I just opened the twitter app on my phone, it says it's up to date, but it's obvious that my phone is reminiscing. I'm not sure how this should make me feel.... about my phone, or America.
Digital Marketer : Statistician : Sociologist
"BP has said repeatedly that there is no reliable way to measure the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by looking at the oil gushing out of the pipe. But scientists say there are actually many proven techniques for doing just that. Steven Wereley, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, analyzed videotape of the seafloor gusher using a technique called particle image velocimetry. A computer program simply tracks particles and calculates how fast they are moving. Wereley put the BP video of the gusher into his computer. He made a few simple calculations and came up with an astonishing value for the rate of the oil spill: 70,000 barrels a day — much higher than the official estimate of 5,000 barrels a day." (1st Article)
"BP CEO Tony Hayward told Britain's The Guardian newspaper that the spill was small in proportion to the Gulf. The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume," Hayward said. " (2nd Article)
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Just a pat on the back or a reassuring touch on the arm can be a powerful tool to influence behaviour, according to new research.
And it could determine whether someone invests in a risky financial venture or decides to play it safe.
"It's a very effective way of suddenly influencing people's behaviour without them realizing they are being influenced," said Jonathan Levav, a professor of business and marketing at Columbia University in New York.
"If you're a doctor, or are in sales, this is a form of communication you might want to keep in mind," he added in an interview.
Levav 's findings, which are reported in the journal Psychological Science, are based on a series of experiments involving touch.
In one study 67 men and women were asked to choose between a cash payoff and a risky gamble and then touched on the shoulder and back by male and female researchers.
Levav and his co-author Jennifer Argo, of the University of Alberta in Canada, found was that both sexes were more likely to select gambles with no guarantees of a payoff if they had been made to feel more comfortable, especially if touched by a woman.
In another experiment, 105 people were asked to allocate their money between two investments -- a bond that delivered a four percent yearly return or a risky deal with no guaranteed return.
Again, people who were lightly touched on the shoulder by a woman were more likely to select the option with the most risk.
Levav and Argo suggested that the connection between comfort and risk goes back to our earliest recollections of human bonding.
"A simple pat on the back of the shoulder by a female in a way that connotes support may evoke feelings that are similar to the sense of security afforded by a mother's comforting touch in infancy," they wrote in the study.
I have to apologize for all the times when I corrected people and said I wish they would stop stereotyping Utahns as ignorant. While I still think most of you are wrong, I would like to personally thank Bethany Brinton for contributing material for the ones that are right.
Public Forum Letter
In this time of moral and financial crisis, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker is going to build a stage in Pioneer Park and invite the rock group the New Pornographers perform ("Twilight to bring booze, big acts to Salt Lake City's Pioneer Park -- will it stay?" Tribune , April 30). Please tell me this is a final April Fool's joke.
Considering Becker's agenda of "fairness," to whom is even the name "New Pornographers" being fair to? Is it fair to the victims of the 6,500 registered sex offenders in Utah? Why does Becker want to promote thoughts about pornography, which contributes to crimes against women and children? Whose side is he on?
The Twilight Concerts also announced that priority is to bring in alcohol for the concert.
My father was killed by a drunken driver. Is Becker going to provide rides for those who get drunk from the alcohol he brings in for a city event?
To be fair to the majority of citizens, how about some decent, respectful entertainment for them? I asked my neighbors in the Avenues what they thought of bringing the New Pornographers and they were equally disturbed.
Bethany Brinton
Salt Lake City
The Pixies-not affiliated with magic in any way
Modest Mouse-are humans and might be a tad arrogant
Barenaked Ladies-are fully clothed and actually men
Violent Femmes-are not violent, possibly femmy though
Pink Floyd-no one is named Floyd, nor pink
Police-no affiliation with law enforcement
Doors-are actually people, not windows either
Dixie Chicks-are not transexuals
The Cure-didn't actually cure anyone You might be surprised to discover that the Black Eyed Peas, Roots, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Cake, Meatloaf,Korn,Bread, Cream, Tonic,MOldy Peaches,Blind Melon,Cranberries,Hot Chip, The Eels,Strawberry Alarm Clock,Capt Beefheart,Vanilla Ice, String Cheese Incident, Old Crow Medicine Show,Lemonheads,Ice Cube,Hot Tuna, Humble Pie, and Wavy Gravy are all inedible."
I am currently a Product Strategist at iCrossing in charge of Business Intelligence. Formerly, I was the Manager of Advanced Analytics. I'm a marketer, mathematician, sociologist, student of the web, crafter of my own social network, amateur knitter and potter, people watcher, Red Cross disaster volunteer, and warrior against clutter.
I do all of this from Salt Lake City, UT. Don't knock it until you've lived here!
