What if I invented Twitter? Or at least Facebook?

Ariel Dovas — Fri, 11 Oct 2013 16:16:59 +0000

Guys. I was reading the excerpt from Nick Bilton’s forthcoming book about how Twitter was started in The New York Times and I realized something. I might have invented Twitter. I mean, I know I didn’t, but look at these pages that I blogged about a few years ago, it’s almost eerie. I explained my process in my previous post:

A long time ago in this very land (sometime in 2003) I sat alone in my living room, looking out the window onto Guerrero Street and wondered how I could connect with the people of the neighborhood, hear their thoughts, start a dialogue, without having to actually leave my house and face people in real life. Yes, it sounds sad and lonely. Whatever. The point is, I didn’t know about hyperlocal blogs or anything, so I made do with what I had. Which, apparently, wasn’t much. I figured I’d have to do some fishing.

One morning I tied a piece of paper onto a length of fishing line, attached a pen at the end and lowered them both out the window. I left my house for the day and when I came home that night I reeled the paper in (pen gone).

GOOD MORNING. (if evening, please reverse)

GOOD EVENING (if morning please reverse)

I mean, the bland prompt, time stamp, emoticons, timeline, it’s kinda weird. Before you jump all over me and explain why I didn’t invent Twitter or even Facebook, I know. But, maybe it demonstrates why something like that was ready to take off, that we were all ready to begin communicating in this specific manner. I guess I won’t sue. It’s not my style. And all I did was hang a piece of paper out the window. I guess I could have tried a little harder.

Pre-Blogging The Mission

Ariel Dovas — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:34:22 +0000

A long time ago in this very land (sometime in 2003) I sat alone in my living room, looking out the window onto Guerrero Street and wondered how I could connect with the people of the neighborhood, hear their thoughts, start a dialogue, without having to actually leave my house and face people in real life. Yes, it sounds sad and lonely. Whatever. The point is, I didn’t know about hyperlocal blogs or anything, so I made do with what I had. Which, apparently, wasn’t much. I figured I’d have to do some fishing.

One morning I tied a piece of paper onto a length of fishing line, attached a pen at the end and lowered them both out the window. I left my house for the day and when I came home that night I reeled the paper in (pen gone).

Here’s what I got:

GOOD MORNING. (if evening, please reverse)

What were you just thinking about?

being @ the beach w/ my aunt

eating pastries

putting a battery in my garage door opener

taking this pen

Hope and nothing but

des paturages sublimes de betes vertigineuses

The other side after the jump (Hey! The other side is the original after the jump!)

GOOD EVENING (if morning please reverse)

What were you just thinking about?

great (?), chilly night

How weird you are!

Matchbox 20

“…Money is money + things are things…”

I just got a great PPS (Prime Parking Spot) Now it’s off to water the gardens….

Down with TARTINE
(I know this is a little negative)

Why is this here?

Is this person cute?

♥!!

Mission Mission » possible agorophobia

What if I invented Twitter? Or at least Facebook?

Pre-Blogging The Mission