Re-tweet with Comments Made Easier

I have recently jumped into the world of Twitter and was surprised to find that from the Twitter web page that if you want to re-tweet a post from one of the people you are following to the people that follow you, there is no way to add a comment to the re-tweet without doing a manual copy/paste to a new tweet.


I'm sure there are a number of applications that allow for this functionality, but that defeats the purpose of using the web page to some degree.  For those of us that want to continue to use a browser to tweet (and re-tweet) and use the Google Chrome browser there is a very simple solution, Chromed Bird.

Chromed Bird is a Chrome extension for Twitter that extends the web page functionality to a browser extension with a number of features:

Upload images from inside the extension
Change extension's locale from inside the options page
Expand the original tweet replies are referring to
Follow / Unfollow users by using the inline user actions menu
Browse tweets from a specific user directly inside the extension
Add and remove timeline tabs "on the fly" using the new right-click context menu
Create custom search queries that will update automatically
Preview image links by hovering them
See all your tweets in an unified timeline
Follow your timelines (including @mentions, lists, DMs and favorites) and navigate through your tweets
Compose, reply, RT, share, favorite and delete tweets
Create short URLs within the extension
Preview shortened URLs before clicking them
Track read / unread tweets
Notify user whenever new tweets arrive
The Chromed Bird extension can be installed from the Chromed Bird page linked above.  The first time the extension is run, it will confirm access to your twitter account and then it should be setup and ready to go.  Once installed, you will see a small Twitter bird icon that opens the extension and indicates when new tweets are available.

Any Chrome users that want to interact with Twitter directly from the browser with the functionality above should try Chromed Bird as an alternative to the Twitter web page or other stand-alone clients.

Add a comment with the Twitter tools you use.

Springsteen/Morello Play 'The Ghost of Tom Joad'

October 29th and 30th, 2009, rock ‘n’ roll royalty held court at Madison Square Garden for what have been called ‘the best concerts ever,’ and ‘where rock ‘n’ roll history was made.’  The concerts featured a who's who of rock 'n' roll from the '50s to the '90s and included artists performing together in unprecedented combinations that will most likely never be witnessed again.'


The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary Concerts' included sets by Crosby, Stills & Nash; Stevie Wonder; Paul Simon; Simon & Garfunkel; Aretha Franklin; Metallica; U2; Jeff Beck and Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band. Joining this iconic line up on stage were special guests including: Jerry Lee Lewis, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, Annie Lennox, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Mick Jagger, Fergie and others.


I recently came across the video below of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave/The Nightwatchman) performing "The Ghost of Tom Joad" from Springsteen's 1995 release The Ghost of Tom Joad at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts.  Although it did not receive critical acclaim, The Ghost of Tom Joad is one of my favorite Springsteen albums and songs.  The title track is by far the most recognizable cut from the album, but  Straight Time, Across the Border and My Best Was Never Good Enough are also well worth the listen.

The album version of this song is pretty subdued compared to the R&RHOF version, but the second Tom Morello guitar solo (6:12) is well worth the listen even if you aren't a fan of The Boss.





I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Post a comment with your favorite rock & roll moment.