Twitter as a Communication Tool

Somehow, Twitter slowly transformed from merely a place to answer the question “What are you doing right now?” to a medium for personal communication. With the introduction of @replies, users could now send a message to a friend or celebrity the same way in which he or she updated his or her status, completely overshadowing the more acceptable “direct message” tool. The @reply feature quickly proves to be more annoying than useful for the following reasons:

• Since you have to begin the message with the @username of the person whom the message is directed towards, you need to remember his or her username when not replying to a specific post
• There is no collective view of all @replies to a post
• A list of the people whom you are following cannot be sorted; users are displayed in the order in which they were added, making it difficult to find a particular user on the list
• On the Twitter website, there is no notification system to inform you that you have received an @reply from another user
• Restricted to 140 characters (even less when taking into consideration the size of the user’s @username)

Twitter as a Media Sharing Tool

Leaving aside the argument that a majority of my friends only have accounts on Facebook, Twitter still falls short as a media sharing medium. My first issue with sharing media via Twitter is the site’s text-based nature. It is naturally acceptable to share text this way, but what about photos and videos? To work around this problem feature, Twitter users post photo and other media in the form of short URLs, using services such as Twitpic and yfrog. To then view a posted photo or video, users must navigate outside of the Twitter webpage to wherever the photo or video is hosted. In other words, Twitter provides a text-based experience which forces the end user to rely on third-party sites and applications to make full use of Twitter’s services. In my opinion, users deserve a better, more streamlined experience when sharing media, such as embedded photos and videos which can be previewed without having to navigate away from the website on which they were shared.

Although Twitter continues to grow and expand, it still lacks many essential features, which inhibits its place as a meaningful member of the social media family. For the simple reason that Facebook has such a large user base, it remains the most logical communication tool on the web. As for sharing media, Tumblr is a very promising site with some fantastic features and a stunning layout. Stay tuned for a follow-up post with more on Tumblr.

I recently wrote about indie rock band Death Cab for Cutie’s upcoming appearance at the Tower Theatre, in hope that photography would be permitted. After several unanswered phone calls to the venue, I decided to take my beloved Canon Digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera along anyway. [More about my camera here]

As I approached the door, I noticed a clearly posted sign prohibiting photography inside the show. When I finally reached the door, I was asked what was inside the bag I was carrying. “Oh, just a camera,” I replied coolly.The doorman then informed me that “cameras with removable lenses” were not allowed. Turns out, this is a common rule. On the website for the upcoming All Points West Festival, the rules state:

Any camera with a removable lens will be considered a professional camera, and will not be allowed on the festival grounds.

Ready to go with a spare battery and empty memory card, I was far from pleased. Fortunately, the band’s stellar performance made up for the camera incident, and I did manage to snap a few photos inside the show with my iPhone, and a few more of the outside of the theater with my SLR.

I would have to assume that the no-SLR rule is in place to prevent competition with a hired photographer for the event. Nonetheless, I won’t be a happy camper toting my compact digital around after falling in love with my digital SLR.

I constantly tell friends that the feature I use least on my iPhone is the phone itself. Since the release of the App Store, developers around the globe have proven that the iPhone can do just about anything you would want on a mobile device and more. I can easily calculate the tip at a restaurant, tune my guitar, read a book, or track my fuel economy — all with my iPhone. These utility applications have demonstrated the usefulness of the iPhone, but what about entertainment?

While game developers such as Pangea Software, Inc. and Electronic Arts have released single-player strategy games for the iPhone, developer Brandon Trebitowski of Treb Apps recently released Buzzword ($0.99) (link opens in iTunes), his first application for the iPhone which turns the device into a party game. After playing around with the game for a few days, I came to the conclusion that Buzzword is a combination of Taboo, Charades, and Hot Potato.  Trebitowski lays out the game rules below.

To play the game, players need to split up into two teams. You should sit in a circle alternating every other person as a member on your team.

First, the teams will need to decide on a category in which the words will come from.  This is done by pressing the “Category” button.  Next, pick a team to begin the game with the first word.

The game starts by pressing the “start/stop” button to start the timer.  The player holding the iPhone/iPod will try to describe the word on the screen.  They can say and do whatever they want without saying any of the words on the screen, saying “rhymes with”, or saying “starts with”.  All of the members on their team will then try to guess the word or phrase the player is trying to describe.

Once the word has been guessed, the iPhone/iPod is passed to the next player on the opposite team.  This player will press the “Next” button to receive a new word to describe.

The game is played until the buzzer goes off.  At this point, the team NOT holding the iPhone/iPod gets a point.  This is done by pressing either the “Team 1″ or “Team 2″ buttons.  The first team to 7 wins!

From brandonTreb.com

After playing around with Buzzword for a few days, I gathered some tips and opinions. First of all, make sure that your iPhone or iPod touch is not on silent. The sound of the ticking timer must be audible for time to be kept. Since the first-generation iPod touch did not have an external speaker, Buzzword cannot ideally be played on it, unless you use a separate timer of your own. Also, when selecting a category at the beginning of the game, be sure to notice the “All” category which will select words across all categories, making the game slightly more challenging. The fast-paced nature of Buzzword makes it an exciting game for any occasion. Letting other people get their sweaty paws on my iPhone, however, might take some getting used to.

At the top of my list of favorite websites and internet revolutions is Last.fm. When my friend introduced me to Last.fm in 2005, my initial reaction was, “but what’s the point?” Since then, I have introduced several of my own friends to Last.fm, much to the same reaction. Last.fm is an online music network that keeps track of the songs you listen to in iTunes and on your iPod. Last.fm works behind the scenes while you listen to music. All you have to do is install a plugin which allows iTunes to communicate with Last.fm, or what they call “scrobbling” songs to the Last.fm server. By tracking the music you listen to, Last.fm can display charts of your most listened to artists and songs in different timeframes. For example, according to my Last.fm profile, the artist whom I have listened to the most in the last 3 months is John Mayer. The band whom I have listened to most overall, however, is Death Cab For Cutie. Last.fm also tells me that I have listened to a total of 44,075 tracks since I started scrobbling, which averages to about 36 tracks per day.

But I quickly learned that Last.fm does much, much more than simply keep track of the music that you listen to.Based on your top artists and tracks, Last.fm recommends other similar artists that you may enjoy. At the click of a button, you can listen to one of these recommended artists and other similar music. These customizable Last.fm “radios” can be narrowed down to genres, artists, or even users. For example, I can listen to any one of my friends’ favorite music by navigating to their Last.fm profile and clicking the play button at the top right of their page. This is a great way to keep updated on any new popular bands among your friends.

Last.fm also keeps a list of your “neighbors” or users from the entire Last.fm community whose music is most like your own. This is another neat way to discover music; if one of my neighbors has been listening to a new band that I have never heard of, chances are I might like it, since Last.fm has already determined that we share an overall taste in music.

At this point, many people ask, well why not just use Pandora Radio, a free online radio that learns what music you like by rating each individual song? First, Last.fm, unlike Pandora, is a complete music community, not simply a smart online radio. Second, you need not manually rate songs in Last.fm as you would in Pandora; Last.fm automatically determines your favorite music by what you listen to every day in on your computer or MP3 player.

After more than 3 years of using Last.fm, I am still discovering new features that make the act of listening to music more than just pressing play. One new feature that I have just begun to notice is the “Events” feature. Based on your music taste and top artists, Last.fm recommends local events that you may enjoy. Last.fm can also keep track of all the events you have attended in the past. On these event pages, you can find where to buy tickets for an upcoming show, discuss the lineup, or even review the concert afterwards. Since Last.fm is a community, you can share the event with others by username or e-mail address. Another new feature that I have begun to use is the “tag” feature. By tagging a song with a genre or short description such as “upbeat” or “mellow”, songs of the same tag are grouped together. You can then listen to all the music that you have tagged with a certain word, or listen to the radio by tag. For example by entering the tag “mellow” in the radio, I will hear songs that users across the community have tagged “mellow”.

So if you’re an avid music listener, and enjoy discovering new artists, give Last.fm a shot. It took me a few months to really understand how neat Last.fm really is. Learn more at http://www.last.fm and be sure to add me as a friend!

Outside the Orpheum Theatre

Last week, I had the tremendous pleasure of watching STOMP live at the Orpheum Theatre in New York City. I had seen the STOMP performance of “Stomp Out Loud” on DVD a few years ago, but never made it out to see them live until now.

STOMP is a 2-hour off-Broadway percussion performance in which the musicians use everyday objects such as brooms and garbage cans. Anyone familiar with off-Broadway performances will know about the very tiny intimate theater size of the venues. Some see this is as a disadvantage, but for musical performances such as STOMP, the proximity to the stage really enhances the experience. I was lucky enough to be in the second row from the stage, which is absolutely outstanding… unless you’re an asthmatic. Let me explain. The show began with a lonesome guy on stage with a broom, rhythmically sweeping the stage as would a janitor. He was soon joined by the rest of the performers. The cloud of dust produced by the sweeping was enhanced by the dust intentionally poured onto the stage. Though it created a nice foggy effect on stage, it made the audience in the front rows cough and squint as the dust passed overhead.

Nevertheless, the show took off with a few fast-paced numbers, and then slowed it down with my favorite act involving matchbooks. The house lights were turned off, and a single spotlight was placed on a few of the performers, who sequentially tapped and shook rhythms on their matchbooks, conducting a sort of competition with each other. This, and other slight hints of comedy added simple story lines to each act. In fact, one of the performers had a comedic role through the entire show, serving as a shy victim of jokes and pranks from the other performers, yielding laughs through the subtle and dry humor.

However I can’t talk about STOMP without mentioning Blue Man Group. Like STOMP, Blue Man Group is an off-Broadway percussion performance, but incorporates art as well. I have seen Blue Man Group twice, once in Las Vegas and most recently at the Astor Place Theatre in New York City. Three men with their faces painted blue drum on objects such as PVC pipes and barrels of paint, splashing neon colors around while creating modern upbeat rhythms. STOMP takes a primitive and stripped down approach, whereas Blue Man Group takes a more modern. Blue Man Group however includes cast members who never appear on stage. These “backup” musicians wear neon-lit clothing, and are placed up high on platforms near the ceiling. They add rock drums and electric guitar to create the hi-fi modern effect. My favorite part of the Blue Man Group performance was undoubtedly the ending act where rolls of toilet paper streamed down from the back of the theater and enveloped the audience as strobe lights flashed and rock drums played. It’s a “you have to see it to believe it” kind of thing.

I often accredit my interest in music to the Seattle band Death Cab for Cutie. I was introduced to the band by my middle school music teacher shortly after their fifth album Transatlanticism hit the shelves. I quickly took to the band’s mellow sound and lead singer Ben Gibbard’s carefully crafted lyrics. Death Cab didn’t achieve mainstream success until their sixth album Plans, however while Plans was picking up new ears, I was digging into Death Cab’s older albums.Unlike many bands that don’t achieve mainstream success with their first few albums due to an inadequate and unlikeable sound, Death Cab’s older albums provide a raw yet believable sound which I have come to love. I’ve most recently rediscovered their second studio album, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, a dark, melodic, reverb-soaked masterpiece from the year 2000 that is often ignored. The band’s newest album Narrow Stairs seems to allude to their older sound from The Photo Album with guitarist Chris Walla’s distorted guitar riffs that somehow fit in perfectly with the smooth tone of Ben’s melody. And with this newest album comes a tour.

Earlier this week, the band announced that they would be going on tour this Spring. Having never seen a Death Cab concert, and more recently having missed their tour in the Fall, I joined the band’s fan club to gain access to the presale in order to ensure I wouldn’t miss out on another show. But there came a surprise. While buying my tickets seconds after they were released, I glanced over the fine print: “In addition to gaining first access to tickets before the general public, there will be a random seat upgrade for some lucky fan club members…” and didn’t think much of it. Almost 24 hours after purchasing my tickets, I received an email with new ticket stubs. This time, I wasn’t far back in the balcony, like the disappointing seats I had received on the first go. I was placed in the “pit.” Wait… pit? What’s that? It turns out I’m in between the front row of the theater and the stage, a mere 4 rows from the stage!

I really hope the Tower Theater allows photography.

philosophy |fəˈläsəfē| noun a theory or attitude held by a person or organization that acts as a guiding principle for behavior

sound |sound| noun the ideas or impressions conveyed by words

As I make my way through the continuum of life, I hope that I can share the little tidbits of my philosophy on life, music, and other beautifully vague matters on this page. Feel free to leave comments; often there is more to learn from the response of one’s words than from the words themselves.

Thanks for reading!