The Messer
I have always been known as a messer.
In my youth, it was probably a derogatory term because I always messed things up.
Now it just means I like messing around with things. Experimenting.
I’m not a gadget freak. I don’t have the latest mobile phone. I don’t have a plasma television. I don’t have an ipod [I’m still not sure what they are]. I don’t have satellite navigation in my car. Gadget freaks are a different [inferior] breed altogether.
I have just discovered a Digg button for my blog, so I have to try it out. If it irritates me, I’ll remove it again. If it works, I’ll keep it. But I like messing around with these things.
A couple of weeks ago, I joined Facebook. You know – just messing.
I messed around with it, and drop in from time to time. I still can’t get the hang of it. Maybe it’s my age. It’s a weird place. People have bought me drinks, and being a true Irishman I have bought drinks in return. Not a drop has passed my lips. I’m still sober. Someone turned me into a vampire. Strange. I tell people what mood I’m in, which alternates between Tired and Grumpy. What do people care what mood I’m in?
Facebook seems to be a world where the rules are slightly different. For example, you can go up to total strangers and poke them. Weird. The only person who ever poked me in Facebook was our K8. I hit her with the basball bat in return. There seem to be thousands of rooms where you can wander in. People ignore me when I do that [just like at any other party], because I don’t like to butt into other peoples conversations. So I leave again.
I have found a couple of old friends there. We had brief conversations, and went our separate ways. There are a couple of friends who keep writing on my wall [I said it was weird] so I write on theirs. That can be a little bit of fun. But I can send them e-mails anyway, or chat to them on Skype, so it’s a little bit pointless.
Unlike my Digg button though, I can’t leave. There isn’t an uninstall button. Once a member – always a member.
Yet another damn password to add to my ever growing list.
Will it dig the spuds for dinner?
Is it modern slang? They all seem to be weird – Digg it, Kick it ….
But I suppose “Oh I say, this is a frightfully good post and I recommend it” would make for a rather large button?
I’m just getting the hang of facebook as well. I still can’t quite figure out what it is all about. What happens when someone pokes you on it?
OK it might be handy for tracking down old friends etc. but it looks like an absolute nightmare in usability.
If you have been looking at digg lately you might want to check out reddit.com too. It’s like a slightly more mature version of digg. By mature I mean it’s target audience appears to be slightly more mature.
Try poking me and you’ll find out!!! [Our K8 is still recovering].
Thanks for the tip on reddit.com. The problem is that it is yet one more something to mess with and one more password to remember.
I poked you Grandad.
Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.
There you go, David. I hope that hurt!
Didn’t feel a thing.
Do you ever get the feeling that we are drowing in a sea of pointless nonsense?
Not a thing? Dammit!
Yes. I didn’t want to be too rude about Facebook, as members might take it as an insult [and stop poking me], but there are so many damned sites all trying to get us to sign up and “network” and meet old school pals and god knows what else.
I think I’ll just remain quietly blogging here on my mountainside, and if people want me, they know where to find me.
I was poked too on facebook and didn’t even feel a thing. Time to go on a diet maybe.
Well, Dave poked me at half eleven, and the site doesn’t even realise it yet. It seems to be stuck on Yesterday.
So maybe you didn’t feel your poke because it was so slow?
look, i have just about got the hang of the blog thing stop adding new technologies, i already feel like i am on a bike with trainer wheels.
I know. Damned irritating. Isn’t it?!
Anyway, what are you waffling about? You’ve been at the blogging longer than I?
“I think I’ll just remain quietly blogging,here on my mountainside………”
What could be better than that, Grandad? All that “Classmate” stuff and them wanting to reunite me with schoolmates from 50 years ago. If I wanted to see those people I’d have stayed in touch through the years. I have made new friends now, like you!
I entirely agree, Nancy. If I want to contact them, I e-mail them or phone them.
“I have made new friends now, like you!”
That’s the way I feel too. Thank you Nancy. I’m honoured.
Grandad,
I forgot to mention that Grannymar tells the story of her Father on the Elder storytelling Place today.
I hope you and your readers will go there and enjoy it.
Already been there Nancy 😉
Grandad,
Wasn’t that a great story Grannymar told?
A little off subject but I wanted to tell you that the Wall Street Journal said today that the Irish were the wealthiest people per capita in Europe. Partly due to the fantastic savings rate of the Irish and partly because your property values have increased so much. There are now 33,000 millionaires in Ireland in a population of 4 million.
See Grandad, you don’t have to win the lottery, you are already rich!
Facebook is a weird and wondrous place, isn’t it?
And, I dig your blog old dude! 🙂
Digg my hole. These new technologies are just an extension of mobiles, on the internet. For all I know, you could be creations of the imagination of a giant space beetle, as am I.
In unrelated news, have you any Red Bull? I need my caffeine but I stand to win €100 from a bet.
Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, the pub, take your pick….
I’m with you Grandad, I can’t remember all the bloody logins and passwords so unless it accepts the regular logins, it doesn’t get a look in and if I want to meet old school friends I pick up a bottle and go visit! And another thing . . .*snotty grumpy woman today* enough of this mature sites stuff give me trivial blither anyday. MSN, Skype and Blogger are the limits of my technological adventurings I’m afraid (still can’t work out auto text on me mobile!)
“Digg my hole”
Yech! Stop that Daz. Go make some strong tea.
Nancy – I know. You can’t throw a brick without hitting a millionaire. [that is true – a result of experimentation].
Manuel – The old technologies are the best. I’ll plead the fourth.
Baino – You’re ahead of me – never tried MSN. Isn’t auto-text when you send a text message while driving?