Do not drink the toilet water, okay? And don't juggle hand grenades, either

We human beings can always be counted upon to provide - how shall we say - interesting material that makes us shake our head in wonderment and bewilderment.

So for whatever reason, let's say somebody reading this decides to visit the Phoenix area perhaps for work or pleasure. While checking out the city and Chandler, Arizona in particular following a large consumption of coffee...or tea...whatever, nature calls and a trip to the bathroom is necessary. It appears there are signs posted in restrooms of a new $73 million, five-story building warning people not to drink water out of the urinals and toilets, which happen to use re-cycled water. Unless one gets down on one's hands and knees, this is not a probability, anyway. Mind you, non-human four-legged non-humans like cats or dogs might find this a deterrent. Thinking further, would this law apply to them?

The reason for the posting is that city code regulations located 20 miles southeast of Phoenix to post signs or tint water blue to flag the existence of non-potable "gray water."

*************************************************************************************

Been juggling various life choices? Someone in San Francisco for whatever reason known obviously only to him, decided that it might be fun and definitely an attention-getter, to perform a juggling act at Fisherman's wharf. What makes this news is that his choice of juggling material was a hand grenade. Presumably, this was a one-item juggling act. But I digress. Bomb squad investigators responding to this man's choice of items, closed down the entire block in response. After further investigation, police determined that the grenade was a fake.

The performer, who has not been identified, was arrested and may face charges. I bet.

*************************************************************************************

Last but definitely not least - another study

Love those studies. Some researchers living in Montreal, Canada, obviously and again for whatever reason known only to them, conducted studies that revealed the sight of red meat on a dinner table seems to calm men down and makes them less aggressive.

The research recruited 82 men men who believed they could punish an aide reading a script with various volumes of sound every time he made an error while they sorted photos, some with pictures of meat and others with neutral images. This leads one to wonder what this has to do with meat. But I digress.

The researchers initially believed the men would inflict more discomfort on the script reader while they sorted photos of cooked red meat, but that didn't turn out to be the case.

The researcher says in hindsight, it makes sense that our ancestors would be calm at the sight of meat that is ready to eat as they would be surrounded by their loved ones at meal time. O-kaaaaay....

This leads one to wonder - again - whether the sight of real meat would have the adverse affect, or whether the same would be applicable when seeing photos of raw chicken and other varieties of meat. Also, what about cooked meat? As a person who prepares meals regularly, my feeling is that the sight of a cooked meal when one doesn't have to prepare it is infinitely better. Really.

The line up - Brits don't like it

Love those surveys! Yet another one out of Britain, a country that appears to enjoy doing surveys scientific and other-wise, focusing on an act we all do and yet many of us despise doing it. A busy day at the supermarket is a common place where people of all ages gather in large numbers while doing it. The "it" in this case is having to wait in line to pay or do anything, actually.

According to the survey conducted on-line, the average British adult is able to line up for 10 minutes and 42 seconds before expressing their frustration. How, one wonders, did they calculate that 42 seconds but I digress. It's sort-of surprising given the Brits tolerance for things. The most disliked line ups were - surprise - at the supermarkets in addition to the post office and airport check-in and security.

People in the 55 years of age and over category become restless 3 minutes before younger people, however, those 35 years of age and under were more likely to take their frustration out on whoever happens to be handy at that time. This could mean, one presumes, getting verbally nasty. Seems what really aggravates those surveyed is when people dawdle. This is logical if, for example, a cashier and customer discuss and plan social events while the line grows and grows, or when the person in front has a conversation on her/his cell phone and loses track of time, or when people decide to get rid of all that heavy, pesky change... Ask me about it! But again I digress.

To avoid having to wait in line, most Brits prefer to pay their bills on-line, something that is popular with people living in North America and most likely all over the planet.

The on-line poll of 2,006 adults found that one in five people do their shopping at night to avoid the lines. It would be interesting if somebody would conduct a similar poll to see how people living in other countries feel about lining up. Would, for example, culture play a part in how people would react? Weather conditions? So how do people reading this feel about lining up?

Wanna be friends with Queen Elizabeth on Facebook?

Being a Queen is a 24 hour job with lots of royal duties to perform and queenly responsibilities. It's not surprising to learn, then, that Queen Elizabeth, she of the British Monarchy, has decided to have a presence on Facebook. Seems that Queen 'E' enjoys surfing the Net and even sends e-mail. Perhaps - pure speculation - she uses e-mail to exchange recipes with other royalists, or send e-card greetings when somebody celebrates a special event. Usual, "normal" stuff like that.

She now has an official Facebook presence but not a personal profile page. Totally understandable. I mean, a Queen does not share personal information like her favorite books or recent book releases worth reading, film recommendations or where to buy a decent hat for special occasions. That would be just too...mundane and un-regal like. Facebook users, though, can 'like' if they so desire plus receive updates on their news feed about queenly happenings.

So let's say...if Queen Liz talks about something cute her corgies have done, or perhaps wants to share a nice photo of them or family members, Facebook-ers can 'like' it if they so desire.

The 'Welcome to the British Monarchy' Facebook page reads: "Welcome to the British Monarchy's Facebook page. To see updates in your news feed, just click on 'Like' Please note that any offensive comments will be deleted."

This leads one to wonder what would be construed as offensive comments...negative fashion statements perhaps. These are things that just can't be said or written or expressed in public!

The page will also feature the Court Circular, recording the previous day's official engagements.

Also featured will be information about royal events and ceremonies, searchable on a UK map.

According to information on the royal Facebook page, Facebook visitors won't be able to add the Queen as a "friend" or attempt to "poke" her as we normal Facebook members tend to do. Think of the social value for people to be able to boast, "I'm friends with Queen Elizabeth on Facebook!" Not.

Employment opportunity. Wanted mermaid or mer-man

Looking for a job that offers something different in the way of a challenge? Enjoy meeting people? Want to make a big splash in the world? An unusual employment opportunity awaits a female - or male - who knows how to swim well and be willing to do tank cleaning of the fish type.

The Rhyl SeaQuarium located in North Wales is currently seeking out a mermaid - or mer-man.

According to the the "employment opportunity" ad on the aquarium site under the title of "VACANCY – MERMAID/MERMAN":

"A unique and exciting opportunity has arisen (what an appropriate word for this story!) for a Mermaid or Mer-man within the Entertainments Team at the Rhyl SeaQuarium. Duties will include visitor presentations and demonstrations, photo opportunities with our visitors and Dive presentations."

This leads one to wonder how many if any, mermaids or mer-mans exist on this planet but then again, this isn't an issue since the person who gets the job will be wearing a costume, unless of course she or he is the real thing.

So to continue, the person who gets the job will be required to clean exhibits and take care of the animals in a 160,000 litre Ocean Display. Anyone reading this interested in submitting their application should have an outgoing personality, be able to communicate effectively with visitors and perform presentations to a wide range of age groups, both small and large.

This leads one to speculate the type of presentations a mermaid/mer-man would perform. Laze on a rock and sing sea-related ballads perhaps and/or swim around the tank with lots of tail swishing, for sure interacting with the sea creatures. Right now you're probably asking yourself what type of sea creatures are there? According to information on the site, there are more than 30 exhibits with species ranging from sea lions to lionfish, seahorses,sharks and rays. Presumably, the mermaid/mer-man would be required to swim with the fishes in the true sense of the word.

Furthermore, according to the information blurb, "they (whoever is hired) must be able to cope positively with the media interest and be comfortable with public appearance as well as being in front of a camera being photographed for visitor photo opportunities. Due to the public appearances, the successful applicant must be prepared to wear a Mermaid/Merman outfit, which will be specially made for the individual. They should also have a passion for marine life and be comfortable around many forms of marine life – including sharks"

Notice the dash and the two words at the end, "including sharks." Obviously - at least to moi - the seaquarium is aware that many people are hesitant when it comes to interacting with sharks. Fear of death springs to mind.

"Interested applicants should fill out the online application form and send their CV and cover letter to paul.tyson@seaquarium.co.uk expressing the reasons to why this role would suit you."

Closing date for applications is the November 5 and the successful candidate must be able to start on the 16th April 2011. BTW - the post is listed as a "temporary fixed term position initially for one week only with the possibility of an extension to a seasonal position till September 2011." Temporary fixed term position... So if I were to attempt translating this phrase, to moi, it means a post that will exist for a certain time period, in this case one week, but there is a chance that it could be extended. Slo in other words: this is not a career growth opportunity. Then again, perhaps few people would really want to work the rest of their lives dressed in a mermaid or mer-man suit, swimming around a tank doing...whatever a mermaid or mer-man does.

Any takers? What's a few sharks and rays anyway?

Two (or more) minutes of silence for Paul the octopus

Some people are suckers when it comes to betting on sports events and then along comes Paul the Octopus who had an uncanny ability to pick winners. Notice the usage of the past tense since Paul has gone on to meet - well - wherever octopuses or the scientifically correct, octopi, go when they pass on.

To many people, he looked like an ordinary octopus but Paul's special ability made him an instant celebrity. Born in January 2008 in Weymouth, England, he received the name, Paul the Psychic Octopus after being able to correctly predict the winners of last summer's World Cup.

According to reports, Paul passed away in his sleep in his tank from natural causes. There are people who aren't convinced he died under normal circumstances, and believe that Paul met with foul play. According to one Jiang Xiao, the director of a forthcoming thriller entitled Who Killed Paul the Octopus, she believes the superstar octopus had really been dead for the last three months. Furthermore, Jiang related to the Guardian Newspaper that she was "60 to 70% sure" Paul had died in July and been secretly replaced by his keepers. When pressed further to explain how the deception could have been perpetrated, Jiang explained that there could have been a switch since all ocotopuses (or octopi) look alike.

True but can all octopuses predict World Cup wins? Doubtful but then again nobody has ever tested the overall ability of octopi to see if they have any psychic abilities.

"We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here and that the care provided him by our dedicated displays team could not have been bettered, Stefan Porwoll, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Center in Germany that housed Paul, commented.

Paul's method of predicting winners was simplicity personified. His caretakers at the Sea Life Centre placed a mussel in each of two clear plastic containers within his tank, and each container was marked with the flag of the competing soccer team. Paul always took his first mussel from the container bearing the flag of the team he "knew" or "sensed" would win.

There is no information regarding funeral arrangements or even if Paul had any siblings or next-of-kin. There is also no information as to whether any attempt to track any down will be made.

"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine,” said Porwoll.

The aquarium realizing a good thing...that is to say, recognizing that octopuses have as yet undiscovered talent, is already grooming a successor also named Paul. Who knows - if Paul 11 proves to be as psychic as his predecessor, could a salmon or flounder be far behind? I mean, just saying...

Woman chooses white to wed herself

Bridal gowns traditionally come in white as a symbol for purity in addition to the couple starting a new life together. Mind you these days wedding dresses also can be found in beige, off-white or even black but that as they say, is another story. So a woman living in Taiwan decided to get married, which in itself is nothing unusual. However what distinguishes her wedding from others is - wait for it - she is marrying herself on November 6.

According to the story, the bride, one Chen Wei-Yih, has gifted herself with a diamond ring (no information if it's an engagement ring since she would be engaged to herself) and booked a photographer to capture the occasion and guests. Furthermore, it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision and the rationale behind the idea is to show other single females in the 30-year age bracket that they weren't failures. Why stop at 30? Why not 40-year old females and so on, one wonders but I digress.

The almost-wed bride is planning a solo honeymoon to Australia where she plans to pursue a career as a coordinator. No mention what she wants to coordinate but perhaps she's thinking single wedding coordinater. Why not? There are other single females who might want to marry themselves! Who knows - this could become a world-wide trend.

"Do you, blah-blah, take yourself as your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

To get back to the wedding details, there will be bridesmaids and ushers plus 30 invited guests who will celebrate the self-wedding at a banquet hall following the ceremony. What is interesting is that Chen admitted she has had several boyfriends and relationships and was almost married plus she considers her self-wedding non-binding, which means she's free to marry someone other than herself, if the opportunity presents itself.

Here's a photo of the bride, replete in wedding dress: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/22/taiwan-bridetobe-plans-we_n_772431.html

Our world gets weirder and weirder...

Ward - I'm worried about the Beaver...

To many of us who grew up with the Cleaver family, June Cleaver epitomized the perfect mom. Always impecably dressed with her ever-present string of pearls, she was the stay-at-home mom who seldom raised her voice and knew the right things to say for the occasion. We all wanted her to come live in our homes and she did, at least via the TV.

Every week many of us of "a certain age" as the French so quaintly put it, tuned in to "Leave It to Beaver" because we wanted to be part of the Cleaver family. The Cleavers and their friends and aquaintances represented "Perfectville" where drugs were something you took when you were sick and divorce was something that was whispered about between adults. During the Cleaver era sitting down for supper at the dining room table as a family unit was the norm with dad Ward, in his business suit replete with tie and mom June in her proper, poofy dress running back and forth serving up the food and dispensing sweetness and home-spun advice. Even when vacuuming, June wore her ever-present string of pearls and a turban to keep her hair clean.

It was quite a departure for her fans when she turned up as a jive-talking passenger on one of the "Airplane!" films. Ever the professional, she handled the role as perfectly as she did playing Mrs. Cleaver.

The Beaver's mom will now be dispensing advice in the "great beyond" through actress, Barbara Billingsley, who played the role of June Cleaver died at the age of 94. She played the role of ideal mother with a calm demeanor that endeared her to viewers. In a TV interview, she said she wanted to "set a good example for what a wife could be." She did that and then some.

Those unfamiliar with June Cleaver can go back in time since YouTube carries many of the original episodes. Chances are you'll smile and say "nice!" The Beaver's mom would be happy.

Ward - I'm very worried about the Beaver

To many of us who grew up with the Cleaver family, June Cleaver epitomized the perfect mom. Always impeccably dressed with her ever-present string of pearls, she was the stay-at-home mom who seldom raised her voice and knew the right things to say for the occasion. We all wanted her to come live in our homes and she did, at least via the TV.

Every week many of us of "a certain age" as the French so quaintly put it, tuned in to "Leave It to Beaver" because we wanted to be part of the Cleaver family. The Cleavers and their friends and aquaintances represented "perfectville" where drugs were something you took when you were sick and divorce was something that was whispered about between adults. In the Cleaver household sitting down for supper at the dining room table as a family unit was the norm with dad Ward, in his business suit replete with tie and mom June, in her proper poofy dress running back and forth serving up food, dispensing sweetness and home-spun advice. Even when vacuuming, June wore her string of pearls but wore a turban to keep her hair clean.

It was quite a departure for her fans when she turned up as a jive-talking passenger on one of the "Airplane!" films. Ever the professional, she handled the role as perfectly as she did playing Mrs. Cleaver.

The Beaver's mom will now have to dispense her helpful advice in the "great beyond" through actress, Barbara Billingsley, who played the role of June Cleaver, died at the age of 94. She played the role of ideal mother with a calm demeanor that endeared her to viewers. In a TV interview, she said she wanted to "set a good example for what a wife could be." She did that and then some.

Those unfamiliar with June Cleaver can go back in time since YouTube carries many of the original episodes. Chances are you'll smile and say "nice!" The Beaver's mom would be happy. Meanwhile, for those of us who were fortunate to be part of the Cleaver family, here is a memory jogger that displays a mom's love, tolerance and patience:

Ward Cleaver: I'm going to change my clothes and finish painting those trash cans myself; the boys ran out on the job.
June Cleaver: Well dear you can't blame them too much, they went over to see the big fire at the lumber yard.
Ward Cleaver: Fire?
June Cleaver: Yes, they couldn't resist it, and after all they are just boys.
Ward Cleaver: Tom Corton's lumber yard?
June Cleaver: Yes, it's been on the radio. Why, they've called out fire companies from all over.
Ward Cleaver: Well it must be quite a fire.
June Cleaver: Yes, it must be.
Ward Cleaver: June, I wonder if you'd go out to the garage and put those brushes in some turpentine, I won't be too long. (Rushes out the back door.)
June Cleaver: Once a boy always a boy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdjl3_29DCE

Well that explains it! 71% of Tweets ignored

By now people reading this blog are probably bored with my kvetching/complaining about Twitter and my missing tweets. Thing is when you have 170 people (presumably people and not pets, one hopes) following you, every tweet counts.

So today I read this interesting piece about Twitter and people's tweets. Seems that approx. 160 million people located presumably all over the planet and who knows maybe behind, use Twitter. Lot'sa tweets, right? However...according to a Wired piece, a mere - wait for it - 71% of tweets are ignored. In other words, we Tweeters who attempt to make a relatively interesting or at least intelligent statement in the 140 character allotment, are ignored!

Syssomos, a Toronto, Canada, media analytics company, scanned 1.2 billion messages(!) sent in August and September, 2009. Not surprising at least to me, anyway, their findings indicated that 7 in every 10 tweets are ignored, completely. Six percent get re-tweeted and 92% of the re-tweets happen in the first hour. This indicates at least to me that if you're going to get re-tweeted, it will be in the first hour.

So taking this all into consideration, 23% get some type of reply but 85% of those that get a reply, et just one reply. Hey - one reply is better than no reply! Furthermore 10.7% get two replies and 1.53% get three replies.

What does this all mean in the scheme of things? It means, to me that when sending out tweets, they won't necessarily be read and what's more, tweeters won't get replies, either. Makes a person wonder why bother sending them out altogether. As a writer it's a means to draw attention to a blog. Still, it makes you think, especially about those five missing Tweeters, who might have re-tweeted me.

What's wrong with TV these days?

We're barely into the fall TV season and already cancellation fever is in the air. Seems that TV series are already being cancelled, which doesn't bode well for viewers who have formed an early attachment to a favorite program. Alreadyon the chopping block are "Lone Star" (never watched it so don't know what I'm missing, if anything) and "My Generation" (same thing). Even more interesting and telling is that the series were cancelled after only two programs. As is and most likely always will be, ratings is the indicator of a series viability and if the numbers aren't there, bye-bye program!

This season i.e. fall 2010 and for whatever reason, writers and the powers-that-be at TV networks have decided what viewers need - not necessarily want - are more cop programs. While I'm a fan of "Law and Order: SVU", I can't see the need for "Law and Order: LA." Then again, that's just my opinion. I do, however, like "Detroit 1-8-7" because it is a throwback and mix of "Homicide: Life on the Streets" and "NYPD Blue." Although it really doesn't offer anything new in cop dramas, I think there's potential growth for the characters if the networks give it a chance to grow and therein lies the problem. Unfortunately, cancellations come quickly and networks don't give viewers a chance to develop an attachment to the characters and story lines. No sooner are we introduced to a program, than it's cancelled.

Part of the problem - IMHO - is that the writers don't or perhaps can't come up with new ideas. It's variations of old themes, updated. Attention network execs: viewers aren't stupid! We recognize familiar themes! As an early viewer of "Lost" there was an immediate attraction at least for me, because the writers/creators knew how to tell a story. Isn't that what it's about in the end? The story? Can't remember the last time I tuned into a new comedy series. First of all there is nothing worse (for me, anyway) than canned laughter. It interrupts the dialogue and is a constant irritant. It's as if the writers are petrified viewers won't know where the funny parts are and have to tell us! Really - we can discern humor from dumb-ness! Just give us something to laugh at!

And so once again, viewers await the rest of the cancellation list and their replacements. We tune out because in the end, there really isn't any reason to tune in. Give viewers new ideas and solid writing plus plots and we'll be back.

In for the count - Twitter still following me (update)

It's been almost a week now and Twitter appears to have solved my follower count. Won't bore everyone with the details regarding how Twitter for whatever reason, presumably technical problems, stopped recognizing new followers, following me.

To date I have two -count 'em - new followers but...Twitter has still not recognized or returned my four or five 'older' followers. I keep wondering (too much time on my hands) if the people who are interested in my updates are wondering why they are not registered in my overall numbers. I mean, should I send them an apology?

"Dear blah-blah,

Thank you for following me on Twitter. Every person counts. In case you were wondering why you have not been included in my 'following' count, blame Twitter. They appeared up until recently not to be able to keep track of new followers for whatever reason. Unfortunately, you were among the batch who were somehow lost in cyberspace, presumably forever. It's not like I didn't make them aware and request for the return of my followers.

Please be assured that you are in my thoughts, if not in my number count."

Eleanor Tylbor

Not too sure if Twitter has the problem completely solved since they alerted me to a new follower, whose name did not show up in my e-mail. However, as I wrote, a follower is a follower and I'll take 'em!

Daily follower update! follower count is operational but...

Seems that Twitter has finally reacted to my never-ending complaints about the follower count. Today a new tweeter is following me and guess what? The follower count is higher by one! However...the five people last week and the week before who were following me are not counted in. Sorry Twitter-5!

A while back during a real communication with a Twitter techie when I had a precious ticket and focusing on this on-going problem, a Twitter techie asked me to prove(!) that the followers I was claiming weren't showing up in the number count, were real. I was asked to prove that they exist. I mean, gimme a break! Now I keep track and don't delete followers. Just can't figure out for the life of me their doubt as to a claim of a few people.

Anyway, things are back to normal - at least for now. We'll see how long this lasts. Meanwhile, my blogger comments are still missing...

Daily Twitter Update: forms - they got forms!

Now that Twitter is recognizing my password, the only existing problem is the dubious follower count. Surely but not necessarily, Twitter will at some point give me my five new followers. I mean, is it a lot to ask in the scheme of things? Anywaaaaaay....

Decided to check in Twitter's "Status" to see if there's anything pertaining to my situation:

"Follow, Follower Counts and DMs Intermittently inaccessible 2 days ago
Some features are intermittently not available on Twitter at this time.

- Ability to Follow a user

- Follow counts

- Sending DMs

Twitter is working to resolve this issue in full.

UPDATE Oct 4th, 2010 8:50am: These features have recovered.

Obviously, 'follow counts' is an ongoing problem, however, according to Twitter effect October 4 at 8:50 a.m. the features have been recovered.

Oh really? Then where are my 5 new followers, Twitter? Anywaaaaaay...

Just checked to see if I have a Twitter ticket yet. A ticket means that they're looking into your problem to see if they can remedy it. Unfortunately, mine is blank. It says: "ticket ID - no tickets." Yesterday, I submitted a request in which I explained my situation. 7

Moved along to the Submit a Request on-line form.

'Dear Twitter' is the first heading, along with a drop-down menu. I chose "something is broken or amiss." The next section is 'Regarding' where tweeters are offered a long list of possible breakdowns. I selected, "Tweets and Messages", naturally. In the next blank space, I provided the background information as to my situation. There is the usual user name, e-mail etc. but what really got my attention was that the closing phrase, 'I feel..." This is a space where the tweeter can express her/his opinion regarding the situation at hand. Oh yes, I did express my feeling but it was done with class - for now. We always must remember our on-line manners.

And so, I still wait (im)patiently for my 'Twitter-5' to be returned to me but who knows when that will be - if ever. Makes me wonder if the five people who decided to follow me are wondering what they did not to be included in the count. Don't ask me - ask Twitter!

On another un-related note but just as annoying, it appears that comments left by people reading this blog are not being seen. To this end, I just posted a notification in the discussion forum related to this issue. Does it every end, I ask you?

Dear Ms. Mr. Anonymous...about followers

Dear Ms. Mr. Anonymous

Thank you for the interesting comment/feedback you made to my complaint/kvetch regarding the Twitter ‘following/count’ situation. While it's true that it’s a free service, one wonders if the service would be better if users had to pay for it. Perhaps yes or perhaps it would be the same. We'll never know unless - heaven forbid - they start charging to tweet.

In your comments to my blog comments, you wrote:
“In the end, does it really matter whether anyone has 150 followers? Or 151? For most people, the follower count naturally fluctuates from one login/visit to another. That's just the way things work. Seriously, who cares?"

Can't speak for other Twitter users but actually, I obviously care as do many others who have added their names to the Twitter complaint lists. The fact that Twitter features the "following" and "follower" ...whatever you call them, means that there are others "out there" in Twitter-land, who feel the same way. As proof of this, singer John Mayer and Ashton Kutcher were determined to have the distinction of acquiring 1 million followers. Why, if this wasn’t important, would they make a point of attempting to get tweeters to follow them? Apparently, having people follow them was an indication of their success. See what I mean? In fact, many celebrities use Twitter to promote their popularity and increase their status.

So y'see, Ms. Mr. Anonymous - followers are important to some of us.

You also commented:
"Twitter is a great way to connect: Use it for its intended purpose and learn to live with the little inconsistencies that crop up along the way."

On that we both agree. It is a great way to connect but it's those littler consistencies along the way that get to you, like incorrect follower count. Ask me about it.

Yours in Tweeting,

Eleanor

One down, one to go

Hurray!

At least one of the problems appears - notice the word used - to be solved. I actually checked into Twitter just now and it accepted the old/new/old... password.

I came accross the complaint form and informed them of the situation. In the complaint I mentioned both problems and wondering if I should tell them the sign-in is solved. Perhaps not since it could go awry like the follower count at any moment. At least making an official complaint will (one hopes) result in receiving a ticket, which in turn means they'll look into it. Eventually.

So now all that remains is the follower count situation. I follow you...you follow me...we all follow each other. I should only be so lucky!

FOLLOW UP: I tried logging in just now and it worked again! Could fixing the follower count be far behind?

*sigh* - Tweeting not made easy

It's rare I write two pieces in this blog in one day but frustration can do that to a person. As mentioned, I'm sharing my frustration at trying to get Twitter to recognize my following count. No matter what I do, it stays at 167 followers. Actually, the real count in spite of Twitter ignoring this reality, is 170.

The latest addition to this on-going problem is that I can't sign in to Twitter. For some bizarre reason, the system is not recognizing me. The only solution now is to relate that I forgot my password and then change it back to the original password. Such a convoluted process.

In the way of a follower update, Twitter posted this message 8 hours ago, Twitter time:
"We have restored Follower/Following counts, and users are able to follow and DM (message) other users again."

Oh really? You could have fooled me! And so it continues... One can only speculate what will happen next.

When is a tweet not a tweet? It's not tweet!

Checked into Twitter as I do every morning as part of my daily regimen of keeping up to date with people's lives and what should I find? Dear Twitter still hasn't updated my followers count.

Quelle surprise!

Checked the "ticket" page to see if my problem had even been among those worked on and was greeted with "no ticket."

Again - quelle surprise.

It is even more annoying since four new followers have found my updates interesting enough to...follow and Twitter doesn't acknowledge their existence. I mean, can you imagine the reaction of the new followers?

"How d'ya like that?" they most likely say to themselves upon realizing that they're not counted in the count. "Now I won't receive updates on those wonderful tweets from Eleanor!"

It's possible somebody might have said or had that thought.

What is most bizarre is that the following thingie works. In other words, when I follow somebody else, it matters but if they follow me back, it doesn't.

On top of which I'm experiencing problems signing in and have to keep changing my user name. Thing is, I keep forgetting the new user name, which means I have to keep changing and changing and... You get the idea.

So I'm going to mark each day that the problem continues here in this blog - with commentary of course. Curious if anyone else reading this has experienced similar problems. You begin to wonder if Twitter really cares about its tweeters.

New day/week /month - Twitter doesn't tweet

How tweet it is - not!

Seems that Twitter is inviting its users/followers to try out their latest version of Twitter. Thanks for the invitation, Twitter, but perhaps you should attempt to solve some of the existing problems in the old version. On a personal note once again my new followers are not being recognized by Twitter. I mean, what's the use of creating a "followers" category if it doesn't follow?

This time round I decided to go through the "normal" route and attempt to voice my displeasure in their Twitter support centre. The "Missing Tweets from your Account" section advises tweeters:

"Are you missing all your tweets from your Profile page? If so, do not worry, we are aware of the issue and are working with the engineers to resolve this. We apologize for the inconvenience caused."

Somehow this doesn't make me feel better. Don't worry? Really, there are more important things in life but nevertheless, it's aggravating. New Tweeters find our tweets interesting enough to follow and because of technical glitches, Twitter refuses or can't recognize them. Somehow, the "don't worry" advice isn't exactly reassuring given their advanced technological knowledge. In an attempt to fix the problem, just added my frustration to all the other 936 comments in the "missing Tweets" section:

"Yet another attempt at getting Twitter to recognize new followers. Appreciate the update and appologies but the problem is ongoing. Please find solution."

As mentioned in the previous Twitter-related piece in this blog, there are not a lot of "followers" following me so every follower counts. The challenge is how to make Twitter react accordingly. One can only hope - and wait and wait and...

A Twitter tweet is a tweet when it tweets

Different day, still on-going problem with Twitter counts. I dunno - given my somewhat limited number of followers - compared to other people with thousands or hundreds-of-thousands of followers - everybody counts. It is for this very reason that a count verification is in order whenever another person follows me. Whenever I receive notification to this effect, it elicits a "oh super - another person is following me!" to be followed by "damn - they dropped me!" feeling if the number decreases. However, another on-problem is that in the past and once again, the "following" and "followers" columns are reversed. Any newbies are reflected in the "following" category, which is just not correct. Hence the frustration.

In order to alert Twitter tech. of this problem, there is a "contact" at the bottom of the page. Clicking on this word brings one to a sub-list of categories including "something's not working" and clicking on these three words leads one to long list of problematic situations that tweeters are experiencing. My problem is in the "following" category and further clicking leads one to "my follow count is incorrect - known issue" section with the explanation provided:

"Currently we do not have a work around to fix this problem and Support agents are unable to fix your account for you. For this reason we would appreciate it if you could leave a comment below rather than submit a help request."

There are currectly 231 tweeters who have registered a complaint in this category. Twitter prefaces the complaint list with: "UPDATE: 06/07/2010 This issue is still set to lower priority for other higher impact issues to be solved first. Thanks for your patience!"

For the record I have added my complaints to the list in the past and tweeters wait until a Twitter techie is assigned to the case and will work on solving the problem. Hopefully. On one occasion a techie provided an explanation that "followers" for whatever reason drop tweeters and this could be one explanation I suppose. It's been my experience as mentioned in a previous Twitter-related rant that once a person is followed, the followed are expected to reciprocate and if not - tough - they drop you. Another techie requested that I prove my new followers. I mean, how many people actually keep track of "blah-blah is following you" notification?

We'll see how long it takes for tech. to fix the problem, if ever. It's enough to give a tweeter "twitterfollowphoebi-itis." Ask me about it.

The Twitter complex

"Twitter is a communication service that enables you to quickly send out short messages about what you are doing to a network of people."
(Wiki Answers.com)


Like many people around the world, I'm a twit. Let me clarify this statement: I'm actually a Tweeter who uses Twitter to update my status. Doesn't everyone or at least those with extra time on their hands who want to be socially relevant.

My official status in case anyone reading this is interested is 158 followers or people who find me interesting enough to want to keep up with my thoughts or impressions and related matter. In addition I'm following 179tweeters some of whom I'm genuinely interested and others because - well - they follow me so I feel it's only right that I follow them back. No insult intended, by the way. Kind of pathetic when you think about it.

There have been a few issues with Twitter, which have been brought to the attention of their techies, for example, they have reversed my followers and following count.

After searching the Twitter site extensively for an e-mail to make them aware of this error, I finally came accross a usable link. The first Twitter techie was helpful and made the necessary changes after a while to correct the reversal, however subsequent techies were indifferent to my plight. Their solution is to direct tweeters to their forum where everyone can complain about their various issues and there are lots and lots of issues.

The negative aspects to being a tweeter is that a follower can drop you at any time. In conducting my daily check-in a while back, I discovered to my chagrin that 3 people had dropped me for whatever reason. That's the thing: you just never know why a person stops following you! So you speculate that perhaps my tweets are boring, or perhaps it's a result of declining the offer to follow them... It's enough to give a person a tweeter complex! The challenge is to make an enticing statement within 140 bytes or extra words end up in the dastardly red letters minus sign.

There is some positive news. Last week a few more people were added to the followers column but how long they will stay is anyone's guess. I'm always betwixt and between tweeters.

Update: once again it appears that Twitter has not recognized a new follower today by not recognizing it in my numbers. ~ sigh ~