Favrd closes but Twitter wiseguys live on

I was so amused this morning at people on Twitter crying about @textism closing down Favrd.

So I created a way to keep up with all the most funny .. or most Favrd Tweets on Twitter: @zeldman, @phyllisstein, @CcSteff, @badbannana and the gang are still working it.

=>=>=> And you can find them at @Textism Is Following.

That's just me being a little silly, but why not follow the people who Dean Allen, creator of Favrd, follows? It's as good a way as any to keep track of some of the funnier people on Twitter.

What I really liked this morning about this Social Media social phenomenon is that in closing down the Favrd page, Dean Allen urged us all to do what most of us came to Twitter (and Facebook and Posterous and Tumblr and.. ) to do. And that is to interact. To engage.

Here are his words:

Alas, stars on Twitter have become mere take-out menus hung on the doors of other restaurants.

There are still lots of clever and funny things to read every day, but finding these is no longer a challenge – you already follow your sources. Sites like this one now serve mainly as fuel for emotional up-fuckedness in the guise of a game.

Just an idea: next time you see something you like, write the person who made it a note telling them so. Even better, explain why.

Take care!

– dca

Thanks for the reminder, Dean. Au revoir.

John Gruber said it well on Daring Fireball.

... oh, if you're still with me: And this is one reason I love Social Media. The story of Favrd led me to this Vancouver Sun story of the romance of Dean Allen and Gail Armstrong, a true Internet love story.

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Trust, support, guidance and art

Saw this storytelling artist at the street fair in Tempe today. I could listen to him all day.

Paul Nzalamba is a painter originally from Uganda. Lungala Rubadiri is a story teller and the two combine their creative forces as an inspirational team.

This next video is Lungala Rubadiri's story about a 'healthy disagreement.'



As he told this story today in the tent filled with Nzalamba's paintings, I was drawn in by his hands and the soft tone of his voice as much as the meaning of his words.

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Elf yourself. We did.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

and so did Oprah and Gayle:

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

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Not so perfect pairing

This has to be on of the most bizarre videos ever. Lou Reed, punk rocker before there was Punk, best known as guitarist with The Velvet Underground singing his iconic 'Perfect Day' with Luciano Pavarotti. And Pavarotti seems to be dressed like the Burger King king.



I am definitely having a perfect day. And this video gave me some chuckles at the end of it. And sent me looking for a recording of Lou Reed's 'Walk on the Wild Side'.

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Cheap but not unpleasant: CheapHotels.com

I went to New Orleans for work recently and stayed at the very lovely Royal Sonesta Hotel.

I used CheapHotels.com to book a room for two nights, bringing down an online quote on the hotel's Web site of $210 a night to $140 a night. A sign on the back of the bathroom door indicated that they'd really like to charge much more.

The hotel was beautiful. Full of convention-goers. It is not peak tourist season and I suspect the hotel was happy to have me, another paying guest.


All very nice, but the Perfect Moment came at the end of my stay. When I checked out of the hotel, I asked at the desk whether I could get a receipt for the full account. The desk clerk looked away from me and said in a voice dripping with disdain: "You'll have to call Cheap Hotels Dot Com."

Well, honey. If you didn't charge so much for your lovely rooms, I would have booked directly with you. Thank you for the hospitality. And don't forget, the customer is always right.


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Thanks for the night on the town mom!

I had the most perfect moment last night with my mom. You see, sometimes we get so busy with life and work and such, that we forget how important it is to just spend a little time with the ones we love. I did that Friday night with my Mom and Robin, and I had a blast.

We started the evening with a few drinks, and my mom got pretty tipsy on a glass of wine. I knew it was a good thing to stop at one glass when she was getting a little too comfortable in the booth at the bar!

We then decided to hit the streets for First Friday in Phoenix. Let me see if I can describe this event for you. Lets just say it's a cross section of goth gals, animal rights activists, hippies, artists, families with kids, and old timers just looking for a little distraction on a friday night. Oh yeah, and lets throw in the live bands playing on each corner, along with the magicians trying to scare up a crowd.

All in all, a great way to spend the evening. And I would not want to spend it with anyone else but Robin and my Mom! Thanks Mom!

Sue,
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Save money, eat right, another great salad

Sometimes taking time to make my lunch is a Perfect Moment.


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We had a fend-for-yourself food weekend

We usually eat in sync during the weekend. Cleaning out the fridge and stocking up for the week. Maybe cook a casserole or soup that'll last a few days.

But this weekend we went our own way and I loved it.

As I drove around running errands on Saturday, I was listening to WHYY's Chef's Table. And I was hungry. A bad combination.

But it was wonderful. The show's host, Jim Coleman, took a guest to a restaurant that has NO KITCHEN. Right. Ino Cafe and Wine Bar cooks with toaster ovens and panini presses. Yep, that's it. No kitchen. Check out this menu.

Anyway, I listened to Coleman share a breakfast with his guest, describing the magic of truffled egg toast, I turned the car toward Trader Joe's. I picked up TJ's 'bruschetta sauce' and a baguette, headed home and had bruschetta for dinner.. and again for Sunday lunch.

I have no idea what Sue ate.


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Emmy had her all a Twitter

Not sure which makes me feel more proud .. that my sweetie sent me her first note on Twitter or that she won an Emmy.





Still shouting it from the rooftops. Here's that 30-minute program on South Africa: At the Crossroads of Hate and Hope.
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I read a newspaper the other day ... yep, that's it

I got to work on Thursday with a breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee.
Turned on my computer and was getting ready to settle in with a quick run through email, iGoogle, rss feed updates while I enjoyed breakfast.

But what? Windows is updating No. 3 of 18. 18 updates were taking for-ever. So I snuck into the next office and picked up .. wait for it ... The New York Times.

Yes. I read the newspaper and ate my breakfast while I waited for Windows to get its act together.

I had glanced through a paper in September at a hotel in Montreal. And I check out the headlines when I go to Whole Foods every few weeks. But my news reading is all online on the Web or my phone these days.

It was fun. I may have read some stories I wouldn't have stumbled upon online. I'll probably do it again sometime ... when Windows needs to hijack my computer.

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I'm taking Obama's gay speech personally

President Barack Obama speaks to HRC from Bret Carbone on Vimeo.

On Saturday night, President Obama spoke to a huge ballroom of people -- mostly wealthy gay Americans -- on the eve of the National Equality March on Washington.

His speech, which was as strong as any of his best during the Presidential campaign, moved me to tears.

Nine months into his Presidency, Obama was taking care of business. He vowed to get rid of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. He called on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. He talked about our families and our love.

He stressed "unwavering" commitment to our political cause. Yet he told the crowd that it was no secret "our progress may be taking longer than we like."

Gay activists immediately began pointing out that they'd heard it all before and wanted much more of a timeline from him at this stage.

But, come on. His words warmed me. And I'm happy to indulge myself in that good feeling.

The President of the United States was reaching far beyond that ballroom. He was talking to gay people all across America. He was saying things, in a way that seemed sincere and comfortable, that most of us don't even hear from our families, those who love us the most.

The President of the United States told us:

"We will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman."

I'm happy to take those words very personally and forget the political for a while.

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Front page for breast cancer: Black and white and pink all over

Black and white and pink all over.

The Huntsville Times launched a month full of coverage about breast cancer with this special pink Front Page.

In a day when newspapers are trying to be all things to all people, often afraid to take risks, this is a bold move.

Congrats to the editors in Huntsville for making such a strong statement.

Here's a note from the paper's editor Kevin Wendt who explains why they are printing pink papers.

"Every day in October," Wendt says, "we will tell the story of a cancer survivor, beginning today with Liz Hurley on the front page. And throughout the month, we will report on the many aspects of the disease, medical and emotional."

And they are collecting the stories online at the Think Pink Page.

Nice job, Huntsville.

Robin, Tempe

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