Changes with Twitter Sent Me to Reddit for Discussing Shows, Sports, and Most Social Media Interactions

January Post Regarding Twitter Changes

Back in January Twitter changed how third party applications can interact with Twitter (see post) which ultimately made various applications to stop working. The decisions by Elon Musk continue to cause issues for Twitter. Yes, I still have my account, but I rarely use, or interact, with Twitter. It is not where I go for news, discussing sports, shows, etc., but more of an afterthought after I have been interacting on other social media sites such as Reddit. 

For years I have used connectors to auto post to FaceBook, Twitter, and LinkedIn when I post to my site. In March auto posting from IFTTT, which is a site used to publish to many other social media sites, will stop working for Twitter. This is a huge impact on sharing tweets for many companies and bloggers. It is an easy way to share information from web sites to Twitter which will suddenly stop working for many. It is not clear how this can help Twitter as it seems to be causing people to leave the social media service in mass. However, it is also causing traffic to not go to Twitter with these changes. No longer are tweets being generated from millions of sites to publicize on Twitter, so instead, there will be nothing at all. No connections and possibly more people leaving the Twitter service.

While I still have my Twitter account, I use Reddit to interact with others on shows, movies, and especially sports. My frequent sites for sports include  /r/CollegeBasketball, /r/CFB, /r/KansasCityChiefs, /r/KCRoyals, and /r/jayhawks. I like Reddit to interact with others as there are game threads for each and every game where then I can comment, respond, etc. to posts from others on that sport. I will say it took me a while to figure out the best approach for interacting with others on Reddit for a sporting event as there can be 1,000’s of replies to a game thread which makes it fast paced and a lot of information, so I looked for other options interacting with others via Reddit on a specific post.

• Reddit-Stream.com is a great site that works in a web browser. It is cheap as I paid for a lifetime account, but you can do a 30 day trial to test it out. Basically, it takes a thread and makes it easy to follow, comment, and follow up to comments from others. The web site lists some interesting posts, but you can use this site for anything simply by replacing the URL of a Reddit discussion with “-stream” following the reddit.com link (i.e. reddit-stream). I use Reddit-Stream.com frequently for discussions and with most game threads also including score, recent plays, etc., it is also a good way to keep up with a game. I have also used Reddit-Stream.com for discussing shows, award shows, etc. I highly recommend if you are looking to try out Reddit for discussions.

• Sideline is an app for iOS and Android that allows for easy discussion of game threads. It is only for games and specially Sideline application supports NCAA MBB, NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, and NCAA CFB. This is a fairly new application as I just started using Sideline about a year ago. I can set favorites which will display at the top of the app and makes it easy to get to my sports topics or to switch back and forth between two events happening at the same time. I highly recommend Sideline for interacting via Reddit on sporting events. There is not an iPad option, but I am told that this is being worked on.

Granted, you can access Reddit directly to interact on a thread, but I found the above items to help with presentation of the comments and tracking what is said or my responding to others. If you have not used Reddit, the site has a wealth of information with topics for just about anything you can imagine. When I am researching a technical question, I often find that Google searches will link to a Reddit post about the same thing where I can then jump into the discussion and post follow ups or read what others wrote and solutions were provided in the thread. Very handy!

To connect with me on Reddit, or see what I have been posting, please visit my Reddit Profile.

Until next time, have a great week and I look forward to connecting with you on Reddit.

Massages for Us at Stillpoint Massage & Bodywork Studio… Highly Recommended!

Every year around Valentine’s Day I think it would be nice to get massages for Carrie and I. Usually though I think of it the day or two prior to Valentine’s Day. Not this year! This year I thought of it a whole week ahead of time which meant that I was able to get an appointment scheduled for both of us… albeit the day after Valentine’s Day, but it was so nice!

Carrie and I have had massages infrequently typically when we are on vacations at remote islands. Carrie had mentioned a few weeks ago she could use a massage, so that got the idea in my head to do so for Valentine’s Day. I started checking around for options in Topeka and checked Google recommendations. I checked with a few others to see if they had a place they used, but no one had one, so I looked further at reviews. 

I narrowed down the list to two or three that I wanted to check. I happened to be out in the area of one place after I got my haircut the week before, so I thought I would stop by to see the place and talk to them. However, I could not find it for the life of me. It was over off of 29th Street in the same shopping center as Dillon’s. So, I drove back home after not finding the place and looked them up on-line again where I was able to see where they were located through street view. I sent them an email to check on getting an appointment.

A day later and I had a response to call them as they do not have regular reception, so only available certain times for calls. Of course calling the week before Valentine’s Day and they were booked as I was hoping to get an appointment the Saturday before Valentine’s Day. They told me they could put us on a waiting list and call us if spots open up for us. A few days later and I got a call that a spot opened on February 15 where we could both have an appointment at the same time. 

What a great experience! I had selected Stillpoint Massage & Bodywork Studio located at 2709 W. 29th, Ste 204, Topeka, KS 66614. I booked an hour long massage for us both. When I had called and told the receptionist we rarely have massages, she recommended 60 minute massage as 30 minutes and just getting started, so I did 60 minute for us both.

Following the massage, we left and talked about when we might do our next massage saying it would be nice to do so twice a year. Well, we already have our next massage scheduled for the first part of April. We liked it so much, we booked at Stillpoint Massage & Bodywork Studio again. The experience was so relaxing. The massage on neck, shoulders, and arms were wonderful. 

We had selected the Swedish Massage was the one we selected which is the most common style of massage. When I had my last massage ten or so years ago, maybe longer, I am not sure what type of massage I had at that time, but this was certainly well worth the $70 for the massage. So much so we booked our next appointment shortly after we left.

One of my memorable massages was back in 2003 when we went to Costa Rica with our friend Javier. He took us all over his home country and at Arenal Volcano, we had an amazing experience where we were had massages, then covered in volcanic mud, wrapped, and then had got in the hot springs to have the hot water take away the volcanic mud. Certainly a memorable experience and one I would like to do again. But having a massage here is an experience I plan to keep on my todo list at least a few times a year.

I will post again following our next massage to say how it went. We are happy with Stillpoint Massage & Bodywork Studio and look forward to using them for years to come. If you try out Stillpoint Massage & Bodywork Studio, I would be interested to hear your experience. Or, if you have another place that you used, please share your recommendations.

Until next time, enjoy the week!

Diamond Sports Group Expected to File Bankruptcy Impacting Bally Sports Which has Rights to MLB, Soccer, etc.

Parent company Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports, is expected to file for bankruptcy next week (see article from Sportico). As you can imagine, there are all kinds of rumors about what this means for sports streaming with rants about losing viewing of all sports to some services (such as MLB) going to providing all of their games on MLB.TV but charging $300 - $400 per year. All rumors at this point as no one knows what will happen.

I hope this opens up the ability for providers, such as YouTube TV, to be able to provide local sports once again. Again, rumors are flowing that the company going bankrupt means YouTube TV, and others, would not be in the market to provide the sports streams at all. It might be a bit early to figure out what will happen with sports streaming after the dust settles, but I have to think it will be a better arrangement for the fan.

Time will tell if this will help or hinder fans from watching their teams. I am hopeful this will help and there is the possibility that leagues could take over their broadcasts meaning no more blackouts. I cannot help but wonder if part of the reason Bally Sports is failing is because of how limited they were in their reach for customers. Bally Sports was available as a pay service which I am not sure many people purchased. Others had the Bally Sports network through their provider such as Cox, Direct Stream, or recently fuboTV. I know many others who simply did not watch as it was too much of a hassle to get their channels as they were not available on their selected platform or they did not want to pay extra for Bally Sports. Many others that acquired the broadcasts through other means. Make it difficult to watch sports and people will find other ways or stop watching entirely.

To early to tell how the upcoming bankruptcy will impact streaming, but have to believe it will have impact on this season that is fast approaching for MLB. What exactly will be impacted is rumor and guessing, but I expect we will hear something impacting Bally Sports in the near future. I will continue to hope for improvement to the current structure to make it easier and better for fans to watch sports.

Until next time, have a great week! I am prepping for the Super Bowl later this evening. I cannot wait! Go Chiefs!

Nothing to Say First Part of February… So Rambling Away I Go…

One of those weeks where I cannot think of anything to write about, so I see this as being a rambling post for this Sunday update. Let’s see where this takes me as I write.

We are already five days into February 2023. Hard to believe that January has come and gone. With Carrie being in the hospital in January (see Not a Fun Start to 2023), that made the month fly by and not in a good way. She finished up her last IV appointment this past weekend, but will be taking antibiotics orally for the next two weeks. She is doing well and I appreciate everything who has asked about her status since I did the update a few weeks ago on her hospital stay. Carrie and I will be happy once she is off of the antibiotics and the infection is completely gone.

Now that we are into the month of February, I find myself starting to wonder about our camping sites for this year. We have not made any plans, but we have begun to think about spots. We have thrown out the idea of visiting a camping site near an away football location for Washburn next Fall, but still discussing to see what would make sense and whether it would work out. I think we want to try some new places for our camping sites, but no decisions made yet. Hoping by March we will have some sites booked and planned out for the summer.

In about a month, we will have March Madness, but still a lot of basketball to play before the madness begins. We continue to enjoy attending home Washburn basketball games. We are 8-2 at home, but 1-8 on the road. We missed a few home games when Carrie was in the hospital, but we have been back to the most recent games. Our next home game is February 11 and only three more home games for the season for Washburn.

Kansas Jayhawks have been frustrating to watch here recently too. We lost three games in a row a week or so ago and we were swept by Iowa State this season. KU is 18-5 on the season but 6-4 in conference play. Frustrating to watch at times, but still a lot of season to play.

Baseball season is right around the corner. Recent news from YouTube TV is that MLB Network is gone from the service. While we have not had Royals broadcasts in a few years, I was able to watch MLB Network or even subscribe to MLB.TV through YouTube TV to watch games, but all of that is gone. Contract disputes between MLB and YouTube TV have the service removed. 

I have read a few thoughts from others that they think it will be renewed as Spring Training begins, but guessing that is not the case and lose it completely. While it makes sense it would be removed around this time as it was added a year ago at this time just before Spring Training was starting. I am surprised that only a one year contract was done between the two entities. Granted, I will be able to watch games that are on ESPN, TBS, etc., but it was nice to have all the games (except my local Royals) to watch.

I would be remiss if I did not share that the Kansas City Chiefs are in the Super Bowl a week from today. I am a bit superstitious, so it will be interesting as we lead up to kickoff next week for the big game. Yes, I realize what I do has no impact on the outcome, but it makes me feel better and connects me to the team. So, get ready for the big game and hoping that two weeks of being off will give time for us to heal and be ready to play.

That is all the rambling I can do for today, so have a great week. 

Have You Had Your Colonoscopy? Get It Scheduled. Not As Bad as Others Have Told You… Get It Done!

It’s s official. I am old! 

I had my first colonoscopy this past Thursday. I was not nervous to do the procedure, but nervous for the preparation for the procedure. It is nothing to be concerned about for the process or the procedure. 

The preparation started two days before on Tuesday evening when I took four laxatives at 4 pm. That night I did spend some time in the bathroom, but again, it was not bad. I did decide to work from home on Wednesday as I was not sure what to expect. Not a bad Wednesday either although good to be close to the bathroom. 

I started the process of trying to get the colonoscopy scheduled back in October or so. I am not sure if the doctor was backed up (no pun intended) or miscommunication with my doctor and referral, but it took a while. Finally, in December I was able to confirm an appointment for January 26. I was all set and ready to go through the process.

As the days led up to the date, I heard from family and friends about how awful the process was and what they went through. Good news is that my friend, Brenda, had shared with me who to go to here in Topeka that she had used and it was not bad at all. I got a doctors referral to use Dr. Challa here in Topeka. While it is a two day prep, I would be drinking Gatorade with the mixture. So, Brenda was right that it was not bad at all.

All that was needed for preparation was purchased over the counter. Again, I had heard others tell me that was the worst part drinking prescribed power with some people telling me they had to force it down. I had no issues with the following:

• Dulcolax laxative tablets 4mg
• MiraLAX 8.3oz 
• Gatorade or PowerAde 64oz

The Dulcolax I took four two night prior to my scheduled appointment. The day prior, I took Dulcolax again at 4 pm and then followed it by drinking MiraLAX and Gatorade combined for 64oz that I had to finish before midnight. As I mentioned, the process was not bad at all other than having to drink 64oz of Gatorade, the process was not bad at all. Usually, I would have no issue drinking a lot of Gatorade, but doing so when have to do it during a certain amount of time did make the last glass or two take a while to go down. 

I went with the Cherry Flavored Gatorade. I had to stay away from red or purple. I also had to stay away liquids in general. One day out and it was an all liquid diet through the day. I stuck to Sprite, Jello, and Chicken Broth. I was surprised that I stayed content through the day and had no issues with being hungry.

The morning of my appointment, I could not eat or dink anything. I was able to brush my teeth. My appointment was at 9 am. I checked in and it was over before I knew it. I was told they found some polyps and I would need to have another one in three years. Awaiting the results from the tests that will take two to three weeks to process.

The basis of this story is to share how easy the process is and that I should have started this five years ago. It was the recommendation to do this at 50, but the recommended age has dropped to 45. If your family has a history of colon cancer, get your appointment scheduled and get it done. It is not bad and can help to keep you healthy.

Not a Fun Start to 2023 with Carrie Being in the Hospital from January 8 - 18… Out and Recovering with Daily IVs

I am providing the following summary of the past two weeks with permission from Carrie. 

Flowers Received in Hospital

What a start to 2023 and not so good kind. After returning from Texas the first few days of January, Carrie was not feeling well. She had mild temperature every night, pain, and just not feeling great. The mild temperatures and discomfort continued through January 7. We talked about going to the emergency room (ER) on Saturday, January 7, but decided it might be something else that was causing the discomfort, so we gave it another day. I went to pick up some medication Sunday, January 8 that Carrie requested, but with no changes throughout the day, we decided to take her to the ER Sunday evening.

When we arrived at the ER, Carrie still had a fever and could not sit down in the chairs in the waiting room due to the pain. We went back to Stormont Vail Health hospital because she had surgery there back in the middle of December. Once they got us into a room and did some tests, the decision was made to check her into the hospital for the night. 

Carrie with Two IV’s

Carrie would remain in the hospital for a week and half. She was not released until Wednesday, January 18. Carrie had an infection which was caused from surgery back in December when she went in for an operation. She had a bad infection that can sometimes occur during an operation and caused her to be in the hospital for the first part of 2023. Carrie had an IV in her arm the entire time she was in the hospital. For a few days, she had an IV in each arm as she was receiving antibiotics that could not be mixed and had to be in separate arms.

This was the first time either of us had to be in the hospital overnight. I am so glad she is out and recovering. I know she was in the best place for help, but it was tough seeing her in there when the pain was intense. Following her being released on January 18, she is doing daily visits to get an IV each day through the first part of February. She is wearing a midline IV that she keeps on until the treatment is completed the first part of February.

Paw Patrol Dog Visiting Carrie

While she was in the hospital, she was on the fifth floor which is the pediatric floor. Stormont Vail Health was packed when we arrived on January 8, so the only room available was the pediatric floor. All of the nurses were great! So nice and took good care of Carrie. They have Paw Squad which comes around daily to see patients and since Carrie was on the fifth floor, she was able to see the dogs too that stopped on the floor. 

I am so happy she is home and feeling so much better. Carrie, I love you!

Twitter Turns Off Access for Third Party Applications to Twitter Since January 12, 2023 — Musk Take Over Causing Problems

Tweetbot Service Disruption

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter on October 27, 2022, it is really a struggle to remain a customer of Twitter. From allowing blocked accounts back on the service to the most recent issue of blocking third party apps from accessing the service. The whole take over by Musk has been a joke from the beginning with the tweet “Entering Twitter HQ - let that sink in!” At some point, it is hard not to think that he is trying to get rid of loyal Twitter customers. I have a few friends that once Musk took over Twitter, they left the service deleting their account completely. 

The most recent change on January 12, 2023 at 7:30 pm blocking third party applications might be the last straw for me. As of this update, it has been three days since third party Twitter applications stopped working with no information from Twitter on the matter. I have been a Twitter member since April 2009 with 656 people I am following and 661 followers. Not great numbers, but I have been very active at certain times of the year and I especially found it useful for sporting events.

I have used Tweetbot for a number of years and I like the app more than the Twitter app. The main point I like is that I can set my own feed and not have to do what Twitter wants with popular tweets at the top of my timeline. With Tweetbot, I see the actual flow of tweets from those that I follow. The past few years, Tweetbot had a subscription model for a small fee to receive updates which I had been doing. 

What a surprise on January 13 when I started up Tweetbot to find that it was not working. Then searching Twitter to find that it was a change Twitter had made affecting all third party applications using application programming interface (API) where all apps broke. With no news from Twitter, it has people wondering if this is another change by Elon Musk to force everyone to the Twitter application or site. Basically, the change being to not allow any third party applications to access Twitter. Bad idea! If there is not correction to this issue, I will leave and I think more people will leave Twitter Than we have already seen since the take over in October 2022.

Sad day to break such a wonderful social media application. Easy to share information, easy to follow, and fun to interact with others. No wonder people are leaving. I am interested what Elon Musk will do next to break the service or force people from the social media platform.

For me, I have started to use Reddit a lot more. I still enjoy the ease to post and interact with Twitter, but Reddit has a sub for almost everything and finding that it is fun to interact there with others on sporting events. So, I have not decided yet to delete my account, but I am certainly approaching this as my next action on the Twitter site going down the tubes.

What are you using for your social media platform? Do you still use Twitter? If not, why did you decide to move away from Twitter?