Parlor Spider...Step In, Little Fly

Insightful thoughts and/or rants from atop the soapbox from one who wishes to share the "right" opinion with everyone.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Open Mouth, Insert...Literature Tweets?



Francis Bacon...Disguised

That famous writer A. Nonymous has written more prolifically than perhaps any other author in history (nothing to shake a stick or a spear at!), and I think his/her best work might be this: "A closed mouth gathers no feet."
I think of this every time somebody goes to the Twitter account and posts 140 characters about what's on his/her mind, and it ends up being totally ludicrous. Innuendo and libel fly back and forth between individuals, apparently without regard for the the fact that the whole world can access this drivel...and reduces the English language to some kind of Sanskrit-type communication. Which is why I'm surprised that the Library of Congress cares.
Really.
The archivist at the Library of Congress has announced that every (I mean EVERY) tweet since March 21, 2006, is being archived by that institution. Every drunken, pornographic, vitriolic and just plain stupid message we have sent out for general (or otherwise) consumption is now a matter for public record...forever...like that tattoo of a naked chick that was so cool the day you turned 18. Only more permanent.
I believe the idea was to make a comment about popular culture, and tweets seemed like a good way to do that. I wonder how many less than useful plans have begun with, "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Although, I admit that it's probably a more effective look at preserving pop culture than saving all the episodes of The Girls Next Door or Jersey Shore.
So, what can we look forward to?
Snarky comments about who did and did not get invited to the team picture.
Inane questions from Kim Kardashian.
Stupid marriage proposals and rejections.
ad nauseam.
But there's one that might prove interesting, provided by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
It seems that last year cast members thought it would be a great idea to "perform" Romeo and Juliet in 140-character tweets by the cast members. While I get the impression that it's either complete or the cast members got tired of it, but I could not figure enough of it out by reading the compiled tweets to tell.

You try it:http://www.suchtweetsorrow.com/

In parting, methinks that a tweet by another other name would sound as sweet.

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