We are seeing heavy tweeting in Tahrir Cairo from a protest today. Twitter, despite the hype, is not very popular in Egypt and few people have mobile smart phones that allow them to tweet from sites like Tahrir, so these many tweets must mean a pretty good sized crowd.
What can we add? Blackberry, which just 5 years ago was still the foremost mobile device maker in the world, is dying. Proof again that being first is not winning.
For a massive amount of the population, even today, Blackberry was their first real smartphone. And from about 2003 to 2009 Blackberry was the phone to have. This was probably as much poor quality of alternatives than anything about Blackberry. Windows Mobile phones up to 3.5 were trash, and Symbian OS never made a good smart phone.
It is now clear that iOS, and now Android, have defined the mobile experience in the same way the Mac and Windows have defined the PC. We are still using PC Windows that are essentially unchanged since 1985 Macs!
Bad news also for Windows Phone, which is trying to enter a market were there is already a low cost option: Android.
Map of the mornings tweets in Bradford and Leeds UK made with the Happ Clima.Me tool. It shows no sign of high tweeting from Bradford.
Yesterday a very significant and perhaps revolutionary event happened in the democracy of the United Kingdom. Former Labour Left wing George Galloway won a massive victory in Bradford West running in the Respect Party. This is the second time he has done this, riding the votes of leftist not happy with new Labour and Muslims to a resounding victory against the British establishment.
What is interesting of the map above showing the mornings tweets from Bradford and Leeds is the fact that there is no evidence of any heavy tweeting in Bradford. And tracking twitter it is pretty clear most of the people posting are not from Bradford and do not like Galloway.
And yet still Galloway was able to stage a massive victory, almost a coupe against Labour. This is evidence (in a small scale) that not only is technology like Facebook and Twitter not necessary for 'revolts' to take place, in many areas the lack of such high cost gadgets may mean an area is ripe for revolution. Libya and Syria, the most violent revolts of the Arab Spring happened in a void of Social Media.
For a long time we have been seeing social networks being more dominated by reactionary concerned about the nature of change. There is also a issue that tweeting and blogging may weaken movements for change by giving participants an illusion of participation the takes the place of real engagement that might do something. But in Bradford West the key element must be that a lot of people who can't afford Blackberries or iPhones came out to vote for a more radical candidate.
In fact there is something very alienating about all the twitter obsession with George Galloway today, he has been trending along with Bradford West all day on twitter, but the tweets are not coming from Bradford West, as the map above shows. People from other parts of the UK are talking about Bradford and Galloway, while not many people are speaking from Bradford. Perhaps this is also what happened in Egypt, with people talking about Tahrir on Twitter more than people talking with Twitter inside of Tahrir. The danger is social media makes politics in to a spectator's sport, thus extending on the alienation from democratic processes that advanced so much under TV. Information simply distances people from events as the people impacted are turned in to objects of media examination than subjects demanding their rights.
Today on Twitter everyone seems to have an opinion about Galloway, but no one seems interested in hearing from people who may have voted for him.
Map of current tweets over 2 hours in the evening of 29 of March during a General Strike in Madrid, map shows a huge crowd forming in Plaza Del Sol, site of last years sit in protest. Map create with the HAPP app from Clima.me.
Analysis of twitter shows a large crowd forming in Plaza Del Sol. This was the site of last years large protests. It seems a huge crowd is forming in this area this evening, perhaps to stay the night?
El análisis de Twitter muestra una gran multitud se forma en Plaza Del Sol. Este fue el lugar de los últimos años las protestas de gran tamaño. Al parecer, una gran multitud se está formando en esta área esta tarde, tal vez para pasar la noche?
This maps sums of the tragedy of Iraq. Today in Baghdad a Arab Union summit started to discuss the future of Syria. This morning a series of terrorist attacks hit the city. In any open democratic society twitter would be going nuts as journalists and concerned people tried to communicate and get in touch.
But in all of Iraq we find evidence of maybe 5 tweets. The map of the Baghdad shows only two mobile tweets coming from the Green Zone. The US invasion, which was suppose to bring democracy and economic prosperity has left a nation primitive and isolated by global standards.
We have been tracking Social Media Web Forum in London this week with the Happ App from Clima.me, which maps tweets and foursquare trends in real time. #SMWF produced a large amount of tweets we mapped with our tool, and an interesting before and after image showing how much web traffic can be generated by certain events.
Before, the Social Media Web Forum have a crowd of tweets and checkins.
After, one day later and only a few tweets from a single user all morning.
FRIDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2011 Occupy Protest moves towards Brooklyn Bridge
In a world of mobile Internet and social networks Twitter and Foursquare give us the ability to map large crowds and events. These images are taken from some of the largest crowds and events we have tracked over the past six months. These images were made with clima.me Happ tool.
WEDNESDAY, 25 JANUARY 2012 One Year Anniversary of Tahrir revolt in Cairo
FRIDAY, 20 JANUARY 2012 San Francisco Occupy Protest
MONDAY, 19 MARCH 2012 London Web Summit
MONDAY, 27 FEBRUARY 2012 Barcelona Mobile World Conference
SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY 2012 The Super Bowl!
SATURDAY, 17 MARCH 2012 Saint Patrick's Day in Dublin
THURSDAY, 22 MARCH 2012 Toulouse France just after Mohamed Merah's death
Over the morning of March 28 a large cluster of tweets and foursquare checkins are forming around Olympia for the London Social Media World Forum. The tweets next to the Olympia are from people getting off the train for the conference. People like to tweet in train stations.
An interesting pattern as the conference moves in to the second day of people tweeting in a neat line, perhaps where seating is arranged?
In our global world twitter is making few places truly isolated. Mapping tweets from Bamako Mali show a small concentration in the city, near the Canadian embassy and some hotels. We assume these are journalists or foreign workers tweeting about the armed coupe today.
Twitter map using clima.me tool from Bamako Mali, we are seeing two spots with very concentrated tweets where we assume international press are assembled.
These maps were made using the clima.me mapping tool, run on an iPhone. The mobile app works on all major PC, tablets and mobile phones without the need for an app install.
These are the only two concentrations of mobile phone tweets in all of Mali at 1pm local time, as news of the coup broke.
This map of mobile tweets over an hour in Toulouse before noon France, showing a massive concentration of recent tweets at what must be the site of Mohamed Merah's standoff and death:
Time is local time in London, an hour behind france. Image was made using happnin.clima.me mobile App on an iPhone.
This illustrates Twitter's ability to map and locate major events. This standoff attracted a large number of press and might be one of the most tweet events in history.
I heard a lot about WONGFU Production from my friends, and my college mates were inspired by WONGFU Prod. by making youtube videos. So yea, I was curious and would want to check out what was all about this great WONGFU prod. The first video I knew was because of RYANHIGA.
When I was scrolling through my TUMBLR, I found this video and guess who? It's WONGFU Production. Comments and "REBLOGS" are damn high, so I just click in and watch this video. Generally,this video is about relationship stages that every couples would go through. Inevitable. I, somehow, watch it because I wanted to know which stage that I'm in now. I know it sounds stupid but it's good to know so that I know what to do after that. I was mind fucked the whole day , because I don't want to end up on the last 2 stages. No, I don't want to.
Relationship stages:
Meeting
Chase
Honeymoon
Comfortable
Tolerance
Downhill
Break up
Of course, in order to be together and make love, every couple will have to go through the first stage - MEETING. It doesn't matter where and how couples meet. And yea, I've gone through the first stage. Friends who knows me, also knows how me and him met. Haha, I always hope that I will met someone I like in a college or university, and ya' know my books will just accidentally fell off for no reason and there will be a nice geeky guy come and help me with the books. (Aren't this happens in TAIWAN dramas? YES, most of the TAIWAN dramas. I started watching it when I was 15, and loves to fantasize about my love story. LOL)
So, move on to this second stage, which is call the CHASE. Honestly speaking, I'm very particular about this stage. If a guy wants to be with the girl he likes so much, first the girl would want to know if he is thoughtful and kind, and does he cares what's on her mind. And, DOES A GUY KNOW HOW TO TOUCH A GIRL? That's very important. He made me the happiest girl ever, and also made me feel like I'm the one for him. On our first date, he sent me a very long yet romantic love text messages. And, that's how we got together.
Hmmm,the HONEYMOON stage. Some couples I know, they broke up at the end of this stage. How does it feel when couples are at this stage? Happy? Sweet?Can't text without each other? Yea, these are the symptoms you will see when couples are at this stage. How cute is that when couple share a cup of BASKIN ROBINS together, share food together or even sharing a drink together. Of course, pictures and photos will also be posted on social network , they even create an album for it. Like any other girls, I would love my boyfriend to hug me in the public, kiss me in the public. However, I'm just too shy for that. I'm so weird. I like to keep it low, the lower the better.It's sad to see couples broke up at the end of this stage, it's either they get used to this stage and refuse to move on to the comfortable stage or they were falling too fast for each other at the beginning. It seems like there are only 2 options, BREAKUP or MOVE ON.
Yay, we are at the next stage now, COMFORTABLE stage. It has a huge difference between this stage and the honeymoon stage. My relationship was in a red light before we both move to the comfortable stage. It hits me very hard, I can't even concentrate on my studies. It's because everything went so well, and out of sudden something that you have no idea what was going on became an issue.Well, my comfortable stage is where I don't have to stress what to wear for our date, I don't have to text him 24/7/365, and I call him once a while, or we don't text or call each other. That's how my comfortable stage is. Even though we rarely call each other or text each other, we are still happy together. Many of friends asked me why we rarely call each other or text each other is because if we do that almost everyday, I'll run out of conversation with him and yea, I want to save my phone credit. LOL.
Moving on to the TOLERANCE stage now? Hahaha. I really don't know. When things get bad, I'll just let it go. I don't talk about it or say anything about it. If he's late for date, I'll just let it pass it.( Yes, I do get fucking angry at some point and I'll curse inside my heart.) But once he showed up, I'll forget what he just did, and I'll never question him why he was late. I keep everything to myself. Be it angry, sad, fucking pissed or disappointed. It's funny when my friend said I have a good tolerance. (Pssssss, know what? I was trained to have a good tolerance. LOL.) But if things get very bad, I'll explode and harsh words will just come out from my mouth. Once I say it out, I can't take it back.
While, DOWNHILL and BREAKUP stages are stages that couples would go through. Is that right? I don't know. I have not gone through this stage yet. I somehow think that it's not true at all.It's not necessary for every couples to go through these 2 stages cause in the end, it depends on how you fix things and get things right. If anyone are almost at the end of the tolerance stage, try to work things out and fix it. Especially ladies, do not start with an argument, as the guys are trying not to argue.I d on't argue nor I shout and yell at him, cause I feel bad after that (That's no good, cause when I feel bad after shouting at people, I have to think of a way to put my ego down and apologize. STRESS.) . In fact, I'll talk to him nicely like normal daily conversation, so that I can choose not to answer him if I don't like it.
It's true that there are 2 options in the relationship. Break up in the end? or get married? There are so much uncertainties. None of us know what our future is like. Therefore, I would appreciate every moments we have right now. ButIF we did not end up together, I will not hate him but I'll be thankful that he was once an important person to me, in my life. Wherever I am in the future, I'll always look back and think of him, cause he taught me how to love and how to be independent.
" Every relationship goes through stages. Where and how each stage develops is ultimately up to each person. While we always hope for the best, we often can't avoid the inevitable. " - Strangers, again.
A map of tweets and foursquare checkins shows a cloud of activity forming around Union Square where a new Occupy camp has been established. Map made with the clime.me tool.
Tracking social media data we see that new occupy park seems to be forming in Union Square. We are seeing some photos from the site and we can see regular posting of images and messages on twitter along with foursquare checkins. So it looks like OWS has a new home.
Map of the tweets and Foursquare checks around the east of London over the morning. You can see a clear dense cloud of tweets coming from the site of the London Web Summit.
Current Music : Slow dancing in a burning room by John Mayer
I can't believe I actually made it up to my friends for the surprise birthday and also badminton at SSBA. I guess, it's time for me to make it up to my Seremban mates. I always ignore them, no not IGNORE, it's either I'm busy or I ditched them. I feel bad cause when they called me out for small gatherings or movies, I'll just give my excuses. Sometimes, I'm really busy, leaving me no choices but to ditched them. Anyway, had this surprise birthday for Shuen Cherng after badminton. It was Shyuan's idea, and we were fooled by someone *pffffbt*
Happy Brithday,
Shuen Cherng ala Terminator T808!
LOL
Seriously, when the guys do the thumbs up, it reminds me of MCKL.
Dude, what the hell man!
Had a very fun time with my mates. Jia Junn came and fetch me but he was late. He freaking blame me for that, wthmaan! And also, I want to thank Shyuan May for fetching me home but had a flat tyre after that. Thank goodness I was with her that night, if not she'll be all alone.
AdamvsShuen Cherng, the birthday boy :)
Shuen Cherng and Alvin. (Sorry, they were moving so the pic is blur 8/)
Khai Jie and Jia Jun (aka Black man)
Seriously, I miss them a lot. Guess, I'm not going back to KL for a month. It's time for me to make it up to my Seremban mates. Spend more time with them. They are always there when I need someone to talk to in my tough times, especially Jia Junn. He's my best heng dai ever :)
