Twitter has gotten oodles of media attention lately, and I'm guessing that many users are signing up just to see what the ruckus is about. If and use Twitter, it must be worth checking out, right? But once the newbies spend a few days telling the world what they're doing in 140-character bursts-or reading mind-numbing, I'm-at-the-market updates from friends and family-the novelty wears off in a hurry.

I signed up a few weeks ago, and so far my reactions are mixed. I've been following an eclectic mix of people and publications, including colleagues, friends, magazines, and even a few celebrities. I've discovered that Twitter is a good way to learn about new things, such as interesting articles and potential story topics. On the down side, I'm getting links to more articles than I could ever read. It's another case of information overload.

Celebrity tweets? I've learned the movie director Kevin Smith had sex with his wife last weekend, that Kim Kardashian (why is she famous again?) has launched a lookalike contest, and that Jack Dorsey, the guy who invented Twitter, travels a lot. I'm really jealous about that last one.

But after browsing these hourly updates from the rich and famous, I've found that I really don't care what they're doing. Even if I enjoy their work (e.g. Kevin Smith), I neither want nor need to know the minutiae of their daily lives.

Friends? A similar story. One female friend of mine posted a series of updates about her menstrual cycles. "Aunt Flow has arrived," one read. The others were more graphic.