"Why am I on Twitter?" written by Tinypliny on estrip.org

Category: i-tech

09/23/09 04:30 - 74ºF - ID#49839

Why am I on Twitter?

My twitter experience started out as a slightly staggered instant messaging/helpdesk/news-update platform for the online services and news sources I use for my school/professional work.

However, quite inevitably it has spilled over into a duplicate twitter account for non-work-related interest areas such as (e:strip), Buffalo and then overflowed to other virtual Buffalo denizens not on (e:strip). My mind has an (almost certainly) inaccurate map of these crazy online connections I am making. They are all over the place:

The green ticks are the people I have met in non-virtual worlds and the question marks are the unknowns. The connections are people or news sources whom I have connected to online.

I am not sure where all this twittering and friend-feeding is going (an element of time-wasting is almost certainly involved). However, my school work is definitely benefiting through my twitter window. I don't like the whole Facebook culture of one-line breathless status messaging and will always prefer wordy run-on blogs but there is an indescribable quotient of "cool" in being able to message myself with a link or post an observation and have a focused, relevant, informed and witty social commentary tacked on to it.

There is also this thrill in being able to address anyone and everyone on the network with no prefaces. It feels like a huge party conversation in which you can join or from which you can drop out anytime. I am finding that some of these conversations (especially on the school front) are involved, funny and lead to insights that are quite impossible in a formal single-track interaction with just the source material (without added benefit of a social commentary).

Overall, I feel like I have a flashy but useful tool in my school toolbox. But the strange fact is somehow Buffalo is becoming even more intimate each day even as the whole area of unknowns steadily gets bigger.

tinypliny writes at 02:58:39 09/24/09 - Comment #51656: Somewhat tangential but still on topic.

I hope I am not so twittered out that I am forced into unseemly text-message word contractions and grammatical abominations.

There is an entity called "cut spelling" - that takes the snob out of English spelling but since using it continues to look like you might not have completed your high school diploma, I don't want to take the risk.

tinypliny writes at 02:49:24 09/24/09 - Comment #51655: It might seem as if it might be graceless but really, I think it's not worthwhile to hold on to influences that drag you down or cramp your style. As they say, life is incredibly short and there are so many other wonderful people around.

The overarching theme should be: Behave and be reasonable or I will just drift away from you. Sticking with people and putting up with unwarranted moodiness and behaviour quirks (because of whatever sad excuse) is so overrated.

If you are making a BIG effort to be nice, I don't see any reason why other people should not make at least half an effort to be the same. If they can't, its their problem, not yours.

heidi writes at 09:46:13 09/23/09 - Comment #51654: Yeah, I could unfollow her but then she'd know that I unfollowed her, wouldn't she? And I'd feel like a heel. Besides, it's been eight years since we were together. We reconnected about a year and a half ago when she finally apologized.

There, sum total of my twitter and facebook drama.

tinypliny writes at 06:11:33 09/23/09 - Comment #51648: Omission there. I would ^say tweeting...

tinypliny writes at 06:10:34 09/23/09 - Comment #51647: (e:mrmike) I would tweeting around in widening circles with spokes attached. :)

The school twitter is an interactive version of an RSS feed - pretty handy. In one week of reading, keeping up and commenting, I have a new research idea and that is invaluable.

tinypliny writes at 05:58:30 09/23/09 - Comment #51645: Can't you just unfollow her? I mean you are technically supposed to be annoyed and put on a demonstration of e(a)xing, no? ;-)

tinypliny writes at 05:53:48 09/23/09 - Comment #51641: Yeah, I agree, that is irritating. For now I am being very cautious in whom I follow. :)

You found my school account. hahaha. My "loony" account is the one under this nick. I guess I am not important or old enough to be on their search lists yet.

heidi writes at 05:16:04 09/23/09 - Comment #51639: actually, i rarely read or post to twitter, probably because my ex-gf tweets constantly, and lately it's been all about her new gf. do i need to hear about their morning rituals? i don't think so.

heidi writes at 05:13:14 09/23/09 - Comment #51638: sheesh. took me long enough to find you.

mrmike writes at 04:37:47 09/23/09 - Comment #51637: On Twitter too. I think the tweets are real similar to the status announcement. If we follow each other, are we tweeting in circles?

Permalink: Why_am_I_on_Twitter_.html
Words: 328
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: opinion

09/19/09 12:36 - 58ºF - ID#49813

Is Buffalo turning into Ireland?

I spent some time at the CEPA gallery in Market Arcade last evening and I was struck by this exhibit.

It takes me back to the time when that ignorant shrunken old hag "Mother" Teresa was alive and channeling money into her vile medieval dark age schemes in Ireland.

However flawed the Government at home might be, I am really glad they didn't let that loathsome shriveled monster take over health policies and reproductive rights in the country.

This issue strikes a very very raw nerve in me. How can you possibly know what it is like to look ahead at 9 months of unexpected depression and self-torture when you are so far removed from such scenarios?

It speaks volumes about your insularity when all you can think of is being aggressive about allowing continued division of a bunch of cells under the facade of being "pro-life" while completely ignoring a human whose life and future might be at stake.

Buffalo need to re-evaluate its scarce programs for safe and medically aided abortions. Is this all we have?

1. Sweet Home Medical

Phone: 716-691-1414

2. Buffalo Women Services

Phone Toll-Free: 1-800-598-3783

3. Planned Parenthood, Niagara Falls

Phone: 716-282-1221

tinypliny writes at 06:54:36 09/26/09 - Comment #51698: (e:bridgette), thanks for sharing your experience here. I agree that the problem is far more complex than what is suggested by the "activist" tone of my post.

For instance, your discomfort with what the abortion clinic staff told you over phone is a result of insensitive and untrained communication. I would say that this is true of many medical establishments - not just abortion clinics.

In the past, I have frequently been on ward rounds where consultants and residents have had "intellectual" discussions about complications and survival chances right in the front of the patient - whose life they discussed in a detached way.

Examples such as the one you wrote about and this one are a symptom of a loss of empathy in the medical field. Quite unfortunately, this "insentization" process is almost inevitable - and to insiders in the field, it is actually a sign of just how much experience they have doing what they do. But for patients it is terrifying and disturbing or both.

The lady from the pro-life camp had what the abortion clinic staff didn't have - determination to win you over. The abortion clinic staff were probably just doing their jobs and didn't view this as some kind of a personal mission.

A parallel establishment that does better at counseling and privacy issues is the HIV clinic. The disease has so much (totally unnecessary, in my opinion) social stigma attached to it that many patients who contact the clinic are invited over for personal counselling.

One other issue that I wanted to address after reading your comment is that of dragging a whole body of religion into this. Personally, I don't associate the concept of Christianity with lunacy and backwardness. I think every religion has a bunch of nut-job extremists who misinterpret their "religion" to the extent of generating hate towards the entire religion. In this sense, "Mother" The evil crone Teresa and Osama Bin Laden are on the same dinky little raft.

bridgette writes at 01:29:20 09/26/09 - Comment #51693: and then again, what about the women who choose not to have an abortion but carry the babies only to deliver, (with no medical attention) and dump them in garbage cans? This happened in S.Buffalo about a year ago. This is a much deeper issue than whether or not to have a baby, These are real people, and if their lives were perfect they wouldn't even be considering abortion. The heart needs to be dealt with, and healed, or at least be given some kind of hope

bridgette writes at 01:21:23 09/26/09 - Comment #51692: the thing that gets me the most is that these people claim Christian values and they make us look horrible because people think we are all like that! The fact of the matter is that Jesus himself would not be standing outside yelling and making these women feel horrible. Jesus himself said "let whoever is among you without sin cast the first stone"- which was not one of them! God Himself never DEMANDS us to choose one or the other, he simply offers the choice, and if we make the one not suitable for us, he freely forgives.

This is personal for me because My ex wanted me to have an abortion when I became pregnant, yet when I called the abortion clinic and asked the woman the effect of an abortion would have on my body, she said, "oh it's fine, we have repeat customers all the time.." It made me sick to my stomach. Yet it was a catholic woman who came into my life and did not judge me for my consideration, what she did was offer help! Not judgement, but help. Of course, she gave me the pro-life pamphlets, not the gross murder your baby ones, but she also took the time to learn my name, my situation, my fears, and then she gave me a whole bunch of huge boxes of donations that took me 3 hours to sort through- clothes, blankets, toys, bottles- everything! The4 day I met that woman was the day I got a glimpse of who Jesus was and what he would have done if he had met me.
God doesn't see women at an abortion clinic as women who are about to commit murder. God sees them as women who have a name, and a specific need to be met, whether it be financial, emotional, physical....as Christians we should be doing our best to figure out what that need is and mee it, not just saying these women are sinners and then walking away without even learning their names.

heidi writes at 08:39:00 09/20/09 - Comment #51592: The ACLU considers it a win because the notion of protected, protester-free buffer zones was upheld. (See also Madsen v. Women's Health Center, 1993). The court could have overturned Madsen and it didn't. Yes, the floating zones notion lost.

tinypliny writes at 07:51:26 09/20/09 - Comment #51591: I read both the articles you linked. According to the NYT article, the fixed zone was upheld but the floating zone was struck down. The second more technical article seems to say the same.

In the light of that, the last sentence is confusing:
"V. A WIN OR LOSS FOR THE ACLU?

The ACLU, as amicus curiae, urged affirmance of the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; the Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part in a 9-0 vote, giving the ACLU an apparent win."

What does that mean? Wasn't the ACLU arguing FOR the floating zone - which was struck down? So they lost, no?

Wow, law is tough! I think you would easily understand molecular biology but I couldn't say the same for legal proceedings from your classes!

heidi writes at 07:06:34 09/20/09 - Comment #51590: One of my profs, Lucinda Findley, argued the relevant Supreme Court case, Schenck v. Pro-Choice Network of WNY, regarding protester-free buffer zones around abortion clinics. :::link::: and :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 06:06:34 09/20/09 - Comment #51589: I have seem them chanting at/approaching other women who have walked past when I was on the other side of the road. That gives me an impression that they are not altogether non-interfering.

tinypliny writes at 06:03:31 09/20/09 - Comment #51588: They have a city/police designated buffer area around the clinic. They can be arrested if they violate this buffer zone.

tinypliny writes at 05:57:44 09/20/09 - Comment #51587: Unfortunately, yes. I have had two interactions with that group on different occasions - the first time, I was asked if I was headed to the clinic - I thought they were referring to the Buffalo General/Roswell area, and might have nodded because they handed me a pamphlet. The second time (around a year later), as I walked past, they chanted some biblical verses at me.

On the surface, they do seem calm but their 'calm tactics' towards targeted passers-by are unsolicited. I think my demographic might have something to do with it. That in itself is quite disturbing.

If I had really been headed for the clinic, there is a possibility that I might have felt some guilt (which I believe is the motive of the group). I resent any such behaviour (however peaceful) that tinges an already traumatic experience with even more guilt.

janelle writes at 03:01:36 09/20/09 - Comment #51586: When I drive Main St. during the week day I see protesters across the street and a few blocks down from the Planned Parenthood on Main.

I never see them directly outside of the Planned Parenthood and they usually seem pretty calm.

You've seen otherwise, (e:tinypliny)?

theecarey writes at 12:34:49 09/20/09 - Comment #51585: no woman should be harassed for taking care of her physical and mental health.

tinypliny writes at 10:52:09 09/20/09 - Comment #51584: You are right. I checked out their website when I linked it. I am not sure about the volume of services at the clinic. I should search for some statistics and edit my post.

Maybe we don't really need more abortion clinics, but we definitely need a harassment-free experience for the women who seek their services. Almost everyday, there is this virulent bunch of people in front of the main street office shouting slogans and spitting at women who make it past them to the clinic. These women don't deserve this kind of a nasty environment when seeking medical help.

I think the objective of the poster was to raise awareness about why women in Buffalo usually don't prefer to get their abortions here and cross over to Canada instead. The constant harassment is very disgraceful.

libertad writes at 10:28:13 09/20/09 - Comment #51583: According to this poster in your journal it appears that the only place to get an abortion in the city of Buffalo is at Buffalo Women Services, but Planned Parenthood has a Buffalo office on Main Street that performs abortions as well. The poster is kind of deceptive to just list the Niagara Falls office. You can put in your zip code to find the nearest Planned Parenthood and find that they really are all over. Do we really need more than two abortion clinics? I really wouldn't know. Are women being turned away because these offices can't handle the demand? If so, then I would agree that there is a problem.

Permalink: Is_Buffalo_turning_into_Ireland_.html
Words: 230
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 08/13/12 04:21

Category: science

09/14/09 08:08 - 70ºF - ID#49772

Be a skeptoid.

This man has it right on so many counts.

Yeah, the video is 41 minutes long but the message is totally worth it.

Permalink: Be_a_skeptoid_.html
Words: 31
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tourism

09/13/09 12:47 - 69ºF - ID#49761

It's Electric! (For JBeatty!)

I find Buffalo's downtown and harbour utterly fascinating. There is so much character and story behind each building, each statue, the shapes and the curves of the radials and the roads. You could spend many a pleasant day wandering around downtown and not be bored (unless of course, history, architecture and scenery don't really get your attention) Some cities are very sterile by comparison.

Permalink: It_s_Electric_For_JBeatty_.html
Words: 69
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tourism

09/12/09 07:45 - 70ºF - ID#49757

We are really very different

&

Permalink: We_are_really_very_different.html
Words: 6
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: buffalo

09/10/09 03:54 - 76ºF - ID#49740

Vandalism on Allen Street

I was walking by 50 Allen Street when this caught my attention.

I shared the outrage when I saw what they had done.

Really? Who digs up a beautiful front garden?

What were they thinking?! Don't they have any pride in a beautiful community?

(e:Libertad): My pictures were sideways to start with but I resized and saved them as jpegs. When I uploaded them, they lost their correct orientation. I saved them as pngs and re-uploaded them and this time, they retained their intended orientation. I am thinking maybe this has something to do with loss of information when you resize and save as jpegs. The pngs, though the same size as the jpegs, have a lot more bytes than the jpegs - maybe that is why retain their orientation information? I am guessing here... (e:Paul) - do you know something about this?

Permalink: Vandalism_on_Allen_Street.html
Words: 153
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: buffalo

09/03/09 12:44 - 68ºF - ID#49692

Last days of Summer...

Defined:

Permalink: Last_days_of_Summer_.html
Words: 3
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: music

08/31/09 02:43 - 65ºF - ID#49668

Spot the difference...

Rainbow circa 1976

Vs.

Rata Blanca circa 2001

There aren't any! Both are mind-blowing definitions of "awesome"!

That is all.

Permalink: Spot_the_difference_.html
Words: 22
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: eating in

08/30/09 03:16 - 62ºF - ID#49660

Comfort food for bleak days.

Broccoli and bell peppers steamed with fresh coriander, fresh red chillies, jalapenos, garlic, mint, coconut, ginger, galangal, red-chilli powder and yellow split peas in soy sauce.

tinypliny writes at 09:26:49 09/03/09 - Comment #51236: They never become indistinguishable! They are completely different.

Red chilli powder comes from dried red chillies. If it is from India (mine always are), the red chilies are specifically sourced from either South or the Northwest parts of the country. This, in itself, makes a difference in how the chili powder tastes. I prefer the ones from the South - they are somehow more intense and flavourful (or maybe I am biased).

The fresh red chillies were from a vietnamese store in Buffalo. In this case, they were finely chopped and used to season the yellow-split peas in groundnut oil. So their role was basically to season the peas and not the broccoli/pepper combo. The red chillie powder was blended with the coconut, galangal, garlic and coriander and tossed with the broccoli. So the dish actually tastes very different if you don't include red chillie powder.

I didn't include the recipe because I am not very sure in what order and quantities I made this. I was listening to some interesting radio and things become very fuzzy once I am done eating... I need to take notes while I am cooking otherwise I never remember what went in.

empireoflight writes at 05:58:35 09/03/09 - Comment #51230: At what point do the red chillies and the red chilli powder become indistinguishable?

ladycroft writes at 05:59:58 09/03/09 - Comment #51222: sounds great, minus all the hot chili peppers that would send me to the hospital :)

tinypliny writes at 10:40:03 08/31/09 - Comment #51188: LOL (e:paul) - your idea of broccoli might enter at #1 under #bland in my kitchen. ;-)

theecarey writes at 02:59:03 08/31/09 - Comment #51168: yes, that sounds delicious.

paul writes at 10:55:55 08/30/09 - Comment #51155: I think (e:Terry) would like that. I am constantly amazed at the amount of spice in Indian food. Can you even taste the intrinsic vegetable flavor with that much spice? Instead of brocolli with some spice, it sounds like spice topped with brocolli, lol. My perfect brocolli just has some salt, oil and maybe some lemon but I even like it plain.