New Twitter preview: 5 up and down

The much awaited release of the new face of twitter is here, or at least in its BETA stages. I'm not sure if anyone else has had the little entising message at the top of their page-like I have. 'Psst [check out the new badassness] . . .' with the yellow 'try now' button.

The first thing I thought to myself was that they made a mistake-'Why me? I'm nobody special.' My follower to following ratio isn't anything great. I tweet and blog when I can-mostly boring bafoonary or failed attempts at psuedo-intellectual e-snark.

I know about but can't use a lot of the mobile applicatios that make the ease of microblogging easier.-socio-economically smart tool (phone or apple device) handicaped.

Now that I've gotten my fancey wordery and pretentious prose fix, I'll give a list of the five things that I think work best and worst with the preview of the new twitter that I've been using for the past few days.

5 Up and down (good and bad)

Everything is on One Page:

The most obvious thing about the #NewTwitter that works, is the fact that everything is on one page. Looking at the home page is the same thing as looking at any other page including other peoples profiles; which is another feature in the five that is coming up next. Basically all content on Twitter can be accessed from the home page. The new setup gives normal explorer windows the feel of a mobile application on a desktop. Even though I haven't seen what the #NewTwitter looks like on a mobile device, it may work better or worse.

The extended content Button:

An alert of this new feature pops up when I clicked on the 'try now' button. This new button is in the place where the 'favorite' star used to be. One click puts everything that used to be implied by little notes at the bottom of tweets-'tweeted from tweetdeck,' or 'the theatre disrict.'

After pressing the little circle with the right facing arrow in it, another feed appears next to the normal feed with more specified content. Supposedly video is going to be available, but all I've seen is geo-location information and twitpix. If streaming video could be embedded like other sites, it would be awesomer. I haven't tried tweeting complicated stuff through the new interface yet, so I can't speak from experience when it comes to that.

Everything about the #NewTwitter seems to be an effort to make everything simpler at a glance.

The New Sleek Look:

Even if your background sucks or the templete your using limits your individual expression, the new look of twitter will make your site look cooler by proxy.

Tweets are more self contained. Most of the actions that come along with the conversationality of twitter-retweets, replys, and favoriting; are at the bottom of tweets in your feed. Not a big change.

Retweeting is easier:

Not that the advent of the 'retweet' button didn't make retweeting easey enough, I was always bothered that it wasn't present in listed tweets. In order to retweet someone you had to do it from your main feed or old school RT and retype.

Using lists makes it easier to follow other peoples' tweets without following them and/or organize the people you follow so it's easier to filter out some of the noise from followbacks and more avid tweeters that clog up feeds sometimes.

The shining Blue light:

Last and not that big a deal, is the little blue light that shines the way back 'home.' It's not that noticeable; only on the 'home' button and I had to make something number five for anyone that actually read/skimmed this far.

. . . the preview is a bit buggy and it chuggs whether I look at it on a Mac or PC; but, the moves forward seem like some really good ideas to make twitter more user friendly for people that aren't as familiar with the culture that comes with it.

Early 4th Party Games

i don't know if it's a real condition, but i suffer from that thing Josh Hartnett talked about in Lucky Number Sleven (i can't remember what it's called and i don't feel like ganking the movie online right now). just watch the first 3rd of the movie (netflick it or something). he explains it to Lucy Lui (most stuff just doesn't bother me-point).


it is a bit of an exaduration. but i just don't mind making a fool of myself sometimes (imma clumsy oaf at times-can't help it-gottta use what i got).

that being said-when i get bored-especially in situations that seem like they're supposed to work out a certain way-i don't mind stiring the pot (i'm an instigator).

my friends in DC are a lot more subdued and composed all the time. at parties people are supposed to talk to people they don't know and meet people they may eventually not get along w/. (rambling again-just wanted to give a bit of background).

. . .

i like facilitating motion in a party. i come up with games to meet people and help other people meet each other (if i end up being the guy that everyone is talking about, doing that weird thing that no one else gets-at least everyone is getting engaged and meeting new people-the point of getting off the couch)

. . .

i went to an early 4th of July celebration about a day ago and i felt like i was in a middle school dance. all the single girls were sitting next to each other on a couch-all the single guys were in the kitchen-everyone was talking to people they already new.

i was getting bored fast-cause i knew 1 or 2 people and they were distracted. so i came up with a game i could play by myself that involved everyone in the party-after pulling off an Omarion move from his Icebox days in the middle of the living room (proud to say i got a few ooo's and ahhh's).

-learn and remember everyones' name in the party that i've met and forgotten or never met b4-
the party involved alcohol, so this seemed to be the most interesting way to 'stir the pot.'

i started in the kitchen. if i didn't know the guys name-it was brian. if i didn't know the girls name it was-chickadee (bad idea because a few of the girls were femmanists and i've been chewed out multiple times for saying chick).

regardless, everytime i saw someone being bored or boring-i tested myself on the names that i remembered. i told brian to ask chickadee her name for me whether i actually forgot it or not. i had 15 names memorized b4 the night ended in a bar called wonderland-that was the name of the bar, seriously.

at least 2 people gave me fake names more than once. i was reminded 'we'll probably never see each other again-u don't have to remember my name' again and again.-the game was too fun and everyone else seemed so much less boring and cut-off from each other the more i 'stirred the pot.'

passed out on my friend's couch-be responsible-i was just sleepy.

games are fun-point

maybe i'll let someone else in on the gag tonight-this party is supposed to be ritzy.

untill i can get to a computer and rant . . . l8r.

Barefoot Cornhole and Bizcards

i don't like wearing shoes, but i can't get into most places w/o them-not even in FL.

my friends, from Orlando and PSJ (Port St. John) even, always give me a hard time.

"y aren't you wearing shoes? jeez, jdot."

i just like to pick up things with my toes-they r a lil longer than what i would consider normal-and i like the way pavement, stone and sand feel on the soles of my feet-and it helps me fall on my face less (can be a klutz).

regardless . . .

i got conveinced to enter a cornhole competition at Bubbahlous (a restaurant off of HWY 50 and Challenger PKWY-in orlando). most of the people in the competition were regulars that play there every Tuesday and Thursday. i was severly intimidated, so i had to practice (shoes on).

(side-note: for any1 that has never played cornhole before-it's a game w/ sandbags and plywood boards held up by 2x4's with a hole cut towards the rear of it-1 of the most fun games ever-like horseshoes-irony-fake laugh)



i couldn't make a shot to save my life-maybe i was leaning on the board too much-maybe my freind, who was an ex-Hooters girl that i used to work w/ was distracting me-maybe it was the workout my other friend made me tag along on, after having not worked out for nearly 3 months. eiher way i was sucking it up royally.

finally we picked numbered poker chips to find out who was gonna be on what team. i got so lucky-1 of the guys that goes their all the time ended up being my partner. my workout buddy told me we had it in the bag and i felt a lil competative.

took off the shoes (as if you couldn't tell that was coming)-and it helped. we lost our first match, but i was shooting good. we won the second-got another shot 'cause it was double elimination. lost the third 'cause i got cocky and lost my shot.

no shoes good 4 shot-trying to impress a hot ex-Hooters girl by loosing a 5 bucks in a cornhole ternament bad

. . .

there was also a dj there from a local radio station in the competition-didn't feel like pimpin myself to win a contest i had no chance in @MTVTJ

met another local dj at a bartending competiton at Fridays-got there too l8 to see bottle flipping-got his card-he kindah looked like Guy from Food Network.

better story from home-less rushed.

9/27/10-Day 6-MTVTJ candadacy advocacy aka Going Home pt. 2

back to the chicken, bacon, ranch situation

2 friends that i haven't seen in a while let me stay the night on their couch while i was back home. that's how i got my last 2 nominations.

my itouch was almost dead (forgot to bring the charger-didn't expect to be staying around 5 days straight). i pass out on the couch not thinking. i finally wake up and check @MTVTJ and i find out that nominations were going to close at 10am.

got my friend and his roommates girlfriend to nominate me (cause my other friend already left for his 9-5). she helped me the most 'cause she kept nominating me the last 30 minutes before nominations closed (don't know if it made a difference to MTV, but it made me feel a little better that my friends were down).

regardless of all that it was just funny to me that my friend w/ the 9-5 was talking me up about blogging. i don't know how we got on the toppic-not like i'm some sort of authority. i just have ideas and i write them down.

i think we were talking about how the whole vampire show thing started w/ the Buffy movie-then the show-the the spin off shows-then the blade show that followed the movie(sucked)-then twilight (after some weird cartoon vampire shows).

i'm sure their is gonna be some weird twilight spoof web-series-if their isn't one already.

Going home pt. 1

i haven't been able to get to an actual computer connected to the internet in over a week.

going home was an adventure-to put it one way. i just did the same old stuff:

since i don't have a car anymore-didn't think i'd need one in the city-my dad dropped me off at my old job, Hooters. i hardly recognized anybody. i guess that's what happens when you leave for almost a year.

needless to say a couple good friends were around and we went to the bar next door-Trickshots (a sportsbar/pool hall-pretty much one of the coolest places ever).

recap for my own ADD so i can get to the good stuff in my next blog:

3 pitchers-3 jelloshots-an awesome night of wooping my old manager in poll for a couple hours, after taking an 8 month hiatus)

saw a lot of old faces i didn't know were still around-1 girl thought i was dead(but i'm not, that same girl always gets me confused w/ one of my old friends)

got dropped off at my buddies house and explained blogging to one of my friends (more in the blog to follow)

played w/ my budy his kid and dog-passed out after eating 2 chicken, bacan, ranch dominos sandwich deals

woke up and took my buddies daughter to the pool-to teach her to swim

she was terrified, so we just sat on the edge of the pool and told her she did great

went to another restaurant (can't remember the name of it)

passed out on another couch-still hadn't changed my shirt or pants (nasty-i know-told you i got caught up)

woke up and went to the beach with my friend, his crazy girlfriend, and my other buddy

met up w/ 1 of the Hooters girls i completely disregarded ('cause i didn't know her)

bought her and my friends a couple shots

passed out in the car

took a shower (finally)

got on the plane-7am

walked home from the bus stop

passed out 'till just about 2 hours ago.

started writing.

9/26/10-Day 6-MTVTJ candidacy advocacy

it's been about a week since i've blogged (almost no interweb access, no smartphone-only 1st stage itouch, that i won in a contest at my old job). it's hard getting my brain back in that mode.

here's what my notes say anyway:

the drive from Alexandria VA took about 15 hours w/ my dad-suprisingly one of the more entertaining car rides i've had.

he has this thing about changing the station on the radio to keep himself up-worked out for me though. music helps me think-the drive let me just think about stuff and come up with ideas.

everytime he turned the station something else would hit me-u know what it feels like when you have an idea and you write it tound 'cause you think it's gonna make you a mill-when you try to write it out it doesn't come out the same. (rammbling again-to the point)

he flip to a station while we drived through NC that only played old motown and i heard Beibers first single-but it wasn't the swoop king. some group made the song in the late 60's. i couldn't find it on the motown/universalwebsite cause none of the songs played.-i'll admit Beiber's version is better.

i guess it's not a cover it you snag the riff and courus from a song older than you that your record lable owns. Usher did the same thing with an old school Stevie Wonder song-couldn't remember the name of it. it's the one w/ Nikki Monaj-lil freak. (Stevie always make some good stuff -whoever gave that man a synthesizer made a mistake-just like when they invented vocoder).

the entertainment industry works in cycles like any other. they spelled it out in B Cool-the travolta remake of Get Shorty. when i was listening to the radio, watching cornfeilds pass by, talking to my dad about famous chicks he kept trying to hook me up w/ in some theoretical universe in his head.

recap of that before i go back to beiber:

him-Rhiana?

me-nope, couldn't deal w/ the five head (her people hide it good w/ the bangs and ll, but it's still their). my kids are gonna have enough to deal w/ when it comes to my lopsided dome. our kids would end up too top heavy.

him-Janet (Ms. Jackson-if you're nasty)?

me-nope, couldn't deal w/ her fam. my fam is off the wall enough. i couldn't have a brother-in-law willing to name their kid Jermajesty. her brother-MJ-was a genius, though.

here's the point-promised @KayKiSpeaks.

him-Christina Millian

him-maybe, then i remember she already had a kid and she's got a dude (in one of KayKiSpeaks older blogs). theoretically-yeah if i had a chance, but i can't have too many dreams.

and to make a long blog even longer-back to bieber:

when i heard that song all i could think of was Bieber in a shiny suite like all those Motown groups in the 70's-doing that doowop snap and slide.-he'd probably still sell a million copies and get 13 year old boys to put 'em on to impress the boppers.

(insert-funny vid of Biebers head on the temptations or swooping his hair with those giant shades that lighten up towards the bottom of the lenses.-not putting up vids yet)

Client Relations

the fact that i'm a freelance videographer for George Washington University is all over every single one of my profiles. but it doesn't really give a good idea of what i do (not that it's all that exciting).

every gig is different. i've only been doing this for about a year and i know at least 3 different video editing programs, 2 video sharing sites, and 4 web page/blogger platforms (it's hard 2 figure out what people are actually gonna watch online.)

i've taped hour long panel disscussions and upconverted/downcoverted/exported 2 quicktime/resized aspect ratios 4 HD/sat 4 hours on end watching footage digitize just n case their were dropped frames/used stillframes and broll from other cameramen-and i know i still have more to learn (i know this is getting long. but i'm almost done-2 triple shot espressos and 4 hours of sleep).

like one of my clients from the hectic day i had today. i had a prelim meeting with Thomas Cook for these vids he wants so he can break back into the Vegas scene. he threw an external drive and two dvds at me along with every creative idea in his head.

seems like it's gonna be a fun project-he even invited me to his 4th of July shin dig (i gotta get some fireworks from Cocoa mailed to me while i'm back home). . . realized i'm just rambling now.

nxt blog will b better-let's hope (time to get ready to drive 15 hours) . . . l8