Twitter's 140 character limit is not an innovation, it's a necessity. The service was originally designed to be updatable via text messages, and the SMS protocol is capped at 160 characters. The remaining 20 characters are to accommodate the user's own handle when the message appears in someone else's phone as a text message.
That said, I appreciate the limitation in the same way I appreciate the strictness of haiku, or Dinosaur Comics. If you don't use asinine Internet abbreviations, it forces you to choose your phrasing wisely in order to get a point across in a concise manner that still properly conveys what you're trying to express.
I actually said almost the same thing to Ryan over MSN (I did mention haiku, not Dinosaur Comics). It's like that guy who wrote a whole novel without using the letter "a": when you limit yourself your creativity must find alternative ways of expressing itself. I can dig that.
However, there's still the issue that most people DON'T use it this way. It really reassures people's tendency to write and read as least and as badly as possible.
Finally, I'm not actually against Twitter, even though I personally don't find it appealing. I'm just saying, I understand where Ryan is coming from.
EDIT: That thing about China is seriously messed up. WHY DO THEY HATE FREEDOM?
Flickr, Youtube, live.com, Twitter, Amnesty International, parts of the BBC, and counting, are all already blocked here. There's a good chance we'll see the NY Times go, as that routinely gets blocked here too.
Domestic programs are much easier to censor, so the domestic versions of youtube, twitter, etc, are all up and running. But China is taking no chances, and they're rapidly cutting off access to any foreign sites that can remotely help people organize and protest.
A pastor in Kentucky is redefining the tradition of wearing your Sunday best to services by encouraging his congregation to strap on holsters and bring their weapons to church.
Pastor Ken Pagano of New Bethel Church in Louisville, Ky., says that he organized an "Open Carry Celebration" to promote responsible gun ownership.
"As a Christian pastor I believe that without a deep-seeded belief in God and firearms that this country would not be here," Pagano told ABCNews.com. "I'm not ashamed of that fact. I'm proud of it."
The celebration scheduled for Sunday, June 27, will feature YouTube videos promoting gun safety and will ask congregants to join in singing patriotic songs, according to Pagano.
A $1 raffle to win a free handgun will also be part of the festivities.
"This will basically be a display," said Pagano, who owns two hand guns, a Walther P99 and a Sig Sauer 225. "Nobody is going to be taking anything out and waving it. We're promoting responsible and safe gun ownership."
Pagano said that the raffle will also be done legally through a local gun range and the gun will only be given to someone who has met "national standards." Money raised from the raffle will go toward the cost of the gun and any extra will be donated to charity.
There will be extra security present during the celebration, said Pagano, and guns will be checked to make sure they are unloaded prior to entering the church.
While Pagano says that the majority of the congregation voted in favor of the celebration -- he said otherwise they would not have planned it -- others are not as happy.
Paul Helmke, the president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said that encouraging people to bring guns to a church is a contradiction in terms.
"Christ tells us to put down the sword and this pastor seems to be encouraging them to take up the sword," said Helmke.
According to national statistics, guns kill 86 people each day in the U.S., 34 of which are homicides. The remaining incidents are either suicides or accidents, according to Helmke, who estimates that two to three people are killed each day by an accident involving a gun and twice that many are injured because of a gun.
Helmke said that ensuring guns are unloaded when they arrive at the church does not guarantee anyone's safety.
"Yes, having the guns unloaded is helpful, but every day in this country someone is killed or injured by a gun they thought was unloaded," he said. "If you take a clip out of a semi-automatic a lot of people still think it's unloaded when really there is still a bullet in the chamber."
"I'm all for pushing responsibility, but encouraging more guns is not the way to do it," said Helmke, who suggests advocating for a law to require background checks on people buying guns.
"If Pastor Pagano was doing things to push for background checks on sales and to put restrictions on the types of guns that can be sold to the public, then I'd salute him," said Helmke.
Rev. Jerry Cappel, president of the Kentuckian Interfaith Community, a coalition of local religious leaders in the Louisville area, said that he, too, thinks Pagano's celebration is "misguided."
"I'm not opposed to people having guns. I have three," said Cappel. "But you don't have to be extreme to find this inappropriate."
"You can be OK with the right to carry arms, but still find that joining the right to carry and Christ to be misguided," said Cappel.
Pam Gersh, a Louisville resident who helped organize a Million Mom March against gun violence in the area in 2000, said that she sees no point to what Pagano is doing and wishes there was more of a "concrete plan" when it came to preaching responsible gun ownership.
"The serious issue of gun violence is not being addressed," said Gersh. "I don't really understand the purpose of what Pagano is doing here."
Gersh mentioned that it's even more frustrating that news of Pagano's celebration comes just less than a week after controversial abortion doctor George Tiller was fatally shot in his Kansas church.
"Where there are killings of people like Dr. Tiller in church and there is no discussion of gun violence and only of abortion, then it shows there's no real open dialogue about how to solve this problem," said Gersh.
But Pagano, who says the celebration has been in the works for almost a year, disagrees and says that people's dissent on his celebration has exemplified exactly what he's trying to promote: personal freedoms.
"I understand their concerns and I applaud them for their expression because the whole point of this is to promote the First and Second Amendments," said Pagano, referring to the amendments that guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.
Well, at least that last quote from the pastor is reasonable...question mark?
I think it’s good that they are promoting gun safety, but I don’t think a church the place to do so. I don’t go to church, but it still seems wrong to bring guns (or weapons of any kind) to a religious building.
There really is a problem with people thinking that their semi-automatics are unloaded just because they took out the clip. A woman in our area got shot recently because her brother took out the clip, but forgot that there would still be a bullet in the chamber. Last I heard she was in pretty critical condition.
It's very silly. They're treating guns as though they were a patriotic armband, an american flag wrapped about like a sarong. It's a piece of metal designed to kill people and other living things, with no other purpose. You can't spread jam on toast with it, or style your hair.
Then again, there is also the kirpan. But that is different. You do not buy one because you are afraid of your neighbours.
We're about a decade away from "Jesus's Gun: The Movie"
This was a comment from an article about soaring gun sales in Arizona in the Economist. I thought it was very relevant to Jakey's comment and about protecting gun rights.
I hang out with some gun enthusiasts, but the responses to this article are reminders of why I avoid so many of them. Because the vast majority of them are disingenuous LIARS.
I own guns. I own a lot of guns. I bought my first one in college, joined the Marines, bought a bunch more, and am still buying them today.
Why? To protect my country from an inevitable slide to fascism? That is ridiculous, there is no way our 225 year old democracy is going to suddenly (or gradually) revert to fascism or suddenly suffer military takeover.
To protect myself from roving gangs of thugs? Yeah, because we have so many roving gangs of thugs cruising middle America, kicking down doors, just waiting for you to heroically stop them with your gun. Like that ever happens. I've lived in some of the worst areas of LA, and that has never even come close to happening. You are more likely to be killed by rampaging gangs of feral Beverly Hills Chihuahuas. You gun owners with your rich fantasy lives.
To defend my self from the invading (insert: commies, muslims, mexicans, red chinese, satanists, peronists, hawaiians, martians, lithuanians, santa monica hippies, gene simmons, etc?) There you go again with your wacky fantasy lives. Gun owner fantasies make Dungeons and Dragons kids look unimaginative. They can always identify some new "enemy" that somehow can invade and conquer- demographic impossibilities be damned.
No, you all know why you love owning guns. Unlike your more honest gun toting brethern, you are too cowardly to admit it (well, most Marines I know admit it, that’s why they joined the Marines, I'm talking more the chicken hawk types.) Simple. You like to blow stuff up. You like to make loud noises and watch things get destroyed. I love it. You love it. Heck, when I take my most bleeding heart anti-gun guy friends out to the desert to go shooting...they sheepishly admit they love it (even if they are loathe to say it.) When we're alone and being honest you admit it. When you're with your shooting buddies you admit it. I've seen that grin and that flash of excitement when your big ol' gun starts shooting a broken appliance into little pieces. Shooting stuff is FUN.
But then, as soon as an article like this appears, you suddenly have to invent 1000 ridiculous reasons to justify your desire to own guns. Basically, you project your adolescent "Deathwish" and "Red Dawn" fantasies and start making up all sorts of nonsense. Yeah, I had the "Red Dawn" fantasy in high school too...Wolverines!!!....but I don't pretend it might really happen. You even get so lame as to pull up charts and figures (usually lame and ridiculous) and instead of looking like regular dudes that just like to shoot stuff up....you look like paranoid and delusional wack jobs.
So enough. Quit it. When people ask you why you need guns....say I LIKE THEM. THEY ARE FUN. Leave your tinfoil hat nonsense and your projected fantasies in your head. Quit the lies. You are never going to save anyone with your guns. You are not going to be the hero, and finally get laid because of your guns. You are not going to stop the evil democrats from taking over the government and turning us into a police state (serious, that one is just stupid.) You won't stop the coming muslim or Chinese invasion (serious, that one is even more stupid.) Your guns are not going to give you some shining moment to suddenly stop being a doofus and start being cool. Heck, if that singular 'cool' moment didn't happen in high school football for you, it will probably never happen, so give up the fantasy.
What guns will do is afford you a chance to hang out with some friends on some BLM land, out at a range, or at one of those full-auto places near Vegas, and have a fun old time. And if you're into it, you can go kill a deer or a duck or whatever wildlife gets you hot. If you really need to kill a person, get out of your dumb fantasy lives about stopping marauding gang bangers (because more likely your quivering jello ass will accidently shoot me,) and do like me and my friends did- join the Marines. But just stop the lies. Not only are they old and tired, but they are making those of us that just enjoy guns look like tinfoil hat nutjobs by association.
A week-old British puppy is safe and sound after being accidentally flushed down the toilet by his 4-year-old master.
The tiny cocker spaniel was rescued by an employee of a drainage company after being trapped in a sewage pipe for close to four hours, according to two British dailies. Firefighters and the RSPCA had failed at their attempts to free the pup.
Daniel Blair, 4, had been trying to give the muddy dog a bath, after his twin brother Nicky took the young pup for a walk in the garden of their Middlesex home.
The young boy placed the dog in the toilet and pulled the chain to wash it. Their mother, Alison, told Britian’s Daily Mirror that she ran into the bathroom to find the dog missing.
"I assumed it was dead," she told the Daily Mirror. "I went into the garden, managed to lift up the drain cover and was amazed to hear him crying."
Will Craig, 22, an employee at Dyno-Rod, the drainage firm, used specialty camera equipment to locate the puppy’s whereabouts in the pipe, nearly 20 yards away from the house. Craig was then able to nudge the dog towards a manhole, where firefighters were able to lift the puppy to safety.
"At first, I didn’t want to do it because I was scared of hurting the dog," Craig told the Daily Mail. "But the RSPCA said I was his only hope."
Pictures of the puppy in the pipe were posted on Dyno-Rod’s website, and were also broadcast on British television.
The pooch has since been named Dyno, after the company who rescued him
There's a local football player named Michael Jackson Quiñonez. My theory is that they are both in fact the same person: MJ decided to fake his death and continue life as MJ Quiñonez.
The thing I've been thinking is, what if he really isn't dead?
I mean It's purely speculation, but he's been on musical hiatus for years, suddenly announces this HUGE comeback tour, sells millions of tickets then suddenly..."dies".
Pickle, seriously. Just shut the fuck up. I know this is all new to you, but we all know about his career already. JESUS! I can remember when Bad was a new album. Would you please just stop posting? You had to get fucking banned before you were able to go more than a few hours without a post. Just voluntarily go a day or two without posting. Let 4 or 5 posts build up between your responses. Just show a little self-control. I consider that last post to be spam. It was completely unnecessary.
It really was pretty similar to the posts made by our beloved spambots... You just forgot to include a link to wow gold somewhere in the middle. OH MY GOD guys i just noticed something do you think pickle is the ultimate spambot? posting and posting until it gains our trust only to then bombard us with offers of viagra and runescape gold?
TAMPA — Billy Mays, the TV pitchman whose trademark voice helped sell everything from cleaning supplies to baking soda, was found dead this morning by his wife at his Tampa home. No cause of death has been reported and no foul play is suspected, according to Tampa police.
Mays, 50, was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. at 2853 Bowen Daniel Dr., #1201. His wife, Deborah Mays, found him unresponsive this morning. The Medical Examiner's Office will complete Mays' autopsy by tomorrow afternoon.
"Although Billy lived a public life, we don't anticipate making any public statements over the next couple of days," Deborah Mays said in a statement today. "Our family asks that you respect our privacy during these difficult times."
Comments
I actually said almost the same thing to Ryan over MSN (I did mention haiku, not Dinosaur Comics). It's like that guy who wrote a whole novel without using the letter "a": when you limit yourself your creativity must find alternative ways of expressing itself. I can dig that.
However, there's still the issue that most people DON'T use it this way. It really reassures people's tendency to write and read as least and as badly as possible.
Finally, I'm not actually against Twitter, even though I personally don't find it appealing. I'm just saying, I understand where Ryan is coming from.
EDIT: That thing about China is seriously messed up. WHY DO THEY HATE FREEDOM?
It's totally WAY cooler if you use the Konami code. Lens flares make EVERYTHING better!
Well, unless you're a lame Opera-using nerd like me.
EDIT: Although, to be fair, the problem with Opera is a simple matter of interference from default shortcut keys.
Seriously guys. Appreciate your freedom.
Edit: Facebook is still up though... for now.
Well, at least that last quote from the pastor is reasonable...question mark?
There really is a problem with people thinking that their semi-automatics are unloaded just because they took out the clip. A woman in our area got shot recently because her brother took out the clip, but forgot that there would still be a bullet in the chamber. Last I heard she was in pretty critical condition.
Then again, there is also the kirpan. But that is different. You do not buy one because you are afraid of your neighbours.
We're about a decade away from "Jesus's Gun: The Movie"
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/06/16/2009-06-16_puppy_.html
I mean It's purely speculation, but he's been on musical hiatus for years, suddenly announces this HUGE comeback tour, sells millions of tickets then suddenly..."dies".
Just thinkin'.
Billy Mays died this morning.