Yesterday I got another email from Facebook telling me that <insert random name here> has added me as a friend, so I diligently log in (and it seems to ask for my details every damned time) to see who it is and despite the photo and location and other scant details I have no idea who the hell this is. The question I find myself left with is who is the guy, why does he want me to be his friend and more importantly why do I even give a toss? The last 4 or 5 people to add me as a friend have been random people who I had little or nothing to do with at school and back then probably wouldn’t even have pissed on me if I were on fire. The other thing that bothers me significantly is the absurd number of bloody applications you get on there, I had to remove over 100 invitiations to be a zombie, werewolf, post on this wall, that wall, be a member of the christ-knows-what group, rate this, complete that, etc. etc. and it’s way too much for any sane human to bother with. If this is what the 21st century is going to turn friendship into then I’m out.
I find the most disturbing part of Facebook relates to it’s revenue model, sure advertising works and I’m sure that the founder Mark Zuckerburg (sickeningly named ‘Zuck’ by adoring fans) will end up being mightily rich if he sells at a good time but it’s the violation of privacy and the open mauling of personal data that really gets to me. The problem I have is that many of my friends use Facebook as their primary communication tool so I’m basically shafted if I don’t continue to use it. You never know, I might change my mind and I might have a renaissance – I’m always willing to give things a second (or third) chance so maybe one day I’ll be back on there but deep down it’s not the principle of Facebook that annoys me, more the execution and they seem to be sticking with the design they have so for the time being I’ll stick with Twitter and the Gamercast Network for my social networking needs.
written by thirtyfootscrew
\\ tags: facebook, Facebook Applications, gamercast network, Random Friend Requests, Twitter
What websites do you visit every day?
Submitted by Chez Michelle.
I’m an avid gamer, techie and current-affairs junkie so I check…
- The Gamercast Network – website for a series of podcasts and a brilliant good-natured forum as well.
- Eurogamer – great news site for games and a rare gem of European based news.
- BBC News – my absolute favourite news channel and website.
- Digg – a superb social news site, excellent for highlighting the quirkier stories as well as good solid tech news.
- Xbox.com – I have a 360 but don’t use it every day, I visit the site to see who’s online, read my messages and send messages to my friends.
That’s all folks.
written by admin
\\ tags: 360, bbc, digg, gamer, gamercast network, qotd, Video Games, xbox
Do you listen to podcasts? Are there any you’d recommend?
Inspired by Alex.
I love podcasts, they’re the best thing to happen to broadcast media since the web became popular back in the 90s. On average, I’m quite confident that I spend more hours per week listening to podcasts than I do watching television.
I’m not sure where I come down on the podcast vs netcast debate but I agree that a new name is needed. One thing that I’d love to be more widely known is that you don’t need an iPod to play podcasts!
My favourites are definitely the TWiT netcasts from Leo Laporte and the gang, they’re professional and informative. I love the discussion from the panel of This Week in Tech but I really think that awards should be give to Security Now, that show has taught me so much about IT security that I’m somewhat of an expert amongst my peers (and I do work in IT).
Other favourites are the Video Game Show from the guys at Gamercast Network, it’s informal but the guys really know their stuff and the last episode was so funny I was practically in tears. Another hilarous but informative show is the MeanDawg Top 5, each week the guys pick their Top 5 movies in a given category and debate eachother’s choices.
Oh, and as a final word – you can’t forget Ask a Ninja.
written by thirtyfootscrew
\\ tags: ask a ninja, gamercast network, leo laporte, netcast, qotd, security now, twit, video game show