It’s a new year. Isn’t it time to update your Twitter profile with a cool new background? Here’s an awesome trick for geeking up your Twitter background with any kind of theme you can imagine. The best part: it automatically updates every day!

A cool Twitter background can tell people a lot about yourself, instantly showing your personality and interests. Here’s how to make a one-of-a-kind Twitter background that proclaims your geekhood to the world. It’s quick and painless — and you may be surprised at how powerful it is.

1. Point your web browser at instabg.com.
2. Click the big “Sign in with Twitter account” button at the bottom.
3. Twitter will appear and ask for your permission to let InstaBG to access your account. Click “Allow.”
4. A configuration page will come up. This is where the magic happens:

InstaBG Options page

Instagram’s entire database of images is now at your command. The first and most important option is “Target Photos.” There, select “Tags” and then enter a geeky keyword. It can be anything you want, but be sure to enter it as a single word with no spaces. For example, you could enter “xbox360,” “dcnew52,” or “gameofthrones.” These represent tags that Instagram users have labeled their photos with.

Make sure “Auto Update” is on; this will automatically rotate your background daily with a whole new set of Instagram pics. I recommend the following further settings, although this is entirely at your discretion:

• “Order”: new
• “Layout”: small
• “Spacing”: small
• “Background” : “FFFFFF” (aka, white)
• If you want to see the date a picture was posted to Instagram, or how many IG users have “liked” a pic, you can set those under “Option.”

Feel free to play around with any of these settings and see what different kinds of results you get. InstaBG is a powerful tool, and changing the “Target Photos” options can let you do things like set your personal IG photos as your Twitter background.

The “Preview” button will show you what your background will look like. From there, you just activate it when you find one you like. And remember, since you selected “Auto Update: on,” you’ll get a whole new set of IG pics as your Twitter background every single day.

Take a look below at some backgrounds I made using keywords from a few of my favorite geeky things.

#doctorwho

#thehobbit

#darkknightrises

#spiderman

Tweephone

What is your favorite Twitter client? Or maybe you prefer using the web site itself. I use TweetDeck simply because I had been using it for a while and the other clients don’t seem to measure up. I have gotten really used to the interface and how easy it is to access different accounts at the same time. It really makes tweeting even more convenient.

Then again, countless other people use TweetDeck – and all the other Twitter clients, I suppose. If originality is what matters most to you, then you might be on the hunt for something cooler, if not more user friendly.

That’s exactly what Tweephone does. This “cutting edge” device makes use of the obsolete rotary phone (though I am pretty sure you can find one somewhere). The way the Tweephone works is so simple, but definitely not easy. Remember the mobile phones which uses the alphanumeric keypad? In order to “type” a letter, you have to press the button several times. The same principle applies when using the Tweephone to type out a tweet. Well, I guess dial a tweet is a more appropriate description.

The Tweephone was created by tech agency Unteleported, together with UP Digital Bureau, which is celebrating its first anniversary. Obviously, the device is one of its kind and will probably not reach the general public. It does, however, have its own Twitter account, where you can read the updates. Unsurprisingly, the tweets are way short of the 140-character limit that we have all learned to deal with over the years.

It may not be the most efficient way to tweet, but the Tweephone certainly is the most unique client (if that is even the most appropriate term) out there. Who wants to give it a try? It might not be possible, but here is a video which should suffice.

This bad boy will extend your wireless range, eliminate WiFi dead spots, or turn an Ethernet cord into a speedy WiFi hotspot capable of data speeds up to 300MB per second. Seriously, I don’t know anybody who couldn’t use this. So we’re giving away a Diamond Wireless Range Extender ($59.95 retail value) to one lucky ForeverGeek.com reader, and entering the contest is mega simple. You don’t even have to give us your personal information. Here’s how to enter.

This contest is now closed. Thanks for entering!

It’s what we call a “Tweet + Link” contest.

Step 1: Copy & paste the following, and then Tweet it:

I just entered to win a Wireless Range Extender from @diamondmm & @geekforever! Enter here: http://spm.me/diamondwre #contests

Step 2: Leave us a Comment on this page (below) to let us know you Tweeted, and paste the link to your Tweet in your Comment. (Note that our Comments are moderated, so it probably won’t show up immediately after you click the “Post Comment” button.)

In case you don’t know how to find a Tweet’s individual URL, you can find it at Twitter.com. It’s the date just below your Tweet, as seen here:

That’s it. 1 winner will be selected at random from the Commenters at or around 5:pm EST on Tuesday, August 16th. Winners will be notified via Twitter, after which we’ll send your mailing address to the good folks at Diamond so they can send you your prize.

One last important bit: You can enter the contest once per day between now and the 16th — but no more. (That’s 15 total Tweets + Comments if you enter every day.) Enter more than once daily and all your entries will be disqualified. Gotta keep it fair.

Happy Tweeting + Linking!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED, WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. THANK YOU FOR ENTERING!

Remember this wicked cool t-shirt design we showed you last week, which depicts the 11 Doctors as owls? The kind folks at Threadless are giving away 5 of these t-shirts exclusively to ForeverGeek readers! Entering the giveaway couldn’t be easier. You don’t even have to send us your personal information. Here’s how to enter:

It’s easy. This is what we at ForeverGeek call a “Tweet + Link” contest.

Step 1: Copy & paste the following, and then Tweet it:

I just entered to win a killer #DoctorWho t-shirt from @threadless & @geekforever! Enter here: http://spm.me/doctorhoo #WinDoctorHoo

Step 2: Leave us a Comment on this page (below) to let us know you Tweeted, and paste the link to your Tweet in your Comment. (Note that our Comments are moderated, so it won’t show up immediately after you click the “Post Comment” button.)

In case you don’t know how to find a Tweet’s individual URL, you can find it at Twitter.com. It’s the date just below your Tweet, as seen here:

That’s it. 5 winners will be selected at random from the Commenters around 5:pm EST on Monday, May 30th. Winners will be notified via Twitter, after which you’ll send your mailing address to the good folks at Threadless so they can send you your t-shirt.

One last important bit: You can enter the contest once per day between now and the 30th — but no more. (That’s 8 total Tweets + Comments if you enter every day.) Enter more than once daily and all your entries will be disqualified. Gotta keep it fair.

Happy Tweeting + Linking!

Here are fourteen awesomely geeky takes on the Fail Whale.

Fail Whale Bank

[Source]

Fail Whale Beer

[Source]

Fail Whale Cake

Looks good enough to eat because it is! [Source]

Fail Whale Costume

Nothing says fandom like cosplay. [Source]

Fail Whale Haircut

Nothing says “I will never have a significant other” like a goofy haircut. [Source]

Fail Whale Hat

Perfect for covering up that embarrassing Fail Whale haircut. [Source]

Fail Whale Homer Simpson

Worlds collide when two pop culture icons meet. [Source]

Fail Whale LEGO

[Source]

Fail Whale Time-Lapse Photography

[Source]

Fail Whale in Second Life

[Source]

Fail Whale Star Wars

[Source]

Fail Whale Steampunk

[Source]

Fail Whale Tattoo

[Source]

Fail Whale Zombie

[Source]

Twitter isn’t for everyone.  Many pose questions to me daily about the service’s value and even after explaining why I spend the majority of my time on Twitter as opposed to Facebook, they still refuse to at least try Twitter.  

For those on Twitter the product pictured above may be for you.  It’s not for me, explained later.  For those not on Twitter, and who question why one should use it, the product pictured above will steer them further from the site than they already are.

What is the cute little blue and white bear connected to an iPhone and what does it do? It’s a Charatter bear, an item that reads one’s Twitter stream in quite possibly the most annoying voice one could ever imagine.

WiZ, a Japanese toy manufacturer, has unleashed the cute and freakishly sounding little item to the masses for a mere $28 USD.

Depending on how many users one follows, I follow 532 individuals, the Charatter bear will read each and every incoming Tweet to you.  By my count, I’m no math major mind you, that equates to hearing the nightmare-causing voice of the Charatter bear once every 8-12 seconds for as long as you have the little guy up and running.

Lest you think I’m being overly dramatic concerning the bear’s annoying nature, take a look at the video below and then let me know if you find it as frightening as I do, or if you’d purchase a Charatter bear for yourself or another.

The White House will be utilizing the social aspects of Twitter and YouTube in particular to complement the President’s State of the Union Address. Senior administrative officials in the Obama administration will field questions from Twitter users after the speech, while later in the week Press Secretary Robert Gibbs will also do a question and answer session on the microblogging giant.

The climax of the White House’s State of the Union social media campaign will be a live question and answer video session with President Obama on YouTube.

Injecting a dose of spirituality into the matter was Pope Benedict XVI, who acknowledged that new technologies are allowing Christians to spread the gospel and to connect with others in an ever-expanding variety of ways. He also urged Christian social networkers to maintain a Christian presence online. He warned specifically against creating fake profiles to achieve popularity or settle some matter of ego. (Shamefully, we’re now headed to MySpace to delete our 78 faux Steven Seagal profiles.)

What does this all mean? Probably nothing. Unless a sudden influx of political enthusiasts and/or idle patriots floods Twitter this week, or unless Facebook surges with new Christian profiles in the wake of the Pope’s declarations, we can be fairly sure that these novel events are precisely that: novel events, of not much lasting consequence in terms of the member base of any social media site. After all, hundreds of millions of users are already on Facebook, which is in and of itself beyond a household name – if not a household obsession. Twitter is already processing over 1 billion tweets per month from users all over the globe. It may tickle people to see the President and the Pope on the new media bandwagon, but it’s entirely likely said people will already be wired into social activities online.

But, if nothing else, the endorsement of social networking from the Pontiff and the usage of same by the President will reaffirm the usefulness of social media in connecting people with a common interest or cause. Which is something that should be, given the fact that “social networking” is social by nature, self-evident. However, it’s entirely easy to get lost in the sea of solo status updates and forget that some of the strongest features of social networking involve interacting with others – even some pretty powerful folks, who are coming around.

Facebook games are so five minutes ago.

Make no mistake: Farmville, Texas Hold ‘Em, Bejeweled Blitz, and Mafia Wars are big money-makers on Facebook. Now one game company wants to find out if games on Twitter can have the same level of success.

Play140, which uses the tagline “social games with words,” wants to turn your tweets into word-based gameplay. Having just started its beta period, Play140 currently offers three games: The Acronym Game, Robot Smash Battle, and Be Greedy. Playing is as simple as following the dedicated Twitter feed for a particular game, and each of them operates as variations of a similar play mechanic where Play140 sends out a tweet to start a round, and then players reply with a direct message back to Play140 as their entry. Three more games — MatchUp, Picwit, and Chatter — are coming soon.

Due to the nature of Twitter, naturally all of these games are extremely simplistic, using nothing but words. No graphics, no fancy game engines or algorithms. It’s entirely human-powered stuff based around real human interaction. Twitter simply facilitates that interaction.

It strikes me as the social media equivalent of Bingo and the like, which doesn’t sound too terribly fun to me. But then, I’m not dying to spend my game time farming, either, so what do I know?

Follow @FGgamer on Twitter for the latest gaming news.

WIN: Fear
Marvel’s steadily releasing their “fear” teasers, with Captain America, The Hulk, Spider-Man and Cyclops all getting special treatment. The teasers have no further identifying information than the month “April”. Each features a question, such as Captain America’s “Do you fear a loss of faith?”, with a thought-provoking illustration. While the artwork on the Spider-Man teaser is somewhat dubious compared to the others, overall this is a very solid set of images whetting geek appetites everywhere for something big to come.

FAIL: Iron Man 3
Fans of the Iron Man movie franchise may well be mourning the loss of director Jon Favreau, who’s officially passed on making Iron Man 3 in favor of Magic Kingdom. The reason? Unclear. It’s been suggested by Vulture that a lack of creative control’s to blame, but in an interview with MTV News Favreau may have dropped a clue. Of the complicated concepts behind Iron Man 3, which could have to continue the threads of stories from the Thor, Hulk, Captain America and The Avengers movies, he said: “This whole world…I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”

WIN: COBOL
It’s been a while since COBOL celebrated a win, but the archaic language’s time to shine has returned. For the uninitiated, COBOL, or COmmon, Business-Oriented Language, was the first language to operate on machines created by different manufacturers – in essence, a unifying ingredient in the recipe of computing success. This week The Smithsonian National Museum of American History unveiled a web site paying tribute to COBOL, and an entire COBOL exhibit is due in the museum in spring.

WIN: Twitter
Good news in the Twitterverse: a reported $200 million shot in the arm has Twitter on track to open their new data center in Sacramento, CA. The funding will allow the massively popular microblogging service to operate their own facilities, a revelation that’s not new – Twitter’s desire to run their own data center was announced last April – but the cash is a major advancement.

FAIL: Anonymous
It’s been a big week of ups and downs for the hackers known as Anonymous. Not only has it been revealed that they’re the target of Scotland Yard, but they tried – and failed – to take down Amazon.com late last week. After an hour of attempting to crash the virtually impenetrable retail giant, the Anonymous powers that be called the whole thing off. “We don’t have enough forces,” they tweeted.

WIN: Anonymous
As if that wasn’t enough, Anonymous set their sights on a more unusual target as part of their Operation Payback endeavour: fax numbers. Faxes belonging to a number of high profile payment-processing companies like PayPal, Visa, Moneybookers, and MasterCard were hit hard – some numbers stopped responding. Strictly from the perspective of attaining goals (in other words: we present this with no endorsement, do not try this at home, etc. etc. etc.), they did what they set out to do…so that’s an Anonymous win. Like it or not.

Here’s some recent ForeverGeek homegrown win: THOR Trailer + Screengrabs

Gerry Mckay took the idea a whole step further by designing a Twitter and Facebook special edition of Superstars. Both version have a complete style guide with colors, fonts, laces, logo and slogans. If you are an Adidas fan and like Twitter or Facebook these concept photos will leave you wanting one.

Blue is my favorite color, and if the Facebook Superstar was real I would buy it for the color only. Back in high-school I owned two Superstars the original black striped one and a light blue striped one not much unlike the Twitter Superstar blue.

This concept made me think why large brands like Adidas and Nike aren’t closing deals with popular social networks. In an era were kids grow up with internet totally integrated in their life, I wouldn’t be surprised if they bought shoes and clothes branded by their favorites online “hang out”.

I remember in high-school when Michael Jordan was the sport icon, lots of guys wore the Air Jordan sneakers. Now that being a geek is more a pro then a con unlike a few years ago, I say bring on the geek branded clothes and shoes.

Brooklyn based artist Kiersten Essenpreis and journalist/writer David K. Israel decided to select the most fun tweets and create illustrations of them. David is in charge of selecting the tweets while Kiersten illustrates them, together they present the most hilarious illustrations that make the original tweet even more funnier.

At Twaggies you can enjoy an average of 7 illustrations a month like these ones:

This is so true, I do it myself, I will notice it’s raining a bit outside and instead of getting up and taking a good look outside the windows I’ll check the weather website to make sure.

We all do this or when my streamline just won’t deliver something interesting I’ll start looking for other people to follow and see if they come up with something interesting.

The illustrations bring the point more home, the two listed above are really geek tweets and they make me wonder: 14 years ago I did not have internet, no broadband, Twitter, Facebook ,etc. What did I do when I was bored?

Twaggies has been added to my feeds and followed. Keep on tweeting your snarky or funny remarks who knows you might get twaggled.

The movie is due to be released in October, and in July, we saw the full trailer of The Social Network. Here it is, in case you didn’t get to see it.

I have to admit – in spite of the overly dramatic treatment, the trailer makes the movie seem interesting.

This is not the main reason for this post, though. The release of the full trailer spawned other “trailers” of movies about social networks. Some people have a lot of time on their hands, and the temptation of poking more fun at Facebook (in spite of or because of its popularity, you tell me) is just too big to resist.

“The Twit Network” is my favorite – as the title says, it is Rated Awesome!

It latches on to the drama of the original but makes it so hilarious that you can’t help but want the movie to be real. That should make for a good background movie on a night of geeky revelry.

Here’s another “trailer,” this time of MySpace. I don’t really use my MySpace account, but this video about the “other” social network will introduce you to Tom, the guy who built his own empire. It’s not as well-crafted as the other two videos, but you can’t leave MySpace out of the picture.

And that, folks, is what happens when you make movies of people like Mark Zuckerberg. So tell me, are you going to watch The Social Network?

Some movies create such buzz and do live up to the expectation like Inception that chances are good that you will enjoy it. Avatar also created a lot of hype, I liked it but did not think it was that great either. If you are like me and are picky on which movies you are going to spend money watching at the theater instead of on DVD fflick is the answer.

fflick is a movie “review” website, but instead of critics it contains all the opinions of twitterverse. You just login with your Twitter account and are immediately presented with recent movies your friends have been tweeting about. Want to know about other movies? On the homepage you have a short list of movies currently playing, opening soon and coming soon.

Read what everyone is saying about a movie, divided by Friends, Interesting, Latest, Positive and Negative. But don’t expect too much either, with a 140 character limitations, reviews are mostly limited to: it sucked, it was awesome, it was boring, great movie.

fflick helped me decide to watch “Charlie St. Cloud” when it premieres here in the Netherlands, I haven’t heard anything about the movie, except that it’s based on a book and Zac Efron(win!) stars in it. I think it’s safe to say I’ll be checking fflick weekly to see what is worth watching on the big screen.

His recent gimmick of replying to voice mail and Twitter requests propelled him to higher heights. With the likes of Kevin Rose and Gizmodo joining the fray – and receiving their very own video replies – it is not a surprise. This particular video perplexes me a bit though.

A guy named Johannes S. Beals, who is a producer and director from California, has been pondering on how he would propose to his girlfriend. Apparently, he’s had the ring for four months, but hadn’t figured out how to pop the question. So when he heard about the Old Spice Guy (via Alyssa Milano’s Twitter), he decided to send his own message:

@Jsbeals wrote “@OldSpice Can U Ask my girlfriend to marry me? Her name is Angela A. Hutt-Chamberlin #Johannes S. #Beals”

This is the result:

Guess what? They’re getting married. I guess you just can’t say no to the Old Spice Guy!

So what’s the source of my discomfort? The whole idea is pretty cool AND funny. After all, how many people can say they had the Old Spice Guy deliver their marriage proposal? If I were the girl, though, I would have liked to hear the words straight from the horse’s mouth. As hot as Mustafa may be, it’s not him who wants to marry me (theoretically speaking). Or am I being nitpicky?

I have a very strict morning routine. 6:00 am hits the clock and I pivot out of the bed to my right, put my feet on the floor, and grab my iPhone with my right hand. Once I disconnect it from the wall, I go through my ritual: e-mail, Facebook, Twitter. Then I get up, feed the dogs, and I go on about my day.

Since I got my iPhone 4, I’ve noticed that Twitter loads slower from my iPhone. I’m not sure if it’s the official Twitter app or the iPhone itself, but it’s irritating. When it comes time to load up a pic or two, it seems to take forever, which makes me frustrated. Not a good way to start your day.

Thank God for Twitter.

Without it, we unable-to-attend Comic-Con would have to wait like, minutes, to find out what’s happening down in San Diego at Nerdvana. But thanks to the glories of Twitter and its many image posting services — like Twitpic and Yfrog — those down at the San Diego Convention Center can send out their pics of what’s happening to the entire world immediately.

I always love walking around and checking out the show floor and all the ads and whatnot adorning the hallways. There also seem to be a bigger-than-ever amount of outdoor activities happening this year. So, swiped shamelessly right from Twitter, click through for a full gallery of the very best SDCC pictures I’ve found so far. (I’m working on a separate gallery of costumes and celebrities, on the way later this weekend.)

ManageFlitter is a web application that helps you to easily unfollow people based on criteria such as are they following you back? How active are they on Twitter? I follow people that haven’t tweeted in so long I forget I follow them. With ManageFlitter I can easily pick them out and unfollow them.

Right after giving the web application a try I unfollowed four people for being inactive or because I realized I have no idea why I followed them in the first place. I use Twitter for cat tweeting and sometimes useful tweets with links or mentioning of a book or other things of my interest. But mostly cat tweeting related to what I’m doing, food, weather and other nonsense. Needless to say I rather follow people that tweet the same way and also the selected good ones about webdesign and weblogging.

The most interesting functionality of this app is the “Recommended” and unlike Twitters recommended to follow this is the recommended to unfollow. Based on the unfollow data collected by ManageFlitter on everyone who has been unfollowed they recommend you who to unfollow from your list. ManageFlitter also tells you how much people have unfollowed you with their service. I have been unfollowed four times so I guess I will be recommended to my followers. No worries they don’t disclose who unfollowed whom, but with other services you can find that out.

I find this a useful application, not one I would use regularly because after a good clean up of your following list you are good to go a couple of months again until it’s time again to take a good look at who you are following.

During the even Open House 2010, which took place on the 28th of May this year, Sony Computer Science Laboratories (CSL) Inc. showed off what they call a lifelogging device for cats. The idea is for a cat to wear the collar, which will automatically broadcast the cat’s activities online.

The device was developed with the help of people from the University of Tokyo. It incorporates a camera, a GPS device, and an acceleration sensor among other things. It is also equipped with Bluetooth, which transmits the data to a computer, which can then upload the cat’s tweets.

So what exactly is posted on Twitter? Let’s say the cat eats something. A set phrase such as “This tastes good” is assigned to the activity. There are only 11 phrases that are currently available with the lifelogging device, but the makers are already thinking of expanding the selection.

Being a non-cat person, I already know I will NOT spend money on a device such as this. However, it is interesting – to say the least. Just imagine the potential this device has! For the moment, though, merely reading about it is enough to satisfy my curiosity.

Cat people – would you buy this gadget for your precious pets?

Ok. Twitwee. Sounds like Gary Vaynerchuck’s whatever online social media projects or something like that but it’s lots better. Of course it’s all about Twitter but there are no celebrities involved, even no geek celebrities on twitter.

So what is it then? TV?

Wrong again. It’s a Twitter Cuckoo Clock.

The Twitwee Clock is a modified Cuckoo Clock that wirelessly connects to the internet and constantly checks for new status updates or search results received from the Twitter API. New Tweets are displayed on the built in display in near-realtime accompanied by the charming yet obtrusive call of a mechanical cuckoo poping out of the clock.

Visit the project page for more info: www.haroonbaig.com.

Now if all you think about the Twitwee clock is WTF!?, let me assure you that your thinking is way too shallow. Remember the Twittering washing machine? Indeed, now you even won’t have to check your ‘laundry’s done Twitter account’ anymore.

In technical language for n00bs it’s called ‘Optimising the workflow‘.

Notoriously secretive tech/geek utopia Apple — which actually forbids its employees from having their own blogs — might finally be signing on with the social media revolution. It’s only been going on for you know, like… four whole years. (That’s how old both Facebook and Twitter are, and yes, I’m intentionally ignoring the horrendous mess that is MySpace.)

It started a while back when Apple slowly, almost timidly, tested the waters with several Twitter accounts that announced new content on the iTunes store. Then came full iTunes integration, where iTunes users can share likes and purchases from the store on either Facebook or Twitter, right from inside the iTunes app.

Now, Apple has taken an even bigger step into social media by creating a Facebook fan page for the iPhone App Store. Friend it and you’ll be able to “discover new apps and share recommendations with friends,” according to the description.

So what’s it going to take to get Apple to have an official Twitter account, or its own Facebook page (for the whole company, or other departments of the company, not just the App Store)? Other major tech companies like Microsoft have famously encouraged their employees to jump onboard the social media bandwagon, actually hiring people to keep blogs about various departments within the company (such as Major Nelson, who blogs about Xbox games). The twist is that Microsoft actually wants its employees to be as transparent as possible, with virtually no restrictions on what can and can’t be discussed.

Can you imagine Apple doing something like this? They’re already the pinnacle of all things cool within the tech world. How much cooler would Apple be if it actually engaged its fans on a personal level? (Or would that take away from some of the company’s mystique?)

Ah, I think it’d be awesome.

Come on, Steve! You can do it. Jump into social media with both feet. It won’t bite, I promise. Say it with me, “I think I can, I think I can…“

Hooked on Twitter? Who isn’t nowadays, it seems. I know I’ve caught the bug – cough – cough – and I never thought I would. Sure, I saw blogging as being a realistic way to get my thoughts out onto the web, but Twitter? Nah. Then I signed up, and did nothing with it. Slowly I started using it more, then checking out stuff that other people said, and next thing I know, I’m hooked. Every morning, the very first thing I do is sit up in bed and check for Facebook and Twitter updates on my iPhone. Pathetic? Sure. But at least I admit it.

I use Tweetie for all of my iPhone updates, but I do have a copy of Twitteriffic on my Mac. Honestly, I had to shut it down, it was distracting me too much during the day. But now they offer vinyl and flocked versions of Ollie, the Twitteriffic mascot. So what does he do?

• Ollie is an adorable little bluebird that loves to chat about what’s going on.
• Approximately 4 inches tall (10 centimeters)
• Rotocast in high quality vinyl for a soft yet sturdy feel.

Of course, he doesn’t really talk to you, but that doesn’t matter. After all, it’s just another cool toy to stick on the nerd mantle, next to the Zoidberg from Futurama figurine and Lego Home One Mon Calamari Space Cruiser.

I’ve just read about TwitterCounter introducing a new alert service to tell you when a previously used but now inactive Twitter username becomes available.

Apparently, Twitter has announced that names which have been inactive for six months will be deleted — effectively released for reuse.

There’s the trouble, though. How do you know what was lurking in that stream of tweets? Chances are high that accounts like this were the haven of spammers. Humans may not have a long memory, but search engines and other automated services do.

Does this also open up the possibility of Twitter squatting? Sure, we have verified accounts now for celebrities and other public figures, but what if other genuine accounts, for whatever reason, slip out of use and are then taken on by nefarious individuals?

Maybe I’m making too much of this. I personally don’t see a huge number of people wanting to nab a name. Given that you could have to wait up to six months, you wouldn’t likely want this for your main Twitter account if all you want to do is to get on and tweet.

If you like the idea you can sign up here.

Via

Create necklaces, earrings, rings, wedding bands and bracelets in sterling silver or 14k yellow and white gold with a Twitter-inspired engraving or diamond/Swarovski crystals.

Though custom-designed, each order takes only around five days to make and send, so there’s still time to create something for your Twitter-crazed geek boy or girlfriend this Valentine’s Day.

Take a look at TwittaBling’s Flickr photostream for examples of their work.

I work freelance at home and have twitter running in the back, it only takes a tweet from “Lebkov” about starting the day with a nice cup of coffee and next I know I’m craving a sandwich and coffee and have decided to get my lunch there. Each week they have a special sandwich that isn’t on the menu and recently they added one of those specials that I liked to their regular menu. As soon as they tweeted about it I had planned when I would drop by to get a sandwich. So I can state those tweets do have an influence on me.

This is a great way to stimulate their business and build client relationships. We had a very snowy holiday here in the Netherlands, which the country couldn’t handle and it was nice that they tweeted if they where open and till how late. The bookshop also kept customers up to date by tweeting opening days and hours. Saves you from the disappointment of encountering a closed store.

And I don’t know about you but I find a twitter message to pass along info nicer then receiving a newsletter. I associate newsletter emails with annoyance while a nice and short tweet as something great and hip.

I want to know what would happen if they tweeted something like “10% discount to first 5 followers to come in withing half an hour”. I’m geek enough that I check twitter on my iPhone as soon as I find myself waiting somewhere. So who knows I might be close by in case of such a tweet.

It won’t be long before I become Sheldon Cooper, saying

You keep in mind that my sharply-worded comments on yelp.com recently took down a muffin store.

Instead of Yelp it will be Twitter. And instead of menacing the company I would be praising having had a nice lunch and/or coffee. I’m going up a level of geek, get my food because of twitter, take a snap shot of said food with iPhone, posting said shot on Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook boring my followers with what I had for lunch.