I grew up in a good location, that is, I grew up in an area where the regional newspaper was also one of the finest newspapers in the world – the Washington Post. Weekends as a kid were largely filled with fighting over the Sunday paper, typically for the comics section, but as I grew up I began to read more and more the paper – save for the sports section, I never could care enough to read that. But, the Washington Post was always a part of my life.
It's Just Like Home, Only Way Minimal
When I joined the Army and moved to Georgia, I kept up with the WaPo through the internet. As I moved, I kept my ties to the paper through a string of usernames, able to find reliable news regardless of geographic location. As a cadet at West Point, when we were forced to maintain a New York Times subscription, I still kept up with the Washington Post online.
But now I’m back in Virginia. I live at the edge of the Post’s delivery area – albeit outside of the primary area and thus not eligible for discount rates – and despite the recent spate of newspaper closings, I am going to support my favorite dying medium in hopes that I can do my part to stave off the inevitable for just a bit longer. I can only afford Sunday delivery now, but hopefully when this recession finally breaks, I can move back up to paper a day.
It appears that, with the exception of having Thursday off for New Year’s Day, the holiday season has officially ended for me and mine. Though, it didn’t quite feel long enough. The trip north took up a week or so, and driving left me in need of a vacation to recover from my vacation. But it was good to get out, to relax, and to finally meet several of my friends from Twitter.
But, now that 2008 – which somehow managed to fly by and feel incredibly long in retrospect – is leaving us, it’s time to look ahead to 2009. I’ve never been one to assign a false list of ideas or resolutions to a coming year, but I am finally settling into a solid working schedule, and so I can slowly tick of items from my mythical “To Do” list.
Here’s a peek at what’s to come:
Resources – I’ve slowly started to compile a list of resources for writers here on my website, things that writer’s often find themselves needing. These run the gamut from rules of thumb, quotes on the industry, articles that I’ve found, and a few pieces of compiled works.
One such work – a list of word count page estimates – is already online in bare bones form. The second major undertaking is a Writer’s Dictionary, a compilation of words and acronyms used to describe, critique, and sell writing.
Links and Reads – Instead of offering up a blog roll, I have instead chosen to include my daily reads on a separate, static page. This helps give the links better oomph in Google, and for the SEO fans out there, allows me to link to sites I read with keywords. Recently, I’ve found about a dozen or blogs that I ported into Google Reader and need to thus include in that page. My reading list tends to stick with industry-related blogs, dealing with general and copy writing, but also the business end – that of the lit agents and editors. It’s by no means complete or authoritative, but it’s growing daily.
In black, of course
Video – For Christmas I received that which I really wanted (at Kelly’s suggestions) – a Flip Mino HD. I also secured a tripod (also at Kelly’s suggestion), and with the help of Kino (an FOSS video editing solution), I plan to start doing short video pieces on a regular basis.
I am currently leaning towards Vimeo for video hosting, but I’m also considering Seesmic and will probably play around with both. If anyone has any suggestions (other than the YouTube), or preferences, I am open to hearing them.
Let’s face it, I am terrible at doing just one thing at a time. When one thing does overcome me, it does so with absolute authority, pushing everything and everyone, out. It’s a kind of laser focus that can be dangerous, the death of interpersonal relationships. So, I try and play the field when it comes to sidework, lest I become too invested.
But, as the death of one of my primary project has happened, I have already started to move on. This time, I am returning to the world of fiction, and thus I am returning to my first true love.
It’s a homecoming of sorts, the first time I have really sat down with the intentions of writing longform fiction in many months. My life has settled somewhat, with the great upheavals threatening to be emotional, rather than physical, and so I feel that I am actually in a decent spot to focus again on the written word.
The first such project is progressing nicely through the planning stages, a sign that I no longer write as compulsively as I once did. Or perhaps that I have learned that a well crafted, tight plot is nonnegotiable. Either way, the format is what is important here, and that is a comic. No, I am not going to be drawing. That responsibility is resting with my good friend Mumah. The story is slowly coming to form, and over this vacation we’ll be sharing notes and working things out. Suffice it to say, this project is the equal and opposite reaction to writing such sterile and polite pieces for work. That is, it’s brutal, it’s offensive, and it’s a tremendous outlet.
The second project is one that is more difficult to write, and one that I am less willing to discuss at this juncture. The medium will be long format writing, albeit in both print and electronic versions. The genre is modern lit, and it’s the subject matter that really intrigues me. As this project develops, I’ll include more information on it here, and as some of it is electronic, some of it will be introduced online in real time.
Take from that what you will. I’ll simply take that it feels good to be creating again.
Information on these projects will be on the Projects page shortly.
It was sometime in the past few days when I realized that I am embarking on the first vacation longer than a four day weekend since perhaps getting out of the Army. In the many years since then I have kept myself busy, typically balancing several side projects while maintaining at least one job and occasionally school.
But today marked the first day off, of nine. No work, at least not in the paid kind. It’s hard to come to mental grips with, shrugging off the rhythm of life that I’ve grown accustomed to, and as sure as one would expect, I was awake early this morning – weekend be damned. I fought the urge, and managed to roll back over. Sleep came as sleep is wont to, that is, sleep came in fits.
I woke up before my girlfriend, sliding out of bed and grabbing pants without waking her. I made it into my office, checked my email and the news online before popping out for a smoke and settling onto the couch for some quality time with the television.
I had grabbed a couple of movies the night prior, and wanted to get back to watching those, but settled instead for a bottle of Coke and a rerun of Law and Order on TNT.
The girlfriend woke up an hour or two after I did, the footsteps of our neighbor, or as we refer to him – the Elephant Upstairs – too loud for her to continue. The two of us hung out in the living room until she had to go to work. I managed to make my way through both of the movies from Friday night before she had to go to work.
We swung downtown together, and I came back home. Mother called, she’s excited about us coming into town and wanted to discuss sleeping arrangements. I brushed her off after a few minutes, I hadn’t eaten yet today and had a box of fried chicken and a six of Long Hammer waiting for me.
I tried to sit on the couch, but quickly grew bored with that. I shifted instead to my office and watched a movie. But, it wasn’t long before I settled down to what I realized I have to do on my vacation.
I popped open a couple of document windows and started working. So far, day one hasn’t been too bad. I just wish I could shake this black cloud from over me.
There is an oft repeated phrase amongst those who give advice on writing and maintaining a blog. That bit of advice is to capitalize on the law of large numbers, something which is really only economically feasible online. More specifically, that advice is to limit the topic of a blog as much as possible.
This theory makes a lot of sense. I subscribe to it, and I even pointed this out in a round-about fashion in a post sometime ago regarding lit-nerd-core – a musical sub-genre so specific that it can only appeal to a statistically minute audience. The upside is, of course, that working in such a limited genre will strike a chord with such precision that audience which is eventually attracted will be passionate and loyal.
As turn about is fair play, I can ask this own question of my writings here, about my blog. Am I writing a vanity blog merely here to showcase what I believe to be my talents? Yes, to a point. But more so, am I also keeping to that “oft repeated phrase”, that bit of advice that I abide by the Law of Large Numbers? And if so, how does that jibe with the inherent vanity of operating a blog under one’s own name?
That answer is a bit more complicated. You see, despite the bredth in overt topics in the majority of my blog posts, there is one overbearing theme that is typically represented, that is the attention to story. While I do maintain that my website is a website about writing, and about a writer, the primary core of my content is about story – I just typically strip genre out of that.
After all, television is a fine medium for telling a story, that’s how it started, and even reality television attempts to keep with that trend. I’ll assert that reality television often does a tragically blunt job at doing so, but there is story there. Even in the recurring Monday pieces, the Water Cooler Talking Points, there is the element of story. For what is the “news” but stories of the world.
Despite the relatively wide variety of topics, talking about story is an effort to keep to an older maxim than appealing to the Law of Large Numbers, and that is that no writer can exist in a vacuum. The phrase is typically used to say that a writer must indeed read, but was likely birthed in an era when reading was the primary method, other than oral traditions, in which a writer could observe others telling a story. Today, we are much more blessed. We have numerous genres, and they are able to be interwoven with such ease that “literature” can flourish outside of the pages of books.
I would, of course, be remiss to say that this is the only reason I will blast out a two-thousand word missive on any number of topics. Staying in practice is a wonderful motive, and as I spend the majority of my day writing marketing copy, I often yearn to let my fingers run wild and bang out a piece of what passes as journalism today. This also falls into another old bit of overused writing advice, that of “write what you know.”
As I’ve worked as both a screenwriter and an entertainment journalist, these pieces easily fall into the “what I know” category. As does the current event pieces, a means of adding to experience by observation and empathy. By that logic, however, the invisible connecting thread of story is also something I know, for I’ve been writing those for as long as I can honestly recall.
So, there is a method to my madness, I just choose to keep that method a little out of the way, a little less obvious. In a age where every argument must be summed up in a soundbite, I’m choosing to nuance. Or madness. The two might just be closer than we imagine.
As the winter shifts beyond the holiday season, the networks and cable channels roll out their new crop of television shows in what is affectionately known as the midseason. Typically starting in January and rolling through March, we the viewing audience are given numerous new and familiar properties. Out of the hundreds of potential series produced during pilot season, a scant few are picked up for an initial run. Out of those, most won’t survive the initial season. Here’s a look at what’s new, what’s returning, and what, in my opinion, is worth keeping.
The New Stuff
December
Leverage – TNT – Dec 7
The cable channel which seemed to specialize in Lonesome Dove made-for-tv movies spun off into producing their own content a few years ago with the Closer. Saving Grace was added to the lineup a season or two later, and this year TNT is bringing two new dramatic properties to the mix in an attempt to cement themselves as a channel with original content. The first such show is Leverage.
The gang from Leverage
Flexing an ensemble cast with Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton in the principle role, the pitch is rather simple. Take the team of specialists ala Mission: Impossible (the show), add the youth of the Mod Squad (again, the television show), the A-Team’s philosophy of helping the little guy, and toss in a modern anti-corporate (or anti evil corporations) mission set, and you’ve got the gist of the show.
Leverage has the distinct advantage of being the only new series this midseason which I’ve actually seen prior to deadline, so my opinion is based on experience rather than educated speculation. And my verdict? I like it. It’s a solid show. And it has a lot of room to grow. Timothy Hutton earned my respect with his role in the woefully overlooked series Kidnapped, and he brings the same chops to Leverage.
The characters, so far, are largely foils to Hutton’s more developed mystery. Most of the crew are bringing only minor pieces of their past, typically represented through actions (a sign of strong writing), but the showrunners have given themselves strong foundations to work with. The plots have been predictable, yet enjoyable – the show provides clues in a manner that abides by its own logic – that is to say it’s not all grit and reality, but the Leverage rules agrees with the setting in which they are presented. For those who like a good mystery, you can typically predict the ending. However, the characters are presented in such a way that I found myself pulling for them.
And lest this seem like a guy’s show – the girlfriend has quickly become a fan. She joined halfway through the pilot, was interested in the second episode, and is looking forward to the third tonight. This ranks as one of the few shows that we can watch together and both enjoy.
Verdict – Set the season to record.
January
Lie to Me – Fox – Jan 21
It’s CSI minus blood splatters and LVPD plus private contractors times behavioral analysis. And I’m probably not going to watch it. While the premise seems to such metaphorical concepts such as “truth”, I have a strong feeling that this series is going to be a reskinned House or Bones. Or, to put it another way, it’s a formula.
Verdict – I like Timothy Roth, so I might do an episode or two. Who knows, maybe Fox can commit to an actual serial drama other than 24…
Trust Me – TNT – Jan 26
TNT’s second new property this year stars Tom Cavanagh and Eric McCormack (the guy from Ed and the guy from Will and Grace, respectively) star as two best friends who work at a high power Chicago advertising agency. The play is that McCormack is the workaholic familyman art director and Cavanagh is the creative, single, and likely manic copywriter. Despite being friends, they are an obvious odd couple, and those odds come to a head when McCormack gets a promotion that makes him his Cavanagh’s boss.
Labeling itself as a drama filled with witty banter, this looks like it’s going to be a more modern version of Mad Men, and walks a tough path in that shadow. I’m forced to wonder how the series will do without the booze, broads, and smokes that made advertising seem interesting in the 1950s. Though, Cavanagh did impress me with his work on the failed CBS vehicle Love Monkey, and the two characters he played bear a strong resemblance on paper. If we’re in for a repeat performance, this show could have me watching religiously.
Verdict: I’m in for at least the first three episodes.
February
Dollhouse – Fox – Feb 13
Dolls apparently are also models
For a show that’s still two months out, this one has been garnering a lot of buzz. And with a name like Joss Whedon prominently attached, there’s a reason why. Whedon has fans by the bucket after creating properties like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefox. His fans might not be the biggest in number, but they are very, very vocal. And they’re mad about the show being given a dead slot – Friday evening. They have reason to be, given the networks’ reliance on the very flawed Neilson rating system. However, this is the age of the DVR.
The plot of the Dollhouse is similar to a point to the recently pulled NBC drama My Own Worst Enemy in that it follows a set of agents (Actives or “Dolls”) who have their minds wiped and imprinted with mission critical materials. The drama comes into play when the protagonist, Echo (Eliza Dushku), starts to become self aware. The Dolls operate off the radar and are supposedly being hunted by a Federal Agent.
The plot itself holds a lot of merit, and like Whedon’s prior properties, this one has real potential for a balance of character and action. The real make-or-break for this show will be whether it drifts into cheesy territory, and whether Fox wrests creative control away from Whedon and Co like they did with Firefox.
Verdict: I’m watching, though with some reservations. If the plot or dialogue drifts towards high school, I’ll likely leave.
March
Kings – NBC – Mar 19
Although NBC’s promotional department is playing this one close to their chests, it has attracted Deadwood noteable Ian McShane as the titular King. Set in a modern, or slightly futurist setting, the story is supposed to focus on the story of a small town boy who somehow get’s mixed with the ruling powers of a totalitarian state. It doesn’t sound simple, and the plot get’s even more convoluted when you factor in that the pilot was written by Heroes vet Michael Green and is a loose retelling of the Biblical story of David. Whether we’re getting David vs. Goliath, or David as Badass King, isn’t yet known. Here’s a video, so you can start to piece together your own conclusions.
Verdict: My interest is piqued, and I’m reserving judgment until I get to see the pilot.
Beyond or Undated
Blue Blood – NBC – The true story of a Harvard educated man turned cop. Action-drama.
Verdict: Meh.
Courtroom K – Fox – It’s another legal show, but unlike the myriad procedural dramas out there. This one is a comedy. I guess most people are now too young to remember Night Court.
Verdict: Has some decent names attached to it. Will need more information to actually pass judgement.
Harper’s Island – CBS – Apr 9 2009 – A murder is loose on a small island near Seattle. The plot is basic, and if done with care, could provide some really intense storylines. Jeffery Bell is the showrunner (writer-producer) and he’s got a pretty decent pedigree with Alias, the X-Files and the short lived Day Break. Yes, he wrote for Angel, but I’m not going to hold that against him. Jon Turteltaub, of Jericho, is the show’s Executive producer. Hopefully CBS can bear through the initially low ratings and let these two build a good solid story.
Verdict: Looks interesting. On my “To See” list.
Man of Your Dreams – NBC – half hour comedy (we used to call them sitcoms) about a bartender dispensing love lessons. Set in Chicago, expect lots of attractive people, contrived situations, and me not to be watching. I like Michael Trucco on Battlestar, but not enough to start following a sitcom. I do not like the 22 minute canvas.
Verdict: Sorry Michael, I’m skipping this one.
Merlin – NBC – It’s Camelot, but inspired by 21st Century storytelling? Can anyone make any sense out of that? Seems to be it’s the King Arthur story meets the OC. I don’t know if I’m down for that. And NBC is playing around with the premier time, it’s slated for Sundays at 9pm. Which Sunday it starts on, well, that’s anyone’s guess.
Verdict: I’ll be surprised if this makes it to the air. And I’ll most likely skip it.
Outnumbered – Fox – In the promo material, Fox admits that the family sitcom is “staid”, and rightly so. Though in the same breath they promise that this is a new take. Their pitch is the improv of Curb Your Enthusiasm meets the life of Malcom in the Middle. And if they could pull that off, it would be great. How exactly does Fox do this? Well, they’re doing the tried and true and remaking a show from the UK.
One huge advantage that this show has? Ken fucking Marino. Yup, in the age where every comedian is pulled from the Daily Show, Fox is going old school and grabbing talent from the State. And they’re better for it. If Ken improvs a “I wanna dip my balls in it” line, I will DVR the entire season.
Verdict: I’m pulling for this show, but I don’t think the odds are too high. Even with Ken Marino.
Animated Characters over Real Backgrounds...okay
Sit Down, Shut Up – Fox – Still under a working title, this animated project has drawn some rather large names – Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Will Forte, Cheri Oteri, and the freaking Fonz (Henry Winkler) and that’s just for the voices. The writing is being taken up by Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development) and the team of Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men). On the talent pool alone, this looks like a real winner. But Fox is quite fickle about the animation it chooses to show. Hopefully they won’t dumb this one down to keep it on the air.
The setting is a high school in a small, northeastern fishing town. Judging by the promo materials at Fox, the plots seem to be internal struggles and full of that modern insecurities and insanities that the writers are known for on their previous projects.
Verdict: It’s a keeper. Weird mix of animation on live sets aside, I am totally down for this show.
Summary
This year’s crop of television shows has some real potential, with some obvious risks being taken in the midseason that wouldn’t be done during the fall, but perhaps show too much potential for the summer. Granted, this type of scheduling is largely old hat due to the invention of the Internet. Leverage is a hands down winner, with several other shows – Dollshouse, Sit Down Shut Up, Kings, and Trust Me – showing potential. I have a strong feeling that, if allowed to grow, Harper’s Island could be a very intelligent thrill ride.
Check back tomorrow for the returning shows which have a permanent spot in my DVR, and to learn who’s on the bubble.
But wait, there’s more… here are the new shows that I will undoubtedly be skipping:
Chopping Block – NBC – Oh look, another cooking reality TV show.
The Goode Family – ABC – Mike Judge is at it again. This time he’s not lampooning Texas suburban living (King of the Hill) or teenage metal heads (Beavis and Butthead), nope, this time it’s being morally correct. The Goode Family tries to do good liberal things, but the consequences are such that comedy will certainly ensue…
The Listener – NBC – Mind-reading paramedic. Did you hear me just sigh?
Mama’s Boys – unscripted by Ryan Seacrest (I just puked in my mouth)
Salavage & Swords: Lives on the Line – both NBC – Look, I have the Discovery Channel. I have lots of Discovery Channels, in wonderful HD. Let’s leave the fishing/ocean shows there.
Superstars of Dance – NBC – While really just a mini-series-event, this is the show that’s bumping Chuck and Heroes for January. It’s supposed to be a more global version of Dancing With the Stars, what is will be is something I refuse to watch.
Top Gear – NBC – Another British important, and one that’s been on TV for 30 years. I don’t know if NBC is attempting to remake the show, or will simply begin to air the BBC series outright. Either way, I won’t be watching.
Unholy Union – ABC – okay, that’s not the name of the show, it’s a comment on the premise of what is still being billed as the “Unnamed Ashton Kutcher / Tyra Banks Project.” I think my title aptly sums up not only how I feel about the show, but also about the principles.
Justin (RobotPoet) and I were giving thought to tuning into Olbermann tonight just to see how he’ll respond to the Bush-Shoe-tossing debacle of the weekend. However, knowing the show, I have a feeling it’ll go something like this:
“This is how you’ll be remembered, this is your legacy. You are so hated by the people that you lied, and killed to liberate that they greet you with perhaps the worst of their cultural insults. This, Mr. Bush, this is how you’ll be remembered. Not as the decider. Not as a liberater. Not as the man who stood on the flight deck of that air craft carrier and smugly announced mission accomplished. No, Mr. Bush, this is how you’ll be remembered. As someone to throw shoes at. I’m Keith Olberman signing off on this, the 400,921st day since declaring Mission Accomplished. Good night, and good luck.”
Who throws a shoe?! In his farewell visit to Iraq, the person now known as “still President” Bush was greeted by a shoe-tossing journalist. In many parts of the world, the showing of a shoe is an insult, even when done accidentally. The hurling of shoes is considered a very large insult, and was even done to an effigy of the American president not too long ago. However, we in the West have a slightly different reaction to shoe-tossing. To quote Austin Powers, “That really hurt! I’m gonna have a lump there, you idiot! Who throws a shoe? Honestly! You fight like a woman!” Had still President Bush utter that phrase, he could have ended his second term on a high note.
In related news, it took the Secret Service several seconds to respond to the shoe thrower. Despite being in a controlled environment, like a private, heavily guarded room, you’d think they’d have a bit more control over their principle.
Unlike his hair, Blago's ethics are not bullet proof
gBay At the time of publishing this, Blagojevich (blah-go-jeh-vitch) has yet to resign from office despite requests to do so from just about everyone. He did reportedly spend about 8 hours buddied up with a high price Chicago defense attorney. For those out of the loop, foul mouth, Trump-coifed governor of Illinois is accused of a plethora of nasty allegations from attempting to sell President-elect Obama’s vacant Senate seat to attaching strings to money for hospitals and newspapers. And, I heard he called your mother a nasty name. Everyone kinda suspected that Blago was dirty, so the FBI got warrants (which they still apparently do on occasion) and bugged the hell out of him. The results? Incriminating evidence that would make a sailor smile with pride. This dude can swear. In fact, if he resigned by saying “That’s it, I fucking quit,” I don’t think too many people would be surprised.
While still President Bush was touring his wars, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was all over the subcontinent using strong words like “The time has come for action, and not words.” The Prime Minister is shuttling between India and Pakistan in the hopes to ease tensions between both nations following the Mumbai terror attacks of a few weeks ago. Prime Minister Brown is also attempting to insert the UK into the information loop as he noted that about 75% of the serious terror plots investigated in Britain originated in Pakistan.
Thailand’s got a new Prime Minister! Abhisit Vejjajiva, the 44 year old, Oxford education man was formerly the opposition leader. With a vote of 235 to 198 he beat out the old national police chief PRacha Promnok for the job. It’s a big move for Thailand, which has had its share of corruption and partisan politics for the better part of 7 years. You might recall that the protests of the current, sitting government got so bad recently that the national airports in Bangkok were closed for two weeks. It’s a big, democratic step.
In entertainment news – The Day the Earth Stood Still – a remake of one of the most powerful science fiction “message” films ever, took the top spot at the box office. Granted, the film did go through some updates. Keanu Reeves now plays the stiff alien-in-human-guise. And instead of being an anti-nuclear war, bring the world together movie, this one is purportedly about the environment. I say purportedly, because apparently that message fell drastically short. Not that I saw the movie, nor do I have any interest in doing so.
Don’t forget to stick around this week for my “Midseason Television Spectacular!” and the continuation of my Twitter feature as well as a bit of insight into my two fiction projects.
The question “Are you on Twitter?” is quickly becoming one which should be answered with a “yes” by anyone on the connected side of the digital divide. Though the service is just over two years old, the depth and capabilities of the network are such that overlooking them should be seen as a detriment to one’s own ability to operate online. But why? What’s all the big fuss about?
Neither a Blog Nor a Social Network
While Twitter is billed as both a microblogging service and a social network, it really is neither of these. Though Twitter can be lumped into either role with some amount of luck, it’s actually closer to a new communications medium – like email it can deliver written messages individually or en masse, yet the messages are maintained online in a searchable, permanent manner – like a web page. Twitter fills in as an important role, one which is supplemented by it’s portability, plugs the gaps between a quick text message or phone call to a friend and a full blown blog post; Twitter means that the message is never really out of reach, be it personal or professional.
Addressing the Flaws
Lore Sjoberg, blogger at Wired.com pointed out what he saw as Twitter’s greatest flaws months ago. Back then the service had already snapped up enough of the tech elite and early adopters to be draw considerable attention. To paraphrase, Lore saw two primary problems with Twitter: 140 characters is not enough to say anything interesting, and the primary question posed begs boring answers.
The Character Limit
Myself being a rather verbose writer, it’s amazing that I would come to disagree with Lore on the importance of the character limit. Lore feels that 140 characters is simply “not enough for really interesting postings, while being way too much for boring postings.” The reality seems to be that users learn that brevity truly is the soul of wit. Words are chosen more carefully, unnecessary word are eschewed, with the correct word being chosen to fill the role. To put it bluntly, Twitter distills content to the bare essentials.
The Question
Comic from PC Weenies
Taken at face value, the question “What are you doing?” is a silly one, and one that will always be answered with the some version of the same answer, “I was doing something, but now I’m twittering.” Yet, this is the question which Twitter sprang from – taking the concept of Facebook’s Status Message, and removing the rest of Facebook. This is, of course, the concept that Twitter was launched to fill – a means for people to constantly update their status, perhaps under the belief that those who live the most interesting lives would in fact win.
The Reality
Of course, this isn’t to say that Twitter is a bastion of witty quips which would make Hemingway smile. Quite the contrary, there is a great deal of inane and insignificant postings of which I am as guilty of supplying as any other on the service. But that doesn’t take away from Twitter, rather it seems to cement the service as viable, as real. As a collective whole, Twitter has become a giant conversation, and like all lengthy conversations, not everything is a gem.
The Value is Where You Find It
What has set Twitter apart, and what has made the service near-necessary is that it is a giant conversation. The number and variety of users means that someone, somewhere on Twitter is talking about or interested in something of personal value to you. Truly a first, Sean Bonner used the service to propose to his wife with the oh so romantic “So…um, wanna get hitched?” She said yes, by the way. Perhaps marriage isn’t your style. James Buck’s one word tweet certainly got the attention of his friends and followers, not to mention the international media. Sent from an anti-government protest he was attending in Egypt, James was only able to get out one word, Arrested, before being escorted from the protest by Egyptian authorities. His plea for help enabled his friends to alert the authorities, and allowed him to get back out of jail. And then there’s the out of this world, like when the Mars Phoenix program twittered the discovery of ice on the red planet. Or the on the ground reporting from Mumbai. Or from President-Elect Obama’s Acceptance speech. For a service so young, it’s been used in a lot of interesting places.
The Fastest Name In News
NPR's Andy Carvin
These are, of course, extremes. Twitter cemented itself as valuable for me during the Presidential Primary season. During perhaps the most important Presidential race of my lifetime, I was working evenings at UPS, and was thus cut off from the flow of political news. The folks at NPR, spearheaded by Andy Carvin, were actively tweeting results in real time. Because Twitter is built to leverage SMS technology, I was able to get real time updates to the results sent directly to my phone. No need to surf, no need to search, Andy and the crew at NPR simply sent out short dispatches showing the play by plays.
NPR isn’t alone in using Twitter as a news medium, either. The character limit, lauded as being too short for real content, is almost tailored for headlines – able to portray the essence of a story with a link to the greater contents. Focusing Twitter in this medium allows the service to be the most heavily staffed news source in the world, with everyone from casual bloggers to major news organizations funneling their content in. Due to the viral nature of twitter, with quality postings being repeated from user to user, a story can quickly grow legs, exponential legs.
A Two Lane Road
Unlike the traditional publishing paradigm, where news moves in a largely one way flow, Twitter facilitates communication equally in both directions. As Twitter largely decentralizes it’s publishing methods, this provides a rather odd sense of actual communication, breaking the Us/Them or Mainstream/New Media scenarios associated with content platforms like blogs or websites.
Franks's In Your Twitter, Reading Your Tweets
The result of this switch, when paired with how easy it is to creative a searchable live stream of content on Twitter, can be shocking, as many users have discovered when twittering about Comcast in frustration. I know I was caught of guard when one day, after a rather lengthy commute, I discovered that my cable was out and fired off a bitter tweet about Comcast into what I assumed was the void of the internet. Within moments I had a reply from a user called ComcastCares asking if they could help.
I’m not going to lie, at first I was bit disturbed that Comcast was addressing me directly, openly on Twitter. But after sitting back for a few seconds, I realized that this is actually what I wanted. I complained, and my situation was immediately addressed. The result, however, was so much more. I was able to put a face and name on Comcast, and suddenly found myself “not hating the Comcast as much.”
Frank Eliason, the Director of Digital Care for Comcast and the force behind the ComcastCares account, might not have been the first to use Twitter for this time of public relations work, but he is certainly one of the pioneers. Other companies are learning to make use of Twitter to actually engage their customers. And politicians are using Twitter to address their constituents. Once you get over the novelty of the idea – of issues actually being addressed in the open like on Twitter, the medium actually sells itself.
The Beauty is in the Simplicity
Twitter itself is not perfect. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for communication in the ultra-connected world. But it is a powerful platform that allows for myriad types of information. Between the casual bits of banter, ideas flow, not just down, but up. People are able to connect with others, easily, and in real time. The entire thing is so oddly democratic.
Hey! You made it! One holiday shopping weekend down, two to go. News this weekend was a bit slow, largely playing catchup with the rather harsh economic news that came out on Friday.
533K – Doesn’t really do the news justice, but that’s the number reported Friday morning for job loses. That’s not job loses in all of 2008, no, that’s jobs that were lost in just November. As the news was quick to note, that’s the biggest single month loss since December 1974.
2 million or 6.7% – It’s a recession! The folks at the National Bureau of Economic Review finished double checking all their facts last week, and it looks like we’ve been in a recession for a full year now. Adding in the 533k jobs lost in November, and the United States has lost over 2 million jobs, and our current unemployement rate is at 6.7% – no where near the 25% of the Great Depression, but it’s pretty large if you’re current out of work.
Bonus economic talking point – 12.5% – that’s the current underemployment rate, up from the 8% reported in October – the highest rate since the statistic was first tracked in 1994.
President-Elect Obama has started to tip his economic hand. He met with the nation’s Governors in Philly and there’s talk of largescale public works. The Washington Post said that this would be the largest such national infrastructure investment since Ike built the national highway system.
Obama’s use of public works certainly does make him look much more like FDR, and by contrast, Bush is looking much more like Herbert Hoover. This is important because apparently, calling people Hoover on Capital Hill is the new insult du jour.
The heads of the Big 3 returned to Washington, half the nation is for a loan, the other half is against a bailout.
In international news…
It looks like militants in Pakistan are borrowing from classical military doctrine and are attacking the NATO supply chain. It’s a damn effective tactic, just ask Napoleon or Hitler how Russia went. The latest attack was against a truck depot, which destroyed between 62 and 106 vehicles (reports are a bit mixed).
Image by Teacher Dude's BBQ (Flickr)
The youth are marching on the streets of Greece and they’re growing violent. The protests, which started peaceful, stem from a police shooting of a youth. However, reports are leaving Greece that Molotov Cocktails are being used against police, who are responding with tear gas. In places, Athens and Thessaloniki (that’s Greece’s second largest city) are named in reports while others are suggested, riots have sparked in pockets and lead to the destruction of private property and looting. Other than the killing which sparked the protests to begin with, no deaths have been reported. I’m awaiting confirmation from a friend in Thessaloniki.
From the Culture Desk…
It looks like Four Christmas took first place at the box office this weekend, giving people reason to think that movie goers would like to see mindless holiday comedies in times of economic down turn. As the movie took in a paltry 18 million dollars, I think the link is tenuous at best.
The RIAA has filed suit against a 19 year old from near Pittsburgh. While this doesn’t seem like news, the accused was not able to respond and judgment was passed against her. Her reason for not being at court? She has pancreatitis and was hospitalized to receive an islet cell transplant. I know the RIAA is the only business to actually sue their customers, but they don’t seem to pick very good ones to sue.
Speaking of the music industry, signs are pointing to Britney Spears’ new “album” debuting at #1 on the Billboard chart. It seems one sure fire way to stop piracy is to release music that’s not worth stealing. You go RIAA, you’ll show them pirates eventually.
And as we’re getting close to the end of the year, that can mean only one things – the Spring 2009 television season is right around the corner. Trailers have already started running for the January premiers and there’s a handful that I’m quite excited about. Expect to hear all about that.
If all that economic news got you down, here’s this week’s address from the President-Elect. He talks about some really bold moves, specifically getting computers and internet to more people.
season has officially ended for me and mine. Though, it didn’t quite feel long enough. The trip north took up a week or so, and driving left me in need of a vacation to recover from my vacation. But it was good to get out, to relax, and to finally meet several of my friends from Twitter.
There is an oft repeated phrase amongst those who give advice on writing and maintaining a blog. That bit of advice is to capitalize on the law of large numbers, something which is really only economically feasible online. More specifically, that advice is to limit the topic of a blog as much as possible.
TNT’s second new property this year stars Tom Cavanagh and Eric McCormack (the guy from Ed and the guy from Will and Grace, respectively) star as two best friends who work at a high power Chicago advertising agency. The play is that McCormack is the workaholic familyman art director and Cavanagh is the creative, single, and likely manic copywriter. Despite being friends, they are an obvious odd couple, and those odds come to a head when McCormack gets a promotion that makes him his Cavanagh’s boss.
Outnumbered – Fox – In the promo material, Fox admits that the family sitcom is “staid”, and rightly so. Though in the same breath they promise that this is a new take. Their pitch is the improv of Curb Your Enthusiasm meets the life of Malcom in the Middle. And if they could pull that off, it would be great. How exactly does Fox do this? Well, they’re doing the tried and true and remaking a show from the UK.
