Public Goods Game

After observing the public goods game in class, it is evident that cooperation trumps selfishness and greed. It was funny to see who would hold back, because that person inevitably wound up with fines from the three other players. In essence the more you invest the more you make, not unlike how our economy (is supposed) to run. One would think that competition would make the stakes higher and prove more fruitful, but that is not the case. Once the player had been fined, they quickly conformed to an amount that was acceptable to the group.

Dr. rice compared the game to anarchism (cooperation) and liberalism ( competition). Watching it, it seemed to make sense with the rules that were given, however when thinking back on the game, if some of the rules had been altered, say, no fines, people would have been much greedier and more competitive right from the start.

Smart Mob: Technology and Information Exchange

In today's society where cell phones are permanently attached to our hands with the capacity to search the internet, watch television, listen to the newest music, and keep in touch with others via phone, text, and email...do we even realize how dependent we are on technology?

My friend was recently arrested and he had lost his his phone previously that evening, apparently it was a bad night, anyhow, he did not know a single one of his friends phone numbers. Not one. He knew his parents, his brothers, and that was it. In case of an emergency how many of us would be able to rattle off more numbers than just those of our immediate family? Not to mention, does a day without checking email or facebook put you hours back just trying to catch up the next day?

There are major benefits to all of this technology; we get better, more accurate information faster than ever before, we stay connected to others no matter where we/they are, we have made major advancements in medical and scientific fields.

My question is, are we crippling ourselves by letting technology do the work for us? Is long division a thing of the past because every 5 year old owns a calulator, or a learning lap-top? After recently, babysitting and watching the kids paly with more educational game-boy type games and computer programs than I even knew existed, I thought, what ever happened to going outside? Coloring on paper instead of a screen? No wonder they all have allergies, i would too of I didn't set foot outside for more than 10 minutes a day! Creativity is lost with the structure of these activities and I kid you not when I took them outside to play, they didn't know what Red Rover, Mother May I, Freeze tag... I could go on, but I may cry, or date myself. I love technology as much as teh average person, but i don't let it control my life, and I definitely will not let it control my children's lives!

So go buy the latest Ipod, lap-top, blackberry, or cell phone that does 42 different things...I will be outside enjoying the weather and a nice old-fashioned book.

Tipping Point, Part II

I wanted to discuss Gladwell's theory on the critical role of groups. He focuses on the Ya-Ya Sisterhood phenomenon and how the book started off as relatively unknown but sales snowballed keeping it on the bestsellers list for several weeks. Women, especially, are conversationalists, we discuss everything. So, if one of us, in my family, that is, reads, buys, or watches something that we find enjoyable we are going to talk about it to nearly every other female that we come in contact with. Call it nature, call it gossip, call it bonding. The bottom line is, older women started the buzz about this novel and thirteen year old girls wound up waiting in line to see it at the theaters. This would not work with men. The reasoning: women NEED things that bond the generations. Men will always have their sports, cars, hunting, etc. All areas of manly bonding. Women, are growing more diverse by generations making it much more difficult for women to find common ground. My grandmother like to bake and crochet, I burn break-and-bake cookies and you probably don't want me wielding large needles. I happened to jon the same sorority that she had been a member of and bingo...instant bond. The same things with books. If we can share something, we will hold on to it and cherish it, because there aren't likely many things that we both like to do.

The point: the critical role of the group pertains mostly to women. We shop in groups, we eat in groups, we make purchases in groups, hell, we even go to the bathroom in groups...need i say more?

The Tipping Point

The Tipping Point was a fast read, simply because I found the three laws and their examples fascinating. As I read I kept comparing the personnas to people that I knew who fit into the connector, maven, and salesman roles in my life. The pertinent, real-world examples made it easy to see just how often the tree laws are used in our society.

The most amazing find was that 6 degrees of seperation is a real theory, developped by Milgram. I had always known it as the seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, a game we used to play on long car rides. The more I thought about the theory, though, the more it made sense. I feel like college is a perfect example. So many clubs are interconnected and usually the same group of people are involved in multiple campus activities, so it only makes sense that large groups of students are related through the same small number of movers and shakers on campus. People even use this tool to introduce people, "This is Jim, he is neighbors of Sue and Tom's friend, Irene..." People always like to make connections using other people as a point of reference.

I also really enjoyed the description of the maven as being "pathologically helpful." My roommate is addcited to shopping and trends and she cannot wait to tell people who is ahving a sale and what new items just arrived where, it justs makes her day to help other people find these great deals that she gets all the time. There should be more people like that.

The Power of Context used the example of violence on the streets of New York. I have witnessed this first hand after getting into a car accident on a busy street, we thought ten people would have called the police, but not one of them had and we ended up waiting a lot longer than we should have. Another example of this is in lifeguard training they always instructed us to single out one person to call 911 during and emergency, and another to assist you, becuase if you ask the crowd you are more likely to get no response.

Transmetropolitan

I would be lying if I said I did not find this "book" to be more than mildly disturbing. While yes, Spider is this anti-hero living in a futuristic nightmare of mind control, superfluous technology, and filth, that isn't saying much. I admire the author for his forward, in-your-face approach to society circa 2200 or whatever, but really who comes up with this shit? His cryogenically frozen wife's head comes back to haunt him...good one. Really. I did find revelance in the onset of 5 kajillion new religions. I feel that our society's recent trendy return to Christianity has brought about less than devout believers. This could definitely happen again in the future but who's to say with what idol? Buddha, Muhammed...Elvis? The kabbala fad, which is all it is really, is antoher prime example of people jumping on the religious band wagon searching for something, but no one really know's what. Acceptance? Guidance? A seat next to Madonna or Britney Spears on Sunday? I mean really...this has potential to spin out of control. As does the advertising business. Ever since tivo, the commercial industry has taken a substantial blow. Maybe we will start shooting off ads in your dreams, i wouldn't put it past us, besides I am an advertising major, and if thats what it tool for you to buy our product, you better believe you will wake up screaming...for the newest video game.

Overall, not entirely crazy, just kind of greusome and vulgar. Then again, maybe it isn't that far off from where modern society is heading...

fascism vs. naziism

Fascism and Naziism have many similarities; for starters, they share the same agent, obstacles and goals in MacCallum's Triadic Model of Freedom. However, Fascism sees humans as irrational beings who do not think critically. While Naziism focuses on class, cultural, and racial divisions, creating superior classes and races. Fascism supports independent groups as well as cultural differences, yet it does not take it to the extreme rascism that Naziism does. They both focus on one commanding leader who has abnormally high levels of power and control. This being said, they are more similar then they are different. The the extreme means allotted by both states to retain power are completely ridiculous by modern standards of morality and democracy. Although fascists regimes pop-up and even flourish for a time int he right environment, today's society would never succomb to such tyrannical leadership. People today, and I guess I am generalizing about Americans, are much too comfortable with their independence and liberties. Not only would a fascist regime be laughed out of the country, it would be completely idiotic and a waste of time. There are very few countries left that maintain a government structure, or lack there of, that would condone such political uprisings. The sooner that the terms fascism and naziism are used only when speaking in the past tense, the better, for everyone.