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Agence France-Presse

The 7 most pointless things live-tweeted from the Oscar Pistorius trial (so far)

GlobalPost

South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius holds his face in his hand on the fourth day of his trial, as a witness gives testimony.

The case of Oscar Pistorius has all the ingredients of a thriller. A late-night shooting in crime-obsessed, trigger-happy South Africa. A romance that may or may not have been on the rocks, ended forever on Valentine's Day. A successful young woman, brought to a violent and unjust death. And at the center of it all, a sporting hero who is either heartbroken, or a liar.

If the story's the stuff of novels, the trial is straight out of a courtroom drama. There have been no shortage of astonishing moments in the 10 days since it began, as the defendant's pitbull lawyer cross-examined witnesses, ex-lovers revealed Pistorius' secrets, and the court literally heaved as it heard the graphic details. 

So… why are the hundreds, nay, thousands of tweets coming out of the Pretoria courtroom and its environs so very, well, dull? Whether giving exhibit-by-exhibit accounts of the evidence or offering observations about Oscar's wardrobe, the scores of people following the trial — and trying to get us to follow them — have proved that over-eager live-tweeting can make even the "trial of the century" sound banal. 

Here, for your reading boredom edification, are some of the most pointless things we've learned so far. 

1. Where is Oscar?

2. #TMI

3. Clothes maketh the man

Strike that, it was charcoal.

4. The devil is in the detail

(Continues.)

5. A courtroom drama

Phew.

6.  The notebook

7. We worry, is all

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