The Power of Twitter (and Irony)

After spending more than a few minutes this past weekend and yesterday playing around with Twitter, I still wasn't seeing the allure. I understand how it can be used for networking as you can put in keywords such as "microbiologist" which brought up 5 tweets from just within the past 2 hours. Useful. But I wasn't seeing the real power of Twitter.

After taking yesterday off from work, I arrived at my desk this morning and started checking office emails. One was marked urgent.

I am in the television and radio advertising business, and many of you know. And there's a wee bit of irony in the fact that I handle a network that is no friend of the left, and I'm about as left as you get.

I had placed an ad campaign to start yesterday on that network. As is usually the case, I was given a list of networks on which to place a buy, along with the time period. I immediately recognized the time period as being a program which is ridiculed on an on-going basis for being extreme. I made a mental note to check with the account manager to see if she wanted to reconsider, and then promptly forgot.

The urgent email I received this morning was asking me to "get out" of said program. Apparently the client was getting bombarded with emails protesting their sponsorship of the program, and the Twitter was abuzz with noisy tweets after a blogger who specializes in protesting sponsors of this show had posted about it.

[I apologize for being intentionally vague about the specifics here but that link should shed some light on all this.]

My questions about the usefulness of Twitter, and its power, were answered.

While I was in the process of relocating the client's ads to other programming, I noticed another client which had been placed in the same time period yesterday by my backup. (This was an "oh shit!" kind of morning!) That campaign wasn't scheduled to start running until May 31. So I got that one moved out as well. I learn fast!

Much to my surprise, this additional client was also listed on that blog under the tab labeled "Remaining Sponsors." Since the television ad hasn't even started yet, I couldn't figure out why that client was on the list. I emailed the blog owner -- very discreetly using my konagod address -- to inquire.

Shame on me for being so focused on what I do -- primarily television advertising -- that I forget this guy also has a radio show and a website, both of which are being sponsored by this 2nd client. Kudos to the blogger for being as good and thorough as Maude Lebowski's doctor. But as I don't have anything to do with radio endorsements or website banners, I've done all I can to protect client #2 from the wrath of tweets.

Twitter suddenly has my respect and attention.

Your Monday Morning Direction

Is it wrong to be right?

Via.

David Letterman Is An Idiot

What the fuck indeed.

I come from the George Carlin school of comedy. He could make you feel uneasy about many things and it was often blunt, but it usually led to something enlightening. Not so with Letterman. This was so blatantly crass, I won't even put the video on my blog.

And that's saying something.

I'm proud to say I haven't watched Letterman in over 20 years. And counting.

And I have a personal message for the guy, if he's reading: Grow the fuck up.

3-D TV Excites Me Like a VHS Player

I don't always embrace new technology by bringing it into my home right away, but I do track new products and often find them exciting. I still haven't made the upgrade from my old outdated RAZR to an iPhone. As interesting as they are, I simply don't feel a need right now to use my phone for anything except phone calls, and even then I primarily have it for the convenience when out of the house, should the car break down or something like that.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that I have not the least bit if interest in the development of 3-D televisions. Zilch. Nada. I can't be alone in my feelings.

A full-fledged 3-D television turf war is brewing in the United States, as manufacturers unveil sets capable of 3-D and cable programmers rush to create new channels for them.

Many people are skeptical that consumers will suddenly pull their LCD and plasma televisions off the wall. Beginning at around $2,000, the 3-D sets will, at first, cost more than even the current crop of high-end flat-screens, and buyers will need special glasses — techie goggles, really — to watch in 3-D.

[...]

Anticipating this coming wave, ESPN said Tuesday that it would show World Cup soccer matches and N.B.A. games in 3-D on a new network starting in June, and Discovery, Imax and Sony said they would jointly create a 3-D entertainment channel next year. The satellite service DirecTV is expected to announce its own 3-D channels at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where every major television manufacturer is planning to announce 3-D televisions and compatible Blu-ray DVD players on Wednesday.

I can see where this would have major appeal with sporting events but aside from that, I can imagine hearing a great big flopping sound. Then there's the issue with needing glasses for the enhanced 3-D experience. I already wear glasses. Am I expected to get excited about needing a second pair just to watch a friggin' TV show?

Manufacturers have developed two technologies for 3-D glasses in the home. In so-called polarized glasses, which can cost under a dollar, each lens blocks a set of images transmitted in certain types of light. “Active” glasses, which are better suited for LCD screens in particular, have battery-powered shutters that open and close rapidly, so each eye sees different views of each frame. These glasses can cost up to $100, but television makers are expected to package at least two pairs with each monitor.

Do people really want another battery-powered gadget sitting on the coffee table which is already cluttered with five or six remotes? If this idea gets your techie juices surging, be my guest. I definitely won't be standing in your way at Best Buy when you go to make your big purchase.

Would the beer commercials be in 3-D? If not, would you get a headache from watching them with the glasses on? That could get annoying having to remove them at each commercial break. Even worse, what if some commercials were in 3-D and others not? This could get nauseating.

But wait, there's more! Sooner or later, we'd have the first 3-D infomercial. Oh, joy. Sorry, I'm just a 2-D kind of guy.

Thanks, But No Thanks

I'm a rambler and a gambler and a sweet talkin' ladies man I'll take my chances without corporate pollution injected into me.

Cause and Effect

Last night's post was a prime example of where I tend to go, rant-wise, after an extremely depressing day at work in which my emotional state shuts down my ability to function. Throw some alcohol in the mix and away we go!

But now that it's out there, let's really discuss this. What has Bill Maher said or done that really pisses you off? Feel free to provide links in comments.

As I said to a Facebook friend this morning, Maher may indeed be a douche. I generally agree with the guy politically, and although I don't catch every Real Time broadcast, I do get a few laughs from it.

That being said, Maher can come across as quite full of himself. And that little laugh he does after he makes a funny can grate on my nerves. But I just can't quite picture him as fauxgressive "misogynist, transphobic, disablist wankstain" based on comments in one television interview.

And by the way, my first-impression interpretation of his comments was that he was referring to the worst fears of Glenn Beck's fan base. Oh well, 6 million viewers are going to walk away with 6 million interpretations. That's life.

Dan Savage Makes Me Feel Good

Even if the message he conveys is disturbing.

Dan Savage commenting on the Republican Party during yesterday's Countdown: "...there are no adults left in the room..."

If you can find video of the entire interview, it's well worth watching. Here's another excerpt which had me screaming with approval.

Michele Bachmann is a religious extremist and a nut, and she‘s the kind of person who, once upon a time, the Republicans could count on her vote and her support for saner, more middle-of-the-road Republican candidates who could work with Democrats and who weren‘t bat crap crazy.

And now, she‘s the one who‘s in there and they‘re stuck with her and her extremism.

Or you can just read the show’s transcript.

Live Earth

This is so cool. I just went looking for something on television and saw a Dish Network channel (212) called Earth. Apparently it's been up since April 22.

Using a camera mounted on one of their satellites, they send these live views of our beautiful orb 24/7. How cool is that?

I just shot this photo about 15 minutes ago...

The Muffling of Billy Mays

Loud applause for California state Rep. Anna G. Eshoo for introducing H.R. 6209, the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act.

The bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to "prescribe a standard to preclude commercials from being broadcast at louder volumes than the program they accompany."

It is doubtful this will get any traction but what a glorious visual of Billy Mays being told to stuff a sock in his pie hole.

Fucking and Stinking

I hate this commercial and we've been seeing it a lot tonight. Hey, if stinking prevented fucking, none of us would be here.

Useless marketing ploy. Or as txrad put it far more eloquently than me, is it bad to "smell like a human?"

A Message to Food Network

How about devoting one show... ONE SHOW... to vegetarian cooking?

Hey, it's an idea, and you'll be hearing from txrad tomorrow via email with that very suggestion. No contests, no reality shows, just introduce a vegetarian cooking program.

Please. It'll be a hit.

I Think I'm Going Bald

They didn't do this in r30.

This best rock band in the world just might be Canadian.

Take a piece of my mind.

The Best Demo Reel

As txrad said tonight while watching this video yet again, it's the perfect demo reel for a job at Fox News. Barbara West of WFTV in Orlando should wear a large elephant lapel pin.

The Marxist bit really cracks my shit up.

Does she remember the bailout? Is she ignoring the upcoming bailout for the auto industry? This criticism of "spreading the wealth" needs to stop. It's a slippery slope.

It's what we do. We are America. Some of us prefer to spread it more equitably than others.

My Brain Has Gone Missing

I need a day off from blogging, as well as commenting on blogs, or even reading blogs. The workday has sucked out my brain and I must go in search of humor.

Paging Dr. Freud Bellows

They put the weirdest shittrillion on the internal nets.

Oops. Sorry for that financial residue typo.

Last Night of the RNC: Hooray!

My day at the orifice has been from hell. And we know konagod does not exaggerate. Ever.

So I'm just posting a pic from Witchay Woman via email of "Billo and the Turd Blossom" after not having time to even LOOK at my blog since last night! Whew!

Off to watch somebody give stimulating speaks from Saint Paul. More later no doubt.

Planet Green

I learned about a new cable network under the Discovery umbrella at work and tonight we're watching it.

There are some stupid wasteful people on the planet in case you didn't know. These people in the program we're watching tonight are classics. They do stupid shit like leaving the refrigerator door open while doing something else with something that came out of the fridge and will go back into it later. Why exert the effort to reopen the door four minutes later.

txrad says they are lazy and he is correct.

God, how can people be so stupid.

txrad just got some cheese out of the fridge to grate for the veggie burgers and he closed the door. I asked him why he didn't leave it open while he was grating cheese since he was going to put the cheese back in there. I got no response.

It's quite amazing just how stupid people can be.

Especially when they have a 9,000 square foot house. And eight modes of transportation for four people.

Jesus H. Christ.

Their fuel bill is about $15,000 per year! What the fuck? Oh, I need some chewing gum. Be right back. Seven miles for a one-dollar purchase. Go figure.

The News is SOOOO Good, I Need Higher Definition to Enhance My Appreciation

It's been about 31 months since I blew my anticipated $1500 HDTV budget on a big-ass 70-inch Sony tv which cost about five times as much. That's typical konagod. And in typical konagod procrastination, I'm just now getting around to upgrading my Dish Network service to an HD package. Here's the new dish.

I was a bit surprised to learn that we were not replacing our existing dish (which we still need for standard definition broadcasts), but we need a 2nd dish for the HDTV stuff. The old one is the one you can see in this next shot below -- the dish closer to the house, and the new one is installed on a post out by that tree left of center. Neither dish is really obnoxiously in your face -- especially not from the patio so I'm happy about that.

And boy, I can hardly wait to turn on the news tonight. It wasn't exactly a slow news day.

A barrage of bad news including yet another record high for oil drove stocks sharply lower Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 360 points to their lowest level in almost two years.

The market also worried about fresh signs of trouble in the financial, high-tech and automotive industries. Negative analyst comments sent shares of General Motors Corp. stock to their lowest point in more than three decades.

Oil futures shot past $140 after the head of OPEC predicted the price of a barrel of crude could rise well over $150 this year and Libya said it may cut oil production.

Are we having fun yet? That's enough to overshadow the latest 5-4 Supreme Court ruling. Hey, look on the bright side. As the situation continues to deteriorate, we can start blowing our heads off if necessary.

Here we go....

Vanna, I Can See Your Varicose Veins!

txrad just called me into the living room. He was really excited. We don't turn on local broadcast stations very often and since we have Dish Network instead of cable, and no local package (we don't even have the HDTV package from Dish Network yet), we rarely see HDTV.

Who cares about the 2008 elections now: Wheel of Fortune is now in HD!

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

You may now resume your normal activities. Ooops, strike that.

Question of the Day:

What is the hidden phrase, person, place or thing?

And no, "fuck you" is not an option.

India Poised For Transgender TV Show Host

Although this appeared in yesterday's New York Times, I never got around to posting about it for some odd reason.

64 million people will be able to see India's first transgender TV host later this month. The article offers a fascinating insight into a culture quite different from ours, particularly with regard to some issues which are still considered taboo, aside from the obvious: that transgender people, known in India as hijras, are clearly not accepted by society.

Hijras appear in positive roles in Indian mythology, but modern society has tended to be less tolerant. A majority are shunned by their families. Many find it impossible to obtain conventional jobs and turn instead to begging and sex work for a living.

“Transgenders in India are seen as immoral and evil,” Rose said, calmly leafing through the script of her first show — an interview with a prostitute about her recently published autobiography. “I will break that image by being articulate, intelligent and a bit like the girl next door.”

“This is a radical development,” she added. “There have been transsexuals in Indian movies, but always as the object of ridicule or as villains. This is the first time in the history of Indian television that a transgender person has been featured as a television anchor.”

Interestingly enough, the channel is owned by Rupert Murdoch.

The channel was not searching for controversy, but executives were so impressed by Rose’s screen presence and determination to fight prejudice that they agreed instantly to give her a show despite her lack of experience.

I'm going to be very interested in hearing about how this show is received in a country where discussing feelings about marriage is perceived by her as a bigger taboo than discussing her sex change operation.

Rose said she had no desire to shock, but just hoped that she would be watched.

“As a person, I am very open, but this is a big television channel which goes out to millions of people,” she said. “We don’t want any bad reaction.”

She said she felt it would be fine to talk about hormone therapy and her coming sex change operation. But discussing her true feelings about marriage, for example, would still be too much of a taboo.

I do wish Rose great success with breaking this important barrier and I hope to follow-up in the coming weeks or months with an update.

Video: (h/t Jami.)