The Not-So-Bookish Savor Twit Lit

The iPod, Guitar Hero, Twitter—and some serious moments, too

(NEWSER) - From the tragic (World Trade Center attacks, Hurricane Katrina) to the seemingly trivial (Stephen Fry's first Tweet), the Telegraph lists the top 100 defining cultural moments of the decade so far:

• April 2000: Metallica sues music-sharing service Napster.
• October 2001: The iPod is released.
• February 2003: Sacha Baron Cohen hits America.
• March 2003: Michael Moore slams President Bush at the Oscars.
• February 2005: YouTube is created.

Twitterverse battle does little damage

(NEWSER) - Russia is unleashing its latest weapon in a standoff with the US: Twitter. A barrage of critical tweets attacked US ambassador Michael McFaul for his "unprofessional" speech to Moscow economic students concerning the two nations. An "ambassador's job is to improve bilateral ties, not to spread blatant falsehoods through the mediasphere," said one of the tweets, which accused McFaul of several "distortions." More»

Jennifer Egan's 'Black Box' serialized on Twitter

(NEWSER) - The latest story from a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer will appear in 140-character chunks. The New Yorker is publishing Jennifer Egan's "Black Box" in installments on Twitter, the New York Observer reports. The tweets, which began yesterday , will appear from 8pm to 9pm every day for nine days. They'll also be collected each day at the magazine's Page-Turner blog . The whole story will appear in Monday's science fiction issue of the New Yorker. More»

Users have rights to all content, company argues

(NEWSER) - Twitter is fighting a subpoena demanding tweets of an Occupy protester on trial in Manhattan. The outcome of the battle could have a major impact on tweeters' privacy. The company is arguing that Twitter has no claim on a user's communication, and therefore has no right to turn them over to a court. Prosecutors are seeking three months of tweets written by protester Malcolm Harris, who was busted on the Brooklyn Bridge last year along with 700 other Occupy activists. Harris filed his own motion to quash the subpoena, contending there's "no justification" for access to "such a broad swath of electronic data." But the judge threw out the motion, ruling that the tweets don't belong to him and he has no standing to fight for them. More»

She deletes tweets after anti-Romney rant

(NEWSER) - Don't expect Cher to sing a duet with Ted Nugent any time soon. If Mitt Romney "gets elected I don't know if I can breathe same air as Him & his Right Wing Racist Homophobic Women-Hating Tea Bagger Masters," she wrote in one of several tweets yesterday that were later deleted, E! Online reports. "They care nothing about the POOR The OLD The SICK The HUNGRY CHILDREN & People striving 4 a Better Life." Told by a fellow Twitter user that her remarks probably cost her half her fans, she responded: "Thank God I Got the half that thinks!" More»