Comments on: Ballardosphere update

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:05:34 +0000

Oh, but it is, because it’s directly integrated into the frontal lobe.

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:17:01 +0000

my ‘frontal lobe’ comment was also taking the piss a little bit

MSM = mainstream media

By: Tim Chapman

Tim Chapman — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 11:00:58 +0000

Now then, that seems like a bit of a stock response. I was just chortling at your ‘frontal lobe’ comment. I’ve no strong feelings about Twitter as a medium, though it does seem to be a rather self-consciously faddish and insular one at the moment. And what the fuck does ‘MSM’ mean, anyway?

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:42:59 +0000

OK, I get it… People only tweet about their lunch or their dodgy back or some other homely inanity, huh? They used to say that about blogs, too, Tim. In fact, lots of creative and interesting trends are being investigated and cross-referenced on Twitter… I might even refer you to the Ballardian feed… All depends on the company you mix with, doesn’t it?

cf. Joanne McNeil: ‘Will the last MSM technophobe to ponder “twitter … narcissism… who cares what you had for lunch” please turn off the lights?’

By: Tim Chapman

Tim Chapman — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 10:32:25 +0000

“One of the things Ford Prefect found hard to understand about human beings was their habit of continually stating and re-stating the very, very obvious, as in: “It’s a nice day”, “You’re very tall” or “So this is it; we are going to die”. At first, Ford formed a theory to account for this strange behaviour. ‘If human beings don’t keep exercising their lips’ he thought ‘their mouths probably seize up’. After a while he abandoned this theory in favour of a new one. ‘If they don’t keep exercising their lips’ he thought ‘their brains start working’. In fact, this second theory is more literally true of the Belcerebon People of Kakrafoon Kappa. The Belcerebons used to cause great resentment amongst neighbouring races by being one of the most enlightened, accomplished and above all quite civilizations in the galaxy. As a punishment for this behaviour, which was held to be offensively self-righteous and provocative, a galactic tribunal inflicted on them that most cruel of all social diseases: telepathy. Now, in order to prevent themselves from broadcasting every slightest thought that crosses their minds to anyone within a five-mile radius, they have to talk loudly and continuously about the weather, their little aches and pains, thee match this afternoon and what a noisy place Kakrafoon has suddenly become.”

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:33:22 +0000

go on, give it to me…

By: TimC

TimC — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:31:26 +0000

And this is a good thing? I’m reminded of Douglas Adams’ riff on telepathy.

By: TimC

TimC — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:59:22 +0000

First time I’ve seen Twitter referred to as a time-saving service…