It ain't tweet

It is one thing to tell the world you have an upset stomach and another to actually say you are spending almost the entire morning in the john unloading multiple slabs of you-know-what.

That's my analogy on tweeting. That's how I find it pointless to announce what you are exactly doing or thinking every day of your life for the sake of your supposed "followers."

People who rely on Twitter, I guess, either have no actual friends or have friends but they do not see each other. If you really know and communicate with your friend, you do not need Twitter to know where they are or what they are doing at the moment.

I am not waging war against Twitter. I just want to emphasize that tweeting is overrated and that it is just a publicity hype.

But I believe it has some use. Twitter is made for the fans of celebrities. The followers, on the one hand, are those who spend so much time minding other people's lives and get some thrill out of it. Those who tweet, on the other hand, are somewhat self-indulgent, seeking pleasure out of revealing something about their personal lives.

For this reason, celebrities using Twitter are estopped from suing someone for stalking or invasion of privacy because they asked for it. The paparazzi are in brisk business. I can hear Tweety Bird complaining from inside his (or her) cage.

Tweeting is fun, yes. For some. But it is not my kind of fun.

Now let me get myself out of the toilet so I can change my Facebook status.

Poll scare

Automation firms may face legal action for contract breach

If the hullabaloos in the preparation for the country's first-ever automated election are any indication, these simply tell that we are NOT YET ready to implement it.

The bidding process alone almost failed because of lack of qualified bidders. Then when the contract was finally awarded, another hitch happens - this time a squabble among the partners of the chosen supplier. With this trend of events, we can expect more problems to surface as the election period approaches.

Poll automation is not a simple process and we cannot risk a national election in order to get it going. At the least and if ever we are fully ready, we should try it first in a local election (a barangay election for instance) to determine its effectiveness. We cannot afford to rush and just cross our fingers that not a major glitch would happen - especially in a national election.

Consider the consequences if the system would fail and render the national election invalid or highly questionable. The fears of many will happen - the incumbent president will have an extended stay in power.

The readiness of our people to vote in a computerized election is also suspect. It will require a thorough orientation for the voters to understand how the system works. Many Filipinos, particularly old folks and those from the rural areas, still have not acquainted themselves with the computer. More than having the necessary equipment, it is important to make the people comfortable and trusting in using a system.

Ideally, we should be able to conduct an automated election by now. We have the capacity. But the fact remains that we are not prepared enough to realize this.