just an asterisk

When I write for JAA, I often visit a plethora of articles, from Wikipedia to the New York Times, in an effort to see if there’s any interest in the subject of the day.  Once I start researching, my notes tend to get a bit scattered: handwritten reminders on my trusty pad or links sent to my Gmail.  Moreover, for each site, I worry slightly that I’ve missed something – what phrase exactly did I want to quote again…?  By the time I sit down to write, my thoughts are spread around and require some serious consolidation.

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Nearly everyone I’ve ever spoken with about Twitter has something negative to say.  “I don’t feel that self important”, “who cares what I’m doing now”, “what is so great about sharing the stupid little details of my life?” etc… I’ve even read some very funny critiques of the service (try this one for a laugh). 

Despite this noise, I’d like to propose that Twitter is occupying more of your mental bandwidth than you’d care to admit.  If you have a moment let’s take a look at some numbers and links to prove my case…

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If I haven’t made it clear yet – I’m a Google man.  I’ve been pretty much in awe of nearly every Google has churned out for years.  However, Bing is … fun.  I’m not sure if it boosts your productivity and I’m sure that the results are inferior (I’ve done a bit of checking), but the format is very pleasing to the eye and everyone needs a backup.  Moreover, it’s a Microsoft product, so you might see it appearing elsewhere in the near future (like on your new PC). Read more »

According to Wikipedia’s article on the blackberry, in “November 2006 Webster’s New World College Dictionary named “crackberry” the “New Word of the Year”” What about the Blackberry phone is like crack? What constitutes an appeal so addictive that after one hit you’re unable to put it down? Although I assure you that I can quit any time I want, I think we should all be aware of the narcotic in question: push email. Read more »

I still love you and technology… I’m just taking a break, enjoying the sun and plotting a new series of articles. Feel to use the time to think of new ideas! Send them to posts@justanasterisk.com. I’d love to hear from you. Until this weekend my friends. ~ab

ab – justanasterisk.com