Comments on: Green eggs & spam: a Twitter poem

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:15:22 +0000

There’s my thought for the day: “Fun with Security” sounds like a contradiction in terms – until you think about it. Yesterday I got a nice complement for making microchip branding sexy; today it’s Internet security; tomorrow? Who can say?

Thanks Scott!

By: Scott Wright

Scott Wright — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:25:28 +0000

As an privacy and security educator, I say we need more creative ideas like this to make lasting impressions on information-overloaded folks, especially where safe use of the Internet is concerned.

Nicely done. I just wish I’d read it sooner. It will go into my Fun With Security blog…

- Scott

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:03:01 +0000

I think that’s the first time I’ve ever gotten {{golf applause}} before. Wow. I’ll send back some heartfelt… um… {{Lawn-Bowling Gratitude}}?

By: Robin ~ PENSIEVE

Robin ~ PENSIEVE — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:12:23 +0000

Absolutely, positively BRILLIANT! LOVED!

First visit to your blog, doubtful the last .

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:31:48 +0000

Well Ian, as a guy who works in the word-choosing industry – who has also traveled extensively to places where they have all kinds of colourful terms for all kinds of things – let’s just say I don’t ever “toss off” words at random.

By: Ian

Ian — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:13:49 +0000

Do you understand the meaning of the word wank?

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:27:08 +0000

Considered. And considering.

Sorry to hear about your Twitter problems. There is a bright side to it all though – so I don’t want to come off as just a Twitter basher. That’s why this RT thing has me up in arms a bit.

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:22:58 +0000

Funny you should mention that. I was agonizing over that very point a couple of nights ago when I wrote this. You see, originally (that is in my head), it was going to be maybe one or two verses very tightly focused on taking a humourous stab at the new ReTweet.

Sam I Am would show himself to be annoying, the other character (“Sam I’m not?”) would rebuff him, and bob’s you’re uncle, the RT stuff would come into play.

But then I started getting creative…

Or rather, I had fun writing more and more verses, and the thing took on a life of its own, and Sam became the encapsulation of all the annoying sycophantic Twitter abusers out there (and we all do these things in our own ways), and gradually, the DUM-RT point became a bit buried. My worries: 1) does the twist come too abruptly, and 2) do I “earn” the twist by setting the stage early enough? 3) Does it feel like a cheat, or is it a payoff?

In addition to my “day-job” concerns, I’m a hack actor, songwriter, and one-time improvisational comedian, so I’m fascinated by how the mechanics worked for you…

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:12:31 +0000

Yes please do keep using the words / not using the RT / and fighting!

By: Dennis Van Staalduinen

Dennis Van Staalduinen — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:10:53 +0000

You made me smile in return. Thanks for visiting my little blog, and thanks for the Retweet!