Well, I keep returning to the MySpace blog, where some of you know me from. Old habits are hard to break, I suppose. And also, I just get a lot more readers over there. But every time I think I can get used to the new format and barrage of mind numbing, eyeball-singeing promo clips they throw at you, and have crawling across the page, and leaping up out of nowhere... then they come up with another one. What kind of a brain dead moron thinks of these things? Now they've got it set up where your sign in page actually slides down your screen while some advertisement for something or other (I actually refuse to watch 'em, so really don't know what they're for) looms up and tries to beat you over the head with a cast iron skillet. It's become worse than television. Who knew that was even possible? I keep the sound down, so Lord knows what kind of noises are going on as well. There are usually some very earnest and often provocatively clothed young folk (hey, almost everybody looks young to me these days... old people actually call me "sir"... it ain't pretty). They are usually incredibly intense, blowing something up, or having something blow them up, or blow up them... or something. Somebody over there at MySpace is taking the bad drugs, seems to me.
However, I do still post over there on occasion. And if you don a flak jacket, a steel helmet, a hazmat suit, a gas mask and carry a giant b.s. detector, you might find it of interest. Be sure to fully hydrate yourself before you attempt entry, though. The log-in page to MySpace is strewn with the bodies of those who tried to enter without fully preparing themselves.
What I always liked about MySpace was the fact that it could serve basically as an all purpose site for communication, promotion, meeting new people, finding old friends, and so on. Of course, the Summer of Love had its brief moment of relevance too.
Now, with everything being scattered all over the internet, it seems to take an unwieldy amount of time to do things. I come here to write a blog (I also occasionally blog over at Lisa Ferreri's wonderful Wiffledust site). I have my Facebook page, of course. But I just can't get very comfortable on Facebook. I don't know why. And I have my Facebook Fan Page. Twitter. Reverb Nation. Plaxo. And honestly, I'm not sure what else. Oh yeah, my website.... www.davidvidal.net... which were it not for the heroic efforts of my friend Paul McCarty would be a wasteland of blowing tumbleweeds and rusting swing sets.
I used to be able to sit at the computer (yeah, I'm way old fashioned I know... I have an actual stupid phone, and I barely know how to use call waiting on it), go to MySpace, take care of e-mails (oh yeah, I forgot to mention e-mail), messages, promo, blogs and so on in one swell foop. Or close to it. Now, I feel like I'm spraying bullets with an automatic rifle, just hoping to hit something on the internet. (Dear FBI, please understand my occasional use of analogy, euphemism and other such linguistic baubles and don't put me on any more lists... 'kay? I asked nicely...)
And really, I shouldn't be doing any of this. There are always pressing matters in the "real" world as well. Ahhh, well.
Anybody havin' fun yet?
I used to have a home phone about a year and a half ago. I t got shut off cause i didn't payt the bill. Have gotten so used to just having a cell that i am not all that interested in getting another land line. Cause then ya got to get a machine. Used to think that folks that didn't have a telephone in their house & only a cell were odd or something. It is so convenient. Gives me security when i go out of town or to the mall whatever by myself. I can call my husband or my friends up and tell em i'll be late. You don't miss your calls or if ya do you can call right back. Guess i have gotten a little spoiled. I get sick of myspace sometimes it is understandable. Facebook is fun but gets on my nerves sometimes. A little too personal. lol I just take a break. Anyway, glad to see ya back on myspace.
ReplyDeleteBeing in show business i guess there is even more of a need for you to be plugged in. So folks can look you up and such. I am glad that you are going out on that limb with the FBI. I would so miss your blog & your stories. wish you could be the president. P.S. I know how you feel, we are all getting older.
ReplyDeleteI'm a dinosaur, too. I still have a land line (and I also don't know how to use call waiting), just one working PC at the apartment (the other one is what I politely call "on life support"--there is no guarantee that it will come back on if it ever shuts off), basic cable television, and a VCR and DVD player. I still have a turntable at home for playing music. And the only reason I have a Blackberry is that it was cheaper than a regular cell phone when I had to replace the old one that fell apart--and all I did on that one was make long distance calls and figure out the tip at the restaurant. I try to avoid MySpace as much as possible, as it could lead someone to develop ADHD if they don't already have it (plus, I was getting propositioned way too many times--which was a bit amusing, since you really couldn't see me with the old profile pic). I will admit that I spend too much time on Facebook, but it seems that's the only way my students will contact me anymore--Email is too archaic for them.
ReplyDeleteSo I hear you about technology. I'm far from a Luddite, but I would love to spend one day and not touch the computer. But it ain't happening once the school year starts (I'm essentially on call 24/7). Maybe that will be a Christmas present to myself...nah, I'll still find a reason to go online that day, if only to check the obituaries to make sure I need to get out of bed.