This is in response to the Random Time Lords Podcast episode 39.

Since the discussion is *still* going on, and people refuse to move on I have to write this post to defend myself.

I left FriendFeed because as another user said “it’s become Lord of the Flies over there.” It’s true. It’s a deserted island and the users are turning on each other at the drop of a hat. The drama and argument threads have moved beyond single topics; now they become lynch mobs. Then there are people who abuse the system by creating fake accounts, deleting and signing up again, etc. These people not only abuse the system, they also abuse the trust of other users.

When the developers left for Facebook, the site started falling apart. I originally left because most of the features I used on the site were broken, and the developers were not doing anything about it. They finally moved the servers and fixed a number of the problems.. mostly. So I came back. That was my first mistake.

Even while I was “gone” the first time, I was still hovering. I’d check the site, see what my friends were doing, check out some of the rooms I was a member of, but I was still there.

So this time, after WEEKS of ridiculous drama between mostly two users that spread over many people’s threads, I had had enough. If I announce I was leaving, I’d get flack for it. So I just deleted and moved on. I had to do it, otherwise I’d just return and this vicious cycle would continue.

Yes, threads got deleted that I had participated in. The Tex-Mex Movie Reviews got nuked. Honestly? I don’t care. There was nothing of real value anyone outside of me and Steven could get out of those threads. To an outsiders view, it was just random comments about a movie we were watching. No one had commented or even brought up those threads in MONTHS.

So why didn’t I just remove my feeds? Because I had to. I wanted nothing to do with that site anymore. I didn’t want any more comments, I didn’t want any more participation, I didn’t want to see that site anymore. As Amber pointed out in the podcast, even removing the feeds doesn’t work because the SITE IS STILL BROKEN. They would still have imported, and I don’t have the patience to wait for the FF devs to get off their high horse and fix it.

When it boils down to it: it’s just another stupid internet site. It’s just another forum, another space on the web. I’ve made connections there, friendships, and even enemies. I will continue to have those friendships AFTER i’ve left.

So here we are again, another long winded ranty blog post about FriendFeed. I tried to announce why I was leaving and got criticized. I deleted with no warning and ALSO get criticized. I can’t win, and that’s just another reason I feel good about leaving. I don’t need that nonsense in my life.

I’ve moved on. It’s time you do too. Let it go.

I laugh at your puny iPad. Damn this thing is HEAVY.

I never thought i’d be writing this post. I’ve always been one of FriendFeed’s biggest cheerleaders. I’ve dragged friends and even my girlfriend to the site. I’ve written blog posts, created content exclusively for FriendFeed, and even made a couple videos.

The time has come for me to part ways with the site. Why? Because it’s not fun for me anymore.

In the past few months, the site itself has begun degrading pretty heavily. I’m not talking about content; I’ll get to that later. I’m talking exclusively about the functionality of the site. It’s been really slow, unresponsive, and prone to crashes. These things hardly ever happened when someone was manning the ship, aka the FriendFeed developers.

When Facebook bought out the site and hired its developers, some of its highest profile users left. Bwana, Robert Scoble, etc. Their reasoning for leaving is “why did they want to devote time to a site that would eventually shut its doors anyway?” I was one of the many who stayed and continued to use the site regardless of those people being gone, defending it against those naysayers who had jumped ship. It was still a fun place, and things hadn’t yet begun to break.

That was almost a year ago, and FriendFeed has now turned into an abandoned apartment building. Most of the tenants still live there, trying to make it work as best as they can. The landlords are gone, working on their new high rise building and getting paid the big bucks for it.

Every once in a while, once the tenants get loud and bitchy enough about things not working, one of them comes back from their fancy new place and “fixes” things. The recent “fix” broke the bookmarklet, the instant messaging client, and the site is still as slow as it was before the fixes. I should be thankful that anyone is monitoring the site at all, but I’m not. It’s too little, too late. To let things go on this long without any repairs is a slap in the face to its loyal members, and I won’t sit quiet about it anymore.

So what has kept me around so long, despite everything else? The content.

I’m still following and conversing with (mostly) the same batch of people as when I started. I still enjoy reading their posts and comments, but lately even that’s dropped off. My main feed that used to fly through my screen at around 60mph is now crawling at a snails pace. Peak hours for the site now look like 3am on a Sunday.

Even normal topics are turning into troll-fests, with people getting rude and short with people they’ve been friendly with for years now. I’m guilty of this myself now and again, I freely admit that. Akiva Moskovitz put it quite eloquently in his blog post last week: we’ve become too familiar with each other and are now disregarding each other’s feelings in lieu of trying to prove our points.

It’s become a stressful place for me. The happiness and fun that I used to get every day out of FriendFeed is long gone. Those moments are few and far between now, and yet I kept coming back.

Not anymore. Consider this my Notice to Vacate from the FriendFeed Apartments. I’ve already removed all my services (save for this blog) and won’t be returning to the site after tonight. I’ve followed my favorite people on Twitter and Facebook, and the dozens of other sites we all belong to. The people that count know how to contact me, and the others can find it easily enough.

If things change and they actually improve FriendFeed, not just fix the broken parts, I may return. It will have to be a drastic change, like functionality or design wise (what ever happened to “Facebook Labs”?). I’m not deleting my account, just not going to be importing any of my services into it anymore out of respect to those who are left. My comments and old posts will remain. I will not.

It’s been a fun couple years, but all good things must come to an end. This is where I pack my things and head off into the sunset, seeking greener (and functional) pastures.

So long Friendfeed, and thanks for all the memories.

Even Count Chocula is more badass than those Twilight emo bastards.

Your argument is invalid.

On August 10, 2009 the social discussion site FriendFeed announced that it had been acquired by Facebook. The announcement sent shockwaves through the user community and many began reevaluating how they were interacting on FriendFeed, as well as other social networking sites.

I wasn’t as broken up about the announcement as much as some were, but I seriously began rethinking about how I was posting to the site. I interact on FriendFeed more than I have ever interacted on this blog, or any other site for that matter. It goes beyond Facebook and Twitter status updates, both of which are limited to number of characters and content. FriendFeed allows you to post pictures, videos, audio, and gives you a chance to tell a story or start a serious conversation, or just talk about bacon, Doctor Who, and DO ANYBODY NO threads.

I thought about the past year of posts, pictures, and conversations I’ve had on the site, and how heartbreaking it would be if it all suddenly disappeared one day. I’ve shared so many camera phone photos, discussions, helpful threads, and ideas through the site directly, to think that it would all disappear in the flick of a server switch is scary. There are ways to back up your FF feeds, but the context and conversation would all be gone.

Instead of dwelling in the negativity, I thought about how to keep posting content but have it stored somewhere where I could always control: The Daily Haggis.

Over the past few weeks I’ve experimented with using Posterous as a tool to quickly share and post content to my blog. I can email things to it, use the bookmarklet just like Friendfeed, and it also posts out to other various networks like Tumblr and Facebook. While the posts on this blog have gotten noticeably shorter, the amount of content has increased a lot.

When the entry gets pulled into FriendFeed, it looks like any other entry except that the picture and story link back to my blog. Using tools like MediaRSS allows FF to pull in the main picture and the first paragraph into the site, so it looks just like the rest of my entries. I can also change the image on my server, and FF’s image will update as well!

I’ve noticed an increase in blogging traffic from many other FF users lately, so I think we’ve all got the same idea: own your content. Share it with as many social networks as you like, but keep it on a system that you can control, backup, and restore at your own whim.

According this article on the Brand New blog, Jack In The Box is changing their logo, and can already be seen on several stores on the West Coast. (which you can see pictures of in the article)

There’s been a bit of logo changes on several popular brands lately, some successful some not so much. The new simple Pepsi logo and can design is actually pretty nice, but others like Tropicana have already reverted back to the original, much more recognizable version.

I’m not quite sure what to think about the new Jack in the Box logo. I really liked the old one, and it just seems like there’s too much emphasis on the “Jack” part of it. I understand the clever concept of putting “Jack” on the “Box” but it just doesn’t work for me.

In fact, inspired by a comment on FriendFeed, I made what initially came to mind when I saw the new logo:

Step 1..

It is so easy to see dysfunction between you and me. We must free up these tired souls before the sadness kills us both.

I tried and tried to let you know: I love you but I’m letting go. It may not last but I don’t know, just don’t know.

If you don’t know then you can’t care, and you show up but you’re not there. But I’m waiting and you want to; still afraid that I will desert you.

Everyday
with every worthless word we get more far away. The distance between us makes it so hard to stay, but nothing lasts forever, but be honest babe it hurts but it may be the only way.

A bed that’s warm with memories can heal us temporarily. The misbehaving only makes the ditch between us so damn deep

Built a wall around my heart, I’ll never let it fall apart. Strangely I wish secretly it would fall down while I’m asleep.

If you don’t know then you can’t care, and you show up but you’re not there. But I’m waiting and you want to; still afraid that I will desert you.

Everyday
with every worthless word we get more far away. The distance between us makes it so hard to stay, but nothing lasts forever, but be honest babe it hurts but it may be the only way.

Though we have not hit the ground it doesn’t mean we’re not still falling. Oh I want so bad to pick you up, but you’re still too reluctant to accept my help. What a shame, I hope you find somewhere to place the blame but until then the fact remains.

Everyday
with every worthless word we get more far away. The distance between us makes it so hard to stay, but nothing lasts forever, but be honest babe it hurts but it may be the only way.

© 2007 Maroon 5, “Nothing Lasts Forever“

1. No Turn Signals
Doesn’t matter whether you are making turns or chaning lanes, turn signals are completely worthless. The only purpose it serves is to let everyone else know what you are doing and react to your shitty driving, and who cares about them?

2. Turning in the Opposite Lane
Not only does it show how awesome your driving skills are in your 1997 Passat, but it also ensures that everyone else is paying attention to you by watching you make a left turn from the right lane.

3. Tailgate and Brake Constantly
This is especially important when dealing with rush hour traffic, since it will eventually cause the drivers behind you to hit THEIR breaks, until you have full-blown traffic congestion brewing behind you. It doesn’t matter to you, because you’re ahead of all those suckers.

4. Driving with Your Brights
Since you’re already causing a public disturbance with your awesome driving, you might as well blind oncoming traffic while you are at it. This is especially helpful in poorly lit areas.

5. The Cut-off and Slam On Your Brakes Maneuver
Make sure you do this only when there is no one behind the person you are cutting off, which would have made for a safer and wiser driving decision. Happily waving at the person when doing this will only please the driver behind you, who is busy trying to endure the third degree burns from hot coffee in their lap.

6. Drive an Innappropriate Vehicle for your Location
If you live downtown in a large city this includes large 4×4 capable SUVs, Pick-Up Trucks with extended wheels, and especially any type of Hummer. During this economic and energy crisis, it’s wise to make others feel safe by sending a message: You don’t give a crap and you’ll fill your $100+ gas tank every five miles if that’s what it takes to look badass driving alone in your giant vehicle.

7. Swerve Left Before Making Right Turns
Asshole driver physics are exclusive to said assholes. Of course it makes more sense to swerve widely to the left before making that already wide right turn, as the turning radius of your beforementioned giant vehicle requires a head start.

8. Wait until the last second to make all driving decisions.
This especially applies to Exit Only signs and merging lanes. By flying out of your lane (without turn signals, remember), it ensures that your lane will be free and clear because of the massive four car pileup behind you.

9. Always Drive in the Passing Lane
You’ve never heard of the “left lane is for passing only” rule, so go ahead and keep going under the speed limit and backing up traffic behind you. If you can, stay directly next to the cars in the other lanes ensuring no one can pass.

10. Cutting in Line
You see the massive traffic jam ahead of you at your exit. You saw it 2 miles back. What does an successful asshole drive do in this already stressful situation? If you answered: drive past everyone waiting in line and force your way over at the last second, you’re correct!

By following these first ten steps of Driving for Assholes, you can become a threat to everyone’s safety immediately! If you want to collect bonus asshole points, make sure that you are talking on the cell phone while following all the steps outlined above.