This Week in the Mercury
The Twitter
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Twitter / Politics Oregon Republican Wants to Outlaw Online Organizing
Posted by Goldy on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 1:59 PM
If you're wondering how much right-wingers truly hate America, you need look no further than Republican-sponsored Oregon Senate Bill 1534, which would create the felony crime of "aggravated solicitation" for, you know, tweeting...
(2) A person commits the crime of aggravated solicitation if, with the intent of causing two or more other persons to engage in specific conduct constituting a crime, the person uses an electronic communication to command or solicit other persons to engage in that conduct at a specific time and at a specific location.
(3) In a prosecution under this section, the state need not prove that the electronic communication was received by specific persons or that the defendant intended for specific persons to engage in the criminal activity.
That's right, if you use Twitter, or Facebook, or a blog, or email to help organize, or even just let people know about some event, where some crime is ultimately committed, you could be found guilty of a felony, punishable by as much as 20 years in prison. And prosecutors don't even need to prove that anybody actually read your tweet, or that you ever intended for a crime to be committed.
For example, let's say you tweeted (or retweeted) "Come join me at today's Occupy Portland protest at Chapman Square", where some folks were ultimately arrested for misdemeanor trespassing. Under SB-1534, you could be charged with a Class C felony!
More after the jump...
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Comedy / The Twitter Comedians on Internet Blackout Day
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 1:14 PM
COME ON GUYS!!!! WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY?!?
MORE AFTER THE JUMP?? SERIOUSLY??
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
The Twitter / Politics Question of the Day
Posted by Dan Savage on Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 2:13 PM
Via Twatter:
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Twitter Twitter Chatter: Should I Follow This Person?
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Thu, Dec 8, 2011 at 9:59 AM
Just got this Twitter notification through the mail:
Soooooooo...
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Monday, November 28, 2011
The Twitter Brownback Blinks in Twitter Face-Off Against Teenage Girl
Posted by Paul Constant on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 1:58 PM
As mentioned in GMN, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's office got a teenage girl in trouble with her principal because of a mean thing she posted about the governor on Twitter. Over the weekend, an anti-Brownback hashtag, #heblowsalot, went viral.
Today, Brownback apologized to the girl:
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback issued an apology on Monday, saying his office overreacted to a disparaging tweet from a high school senior who used a crude hashtag in her post."My staff overreacted to this tweet, and for that I apologize. Freedom of speech is among our most treasured freedoms," the governor said in a statement. "I also want to thank the thousands of Kansas educators who remind us daily of our liberties, as well as the values of civility and decorum. Again, I apologize for our overreaction."
There you go: Sam Brownback's finest hour.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Luv / The Twitter Sam Elliott Hearts Us
Posted by Courtney Ferguson on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 at 1:14 PM
Um, guys? It's only my second day on Twitter and I've already won it. I tweeted with Sam Elliott (@thesamelliott, who tweets just like how he speaks) and arranged to have his namesake cocktail at the Old Gold. And it's all legally binding because it's on Twitter. Right? I'm a noob, but I think that's totally how it works. Please take a moment to imprint this beautiful exchange on your brain pan.
Then I smoothly twatted:
Okay, I may have lost my cool here.
Then Ezra and Todd Mecklam started hogging the conversation, so we didn't get a chance to set up a time, but I'm just going to head over to the Old Gold right now in case Sam's waiting for me. Hold my calls—I won't be leaving my barstool until he shows up. Please don't tell Steve or Erik about this drink date, they'd probably show up and hog Sam Elliott all night.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Twitter / Rebel Alliance / PANIC! Nerdlebrities Weigh in on the Star Wars Blu-rays
Posted by Erik Henriksen on Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 10:44 AM
As suspected, that Yoda change wasn't all—after a few days of panicked rumor-swapping in the dweebier corners of the internet, Lucasfilm finally admitted to the New York Times that, in the upcoming Blu-ray version of Return of the Jedi's climactic scene, the formerly silent Darth Vader now cries "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" in much the same goofy-ass, repeatedly mocked way that he did in Revenge of the Sith. Which is... well, stupid, 'cause Vader's silence in that moment was one of the highlights of the original movies, while the "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" from Sith is one of the lowlights of the prequels.
On Wednesday, a press representative for Lucasfilm confirmed that this change will be included in the Blu-ray release, writing in an email: “Yes—Darth says NO.”Though it may sound like a minor detail among the millions in the Star Wars movies, this alteration has not sat well with many admirers of the film franchise.
On one hand, this is basically the least surprising news ever—Lucas will never stop (poorly) tweaking these movies, and fans will never stop getting outraged. On the other hand, though, it is kinda surprising, simply because the change is something you don't often hear associated with Lucas: It's bad business. With physical media whimpering its way through its prolonged death throes, these Blu-ray releases are basically Lucasfilm's last chance to make a good chunk off change off selling hard copies of these things, but now—out of anger, bitterness, and stubbornness—a whole lot of formerly reliable, money-spendin' nerds aren't gonna buy these. Asking 'em to buy the special editions was already a hard sell; asking 'em to buy some special special editions—while continuing to deny them access to the originals they want? That's just about impossible.
But who cares what I think—WHAT DO FAMOUS NERDS HAVE TO SAY? As the Times noted, Simon Pegg—star of Shaun of the Dead, Spaced, and Hot Fuzz— weighed in:
Which is a pretty good point, and—
Friday, August 5, 2011
The Twitter / Food A Den for "Psychopath[s]" and "Sick, Low Life, Scumbags"
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 11:30 AM
The above quotes are from celebu-chef Alton Brown. What is he describing? A crack house? An Olive Garden?
Nope. He's talking about Twitter. It seems that someone created a fake Twitter account under Brown's wife's name. (The account has been since been deleted.) When he discovered this, Brown went on an epic tirade—along with the above insults, he also called the fake-wife-Twitterer a "sad, sick, twisted piece of trash"—and said goodbye to Twitter, seemingly forever.
Eater explains Brown's rocky relationship with Twitter and quotes Brown as saying, "The way I see it, Twitter is like a big cocktail party. If I was at a cocktail party and someone puked on my wife’s shoes, odds are excellent that we’d leave." Can't argue with that logic.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Twitter / Politics A Pastor's Semi-Private Little War With Victoria Taft
Posted by Denis C. Theriault on Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 11:29 AM
The Reverend Chuck Currie, a liberal local police accountability and civil rights advocate, apparently has himself a new follower on Twitter—right wing talk show host Victoria Taft—and it looks like things have already gotten off on the wrong foot. Quite dramatically.
First off, Currie's welcome wasn't all that warm.
Which Taft promptly noted on her blog.
Keep preaching "tolerance," Chuck!Oh, and, if you're keeping book: political speech is now "hate" speech. Being conservative in this town automatically makes you a 'hater' in Pastor Currie's world.
Stay classy, Chuck!
Which then drew an equally tart retort from Currie.
(I've been told her website is now down...perhaps a sign from above? :) I expect she'll be back.)Not at all, Victoria. I've even voted for Republicans (Oregon used to produce some pretty darn good Republicans, after all. Remember Mark Hatfield?). And most conservatives I know are not hateful people. Do you think they are?
Haters are people like you, Victoria, who use the airways to make money by beating up on gays and lesbians—demanding that their civil rights be taken away or denied—and other vulnerable people. You belittle an anti-bullying campaign to protect gay and lesbian students by calling it "Prayer In School...For Gays."
Why post the back and forth? I confess. I really just wanted an excuse to remind everybody about this. (And, no, she's not my type.)
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Twitter Ashanti Wants 2 Know!
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Tue, Jun 21, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Welcome to our newest recurring Blogtown feature: Ashanti Wants 2 Know! It's the only blog column in Portland that reposts Ashanti's Twitter questions, and then lets YOU, the average Blogtown reader answer them—thereby giving Ashanti the answer that she's requesting! Via Twitter! OKAY, LET'S DO THIS!
This week Ashanti wants 2 know...
Thursday, June 16, 2011
The Twitter / Music Attention Twitter Haters: Rihanna Don't Take No Mess!
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 1:29 PM
In the world of Twitter, there are a lot of haters. And celebrities generally take the high road when it comes to nasty tweets from their anti-fans. EXCEPT RIHANNA. Behold:
Wait... "FISHY POOM POOM??" YESSSSSS!!! See more from Rihanna's 10 Best Twitter Comebacks here.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Twitter / Politics Santorum on Weiner
Posted by Dan Savage on Tue, Jun 14, 2011 at 11:13 AM
Friday, June 10, 2011
The Twitter / TV Alec Baldwin on Tracy Morgan's Homophobic Rant
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Want to see Alec Baldwin's twitter reaction to Tracy Morgan's homo-hatin' rant? Here ya go.
It should be noted that Alec Baldwin is new to this Twitter thing.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The Twitter Frank Cassano vs. Google
Posted by Alison Hallett on Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 4:05 PM
This made me laugh.
FACT: Frank Cassano is enraged by emoticons. Click through for his response. (Letting Frank run our Twitter account was the best decision we ever made.)
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Friday, May 27, 2011
The Twitter / Election 2012 "Rick Santorum's" Twitter Feed
Posted by Dan Savage on Fri, May 27, 2011 at 2:58 PM
Monday, May 2, 2011
Religion / The Twitter Leave it to a Christian to Say Something Stupid
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Mon, May 2, 2011 at 10:14 AM
Dear Christianity: EVERYTHING IS NOT ALL ABOUT YOU!!!
via
Sunday, May 1, 2011
The Twitter Who First Leaked the News of bin Laden's Death?
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Sun, May 1, 2011 at 11:36 PM
About half an hour before President Obama's announcement that Osama bin Laden had been killed by special forces, the news was spreading like fire across the Twittersphere. So who was the first person to leak the word? According to the NYT, it was Keith Urbahn (not the C&W singer married to Nicole Kidman), former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's chief of staff. This was his Tweet.
Mr. Urbahn quickly added, “Don’t know if it’s true, but let’s pray it is.” He was credited by many on the Web with breaking the news, though he did not have first-hand confirmation.
More interesting notes on how the news spread, here.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The Twitter / Politics Today's Best Tweets About Obama's Released Birth Certificate
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Wed, Apr 27, 2011 at 3:14 PM
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Twitter / Books The Internet Would Not Kill Shakespeare, If Shakespeare Were Living Today
Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 9:44 AM
The ever-delightful Colson Whitehead wrote an essay for Publishers Weekly about why he's on Twitter:
I can only speak on my own use of Twitter, which is: I had a cat, the cat died, and now the stuff I used to say to the cat all day, I tweet.That's my Twitter origin tale: it's nice to have a little company during the long workday. I'm probably more versed in why writers aren't on Twitter, as they constantly share their reasons without prompting.
It's a fun essay that includes a witty refutation of the commonly held belief that the internet is horrible for writers.
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Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Twitter / Bieber Fever NAMBLA / Justin Bieber Crossover: Predict What Will Happen Next!
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 10:14 AM
This is possibly the greatest Tweet you will ever read:
While it may be momentarily uncomfortable, pretend you're Justin Bieber for a moment. Now, in his voice, pen the perfect Bieber response to this impossible tweet in the comments!
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Twitter / Horrors Snake's on a Twitter
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 4:01 PM
As I mentioned earlier in GMN, a venomous Egyptian Cobra has escaped from the Bronx Zoo—and this just in: HE ALREADY HAS A HILARIOUS TWITTER ACCOUNT.
Follow his further adventures here.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Twitter Snoop Dogg is More Influental than Barack Obama
Posted by Sarah Mirk on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 1:44 PM
...on Twitter.
The New York Times Magazine has this interesting article about Twitalyzer, a service which ranks "Twitter influence." They list the top 10 most influential Twitterers, as measured by the conversations people are having with and about them, not just the number of followers.
The 44th President of the United States falls just below Ryan Seacrest and Snoop Dogg, right above that guy from The Office.
Yeah, seems about right.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Twitter Best Tweets from the Get Motivated! Seminar
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 5:07 PM
The Twitter / Ethics Adventures in Tone-Deaf Altruism
Posted by Anthony Hecht on Mon, Mar 14, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Microsoft's ability to make itself look terrible, even when doing something good, is already legendary, but they still manage to reach for new heights.
Example! On Saturday morning, Microsoft posted this on their Bing Twitter account:
The Internet went ballistic of course, and I don't blame it. I guess if only 50,000 people retweet their message, then those poor Japanese people are just out 50 grand, eh? Too bad, quake victims, should have gotten more retweets!
Several hours later, Bing tweeted that they were sorry "that the tweet was negatively perceived", and they've donated the full $100K regardless of the outcome of their marketing contest.
That's definitely nice and all, and I'm sure their intentions from the start were mostly good, but geez, they can't even get an apology right.
Tip: lamenting how people have perceived your actions is not an apology. It's a fake apology. An appropriate 140-character apology would go something like this: "Oh my god we're so sorry. We didn't think that through. Giving $1M to Japan—still a pittance to us—to make up for our cluelessness. Ugh."
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Twitter / Horrors Charlie Sheen on the Disaster in Japan (Oh, No...)
Posted by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey on Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 2:43 PM
Don't forget! Today is also National Unfollow Charlie Sheen on Twitter Day!
UPDATE: Oh, and too soon, 50 Cent! Too... soon. (Better yet, how about never?)
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