Notes from the Pickle Jar
Kids say the darndest things. When my son says something particularly memorable or poignant, I like to write them down or blog them on my personal blog under “Notes from the Pickle Jar” (Pickle is his nickname) .
Now a new website makes the process even easier with a Twitter-like interface for capturing those precious memories. Kidlee is easier than maintaining a blog and more private than posting everything on Facebook.
The way it works is that you sign up to join Kidlee and then begin capturing memories.You can customize for multiple kids to include their name, age and even a photo. Posts can be up to 140 characters, just like Twitter.
You can then invite “followers” or family and friends who will be permitted to access your feed or receive weekly email updates.
Awesome!
Found via Macaroni Kid
Pulse of the Nation via Twitter
Researchers at Northeastern Univerity College of Computer and Information Sciences and Harvard Medical School have analyzed more than 300 million tweets from across the nation to get a pulse on the mood of the country. Among the findings Twitter users on the West coast are happier than those on the East, and Sundays are happier than Thursdays.
The tweets from September 2006 and August 2009 were used to create a color-coded map indicating where the tweets came from and the “mood” indicated by the content of the tweets (green for happy, red for unhappy). The “mood” was inferred using a list of words that indicate positive mood.
To view the details of the Pulse of the Nation via Twitter, see the PDF here.
Found via Geek Sugar
iCreditCard
As if the iphone weren’t already half way to world domination, the thing can now read credit cards.
Square, which works with both iphones and android handhelds, plugs into the headphone port of either device and lets you slide a credit card through the bottom. The Square looks like what it says, a small black plastic square attached to the phone’s side. Currently the software and account are free, but no idea how long that will last.
Speaking of world domination, did I mention that this handy little device was developed by the founder of Twitter?
Ads, Ads, Everywhere
In some ways technology has reduced our exposure to advertising–love that little fast forward button on my Tivo. However, in other ways, it makes it more prevalent than ever.
Whether it is mentions by your kids favorite stars on their Twitter feeds or product-themed web games, kids today are flooded with commercials.
Companies covet your children because they know that brand loyalty starts early. While you can’t avoid all ads, you can help them be more ad-savvy.
The FTC has a kid-focused site--Admongo--to help children understand more about how advertising works. It is a game that helps kids learn to ask questions like who made the ad and what does the ad want me to do.
Good stuff.
Dog Days
Because there aren’t already enough bogus twitter accounts Mattel has decided to inspire a couple more.
For $30 plus a new Twitter account your dog can communicate with the world in 140 characters or less. The $30 is basically for “Puppy Tweets” a plastic necklace for your dog that picks up movement and sound and translates them into pre programmed twitter messages. Absurd? Yes. Expensive? Maybe. Going to sell? Unfortunately I think a few of them will.
Library of Congress to house Twitter archive
You already know that whatever you post online remains forever, but now your tweets will have a “formal” home. The Library of Congress will house every single public tweet ever written ( all 140 characters)
It’s a lot of tweets with more than 50 million tweets posted each day! The archives will be stored digitally joining tetrabytes worth of digital information held by the institution.
Matt Raymond writes on loc.gov:
Expect to see an emphasis on the scholarly and research implications of the acquisition. I’m no Ph.D., but it boggles my mind to think what we might be able to learn about ourselves and the world around us from this wealth of data. And I’m certain we’ll learn things that none of us now can even possibly conceive.
You probably didn’t think about that when you wrote that you were chomping on a cheeseburger or grabbing a latte, did you?
Let me call you Tweetheart
In honor of Valentine’s Day, the world’s longest married couple took to the Twittersphere to share their words of wisdom. Married for 85 years!, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher answered questions from the public on Valentine’s Day.
Olympians to tweet, Facebook from the games
It’s that time again–the Olympics is just a few days away. I still remember my first Olympiad I was old enough to remember. It was the 1984 Los Angeles games. I remember watching Lionel Richie sing on my old rabbit-eared TV.
Like the summer Olympics a few years ago, this year’s games will be aired in high def with wall to wall coverage. New this year though will be the number of athletes tweeting and Facebooking.
Hundreds of athletes have social networking accounts where they can give updates on their training, thoughts on the games and other peeks behind the scenes
Not to be outdone, the media is also employing social media to keep in the loop. The AP is hosting a Winter Olympics Facebook page that will be an aggregate site for news stories and more informal journals and such. The IOC has prepared for the onslaught of social media newsmaking by amending the rules to include what is and what is not appropriate for athletes to share (i.e. personal experiences–good, injury reports or video of ceremonies–bad)
It should all be very interesting!
Here is a quicklist of some of the Olympians tweeting the games
Twitter is Out of this World–Literally
A U.S. astronaut has sent the first tweet from space.
T.J. Creamer (@Astro_TJ) sent a tweet from the International Space Station that read:
“Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station — the 1st live tweet from Space!
NASA announced that for the first time astronauts on the ISS now have the ability to surf the Web from space. Previously, the astronauts would email info to be posted on Twitter. It is expected to be a morale boost to the crew, NASA said.
1 in 5 divorces blame Facebook
I saw that headline and it hurt my heart. 1 in 5 divorces blame Facebook. It makes sense though. It’s another open door (if you open it) to take time away from your relationships. Of course, Facebook isn’t to blame, people are. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc just make it easier to do what used to be done in bars, office cubicles and on email alone.
According to a study by Divorce Online:
Facebook was named in one out of five American divorce petitions this year alone. The most common reason is that spouses are conducting inappropriate sexual chats with Facebook friends. The study, consisting of 5,000 divorce papers, also revealed that MySpace, Twitter, and Bebo also contributed to marital deterioration.
So, want to protect yourself or your spouse, consider some of these safeguards:
1) Place your computer in a public place within your home (obviously this doesn’t work if you also have access via phones, etc, but it can set the proper tone).
2) Consider having a joint Facebook page. Couples often create shared pages featuring both of their names. It makes them harder to locate, but wouldn’t that help fend off searches by old flames.
3) Share your password with your spouse. Knowing that your significant other can access your account can help ward off temptation.
4) Talk about who you are conversing with on Facebook. If you find yourself wanting to hide a friend or a conversation, you might need to figure out why.
Good luck!
