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Greetings 𝕏, especially Small Accounts! I am experimenting with Lists to see if I can keep track of accounts I am supporting better. If you are trying to grow your account and have a pretty small account today, let me know in the replies and I'll check out your account and add you to my list so I can engage with small accounts I find interesting. Maybe your won't be a small account for that long?

What Does Your Sweet Tooth Know? Some people love sweets; others avoid them like the plague. I should definitely eat less of them, but I love them and was curious about the various confections, so I thought I would write about the differences. I am NOT looking at those artificial, diet sweeteners. If you like them, feel free to reply with why, but for me, they are yuck. I got suckered into drinking a Coca-Cola Zero last night by deceptive packaging and it was awful! So here’s my analysis of various confections, what they are and my thoughts on pros and cons: Honey Honey is the most natural of all sweeteners. Bees turn nectar from flowers into this sweet substance which they use for energy and keeping their hive comfortable. Bees actually make more honey than the hive needs, so beekeepers taking the excess and bottle it up to give us this delightful sweet! Honey is great in drinks, on toast, added as a topping to just about everything! It even has some great health benefits! From the Mayo Clinic article: “Research on honey for specific conditions includes: - Cardiovascular disease. Antioxidants in honey might be associated with reduced risk of heart disease. - Cough. Studies suggest that eucalyptus honey, citrus honey and labiatae honey can act as a reliable cough suppressant for some people with upper respiratory infections and acute nighttime cough. - Gastrointestinal disease. Evidence suggests honey might help relieve gastrointestinal tract conditions such as diarrhea associated with gastroenteritis. Honey might also be effective as part of oral rehydration therapy. - Neurological disease. Studies suggest that honey might offer antidepressant, anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety benefits. In some studies, honey has been shown to help prevent memory disorders. - Wound care. Topical use of medical-grade honey has been shown to promote wound healing, particularly in burns. Results might vary because there are no standardized methods for producing honey or verifying its quality.” I led with Honey because it is by far my favorite sweet! Do you like honey? Maple Syrup Maple syrup is a fascinating and natural sweet. Maple trees store starch inside them to feed themselves for the winter, but this can be drained out of the trees to get this delicious natural liquid sweet. Maple syrup also has a large number of health benefits or at least can be seen as a healthier alternative to sugar as seen in the reference I will leave in the replies. White (or Cane) Sugar White sugar is a heavily refined sugar made from sugar beets or sugar cane. The refining process removes molasses from the sugar beet or sugar cane and leaves a very pure sugar. Generally, such pure sugar can have a lot of negative health effects. But it tastes so good! Molasses Molasses is actually created in the processing of sugar canes and sugar beets. It is the part that doesn’t become white sugar and can be a variety of types, depending on where in the process the molasses is removed. Notably, many minerals and nutrients in the sugar cane or sugar beet are processed out of white sugar and remain in the molasses, so this can have some good nutrients. Separately from this discussion, Molasses is also used to make rum. Brown Sugar Brown sugar started as partially refined sugar where not all the molasses had been extracted, but in modern times it is actually made by adding molasses back in to refined sugar. This leads to a deeper taste and a few vitamin improvements over white sugar. Caramel Caramel is made by heating sugar to change the chemical composition and give it a deeper flavor. Caramel can be made from a variety of sugars. Butterscotch Butterscotch is made by heating brown sugar and butter together. It is delicious and actually a bit easier to make than caramel! Toffee Toffee is similar to Butterscotch but gets cooked to the “hard crack” stage instead of remaining soft. I am sure I left some out. What do you prefer when it comes to sweets? If you avoid sweets, how do you do it?

What Makes Replies Go Viral? I thought I'd spend a minute today and share some things I (in my VERY limited experience) find useful in getting a discussion going in the Replies. Please add in your own thought and feel free to disagree, augment, etc. Back in March or so, I had a bunch of replies to large accounts that got me up to the magic 5 Million impressions to get monetized. Some of those impressions were from some nasty people arguing/ranting in replies to a lighthearted comment I had made. They made me cringe, but I got impression I suppose. Then for a few months, these big account replies kind of dried up for me. My theory is BOTs accounted for many replies and had been largely eradicated. Now a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly had a reply that got over 300K impressions. I have had 5 or 6 go well over 10K. So why? I wish it was predictable. Here are my Do's and Don'ts: Do: 1. Reply often - it's a numbers game 2. Reply as soon as you can to those large accounts. If you are in the first 5 or 10 replies, you are more likely to be seen 3. Ask sincere and relevant questions 4. Make statements that stir up discussion, whether a direct question or not 5. When in doubt, reply with something Don't: 1. Post spammy or irrelevant replies 2. Be nasty. A little controversial take that is polite is good, but being abusive will get you nowhere 3. Have definitive answers. There is value in a really well researched answer, but alas, that doesn't get as much response. 4. Try to Win the argument. Mic Drop type comments end discussions. You want people to keep talking. These kind of thoughts really apply to both Posts and Replies, though as a small account, I see the effects more in Replies. What do you think? Does this make sense? Any good techniques you have tried to get a discussion going?

How to Get Started on 𝕏 OK, so I’m not an 𝕏pert. I am not here to share big secrets. This Post is for me as much as for you. What is the secret to build a solid account on 𝕏? I don’t know, but here are the goals I am going to set which I think can make my life on 𝕏 more sustainable without making it drudgery. More than anything, I want to have fun and be myself. But I am very inconsistent posting. Key objectives: 1. Post at least 3 times a day 2. Don’t be boring 3. Engage regularly with others 4. Respond to all comments to Posts Seems easy enough, but that first one kills me. So HOW will I get on track? 1. Start writing 3-5 Posts a day, most of which are not time sensitive 2. Write in Google Docs or some other editor 3. Keep them simple. Not stupid, just don’t make a huge deal out of it. Just capture a few thoughts per post. 4. Post 2-3 of these Posts to 𝕏 every day 5. Build up a stockpile of Posts so after a few days, posting 3 Posts per day is sustainable 6. Do a few video posts in the mix 7. Keep interacting with other accounts 8. Find new, interesting accounts to interact with What am I missing? What do you find useful to keep your 𝕏 activity on track? Can I actually develop some consistency?

Don't You Love Watching Flowers Bloom? I love the way the flowers in the garden come and go with time. The Azaleas bloomed and faded. The day lilies started to bloom. Lilies are bright yellow; hydrangeas about to pop!

What Food is Best Where You are From? I thought I would take it a little light this Saturday and celebrate that we have people from all over the world here. What food do you find best where you are from? Is there something special about it to you for a particular reason? I love hearing about different cultures and foods, so please share!

What Do You Think of Electric Boats? Last week, I posted about my family boating trip to see the Blue Angels from the water. Definitely a highlight for us, but I left out a big aspect for me. I grew up on the water and there were 2 kinds of boats: sailboats and stinkpots. I guess you know which I prefer. But things change a lot if that smelly, polluting, loud, gas or diesel guzzling engine goes away. The boat we rented was electric. Their slogan is literally “Like a Tesla, only slower”! The EV fan and environmentalist in me has wondered for a long time “Why aren’t there more Electric Boats?”. So the show was great, but trying out an electric boat was really interesting for me. The river was pretty crowded with tons of anchored motorboats (stinkpots) and a few anchored sailboats. I chose not to anchor but just quietly glide along at very slow speeds, avoiding obstacles and enjoying the show. One guy commented that we were really “stealthy” going by so quietly. This boat was designed to be slow, but that was perfect for our exploration. My question is “Why aren’t there affordable electric boats on the market?” It can’t be that hard to build an outboard electric motor which is affordable, throw it and some batteries on a Boston Whaler and have basic clean and quiet water transportation, can it? Sure there are some really cool electric boats on the market for around $300,000, but I don’t live in that stratosphere. What do we do to get some fun and affordable electric options on the water and phase out the stinkpots?

What makes your time on 𝕏 the most enjoyable? Do you enjoy writing? Making videos? Reading funny stories? Connecting with interesting people? Engaging in debate? Keeping up with news? Challenging others? Being challenged? What is it that makes 𝕏 worth your time?

What Have You Gained Being on 𝕏? Do you love it here on 𝕏? Do You learn new things? Meet great people? Sometimes it is hard to remember what we gain, so I thought I’d mention a few I have noticed: Definitely #1 is getting to know some fantastic people all around the world. I won’t name names because I would leave people out, but if you are reading this, good chance you are one! I have also learned some things about how the platform works, but to be honest, any of those things are really insignificant. I don’t want to send time optimizing for payouts or even better visibility. Let my content land where it may. The right audience will hopefully find it. I have learned many great things from all the great people here and enjoyed some good laughs. Entertainment is a good thing. I have learned much about AI. This has so many different aspects, I will split it into a few items. I have learned that you need to learn how to properly communicate with (prompt) AI. The right prompts can get you great information, but leave out some key words and the output is garbage. I have practiced so many different aspects of the creative process that it is hard to know where to start. I write things that come to mind. Sometimes people like them and often they fall flat, but I learn in the process! Somehow, I have stumbled upon making music with AI. I am not a musician of any sort. I like music, but I have no instrument skills, and very little in the creative realm of music. Yet somehow, in the last month, I have produced about as many songs as Taylor Swift does in a year. Are they good? That’s subject to opinion, but I don’t hate them. I post some here, and a lot more on YouTube, because frankly, it just is better suited to play songs in the background while you do other stuff - like scrolling through your X feed. I’ll put my YT link in the replies if you want to check that stuff out. Bottom line - I am loving it here. I learn things, I laugh, I try new things, and I grow! What are you doing here on 𝕏? Has it been good for you?

Does anyone know what this is? Anyone ever use one?

Greetings 𝕏, especially Small Accounts! I am experimenting with Lists to see if I can keep track of accounts I am supporting better. If you are trying to grow your account and have a pretty small account today, let me know in the replies and I'll check out your account and add you to my list so I can engage with small accounts I find interesting. Maybe your won't be a small account for that long?

What Does Your Sweet Tooth Know? Some people love sweets; others avoid them like the plague. I should definitely eat less of them, but I love them and was curious about the various confections, so I thought I would write about the differences. I am NOT looking at those artificial, diet sweeteners. If you like them, feel free to reply with why, but for me, they are yuck. I got suckered into drinking a Coca-Cola Zero last night by deceptive packaging and it was awful! So here’s my analysis of various confections, what they are and my thoughts on pros and cons: Honey Honey is the most natural of all sweeteners. Bees turn nectar from flowers into this sweet substance which they use for energy and keeping their hive comfortable. Bees actually make more honey than the hive needs, so beekeepers taking the excess and bottle it up to give us this delightful sweet! Honey is great in drinks, on toast, added as a topping to just about everything! It even has some great health benefits! From the Mayo Clinic article: “Research on honey for specific conditions includes: - Cardiovascular disease. Antioxidants in honey might be associated with reduced risk of heart disease. - Cough. Studies suggest that eucalyptus honey, citrus honey and labiatae honey can act as a reliable cough suppressant for some people with upper respiratory infections and acute nighttime cough. - Gastrointestinal disease. Evidence suggests honey might help relieve gastrointestinal tract conditions such as diarrhea associated with gastroenteritis. Honey might also be effective as part of oral rehydration therapy. - Neurological disease. Studies suggest that honey might offer antidepressant, anticonvulsant and anti-anxiety benefits. In some studies, honey has been shown to help prevent memory disorders. - Wound care. Topical use of medical-grade honey has been shown to promote wound healing, particularly in burns. Results might vary because there are no standardized methods for producing honey or verifying its quality.” I led with Honey because it is by far my favorite sweet! Do you like honey? Maple Syrup Maple syrup is a fascinating and natural sweet. Maple trees store starch inside them to feed themselves for the winter, but this can be drained out of the trees to get this delicious natural liquid sweet. Maple syrup also has a large number of health benefits or at least can be seen as a healthier alternative to sugar as seen in the reference I will leave in the replies. White (or Cane) Sugar White sugar is a heavily refined sugar made from sugar beets or sugar cane. The refining process removes molasses from the sugar beet or sugar cane and leaves a very pure sugar. Generally, such pure sugar can have a lot of negative health effects. But it tastes so good! Molasses Molasses is actually created in the processing of sugar canes and sugar beets. It is the part that doesn’t become white sugar and can be a variety of types, depending on where in the process the molasses is removed. Notably, many minerals and nutrients in the sugar cane or sugar beet are processed out of white sugar and remain in the molasses, so this can have some good nutrients. Separately from this discussion, Molasses is also used to make rum. Brown Sugar Brown sugar started as partially refined sugar where not all the molasses had been extracted, but in modern times it is actually made by adding molasses back in to refined sugar. This leads to a deeper taste and a few vitamin improvements over white sugar. Caramel Caramel is made by heating sugar to change the chemical composition and give it a deeper flavor. Caramel can be made from a variety of sugars. Butterscotch Butterscotch is made by heating brown sugar and butter together. It is delicious and actually a bit easier to make than caramel! Toffee Toffee is similar to Butterscotch but gets cooked to the “hard crack” stage instead of remaining soft. I am sure I left some out. What do you prefer when it comes to sweets? If you avoid sweets, how do you do it?

Don't You Love Watching Flowers Bloom? I love the way the flowers in the garden come and go with time. The Azaleas bloomed and faded. The day lilies started to bloom. Lilies are bright yellow; hydrangeas about to pop!

How to Get Started on 𝕏 OK, so I’m not an 𝕏pert. I am not here to share big secrets. This Post is for me as much as for you. What is the secret to build a solid account on 𝕏? I don’t know, but here are the goals I am going to set which I think can make my life on 𝕏 more sustainable without making it drudgery. More than anything, I want to have fun and be myself. But I am very inconsistent posting. Key objectives: 1. Post at least 3 times a day 2. Don’t be boring 3. Engage regularly with others 4. Respond to all comments to Posts Seems easy enough, but that first one kills me. So HOW will I get on track? 1. Start writing 3-5 Posts a day, most of which are not time sensitive 2. Write in Google Docs or some other editor 3. Keep them simple. Not stupid, just don’t make a huge deal out of it. Just capture a few thoughts per post. 4. Post 2-3 of these Posts to 𝕏 every day 5. Build up a stockpile of Posts so after a few days, posting 3 Posts per day is sustainable 6. Do a few video posts in the mix 7. Keep interacting with other accounts 8. Find new, interesting accounts to interact with What am I missing? What do you find useful to keep your 𝕏 activity on track? Can I actually develop some consistency?

What makes your time on 𝕏 the most enjoyable? Do you enjoy writing? Making videos? Reading funny stories? Connecting with interesting people? Engaging in debate? Keeping up with news? Challenging others? Being challenged? What is it that makes 𝕏 worth your time?

What Makes Replies Go Viral? I thought I'd spend a minute today and share some things I (in my VERY limited experience) find useful in getting a discussion going in the Replies. Please add in your own thought and feel free to disagree, augment, etc. Back in March or so, I had a bunch of replies to large accounts that got me up to the magic 5 Million impressions to get monetized. Some of those impressions were from some nasty people arguing/ranting in replies to a lighthearted comment I had made. They made me cringe, but I got impression I suppose. Then for a few months, these big account replies kind of dried up for me. My theory is BOTs accounted for many replies and had been largely eradicated. Now a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly had a reply that got over 300K impressions. I have had 5 or 6 go well over 10K. So why? I wish it was predictable. Here are my Do's and Don'ts: Do: 1. Reply often - it's a numbers game 2. Reply as soon as you can to those large accounts. If you are in the first 5 or 10 replies, you are more likely to be seen 3. Ask sincere and relevant questions 4. Make statements that stir up discussion, whether a direct question or not 5. When in doubt, reply with something Don't: 1. Post spammy or irrelevant replies 2. Be nasty. A little controversial take that is polite is good, but being abusive will get you nowhere 3. Have definitive answers. There is value in a really well researched answer, but alas, that doesn't get as much response. 4. Try to Win the argument. Mic Drop type comments end discussions. You want people to keep talking. These kind of thoughts really apply to both Posts and Replies, though as a small account, I see the effects more in Replies. What do you think? Does this make sense? Any good techniques you have tried to get a discussion going?

What Food is Best Where You are From? I thought I would take it a little light this Saturday and celebrate that we have people from all over the world here. What food do you find best where you are from? Is there something special about it to you for a particular reason? I love hearing about different cultures and foods, so please share!

What Do You Think of Electric Boats? Last week, I posted about my family boating trip to see the Blue Angels from the water. Definitely a highlight for us, but I left out a big aspect for me. I grew up on the water and there were 2 kinds of boats: sailboats and stinkpots. I guess you know which I prefer. But things change a lot if that smelly, polluting, loud, gas or diesel guzzling engine goes away. The boat we rented was electric. Their slogan is literally “Like a Tesla, only slower”! The EV fan and environmentalist in me has wondered for a long time “Why aren’t there more Electric Boats?”. So the show was great, but trying out an electric boat was really interesting for me. The river was pretty crowded with tons of anchored motorboats (stinkpots) and a few anchored sailboats. I chose not to anchor but just quietly glide along at very slow speeds, avoiding obstacles and enjoying the show. One guy commented that we were really “stealthy” going by so quietly. This boat was designed to be slow, but that was perfect for our exploration. My question is “Why aren’t there affordable electric boats on the market?” It can’t be that hard to build an outboard electric motor which is affordable, throw it and some batteries on a Boston Whaler and have basic clean and quiet water transportation, can it? Sure there are some really cool electric boats on the market for around $300,000, but I don’t live in that stratosphere. What do we do to get some fun and affordable electric options on the water and phase out the stinkpots?

What Have You Gained Being on 𝕏? Do you love it here on 𝕏? Do You learn new things? Meet great people? Sometimes it is hard to remember what we gain, so I thought I’d mention a few I have noticed: Definitely #1 is getting to know some fantastic people all around the world. I won’t name names because I would leave people out, but if you are reading this, good chance you are one! I have also learned some things about how the platform works, but to be honest, any of those things are really insignificant. I don’t want to send time optimizing for payouts or even better visibility. Let my content land where it may. The right audience will hopefully find it. I have learned many great things from all the great people here and enjoyed some good laughs. Entertainment is a good thing. I have learned much about AI. This has so many different aspects, I will split it into a few items. I have learned that you need to learn how to properly communicate with (prompt) AI. The right prompts can get you great information, but leave out some key words and the output is garbage. I have practiced so many different aspects of the creative process that it is hard to know where to start. I write things that come to mind. Sometimes people like them and often they fall flat, but I learn in the process! Somehow, I have stumbled upon making music with AI. I am not a musician of any sort. I like music, but I have no instrument skills, and very little in the creative realm of music. Yet somehow, in the last month, I have produced about as many songs as Taylor Swift does in a year. Are they good? That’s subject to opinion, but I don’t hate them. I post some here, and a lot more on YouTube, because frankly, it just is better suited to play songs in the background while you do other stuff - like scrolling through your X feed. I’ll put my YT link in the replies if you want to check that stuff out. Bottom line - I am loving it here. I learn things, I laugh, I try new things, and I grow! What are you doing here on 𝕏? Has it been good for you?

Does anyone know what this is? Anyone ever use one?