The Blog

youtube: an anthropological introduction

2008-08-04T18:37:00.001-07:00

Recently, I've found myself defending YouTube (in the context of defending technology as a whole).* I wonder how those people would react to this video.

It's an hour long but make some time, it's worth it.

*This is what happens when you have friends that actually work outside the tech industry. I know, tots amazing.

is it better for a customer service email to feel automated or be full of grammar errors?

2008-06-25T10:19:00.001-07:00

I e-mailed Comcast customer service to ask about the process of canceling service since I'm moving. I specifically said I wasn't transferring service to another location (which was explained on the website), but completely canceling.

Thank you for your time in contacting Comcast.

You will going to cancel your services in your old address and set up a new account on your new address because you cannot use the current services that has in the new address you have.
[WHaaaaa?? Off to a good start.]

With regard to your concern, this issue is very delicate and requires a security verification process. Because here at Comcast we make sure that your privacy should always be protected and by which we need you to phone in for this concern because you need to verify security information.
[By which, you are saying I am delicate.]

During your most convenient time, you might want to call us at
1-800-COMCAST or you might want to chat in, and I guarantee we will definitely help you with your concern. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and I hope you could call or chat really soon so your
concern can be address to immediately.
[Most convenient time? Like, evar? Will definitely contact you. Fer sure.]

By the way, you'll notice she's not even responding to the right question. Was this ambiguous:

Hi there,
I am moving out of my apartment at the end of the month. I do not need to transfer the account as the apartment I am moving into already has Comcast there.
I only saw how to transfer, how do I cancel altogether? Up to which date will I be billed?
Thanks,
Sasha

Now, I understand that most likely this isn't being responded to in the U.S. nor by someone who's first language is English...but in that case, maybe something more automated is better than what we have above, no?

unsubstaniated but interesting scientific claims

2008-01-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

We've all read about the role of smell in attraction (& the t-shirt test) e.g. having MHC too similar to a partner's is problematic for progeny so we are attracted to people who's MHC is significantly different from ours. Time touched on this in a recent article on love & mentioned an unsettling hypothesis:

Precise as the MHC-detection system is, it can be confounded. One thing that throws us off the scent is the birth-control pill. Women who are on the Pill—which chemically simulates pregnancy—tend to choose wrong in the T-shirt test. When they discontinue the daily hormone dose, the protective smell mechanism kicks back in. "A colleague of mine wonders if the Pill may contribute to divorce," says Wysocki. "Women pick a husband when they're on birth control, then quit to have a baby and realize they've made a mistake."

money=yummy

2008-01-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

I meant to post about this topic months ago & today the always delightful Oddly Enough Reuters news informed me of the actual brain implications of the phenomenon, so I figured I'd resurrect the topic:

Higher wine prices boost drinking pleasure. Yes, that's right expectation of taste actually triggers activity in the region of the brain associated with pleasure (without regard to the actual taste).

An excerpt from the original Good Experience post I intended to post about:

... he served fifty-seven participants a midrange red Bordeaux from a bottle with a label indicating that it was a modest vin de table. A week later, he served the same wine to the same subjects but this time poured from a bottle indicating that the wine was a grand cru. Whereas the tasters found the wine from the first bottle “simple,” “unbalanced,” and “weak,” they found the wine from the second “complex,” “balanced,” and “full.” (original New Yorker article I've yet to read.)

Wine is growing on me but my original hesitation about the snobbery associated with it remains, albeit with some amusement.

[Usual caveat about it only being one study that needs to be replicated, etc., etc.]

I posted this in my old blog a long time ago but I think it's worth re-sharing with the world.

2007-12-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Several items in the news may have left you with some questions -- from Juno to Jamie Lynn Spears, we have heard a lot about unexpected pregnancies.

For this, I bring you a wonderful piece of literature that may answer many of your queries.

influence of online video on human behavior

2007-12-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

But Hoffmann admits he was less worried about the stolen cash than how he might look on the video-sharing site YouTube.

"What was going through my mind at that point was that the security tape is either going to show me run away and hide in the office or whack this guy in the head, so I just grabbed the cup and clocked the guy pretty hard."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22209582/

oh hey. you just caught us blogging.

2007-10-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

just doing my part for the blogopolis.

San Diego Republican Mayor reverses stance on gay marriage

2007-09-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

Have a tissue box ready.

postsecrets +lolcats

2007-09-19T16:06:00.000-07:00

omg omg
http://lolsecretz.blogspot.com/

1/1

2007-09-18T14:52:00.001-07:00

AT&T hearts Georgie

2007-08-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

AT&T Censors Pearl Jam

best comment: AT&T is a lousy company. I would rather use smoke signals than their so called "service"

AlJazeeraEnglish on YouTube

2007-07-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

I didn't even know YouTube had an official AlJazeeraEnglish channel but it does, and that's pretty awesome considering it's impossible to get the channel in the U.S.

If you think linking to AlJazeera is weird, see Control Room. Or you know, read some stuff.

10:25 oy...

devoted

2007-07-24T13:26:00.002-07:00

freakin mac users

google map of all the muni lines

2007-07-22T23:30:00.001-07:00

with the risk of making this blog's theme transportation, i thought i'd pass this along as i found it rather handy:
http://www.nextmuni.com/googleMap/googleMap.jsp?a=sf-muni&r=N&d=24139&s=TUNLEAST

This was used as a happy prime for a study I ran in college

2007-06-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

At least for me, it still works like a charm 200 views later.

2007-06-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

btdubs, my SO is fancy: http://www.mobilepersuasion.com.

How did I not know about this earlier?

2007-06-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.hopstop.com/?city=sanfrancisco

I haven't actually used it but I'm going to assume it's 100 times better than 511.org because 511=suck.

Anyone used it before?

favorite post secret for awhile

2007-06-18T10:35:00.001-07:00

2007-06-15T13:59:00.000-07:00

Pentagon Confirms It Sought To Build A 'Gay Bomb'

Teddybot to the rescue!
Retrieving wounded personnel from the battlefield is dangerous work. Enter the Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR), a teddy bear-shaped bot designed by the US military to carry injured soldiers to safety. BEAR's cuddly face is meant to put the wounded at ease. (AB)

terribleness

2007-05-25T10:18:00.000-07:00

A CNN segment on an honor killing recorded on a cell phone.

it's cute people

2007-05-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Russian humor

2007-05-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Following on from Boris Yeltsin's funeral,
a story from a British journalist
who interviewed him:

Journalist: "So, President Yeltsin, how would
you describe the state of the Russian
economy in one word?"

Yeltsin: "Good".

Journalist: "Okay then Mr President, perhaps
you would describe it in more than one word?"

Yeltsin: "Ah, in that case - not good."

Spain and Portugal traveling suggestions

2007-04-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

Going to Spain and Portugal in July with Dean. Any suggestions about which cities to go to?

MC Rove

2007-03-30T11:13:00.001-07:00

actively managed mutual funds = lamez

2007-03-13T01:03:00.000-07:00

Interesting article on why passively managed index funds are superior to actively managed funds. Obviiiously I already knew this, but was not aware of the San Francisco connection to helping that fact come to light.
(Mention of Googs is coincidental.)

Sorry for saying hella

2007-02-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

Hella comprenhensive report on the effect of pervasive sexualized images of girls in the media was released recently.

A report of the American Psychological Association (APA) released today found evidence that the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development.

Not revelatory for many, but a sign that the APA is paying attention, and perhaps that others will too. Mentions Objectification Theory liberally, the theory my thesis focused on. (Here's the actual paper.)

Some good news though: "The U.S. Justice Department's National Crime Victimization Survey (considered our best measure of crime because its anonymous surveys capture offenses not reported to police) reports that rape has been falling dramatically for decades."

i know it hurts, but watch till at least halfway for the full effect

2007-02-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

Windows 386 commercial from the 80's

PS despite your reasonable suspicions this does NOT turn into a porn at any point

body identity integrity disorder (BIID)

2007-02-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

The Guardian: I won't be happy until I lose my legs

"Ever since she was little, Susan Smith has felt there is something wrong with her body. Her determination to 'fix' things has twice landed her in hospital"

Susan: "A hundred years ago, it was taboo to be gay in many societies, and 50 years ago the idea of transsexuals was abhorrent to most. I have tried to make the condition more understood but it is difficult to get a case out in the open by yourself."

The mind is a strange, strange thing.

guilty-haven't-posted-recently-post

2007-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

http://lovegodsway.org/GayBands

"really gay"..."dark gay"...just all kinds of gay. apparently.

i AM i AM

2006-12-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

okay, i avoided posting this because i figured everyone had already seen it but after a couple days i've realized even if you have, it's worth watching again. i just did and can confirm that it is nothing short of brilliant.

lol indeed

2006-12-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

hilarious. just saw my Super Famous & Smart roomie on CNBC (apparently she's been on several times, who knew?) and this is the awesome e-mail she received shortly thereafter:

To: [Roomie Roommate]
Subject: Cnbc interview

I'm an ebay seller.. I saw your ebay express interview.. It was on
point.. And I think your are beautiful. If u are ever in miami I
would
love to take u out.. Lol.. Bye..
--djxtreme
The iconoclast

no more cuteness, i say! no more.

2006-12-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

crap, another cute website i have to check incessantly: cutethingsfallingasleep.blogspot.com

insert joke here

2006-12-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

The female Asian Mourning Gecko has found a
way to simulate sex and produce eggs, rendering
the male of the species useless.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20917788-662,00.html

thoughtful warning labels

2006-12-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

"Adults take note: Pony comes unassembled in box with head detatched. You may wish to not open the box around your children if they may be frightened by a box with a decapitated horse inside."

Buying Friends 2.0

2006-11-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

A new low in social networking:

Welcome to Fake Your Space. You have found a new and exciting service which offers help to all the men and women out there who don't feel like they are popular enough on social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. If you are tired of seeing everyone else with the hottest friends and want some hotties of your own, then this is the place for you.
...
WILL OTHER PEOPLE KNOW: No! Privacy is very important to us at Fake Your Space. We understand that you want your friends to look as normal as possible and as far from fake as possible. This is what we specialize in. We actually do make you look more popular.

Except -- unless your BFF appears in the naughty section of your local video store, I don't think these friends look "as normal as possible": http://www.fakeyourspace.com/women.html

and then i had a blog, and then i embedded youtube, and and zomg internets!!

2006-11-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

When you feel yourself getting Seasonal Affective Disorder this year, please do yourself a favor and watch this:

Trip to Santa Barbara/San Diego

2006-11-27T11:16:00.000-08:00

(1) A large part of our trip was spent driving (though to be fair, this photo is unrepresentative since Dean drove a large portion of the way). We drove down to Santa Barbara on Tuesday and stayed with Dean's friend Chris. On Wednesday we made the dreaded drive past LA which was painful but not as painful as it could have been.
On the return trip, we got up at 4 am (!!) on Saturday to avoid the traffic and made it to Mountain View in 6.25 hours. I repeat, 6.25 hours. If you can't appreciate that number, you've never made the 8-14 hour drive.

(2) Dean, Emily and I went to the Zoo which was fabulous. Here is Emily and my Huge Gigantic Mouth. When I was a kid I got sort of sick of the zoo because I'd always have to go when we had out-of-town visitors but now it had been long enough where I hadn't visited it in awhile and it was so awesome. Have you ever seen a rainbow-butt monkey? Please make a point of doing so if not.

(3) One the coolest part of the zoo was definitely the Making Out Hippos. They are awesome. And so, so fat.

(4) We visited the house Dean's dad grew up in and suddenly the world got all wobbly. Okay, Dean just tripped and I took a photo at an opportune time, but let your mind pretend.

Postsecret Post O' The Week

2006-11-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

McQuotes

2006-11-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

I don’t own an iPod. I would never wear an iPod… If this is your primary focus in life - the machines… it’s going to have a staggeringly negative effect, all of this, for America… did you ever talk to these computer geeks? I mean, can you carry on a conversation with them? …I really fear for the United States because, believe me, the jihadists? They’re not playing the video games. They’re killing real people over there.

-Bill O'Reilly

Being a geek is letting the terrorists win!

ZOMG, Slater is the new KFED

2006-11-20T22:04:00.000-08:00

http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1561093,00.html

I didn't read the article so I can't summarize it for you but the title is Britney Parties with Mario Lopez in Vegas, what else do you need to know??

Newly Appointed Chief of Family-Planning Programs is The Suck

2006-11-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

The Bush administration has appointed a new chief of family-planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services who worked at a Christian pregnancy-counseling organization that regards the distribution of contraceptives as "demeaning to women."
...

"A Woman's Concern is persuaded that the crass commercialization and distribution of birth control is ... degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness," the group's Web site says.

-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Keroack's outfit deceives women about other issues as well. It uses a combination of dubious statistics and scripture to attack the efficacy of condoms and the very idea of safe sex. "God requires those who know Him to remain pure until marriage - no sex, in fact, not even a hint of sexual immorality," it says. "Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman to reflect Christ and His bride, the church."

-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-g...

religion + our government, now there's a marriage made in heaven.