Expect to see 140-character messages on
big billboards as you drive around major Canadian cities this summer.
Pattison Onestop and Spacing Magazine are launching a project this summer that will see Tweets about our cities displayed on billboards and in malls.
The cross-Canada art project is aimed at sparking discussions about the issues facing the cities we live in.
Sometimes, it's better to think before you tweet. We're betting Emma Way of Norwich, UK, wishes she had, after being investigated by the Norwich Police. Ms Way not only apparently knocked a cyclist off his bike, but then decided to tell the world about it using the social network.
"I knocked a cyclist off his bike. I have right of way, he doesn't even pay road tax!" She is said to have Tweeted over the weekend. She then added a hastag for good measure: "#bloodycyclists"
When committing a crime, most people try to keep it quiet. But Ms Way seemed pretty proud of what she'd done. Proud, that is, until some other Twitter users caught wind of her tweet, and sent it viral.
People reported her to the Norwich Police, who responded on Twitter: "@emmaway20 we have had tweets ref an RTC with a bike. We suggest you report it at a police station ASAP if not done already & then dm us”.
Oops.
She quickly deleted the offending Tweet, and subsequently, her entire Twitter account, but it was already too late. Concerned parties from Twitter began posting photographs allegedly taken by Ms Way of her speedometer at 95 mph, and also Tweeted the local newspapers. Then, someone found her Facebook page, worked out where she was employed as a trainee accountant, and told the company about it.
And then, this, from the Norwich Police:
"We have identified parties believed involved and are progressing with them. Thanks for all the comments and feedback".
For the record, road tax does not exist in the UK. It is a vehicle exise duty, imposed on some vehicles for ownership and fuel usage. It is not designed to pay for roads. The UK government spells this out pretty clearly.
There are, of course, cyclists who don't follow the rules (check out some videos here). But there are also drivers who don't know the rules of the road, and who seem to treat cyclists like second-class citizens (videos here). The difference being, of course, that drivers are encased by 4000 lbs of metal propelled by an engine, whereas cyclists are essentially sitting on a stick with absolutely no protection. This is what makes some of the Tweets found on the cyclehatred Twitter account, which collects Tweets about anti-cyclist rage, so worrying.
Twitter is a place where amazing things can happen. But it is also a place where some of the most irresponsible activity can surface. What's the worst kind of obnoxious comment that you've seen on Twitter or Facebook?
Danny Bradbury, MSN Tech & GadgetsWhere do all the bigots live? In the US, at least, hatred for others seems to be concentrated more in the east than in the west - at least, as far as Twitter is concerned. Geography students at Humboldt State University in California have created a map of bigoted tweets south of the border.
Sick of seeing your friends' happy,
optimistic tweets when they're away from home? Or can't stand that
co-worker who gleefully gloats about their vacation on Twitter?
You can't blame them, a new study suggests.
The election of a new pope saw users take to Twitter in
large numbers to express their excitement.
They’re known for soccer and beach babes – and it seems Brazil can add ‘social media hotbed’ to the growing list of accomplishments.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, people in Brazil are joining and participating in social network activities at record rates.
One of the world’s largest social networks has launched a
video sharing app exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Vine – from Twitter – appears to compete with the array of video-only sharing apps landing on the market.
Bombs and barricades are filling the news as Israel and Hamas battle it out in Gaza, but at least some of the conflict there is technological.
If you received a vague direct message from someone on
Twitter lately, you might want to ignore the link they’re sharing.
According to the security folks over at Kaspersky, a new version of an old phishing campaign is making the rounds on Twitter lately by encouraging users to click on links in direct messages.
The private messages sent just to you from a follower will say something like: “hey, someone is spreading nasty rumours about you” and include a shortened link.
I’ve probably received one a day this past week, so it’s no surprise that Kaspersky Lab Expert David Jacoby decided to look into this, as detailed in a blog post.
He followed what happens when someone falls victim to the phishing scheme so you don’t have to (you haven’t clicked on any of these links, right?).
First, they’re taken to http://twi[CUT]er.com where a very convincing, but fake login screen displays.
Users are asked to log in to Twitter, but are then shown a fake Error 404 page before being redirected to the real Twitter login screen.
The experts seem to think the latest campaign is related to a previous one. After all, it’s not the first time I received a private message about nasty photos/videos/etc of me online.
Have you received a phishing message over Twitter lately?
- Maurice Cacho, MSN Tech & GadgetsDanny Bradbury is a technology journalist with 20 years' experience. He writes regularly for publications including the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Financial Post, and Backbone magazine. Danny also writes and directs documentaries.
Maurice CachoMaurice Cacho is a Toronto-based journalist mixing his love for tech with a passion for news. He's also CP24's Web Journalist and appears daily on CP24 Breakfast and weekly on the channel's tech show, Webnation, discussing tech news and trends.
