Author Archives: gdewar

My birthday is this Saturday, the first time it’s been on a Saturday in ages. Past birthdays have ranged from elaborate events, to unplanned “happenings” that end up as big as elaborate events, without the expense and effort. In 2007, I suggested the Mayor spend his birthday the way I did that year, and last year, oh I went to the Blackthorn with friends (yay!), and had Critical Mass on that day too (boo!).
This year the Outside Lands music festival will be going on, which means tons of people in the neighborhood, and I was thinking of leaving town, but I’m most likely going to stick around here. Because Burning Man starts on Monday, I’m guessing that the exodus starts this weekend (in the past it’s been in full swing ON my birthday, which has its benefits.)
I really hadn’t planned too far ahead this year, as I’m more concerned with other things, but it occurred to me that perhaps this year might be the year to do all the free things one can do on their birthday. Now, a free Denny’s breakfast is nice and all, but I’ve gotta believe there’s more. So, I’m asking the Internet for advice ,and if I can find enough stuff to do, I’ll do a photo series/blog post here and cross post it at the More Popular Blog.
So, fire away your suggestions in the comments! (and if you’re feeling generous here’s my wish list at Amazon for fun.)
PS: For the curious, among the many people that share this birthday are: John McCain, Weezy from the Jeffersons, Elliot Gould, Michael Jackson, SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi, my friend Angelie who is one of the awesome Muni Manners Ladies, Carla Gugino (yay!), Rebecca DeMornay, Joel Schumacher, Charlie Parker, Mr. Blackwell, and the Real John Locke (not the guy on LOST).

If you’ve not already seen the Tonight Show’s “Twitter Tracker,” well, you’re missing out on a hilarious send-up of Twitter, particularly when used by celebrites. The exploding Twitterbirds and WWF style announcer just add to the fun.

I sent my mail ballot in a while back and voted a nice big “NO” on all these ridiculous propositions for this “special election” next week. Most people don’t know what they’re about, or that there’s even an election. Political nerds like me who actually tried to read this garbage found even more not to like, and voted no.
The whole concept of ballot measures at the state and local level has devolved into a joke. When the railroads ran the state and early 20th century reformers wanted to break their hold on government, the ballot measure idea was a good way to circumvent their hold on power. But today, it’s a cruel joke that’s making our state a laughingstock, and it may be time to pull the plug.
Today, the only people who can afford to put some crazy idea on the ballot are the wealthy special interests these things were supposed to fight. Worse, when someone gets one of these things passed, there’s no accountability. Want to make up some budget busting rules for the state? Put it on the ballot and who cares about unintended consequences? Want to make up some zany law declaring San Francisco a “sanctuary city?” Go for it, and when we have illegal alien felons having their “rights” protected from the long arm of the law, well whose ass do we kick for that? No one, that’s who….because it was a “vote of the people.”
Worse, whenever one of these bogus things get challenged, politicians and the courts are always fearful of “overturning a vote of the people.” Hey guess what? If “the people” vote for something truly stupid and unconstitutional, it should be tossed out with the garbage, because it’s unconstitutional. Who cares if “the people” voted on it? “The people” barely pay attention as-is, and their only information is from a slew of political ads. Not exactly a model of democracy, I’d say.
However, I think the best way to make a point about this is….to put a ballot measure up for a vote of the people. To paraphrase Sideshow Bob, I’m aware of the irony of using a ballot measure to point out its silliness so don’t bother pointing that out. Simply put, I think it’s time a group of Concerned Citizens put up the craziest “advisory” ballot measure ever to point how how useless it is. (Although in San Francisco, perhaps no one would get the joke).
Anyway, here’s a few ideas I’m spitballing here….feel free to come up with your own….remember we’re going to use the election system to take a poll about something completely ridiculous, so the zanier the better:
-An advisory measure asking the City to consider making Alcatraz Island into a facility for the cloning of dinosaur DNA and making a world-class dinosaur zoo in San Francisco.
-An advisory measure stating that San Francisco stands as a “sanctuary city” for unicorns, rainbows, and heart shaped stickers.
-An advisory measure asking the Mayor to wear a different colored tie than those blue ones he’s always wearing.
-An advisory measure declaring San Francisco’s support for JJ Abrams’ efforts to improve pop culture via Star Trek, Fringe, and LOST. Maybe make him an honorary mayor or something.
Anyway, you get the idea. Let’s get crazy!

Does it not strike anyone else as odd that the only person willing and able to call this kind of nonsense by alleged “journalists” at CNBC, et al, works on a comedy show?
Glad he’s doing it, but another example of why the media is dying. They can’t criticize anyone in the fraternity and just go with the pack, never questioning anything…

These days, everyone has stars in their eyes about “social networking” and feel a need to jump on every new thing out there to do their thing online. Today I’m going to give you an example of how NOT to use Twitter, the micro-blogging service that many people enjoy.
Over at The N Judah Chronicles, I have been using Twitter to supplement blog posts, especially since now I can’t always update the site during the day when I’d like, and have to put it off until the evening or the early morning. Plus, I’ve been testing out Twitter as a way to create an online community about MUNI and the funny things we all see around town. Many other local bloggers and I “follow” each others micro-posts, and it’s a nice little diversion while I’m stuck on the N and can find something to do with my iPhone.
Anyway, today, Brittney Gilbert at alerted her Twitter followers that one of the CBS5 reporters was now on Twitter and I decided to “follow” his Twitter posts. I think it is cool when journalists use Twitter as a way to talk to their readers/viewers and use it to get alternative points of view.
Anyway, I noticed he’d been talking about a story on cell phone robo calls and I posted a response, indicating that I used to sell robocalls and offered my expertise in said subject, such as it is. Cool.
Then, out of the blue, I get a direct message from someone who a) I don’t follow and b) I don’t know and c) obviously didn’t read what I’d Twittered. All I got was this random posting from the guy who runs some website devoted to killing poltical robo calls.
Basically what he did was look for anyone using the word “robocall” in Twitter, and then sent out this anonymous blast Tweet to me. He didn’t bother to read my comment, he didn’t know what I was talking about, and basically spammed my Twitter feed for his own site. Ironically, by doing so, he was as annoying as those robocalls he claims to be against!
The moral to the story? Communicating on Twitter isn’t a top down, message blasting service. Twitter is an ongoing conversation of sorts, and your best bet is to find ways to interact with Twitter users that is context-sensitive. Blasting out crap like this guy does not only is ineffective – it got me to post something online saying so!
PS: As for the concept itself – while I did sell robocalls in the past as a cheap way for low budget campaigns to reach voters when they otherwise could not, I no longer do so because I don’t know that it’s particularly effective from a communications point of view. There’s better low-cost ways for campaigns to communicate that weren’t available when robocalls were in fashion just a few years ago.
That said, I don’t like the idea of banning political speech, no matter how annoying, based on technology. This road-to-Hell paving crew kind of stuff sounds great, but always ends badly. Plus, the “holier than thou” aspect of it all is annoying.
And in an added level of irony, I’m sure the Google Ads over here are advertising…robocalls. YMMV.