November 6, 2009
DPF: Dance Party Friday

And so I introduce to you, the best/worst playlist ever, compliments of yours truly, including:

  • Black Eyed Peas - Meet Me Halfway
  • Miley Cyrus - See You Again
  • Neyo - Closer
  • Zac Brown Band - Chicken Fried
  • Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind
  • Mario - Break Up
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November 5, 2009
adamiss: shrimpfriedbryce: fatmanatee: Two people argue their differences regarding same-sex marriage in front of City Hall, in Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, a day after voters rejected the gay marriage law. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach) There needs to be more of this. I was thinking about how there’s rarely an opportunity to discuss any of these matters with people who disagree.  Tumblr is mostly liberal, and when I say mostly, I mean 99 percent.  Twitter has been more popular for conservatives, but you could very easily filter out whatever you want, and most people do.  Depending on whether you’re a liberal or conservative, you get alarmingly different perspectives on where America is going.  Attempt to venture to the other side, as conservatives occasionally do for Maher or liberals do for basically all of Fox News, and it’s very possible that you leave slightly humiliated for even trying. We’re not helping each other out by constantly serving up articles and videos to people that already agree with us.  I’m reiterating what Winston said, but it’s true… what the heck are we doing here?  Sharing ridiculous teabagger photos isn’t debate, it’s fun and games, but who’s paying attention? We have to figure out how to do this more effectively.  I have to do better. Well said. I was high-fiving and discussing Jon Stewart’s awesomeness with my friends earlier today. However, you raise a very good point - his message resonates with everyone that already agrees with him. We re-blog him ad infinitum (I’m looking at you AdamIss) but it will never move the dial of our collective social consciousness. Pictures like this give me hope that there are people out there willing to listen to each other. I’d like to think these two ladies are debating ideas rather than spitting spewing vitriol at one another. I especially noticed this during the presidential election last year. Tumblr started to become a giant echo chamber, a huge bullhorn that sang the praises of Obama. I was part of it, and for the most part it was fun, but I wasn’t really learning anything. It didn’t make me any smarter, any more informed about the relevant issues. The thing is - Tumblr, and the Internet as a whole can be polarizing; it can lead you towards group think because it rewards our similarities through likes, trackbacks, reblogs, tumblarity, and authority levels. But only when we decide to choose popularity over individuality. You can insulate yourself, and find only those who agree with you - but I went out of my way to find different voices, and that made such a difference. The beauty of technology is that you can find diversity if you really want to. That’s not always the case in real life. if you find yourself reading the same regurgitated message over and over again, you can celebrate it, complain, or do something about it. The choice is yours. I see this becoming one of the bigger issues of print newspapers failing.  When you’re reading a print newspaper, your eyes are scanning articles that you may not initially be interested in reading.  But when you’re reading an online newspaper, your eyes are reading articles only that you specifically want to read, most of which will reinforce your own opinion without offering a different perspective.  And so our nation becomes more polarized.

adamiss:

shrimpfriedbryce:

fatmanatee:

Two people argue their differences regarding same-sex marriage in front of City Hall, in Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, a day after voters rejected the gay marriage law. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

There needs to be more of this.

I was thinking about how there’s rarely an opportunity to discuss any of these matters with people who disagree.  Tumblr is mostly liberal, and when I say mostly, I mean 99 percent.  Twitter has been more popular for conservatives, but you could very easily filter out whatever you want, and most people do.  Depending on whether you’re a liberal or conservative, you get alarmingly different perspectives on where America is going.  Attempt to venture to the other side, as conservatives occasionally do for Maher or liberals do for basically all of Fox News, and it’s very possible that you leave slightly humiliated for even trying.

We’re not helping each other out by constantly serving up articles and videos to people that already agree with us.  I’m reiterating what Winston said, but it’s true… what the heck are we doing here?  Sharing ridiculous teabagger photos isn’t debate, it’s fun and games, but who’s paying attention?

We have to figure out how to do this more effectively.  I have to do better.

Well said. I was high-fiving and discussing Jon Stewart’s awesomeness with my friends earlier today. However, you raise a very good point - his message resonates with everyone that already agrees with him. We re-blog him ad infinitum (I’m looking at you AdamIss) but it will never move the dial of our collective social consciousness. Pictures like this give me hope that there are people out there willing to listen to each other. I’d like to think these two ladies are debating ideas rather than spitting spewing vitriol at one another.

I especially noticed this during the presidential election last year. Tumblr started to become a giant echo chamber, a huge bullhorn that sang the praises of Obama. I was part of it, and for the most part it was fun, but I wasn’t really learning anything. It didn’t make me any smarter, any more informed about the relevant issues.

The thing is - Tumblr, and the Internet as a whole can be polarizing; it can lead you towards group think because it rewards our similarities through likes, trackbacks, reblogs, tumblarity, and authority levels. But only when we decide to choose popularity over individuality. You can insulate yourself, and find only those who agree with you - but I went out of my way to find different voices, and that made such a difference.

The beauty of technology is that you can find diversity if you really want to. That’s not always the case in real life. if you find yourself reading the same regurgitated message over and over again, you can celebrate it, complain, or do something about it. The choice is yours.

I see this becoming one of the bigger issues of print newspapers failing.  When you’re reading a print newspaper, your eyes are scanning articles that you may not initially be interested in reading.  But when you’re reading an online newspaper, your eyes are reading articles only that you specifically want to read, most of which will reinforce your own opinion without offering a different perspective.  And so our nation becomes more polarized.

•

What New York means to me

Growing up 50 miles east of Manhattan, I took the city for granted  Why would I ever need to plan a trip to the Empire State Building?  The Statue of Liberty?  Ellis Island?  It was all a train ride away.  During a sick day in fifth grade watching The Price is Right, the Showcase included a trip to New York City.  “Seriously?” I thought.  It has some skyscrapers.  It has some museums.  Some restaurants.  Some zoos.  But no big deal: the city was just where my Russian great-grandparents immigrated to and my grandparents grew up (before encompassing the American Dream and moving to archetypal suburban Long Island and raising a family.)

Now, thirteen years later, I’m 630 miles away, and that same city has become its own character thanks largely in part to Sex and the City and, oh, just every rocom ever.  But to me, it’s still a bunch of buildings and attractions.  Sure, the most brilliant buildings in the world, and the most awe-aspiring attractions.  Yet, New York City is not significant to me because of this, but because of my family.  I have the opportunity to visit streets where my grandmother had her first apartment, and my grandfather, his first business.

When I watch the Yankees, I am reminded of my elementary school book report on Mickey Mantle that my dad encouraged me to read.  So tonight, when New York won its 27th World Series, I knew I was watching the same team for which both my parents root, and for which their own parents rooted.  The Yankees may be a dynasty — but to me, they’re simply tradition.

•
November 4, 2009
About to go rage on a Wednesday night for this lovely team.

About to go rage on a Wednesday night for this lovely team.

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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

inothernews:

empire state of mind | jay-z (featuring alicia keys)

Can it be 8 pm right now?  So excited for the game.  Let’s hear it for New Yooooooooork. 

•
To Forever 21: Please take note of my ideal New Year’s dress and design something within my price range. 

To Forever 21: Please take note of my ideal New Year’s dress and design something within my price range. 

•
November 3, 2009
Why Dating Is Much More Difficult, Exhausting and Time-Consuming in New York

Truth be told, my last formal “date” — you know, sober conversation and dinner — was in New York City earlier this year (which makes sense given my inevitable future as a spinster.)  In general, though, dating is more difficult in larger cities than smaller places based on the statistically best way to meet the one: 37% + 1. 

If you live in Ames, IA, you can expect to meet, say, 10 men – 10 potential husbands – in your life.  In that case, your optimal strategy requires you to reject the first four men (no matter who and how good they are) and then marry the first man who is better than any of the ones that you have dated before. 

If you live in New York, you can expect to meet, say, 1,000 men.  Now your mathematically proven optimal strategy requires you to reject the first 369 men and marry the first man who is better than any of the hundreds of men who came before.

Remember, in order to determine who the first man is who is better than all the ones who came before, you have to evaluate each of your dates very carefully.  It’s not like you can just hang up on the phone calls or delete the email messages from the first 37% of the suitors. 

This can therefore explain why women remain single longer and marry later in New York than in Ames, and, in general, why women in urban areas (with a greater number of potential mates) remain single and marry later than women in rural areas (with a smaller number of potential mates).

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November 2, 2009
“ Oh, and too bad about Melky’s hamstring. He was crying in the clubhouse. I said, bro, that’s what happens when you have only two legs.

IAmCentaur

Only slightly obsessed with this fake ARod Twitter…

•
The Way I Work: Jason Fried of 37Signals

austinkleon:

I often ask myself, “What do you want your days to look like?” This sounds pretty good to me.

I like his rationale:

Kids are coming out of school thinking, I want to start the next YouTube or Facebook. If a restaurant served more food than everybody else but lost money on every diner, would it be successful? No. But on the Internet, for some reason, if you have more users than everyone else, you’re successful. No, you’re not.

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Yes, this photo was taken at about 11 am three weekends ago.  And yes, that is wine in a can.  And yes, Annie is coming to Charlotte this weekend (perhaps in that get-up?).  In short, can I fast forward to Friday and let the raging commence?

Yes, this photo was taken at about 11 am three weekends ago.  And yes, that is wine in a can.  And yes, Annie is coming to Charlotte this weekend (perhaps in that get-up?).  In short, can I fast forward to Friday and let the raging commence?

•