buzz about twitter
I put myself under incredible pressure when putting together a new post for this blog. I spend ten times the amount of time I would normally put into an e-mail. I want it to be perfect, poetic, beautifully composed, a masterpiece. But each and every time, I end up posting my text, which doesn’t live up to my strict standards. This feeling of anxiety over blogging grows so much that I actually talk myself out of writing anything at all. And when I truly sit down and think about this behavior, I realize just how silly I’m being. I’m being silly right?
Sometimes I think I should try that twitter thing that everyone is talking about. Surely that pressure would feel about blogging would be alleviated by being forced to 140 characters per short-attention-span post. Sure, you’ve heard about twitter right? I doubt you could have missed it recently. It’s name is being bandied about in the news, your co-workers, your friends and relatives. It’s everywhere. And yet, I have never used it. Ever. Just like my aversion to MySpace and Facebook, I’ll probably resist Twitter to the very bitter end. But someday I’ll get on there. Lured in by someone – and I may even start my own. But for now, I’ll just keep on writing these long antiquated blog-like things.
In other news, I recently purchased “The Oregon Trail” for my iPhone. You’re probably wondering why I would spend $5.99 on an educational game. I think most of the kids who were in school 80′s and early 90′s are quite familiar with the original game on the Apple II.
For some of us, we had to suffer with just the monochrome green version of the game, but it sure was fun! I’m not sure I learned much from the game, but couldn’t wait for the “action” parts of the game where you actually got to hunt for animals. And of course, we always had someone die of dysentery along the way.
Oh, what a great game. And now, it’s been exhumed from it’s electronic grave, heavily updated and improved and released on yet another ground-breaking Apple device, the iPhone. And here is what it looks like.
Pretty cool, huh? I think I’m learning more with this version than I ever did with the old version.
With that, I bid you adeiu.
March 16th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Ben, I love hearing from you… don’t stop! I hear you about Facebook, MySpace and now twitter, which I am not really sure what it is exactly. I am not usually one to do things because others are doing it too, although, I started blogging because of you all, but that is different. I often run the other way when something is popular. I am proud to say that I have not even seen an episode of Desperate Housewives. The thing is, I get hooked on certain things, then they become popular, and because I am hooked I don’t want to give it up. Oh well, I try.
Oh my gosh! I sooo remember that game! Did we ever have that? or was it the schools that were the only ones who had it. I really feel like we had it though. I don’t know about the newly designed one. There are some things that were really good when they were old, and are best untouched. But, I can’t bash it until I see it I guess.
March 16th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Nope, we never did have Oregon Trail for any of our computers. I think it was initially only available for the Apple II computer. Anyway, the new iPhone version is quite an embellishment on the old version with several new subgames, and lots of new hazards and different quests. It’s good though!
March 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I think we had it! It had about 9 floppies or something….
I have resisted Facebook and other sites like that because I don’t think they would add to my life much. The whole blogging thing is hard because it is pushing you— that’s good! I am enjoying how blogging makes me think, focus, communicate in a cohesive manner. And it is fun.
Plus I don’t like the half sentences and talking in third person thing about Twitter.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:38 am
I don’t really know what twitter is. It sounds stupid. Not the act, just the name.