Relevant Media

This is a mish-mash of random thoughts that popped into my head at 4 am this morning when I was wishing I was in bed fast asleep rather than lying awake fretting over my financial state.  Rather than fret, I moved on to profound thought on subjects that nobody is talking about right now. Let me tell you, at 4 in the morning, I am truly on the cutting edge.

Facebook: I cannot recommend this site to enough people. Actually, I don’t really care if you join if I don’t know you, but if you are a friend of mine or related to me, please sign up now. It makes my life tidy. All my peeps are stached in a file on a server owned by a dude by the name of Mark Zuckerberg. Your comments and Irish Whiskey flair, Easter Eggs, Christmass Ornaments, Photos, and notes about who you dated in high school are there for my viewing pleasure. I watch your children grow even though you are three states away. I find out that a former colleague is being interviewed on TV. I learn what my school mates are doing and where in the world they have gone. I track my neice in Buenos Aires, my nephew in New York City, my daughter in Daytona, and my best friends just a few miles away.

Where else can you have a conversation with your cousin in California, a high school classmate that you haven’t seen or talked to for 30 years, and your boss from your last job – all there for the rest of your community to enjoy or not as they desire? And, all this, while you are being reminded that your sister-in-law’s birthday is tomorrow, and Easter is coming so send everyone an Easter egg. Some of the apps are silly. Some of them are annoying, but isn’t that just like life? I have friended people that, in another age, I would never see or hear from again. I may not ever see some of them again and we may only talk through Facebook once or twice a year, but isn’t it just about the most amazing thing that by opening up a browser window to a particular link, I am in the playground of many people who are near and dear (or perhaps not so near or dear but fondly included) to me?

Twitter: I’m listening to snippets of conversation from people like Andrew Levy of Red Eye and Ellen DeGeneres. I’m also starting to gain a following and I have started following others.  I purposefully search for political voices, i.e., Libertarians, people who share other interests like gardening, and I even find myself looking for people located in geographical proximity. I’m not a big talker or tweeter. Several people who use Twitter to promote whatever it is they’re selling have become my followers. I’m not sure whether I looked like an easy target or my few tweets are so incredibly profound that the world is landing on my door step (5 or 10 at a time).  These People appear to use Twitter well. They are making themselves household brands by sharing thoughts, advice and savvy ideas. They encourage and, in 140 characters or less, brighten our day with great quotes and interesting thoughts. I am sure they are the smart ones. They are the new generation of sales people. Bright, ambitious, and good looking, they command attention.

I have been on both Facebook and Twitter since the early days of each app. When Leo LaPorte and Ambur McCarthur first interviewed their creators on the podcast, Net at Night, I immediately signed up.  I didn’t use either one very much for a long time simply because no one I knew was using them. Last summer there was an explosion of friends and family joining Facebook.  Apparently the tipping point had been reached and later adopters finally caught up.

Podcasts: I still have friends who have never listened to a podcast. I find this incredible. There is so much good information and entertainment available now. No matter what you are interested in, be it meditation, technology, sex, politics, etc., etc., there is something to fit your particular niche. All pre-recorded. All available for free to anyone who has any device that can download and play an MP3 file. Please people, if you haven’t started listening yet, go search i-Tunes on your favorite subject and start listening.

Red Eye: For those of us who enjoy political humor and who are also not of the liberal mindset, finding amusing talk shows on TV that are not fixated on bashing anything remotely conservative is like finding a Republican in Hollywood. Finally, the Fox News channel has given Libertarians the fix that we so crave – hillarious commentary on the political side of life. If you haven’t watched yet, time to turn on the TIVO or DVR. You probably won’t be awake to watch it live, but it is well worth the space on your recording disc.

And if you disagree, you, sir, are worse than Hitler. (thank you Greg Gutfeld)