Fridays and online presence

I had some free time last Friday, so I had the time to enjoy listening to The Stephanie Miller Show in the morning.  This last week, Steph and her cohorts were vacationing after a long run.  Hal Sparks was in for the week, and that day he had the regular guest (Fridays with Fugelsang)  for Friday's on, John Fugelsang.

And I love them one and all.  Hal is a great host, who likes to engage callers, pro and con, and dig into ideas at times.  And he has an excellent sense that allows his to take quite persuasively about various ideas.  When I was annoyed at the Senate bill, he helped me to sit and think on my position on its viability and usefulness.  And John is also great, and offers his own thoughtful sense to issues.  So I loved his added dynamic on Friday, and on his stop over earlier in the week.

And to add one more thing.  I do love their points and arguments largely.  Now like with many of my fellow liberals, I have to descent on alt med, organic food, nuclear power, etc.  But they can offer interesting conversation on religion.  They are both spiritual.  But happily eschew the religions, the bible used as a tool to demand moral truth ex-cetera.  But they also see a lot of good from Jesus.  It's picking up and leaving behind the hand full of WTF passages from Jesus.  You know, cursing the fig tree, calling for his followers to abandon their families, telling them near the end to go and get weapons, etc.  Their is good in the Jesus story, but their is more to that can be troubling.  But they are artful in conversation and it would be interesting to see them discuss their thinking with knowledgeable atheist.  But, being a pessimist, I can't imagine that going well.

But more than just listening, I tried the live streaming Sparks likes to incorporate into his weekly sojourns to the shows, usually on Wednesdays.  It was a blast, as a I usually join in and try it midway through the show between teaching classes, and it is a stilted mess.  Friday was great though,  clear, relatively smooth, and I got to watch the between commercial bits.  Yes this is old news.  It has been around for ages now, and I have also tried this tech before, like with Atheist Experience.  But for once I relented to the impulse and used the live commenting.  It still annoys me though.  It speeds passed as hundreds comment, so I have no idea who can or does pay too much attention, which begs a question of what the point is.  But some do, and they engage each other.  But it feels an awful lot like I am at home just remarking out loud to myself.

And that is how I feel about a lot of the tech that is so exciting to many.  Twitter.  If I am not promoting something, or in need to stay in contact with a person or group...why?  Same with Facebook, etc.  But the temptation after he the flawed fun of Friday tempts me to just try it out online some more.  By it I mean the social networking...and yes, what a trend setter.  I just need to decide if it is worth my while, not a waste, or worse going to set unused like an unwanted Christmas present.