Censored Tweets

Twitter wants to be available in all countries and for good reason. Having a worldwide user base is a necessity these days, but is it wise to conform to censorship laws in every country? This is, essentially, what Twitter is agreeing to do. Their blog post expresses that they will be able to delete tweets on a country-by-country basis depending on text.

It’s hard to believe that the web site whose name was emblazoned on the Arab Spring protests (Google search “Twitter Revolution”) would now like to prevent anything like that from happening again. There’s a lot more at stake says Mark Gibbs in Forbes Magazine, Twitter could easily be sued by numerous governments if the filter fails at any point. They are better off taking the hands-off approach and allowing the tyrants to be the bad guys when they shut off access to Twitter or the entire Internet.

For a whole lot more on this story, visit the Storify site. I will continue this conversation in the comments section and elsewhere on the Internet. I care what Twitter does to a point and that point is when somebody else comes in to take their place.

Time for a Change

I'm at a point right now where I think things are stagnating. I'm not posting as much as I would like and I think I need new reason to. So I am considering a name and design change for my blog. I think it's time since Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections has been around since my changeover to WordPress a little over three years ago (August 14, 2008). Less than a year after that, I switched to Squarespace, but kept the title and gave myself a new design. So, I think it's time for a change.

I am looking for a new name for this blog. I will handle the redesign myself since it is really easy around here. I am not guaranteeing that I am going to use anybody's idea, but a list of potential names may inspire me to come up with one of my own. So please, help me out.

Also, I am plugging a friend's blog. She is talented and fun and has a frustrating job that she is blogging about. She is also a writer looking for a publisher. Her blog is The 500th Floor, so go check that out...NOW! Have a good day and start thinking. Thanks.

Trivial Tuesday

Today's trivia question is based on automotive history.  Actually, I found a great article that I will link to after the question has been answered.  So, on to the question...

The Zastava Koral is an Eastern European automobile from the 1980's better known by what name in the United States?

Laura B. got the correct answer with...The Yugo.

This one is pretty easy, but I will add the background to this question after I get an answer.  Have a good day.

**EDIT** The article that inspired this question is called, "15 Agonizing Automotive Atrocities" which is a great read.  Check it out.

Ancient Aliens?

During a conversation I was having, the idea of ancient aliens was discussed. Anyone who watched the History Channel knows what I'm talking about, aliens came here thousands of years ago and built the pyramids, Stonehenge and many of the other great monuments we look upon with awe. To me, this is nothing more than a modified "god of the gaps" argument that modern humans use because they find is difficult to grasp that ancient man was very intelligent. They were so intelligent, in fact, that many were able to predict eclipses based on the motion of objects in the sky and they were able to ponder the formulas to calculate geometric shapes in everyday life. All of this done without the aid of computers or even calculators. They wrote everything out in the sand or on papyrus and performed the calculations in their heads.

Giving "aliens" or other mythical or mystical beings the credit for human innovation diminishes our overall role in the world up to now. I believe that it's like this mostly because we want to think that we are at our most intelligent point right now because we have computers. Unfortunately, we are put to shame by our forefathers of innovation because we are dependent on our technology to come with new. I don't think we're any less smart in general, I think we stretch ourselves too thin. Back in the time of the ancients, they really didn't worry about forty-hour work weeks or keeping up with the latest fashion trends, they had time to ponder the mysteries of life. That's exactly what they did.

I just recently (during the writing of this post) ran across an article that recounts Nikola Tesla's prediction of the Blackberry back in 1909. One hundred years ago somebody was able to see this technology coming. It seems today we can only see faster versions of current technology or updated incarnations of past predictions. Luckily, we do have visionaries who can make predictions into the future of our world.

Madlibs with Tommo

So, here's something different.  During our weekly write-in at the coffee shop last night, Tommo (you may have seen his comments) and I came up with a collaborative idea.  We came up with the idea of the breed of Madlibs with a slightly twisted twist.  There are some bizarre fields to fill in, but try it out for yourself.

I was running in  ____(a former eastern European country)____ one day, from my significant other.  He/She was wielding a sack full of ___(bronze age weapon)___, and trying to  ___(method of cooking)___ me profusely with them.  I stumbled upon a ___(synonym for toilet)_____ full of ___(exinct animals)____, and it reminded me of _____(international incident)______.  As my lover approached, I ___(mediveal chant)_____  to stop and look, and we ____(ethnic dance)_____.  The animals then began to ___(bodily function)____ at ___(celestial body)___.  This filled us with ____(type of preserves)____ so we began to ___(violent motion)____.  The___(disease)____ -filled creatures saw this and began to ____(bodiy function)______ in our direction.  Just then a large ___(mythical being)____  ran through the ____(part of a castle)____ and ____(kama sutra position)_____ the creatures.  This ___ (emotion in past tense)___ the creatures something ___(natural resource as adjective)___ and they then ____(bodily function in past tense)____.  After that we put a __(equestrian equipment)___ on the mythical being, and took over the world.

Much of this is based on conversations during the write-in and is mostly Tommo's work, but we are plotting a plot.  Tommo does a comic review site over at Meekrat Entertainment Group called UNFunky Winkerbean.  The link will lead you to the latest post, but if you click on the category at the bottom of the post you will find the rest.

Time to Catch Up

OK, I have been posting everyday, but haven't been getting too many comments.  I don't want people to come in and feel obligated to read an entire week's worth of posts, so here's a chance to catch up.

Not-so-Black Friday--a flashback to a poem I wrote a while back relating to the shopping day.

What Have You Done Lately--My Saturday Scavenger Hunt post.

My Musical Memories--A look back at the days of the early Buzz Band.

Letting it End--A special message regarding the Saturday Scavenger Hunt.

There you go, a link to all of my posts from the holiday weekend.  I hope this gives you the opportunity to catch up.  As another note, I have started work on my new book and I will keep you posted on my progress.  Have a good evening.