes.com and paste the subject line into their search field.  If it’s bogus, more than likely snopes knows.  Before you forward, validate. 

 

Sources. 

www.factcheck.org

www.snopes.com