The Curmudgeonly Professor

A Further Lament on FaceBook

My granddaughter has advised me that lesson #1 in her tutorial on FaceBook is that FaceBook is one word, and not Face Book, which apparently violates all manner of rules and regulations.  In preparation for her forthcoming tutorial, I clicked on my FaceBook link yesterday and here is what I found:  no incoming messages.  No writing on my wall.  No new friends.  Absolutely nothing.  So I asked myself, what's the point?  No one is seriously interested in social networking with the Curmudgeonly Professor.  I'll check again in another month and see.  Perhaps I will be up to 24 friends.  Meanwhile, I will not annoy my social network with any observations about what I decide to have for lunch today.

And by the way, the post I lifted from my Granddaughter Courtney's blog on frozen lemon pie has had hits from all over the world.  So I may have to steal some more of her content if she ever posts something that would appeal to my target audience, that is, the over 70 crowd.  I was tempted to lift her wonderful note on attending church in her singles ward, but just mention to you that it is hilarious, befitting a brilliant new college graduate with a degree in sociology, and invite you to check into her blog, Sumptuous Swish, on the right.

My Granddaughter Courtney Assures Me She Cannot Survive Without Facebook

After pouring cold water on letting my 23 friends know on FaceBook that I had a hot dog for lunch, my granddaughter Courtney let me know in no uncertain terms that FaceBook is necessary to her survival.  Moreover, she has volunteered to tutor me on FaceBook this summer, which she should be eminently qualified to do since she is graduating next week with a degree in sociology.

Is Face Book Really Necessary?

At the instigation of a blogging acquaintance, the Curmudgeonly Professor signed up for Face Book a few months ago.  Meanwhile, he has acquired about twenty-two friends, far fewer than the thousands some of grandchildren have.  I have tried to understand the benefits of knowing whether someone has a headache when they get up, whether they like their take-out pizza, or how they feel about Dancing With the Stars.  I am certain my grandchildren wish that I would stay twenty miles away from all of their interactions with their young friends, and that is fine with me, and so I do stay far, far away from their goings-on.  I am told that older people, namely geezers and such, are finding more advantages to face booking.  So far, I am reluctant to say, I am devoid of inspiration in pursuing a face book career.  I have no idea how it works. 

 My own days are so empty of adventure and worthy revelations that I have nothing to contribute on peoples' "walls." For instance, yesterday I had a hot dog for lunch.  I know I shouldn't eat hot dogs.  They are full of sodium nitrite, which is demonstrably a dangerous thing to eat, and can be used for embalming elephants.  For some reason, meat producers still make hot dogs, not withstanding.  When I was in high school, I visited the Rath Packing Plant in Waterloo, Iowa while attending the national FFA poultry judging contest, however embarrassing it was to tell people we were judging chickens and not cattle, and observed first-hand how hot dogs were made.  I have never forgotten this epic experience, the manufacture of hot dogs still constantly on my mind.  I try to forget this information while enjoying my hot dog and hoping that the sodium nitrite and other bad stuff in it will not kill me right off.

Somehow, the Curmudgeonly Professor has not caught on to the wondrous world of FaceBooking.  He is interested in heavy-duty gossip and tidbits, but has yet to see such revelations on FaceBook.  The Professor hopes he has not offended his twenty-two "friends" and other aficionados of FaceBook.  Perhaps one day soon I will study it for ten or fifteen minutes and become a full-fledged addict.  My list of "friends" may be actually too limited to get very far with this cyber world marvel.

Check Out the UK's Hot Prints for FaceBook Photo Books

Yahoo.com had an item today from Tech Crunch for ordering photo books for $2.99 each plus 75 cents shipping from the UK to the US for photos on Face Book albums. Apparently people who have ordered them are pleased with them.  They include 8 sheets for 16 pages with about six photos per page.  See their website here.  For the Tech Crunch website which contains a few more details, go here.  If anyone tries it, let the rest of us know how it went.  While the Tech Crunch article indicates shipping to the U.S. for 75 cents, a comment says its more like $8.  Another comment says the book isn't even close to iPhoto books, but of course the iPhoto printed photo books are probably in the $20 range and above.  Just an idea in case anyone wants to try it.