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By Keith, March 6, 2010 1:18 am

I don’t do different things to be different.  I do different things because different is often far more interesting.  That’s why I joined a new social networking site that couldn’t be more different than Facebook.    You could say it’s a lot like Twitter, but it’s definitely NOT Twitter.  I joined t.sina.com.cn, a Chinese social network.

Why would I do this?  Why does it seem that I have forsaken Facebook and Twitter for a social site in a foreign language?  For me, there is great appeal in talking to people quite unlike myself and unlike most of the people I see and communicate with every day.  I feel the need to be exposed to a different culture, and if I can’t afford to travel right now (because of Godzilla), I might as well put the web to good use.

I’m not on Sina to collect friends.  I’m unlikely to ever rise above 20 due to the language gap.  I was surprised to have any reciprocal ”fans” (what followers or friends are called on this site) at all when I logged on this afternoon.  After all, I had just created my account Thursday night, becoming a fan of only a few handfuls of promising people.  Some who have become reciprocal fans have noted how few Americans are on Sina.

There are no virtual farms or other games to play or spam messages.  It’s basic communication, something I have missed in American social networks, and now I am enjoying something different.

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By Keith, February 28, 2010 12:46 am

It’s the middle of the night, and I’m looking for things to do so that I don’t sleep.  I don’t want to sleep, because I’m on 3rd shift, which means I’m working nights and sleeping mornings.  While I sit hear listening to a classical guitar stream from Shoutcast, I’m seriously considering going out on Facebook in a blaze of snarky brain-eating zombie comments Sunday.

I probably won’t do that.  Although very few people have voted in my poll regarding what I should do with my Facebook account, I’ll probably just go along with the response receiving the most (3) votes.  In the afternoon, I’ll check it again to see if there’s been any movement.  I suppose I could just leave my account active (if that’s what people want), posting only on special occasions like award ceremonies or zombie apocalypses and such.  It’s not as though Facebook will be missed by me all that much since most of my friends do have my email address and no how to reach me.  And I have this blog that I have been neglecting.  Oh look!  Actually, you can’t see it, but my notebook’s temperature is 49° F. </random>

The future is getting brighter.  Time I had spent elsewhere can and will be spent right here.  I’ve already removed my Facebook account from my TweetDeck client on both of my notebook’s primary operating systems.  That was a large step in the right direction in my separation from the book of faces.  After tomorrow, I’ll remove Facebook from my Speed Dial thereby adding another small hurdle to my accessing the site.

As you can see on the right side of the page, I’ve added recent Google Buzzes for people to see the type of stuff I frequently link to.  I wish Buzz would catch on with more of my friends, but I doubt most of them have any interest in learning  and adapting to yet another social network (if you can really call it that).  Buzz isn’t exactly straight-forward in its use, and doesn’t have a lot of shiny applications/distractions.  Its simplicity is exactly why I like it.  With a browser extension, I can easily link to a news story or anything online really, and drop a comment on it.  People who follow me can see the link, see my comment, and reply.  But it won’t catch on, not with my friends.

On a completely different note, I was watching Paul Merton In Europe, a show on BBC 5 (at least I assume that’s what the big “5″ in the upper left corner indicates) earlier tonight.  What a fantastic show this is!  Why aren’t there shows like this here in the United States?  Paul is traveling through Europe, talking to extremely interesting people doing extremely different things, and he does it with such flair and a sense of humor that I never get tired of watching his adventures.  Okay, enough chatter.  I’ll watch episode 1×5 now.  I believe he was heading to France next.

Have a good day light dwellers.

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By Keith, February 20, 2010 1:48 am

Should I be blogging tonight, or should I begin reclaiming my desktop?  Blogging is a nearly silent task, but cleaning off my desk will require noisy bulldozers and scoops.  Do I dare risk waking my neighbors?  Do I dare embarrass myself by posting pictures here?  Might that be the motivation I need to get this project going?  I’m torn!  Damn it, I’m ripped to shreds inside!  <exhales>  Picture time.  Shit, can’t find my camera.  One moment, please.

Who hided my desk?!

Go ahead and make fun.  Give me grief and the business.  For having such a messy desk, I deserve it.  I’ll use your as yet imaginary taunts as motivation.  Time has been budgeted, and the Desk Reclamation Project has already begun.  While most of you sleep, I am busy cleaning and organizing.

See that red plastic Folgers Classic Roast container to the left of my notebook?  It’s full of chocolate chip cookies that shall power me toward my goal of desktop cleanliness!  Post-project pictures to follow.

UPDATE: Never fear!  My desk has been cleaned thoroughly without any injuries to either myself or my gear.  I know, “pictures or it didn’t happen!”  You got it!

IZ CLEAN

CAN I HAZ COOKIE NAO?

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By Keith, February 12, 2010 3:23 pm

We keep hearing on the news that the economy is improving, consumer confidence is increasing, and that unemployment rates will soon decrease.  I’m not seeing it.  I’m not buying it.  Where I work, layoffs are on the rise.  Confidence is at an all-time low.  Everyone is just waiting for the other shoe to drop and layoffs to hit them as well.

At work this morning, my supervisor took me aside to discuss in private where I would like to go within the Quality Department.  My choices were to bump a very good friend out of his layout position or bump another friend into the final audit role by taking over her inspection card making responsibilities.  I chose what I thought would cause the least pain for the people I care about.  Some choice.

The hardest part of the private bump discussion (sounds dirty?) was agreeing not to tell anyone what is going down.  Not that there was a whole lot to tell since I wasn’t shown the big picture.  I don’t know how many more are being laid off, just that QA needed to be reduced by five positions and that those people from 3rd shift who are being bumped will receive a phone call explaining things.  The irony of the situation is that raises were just being announced.  What good is a raise if you’re not at work to benefit from it?

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By Keith, February 8, 2010 1:18 am

This week’s safety huddle at work deals with the use required use of proper hand and arm protection.  Along with the main page of information that I’ll read to the inspectors is a supplemental page with some stats and questions to keep the huddle interactive.  One of the activities it suggests is to have everyone tuck both (if they still have them) thumbs into the palms of their hands, then have them try to tie their shoes.  Obviously this little task is meant to demonstrate how difficult simple tasks we all take for granted would become were we to lose our thumbs, but I don’t think it’s one that makes a lasting impression.  After all, I could just buy all of my shoes with Velcro straps.

I would not be moved to stop taking my fingers for granted by merely thinking of how hard tying things would be.  Perhaps if I were made to think about how difficult blogging would be without a thumb to press the space bar, or that without a thumb, I’d have to move the mouse to click the BACK button on a browser.  Do they make prosthetic thumbs?  How would I open my candy wrappers?  How would I hitchhike?  How would I express that I like a movie?  How would I play golf (Holy shit! I just realized the PGA discriminates against thumbless people!)?  More importantly, how would I play video games (other than Wii)?!?!

Also included in the informational packet are pictures of four grotesquely mangled hands.  I’m supposed to ask for each person’s consent before showing them the pictures.  The same courtesy was not extended to me (because I didn’t READ the accompanying email)!  It seems that our employer has given up on trying to appeal to our intellect and has resorted to trying to scare safety into us.  Either way works for me.