Yes, Mark Zuckerberg is only eating animals he kills himself these days! That’s his latest “personal challenge”, which, for context, have included things like learning Chinese in 2010 (continuing) and wearing a tie every day in 2009.
Mark’s reason for doing this?
Like a tens of millions of people around the world, I am watching the final phases leading to the rescue capsule attempt to extract the first of 33 Chilean miners trapped for 68 days now. I really am, blogging during commercials.
There always seems to be “big” breaking news these days, especially on all news network like CNN or CBC Newsworld in Canada. However, every once in a while, something really big comes along, and it is really something to see and feel the world focused on an event like this. I know people watching. I see updates on my Facebook page. I can see people watching walking around in public areas with television screens. Even some sports bars have this drama instead of sports because, in all honesty, it’s far more drama than any sport can provide.
Speaking of television, I wonder what the event will do to the television ratings of shows tonight? And who’s going to be saying I was watching (fill in a Tuesday night show) instead of this at the water cooler at work on Wednesday? What are people going to think of them?
I’m not one to be glued to the television, and definitely not a news junkie, but I can’t remember being this captivated by news since 9/11, and then the start of the Iraq War before that in the 1990s. Very fortunately, this has a much more hopeful and inspirational tone.
But let’s not forget, things could still go wrong. They talk about the potential technical problems. They talk about the potential problems with the physical and mental health of the men as they will take this journey up the shaft back into the world, and the journey back into the social world as everything would have changed in their lives. Not just by the event but family dynamics that made due without them. Roles will have been changed and may forever be changed. Some will use the mine ordeal as excuses to warrant deserving any number of things in their relationships, which will only be tolerated for some time. Certainly, potential career changes will have to be contemplated as going back down into a mine for the next shift won’t be so easy. There will be the media and social circus that some won’t handle well, whether from stress or new opportunities for which they will abandon their old families and/or livelihood given the temptations of fame, and maybe money that comes with it as far as interviews, book and/or movie deals, etc. So much to adapt to and handle that I wonder if 5 or 10 years from now, some of the miners might say the time after the ordeal was more difficult for them to handle than the ordeal itself of being trapped for all that time. Most people can’t handle fame, you know… even the ones who have been living in it for a long time.
Despite all the things anticipated, I can’t help wonder if there might be any potential drama back in the mine when the time comes to get the men out one by one. There’s been a list drawn up, but what if someone decides to buck that at the last moment? It might be out of panic not to have to wait so long, or maybe for some other reasons. There will be rescuers sent down who could be taken hostage, and so on. Humans are a little unpredictable in that sense.
And they will have to repeat this journey 33 miners times so there are plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong.
And what then when something goes wrong? Will they cut off the coverage?
Well, I’ll try not to think about it. Let’s not anyone think about it.
Positive thinking from here on in for everyone’s safety. It might take 2-3 days in total for everyone to get out so after the euphoria of the first rescue, there will still be lots of anticipation and one more spike when the last person comes up.
In the meanwhile, I’ll go and pray. I’m not religious, but I’m not against praying to all the deities out there, either. Let’s just say I believe in praying.
Best wishes to the Chilean miners for a safe return to the surface and to a more regular life. The world is with you.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 7.7
If your ADHD from Twitter has progressed beyond reading paragraphs, here are the ten tips to better personal tweeting in point form, without elaboration so you’ll have to figure it out:
I’ve been looking into a lot of tweets for a few months now and, to be frank, there wasn’t all that much to keep my interest. People and their lives just aren’t that interesting from what comes across. Even the people you think would be interesting aren’t that interesting. Or is it because they don’t know how to convey it? And if they’re like that, think of what the more “normal” people tweet. Yeah, you know the ones I’m talking about. Many of your friends, my friends, me, and very possibly you.
But if you need to tweet, at least put some effort into all that phoniness associated with Twittering, would you? Use it to improve your writing skills, story telling skills, sense of humour. Use it as motivation to actually do something interesting with your life so you could tweet it without having to try any of those other things. Use it to spread good energy. There’s a lot of potential in tweeting for real life skills improvements and value, if only people would embrace the thought rather than drown in all this shallowness associated with tweeting. You don’t have to “fake” your tweets in doing all this. Just show a little flair people maybe don’t see much of from you, or at least not on the text side.
To help these boring tweeters you know improve their tweets, I have created ten tips for better tweeting. These aren’t meant to be the greatest or best tips or anything, in no particular order. They are just ten I came up with which I know helps. However, let’s start with a tip zero, which is getting over denial. You can’t solve a problem till you admit you have it. That’s why you’re going to send this to somebody, post it to their Facebook wall or something, right? I’m posting it to my own!
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TWEET IN THE THIRD PERSON. There is so much “me” culture in Twitter it’s sickening. Talk about yourself in the third person the way someone would read that tweet. Ban the “I” word. Starting with a verb is also a good thing because it’s action-oriented.
Tweeterbird is singing the sweetest song heard.
I’m singing the sweetest song heard just sounds a lot vainer.
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BE POSITIVE! You’d be surprised how human negativity spread among people by any means, and how it builds up through self-affirmation like a tweet. If you need to self-affirm, do it in a way that doesn’t spread to everyone else! Also, telling the same message without the negativity is not only a challenge, it’s a nice way to look at the same problem through a better lens.
Tricycle got a flat tire today but still had three left (optional: If two out of three ain’t bad, then three out of four can’t be, either).
I don’t know about you, but I get a very different reaction seeing that rather than something like Can’t believe I got f#&$ing flat tire today!
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PRACTICE HUMOUR. Humour can be the easiest way out of being negative, but it can also be the hardest thing to try to find something funny out of a bad incident. Just try writing something funny. It doesn’t have to be what you’re doing, just maybe what’s on your mind, or what came into your mind as you tried to think of something funny. You could develop your written sense of humour this way. You can think up things until you’re ready to tweet it. People might know that, but so what? You’re putting an effort into it… which is more than they can say of their tweets. Whether the attempt elicits a groan, smile or laugh, people will at least have a reaction, which is more than they can say of most tweets.
Punster‘s body is like Iraq after a 23 mile run… full of free radicals causing lots of pain and suffering.
If someone doesn’t get it, it might intrigue them enough to ask you about it rather than reading about your body hurting after such a long marathon training run if you plainly tweeted it that way.
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TWO TWEET JOKES. Good jokes are often set’em up, knock’em down affairs. Not these long drawn out stories. So find some and share them. Ask something in the morning. Let your followers think, or just plant the thought in the back of their heads so when they get the punchline later in the day, they’ll remember and get it, have a good laugh and release. Tension and release is something quite often referred to in music, but this is the same idea. Your followers can try to finish your jokes , and they might (which means you’ve engaged them), but you ultimately hold the answer for all your other followers who will be waiting for it.
NovaScotian How many Newfies does it take to have an orgy?
NovaScotian Just one, though more than two hands would make it a better orgy.
Don’t ask. I just made it up on the spot. If you also find you don’t have enough jokes, well, take it as a sign to get some more for the next party you attend.
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DON’T ADVERTISE. If you’re trying to sell something, chances are your friends already know about it. I don’t care whether that’s Avon or chocolate or sex toys, aside from the occasional special event, I’d tolerate one tweet about it. Any more and I’m buzzing you out for good! You didn’t get into Twitter for commercials, do you think they did?
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ASK QUESTIONS. If you learn something new, share it by asking a question? You can ask with the answer in the question, or create suspense by asking the question and answering later. The latter is good for when the question is too long.
Socialstudies Did you know ears makes noises of its own, albeit at a level only detectable by supersensitive microphones?
Socialstudies Do you know what the NSFM policy for Internet posting is?
Socialstudies Not Safe For Mom. Don’t post anything not safe if Mom ever saw it.
If you’re ever short on ideas, may I introduce you to the Social Studies column in the Canadian national newspaper, the Globe & Mail. It is written by Michael Kesterton and is exactly what it says it is, a daily miscellany of information. It is my favourite week daily reading by far and has been for many years! The username is fictitious. Questions about details in your life could also be fun, although it might sound vain after a while. Still, imagine if you did one of those 25 Things about You Facebook memes one tweet at a time!
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GIGANTIC CONCEPTS & miniscule details. Can you think big? Can you think philosophically? Give your followers something to ponder for a while? Or give them a chance to be smart and tweet back an answer. But maybe you’re one of those types who has an eye, ear or other awarenessfor detail. Can you describe it?
Burncock If a tweet goes unread, does anybody hear?
RockingRobin is listening to old skool tweeting of nightingales. Tweet! Tweet!
The first is actually a very practical rather than useless philosophical question. The username is not meant to be offensive, but is a play on the spelling of Bruce Cockburn‘s (pronounced KO-burn) last name. He is the writer of the referenced phrase, If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear? from the song If a Tree Falls, in 1989. I’ve been fortunate to have met Bruce in the summer of 2008 and he’s a very nice and candid guy. The second is a nice thought to me rummaging through hundreds of techno-tweets.
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Nothing like feelings. Add some feelings to whatever it is you tweet to humanize the tweets. Like being positive, feelings are contagious so keep it to the good ones. Feelings can also liven what is otherwise a mundane tweet.
Gogetter is peeing with a passionne.
I would have enjoyed that tweet over one that said is peeing. Would you?
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USE INTERESTING WORDS. Why think big concepts and notice little details when you can conceptualize gigantic concepts and be aware of miniscule minutaie to expand yours and your followers’ lexicon?
Wordwatcher believes in kaizen, gestalt and arete rather than religion.
Kaizen (the art of constant self-improvement), gestalt (a total greater than the sum of its parts) and arete (excellence in the fulfillment of purpose of function) are three of my favourite words, as well as my spirituality.
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WTF TWEET. If you’re not familiar with the acronym WTF, it stands for What the f*ck and is used when you’re wanting to express that reaction and question in Internet or chat jargon. Every once in a while, throw one in out of the blue. See if anybody asks.
Machoman is putting on a tutu & prancing about… “I could have danced, all night, I could have danced, all night, and still, have begged, for more!”
I just used this one the other day. The reference was to little 10 year old Hollie Steel, by whom I was amazed and had blogged about recently.
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Please do in a comment below!
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Reading Level: 6.7
