I just wanted to apologize to everyone who enjoyed my short-lived blog here; Being deployed, taking classes and writing consistently proved too much all at once.
Now, I've decided to start a new site, Cognoramus.com, with a new blog. Some of my favorite articles from The Social Creature have been reposted there, along with brand new material on a variety of topics.
I'll be writing about money, technology, personal interaction, government, and anything else that pops into my funny-shaped head. I hope to see you there!
Regards,
Alex
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Friday, May 16, 2008
Crime Online: New Legal Precedents
We've all seen the story of a group of Florida cheerleaders ganging up on a fellow student. Their reason? The girl had made mean posts about them on MySpace. It seems every day brings a new case of violence, bullying or other crime facilitated by the Internet.
Today, I saw a unique case in The Seattle Times. This time, it was a grown woman allegedly contributed to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl. The story states,
"She allegedly helped create a MySpace account in the name of someone who didn't exist to convince young neighbor Megan Meier that she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans."
The girl later hanged herself after receiving cruel messages from the fictional boy. This is a strange case, to say the least. The victim's parents say they monitored her MySpace account. They also admitted that the girl sent mean messages back to "Josh".
The woman who allegedly impersonated Josh Evans will be charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization. The U.S. Attorney in the case says this is the first time the latter charge will be used in a social networking case.
To me, this seems like a long shot prosecution. If the victim's parents were monitoring her account, why didn't they stop what was going on? If they did not feel it was a problem then, why do they believe it contributed to her suicide?
Has any other reader seen this case? If you have any details or thoughts to add, I'd love to hear them.
Today, I saw a unique case in The Seattle Times. This time, it was a grown woman allegedly contributed to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl. The story states,
"She allegedly helped create a MySpace account in the name of someone who didn't exist to convince young neighbor Megan Meier that she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans."
The girl later hanged herself after receiving cruel messages from the fictional boy. This is a strange case, to say the least. The victim's parents say they monitored her MySpace account. They also admitted that the girl sent mean messages back to "Josh".
The woman who allegedly impersonated Josh Evans will be charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization. The U.S. Attorney in the case says this is the first time the latter charge will be used in a social networking case.
To me, this seems like a long shot prosecution. If the victim's parents were monitoring her account, why didn't they stop what was going on? If they did not feel it was a problem then, why do they believe it contributed to her suicide?
Has any other reader seen this case? If you have any details or thoughts to add, I'd love to hear them.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
This Is The Problem With MySpace
A few weeks ago, I asked all of you to share an interesting story from the world of social networking sites. Within the first week, I had 9 stories. I quickly noticed that these stories had the same pattern. My friend Nabila writes:
"So my friend convinced me to get a MySpace account. I literally copied everything from my Facebook and threw it up there. All of a sudden, MySpace decides I'm one of the "cool new people" and plants my picture on the homepage. Over the course of the next 24 hours I have 5400 hits to my profile, 350 friend requests and about 130 emails. Out of control.
Granted most of the emails centered around the theme of "holy crap, you have huge boobs", but when you get a letter from a "friend" it's the thought that counts, right? Another good one was from a native Arabic speaker. He wrote, "I like you very," which mirrors the word order of Arabic. I particularly liked the email from the "remember 9-11" site, which said, "honka, honka, I want to squeeze your t*****s". Very classy.
Anyway, I was totally amused by the whole thing. Who knew a pink halter-top and red hair could elicit such a response? "
This kind of story why I'm leaving MySpace. Facebook is structured in a way that's conducive to keeping in touch with your friends. MySpace, on the other hand, is designed to "make new friends." The problem is, every scientific study on the subject says that to develop genuine friendships, we need real interaction. A "Merry Christmas" eCard posted on the message boards of 200 buddies just doesn't cut it.
MySpace users, how many of you have one or two people in your friends list who you've never met before? How many of you have not talked to that person since adding them? Ask the same question of Facebook users, and I would bet the result is much different. Do you want to meet people who "like you very" without ever meeting you, or would you rather know what happens in the lives of your real friends?
"So my friend convinced me to get a MySpace account. I literally copied everything from my Facebook and threw it up there. All of a sudden, MySpace decides I'm one of the "cool new people" and plants my picture on the homepage. Over the course of the next 24 hours I have 5400 hits to my profile, 350 friend requests and about 130 emails. Out of control.
Granted most of the emails centered around the theme of "holy crap, you have huge boobs", but when you get a letter from a "friend" it's the thought that counts, right? Another good one was from a native Arabic speaker. He wrote, "I like you very," which mirrors the word order of Arabic. I particularly liked the email from the "remember 9-11" site, which said, "honka, honka, I want to squeeze your t*****s". Very classy.
Anyway, I was totally amused by the whole thing. Who knew a pink halter-top and red hair could elicit such a response? "
This kind of story why I'm leaving MySpace. Facebook is structured in a way that's conducive to keeping in touch with your friends. MySpace, on the other hand, is designed to "make new friends." The problem is, every scientific study on the subject says that to develop genuine friendships, we need real interaction. A "Merry Christmas" eCard posted on the message boards of 200 buddies just doesn't cut it.
MySpace users, how many of you have one or two people in your friends list who you've never met before? How many of you have not talked to that person since adding them? Ask the same question of Facebook users, and I would bet the result is much different. Do you want to meet people who "like you very" without ever meeting you, or would you rather know what happens in the lives of your real friends?
Monday, May 5, 2008
Six Degrees of Messenger
The story that we're all connected by 6 degrees of separation may not always work in the real world. This fascinating concept about the way our social networks are set up has plenty of critics and skeptics. In the world of instant messaging, though, this maxim has been vindicated. A study by Microsoft researchers shows that users of Microsoft Messenger are separated, on average, by about 6.6 "steps" between mutual friends.
Jure Leskovec and Eric Horvitz analyzed 4.5 Terabytes of data, representing all the usage of Microsoft Messenger in one month during the summer of 2006. The information was anonymous, but the researchers used general demographic data (age, zip code, gender, etc.) to produce some interesting results. Their findings break down into 3 major areas: age, gender, and geography.
In general the study shows that even online we stick with our own. The majority of our conversations take place with others who share our language. The next strongest factors are geographical distance and age group.
The world of messaging has always had a strong over-representation of people between the ages of 15 and 35. According to the data, this younger segment also tends to communicate mostly with others in the same age group. This changes as we get older. Users over 35 show less bias based on age. Our conversations also get deeper with age, it seems. While people over the age of 50 have fewer IM conversations in general, their conversations are generally longer and involve more messages. Interestingly, the conversations also got slower, with less "messages per hour" than younger users.
As for gender, guys talking to guys are just as taciturn online as on the phone. The average male-male conversation was shorter than any other based on gender. The average male spent 4 minutes per conversation with other males. Female-female conversations averaged 4.5 minutes apiece. The study also confirmed that we invest more in conversations with the opposite sex. Half of all IM exchanges were between opposite sexes, and these conversations averaged 5 minutes each. Opposite genders involved in conversation with each other also tended to do web searches for similar subjects, indicating that we really do pay more attention to communicating with current or prospective mates.
Next, the study describes the geographical results. Distance-wise, we stay close to home. The research shows a peak in communications at distances of 500km or about 312 miles. The researchers theorize that this is partly the result of geographic features. For example, past a distance of 3000km, there is a sharp decline in the amount of communications. This distance is also the approximate width of the Atlantic Ocean, giving a probable explanation for the decrease in links.
Looking at a map of what countries talk to each other the most, the conclusions about "homophily", or associating with people like yourself, still hold true. Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America have strong links to each other and Spain. Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and the Korean peninsula form a tight network. Turkey shows strong links to Germany, which has a large population of Turkish immigrants.
The countries of the Arabic-speaking world stick close together and also communicate heavily with France, a former colonial power in North Africa and home to a large population of Arabs. These countries also have some of the longest conversations out of all the places in the study, a reflection of the family-oriented, close-knit culture of the area.
These conclusions are interesting, but not surprising. To me, the most important result is proof of something I've believed for a while. Instant Messaging can span the globe, but for the most part it doesn't make you new friends. The social network stays more or less same. It's just another medium to keep in touch with those you already know.
Jure Leskovec and Eric Horvitz analyzed 4.5 Terabytes of data, representing all the usage of Microsoft Messenger in one month during the summer of 2006. The information was anonymous, but the researchers used general demographic data (age, zip code, gender, etc.) to produce some interesting results. Their findings break down into 3 major areas: age, gender, and geography.
In general the study shows that even online we stick with our own. The majority of our conversations take place with others who share our language. The next strongest factors are geographical distance and age group.
The world of messaging has always had a strong over-representation of people between the ages of 15 and 35. According to the data, this younger segment also tends to communicate mostly with others in the same age group. This changes as we get older. Users over 35 show less bias based on age. Our conversations also get deeper with age, it seems. While people over the age of 50 have fewer IM conversations in general, their conversations are generally longer and involve more messages. Interestingly, the conversations also got slower, with less "messages per hour" than younger users.
As for gender, guys talking to guys are just as taciturn online as on the phone. The average male-male conversation was shorter than any other based on gender. The average male spent 4 minutes per conversation with other males. Female-female conversations averaged 4.5 minutes apiece. The study also confirmed that we invest more in conversations with the opposite sex. Half of all IM exchanges were between opposite sexes, and these conversations averaged 5 minutes each. Opposite genders involved in conversation with each other also tended to do web searches for similar subjects, indicating that we really do pay more attention to communicating with current or prospective mates.
Next, the study describes the geographical results. Distance-wise, we stay close to home. The research shows a peak in communications at distances of 500km or about 312 miles. The researchers theorize that this is partly the result of geographic features. For example, past a distance of 3000km, there is a sharp decline in the amount of communications. This distance is also the approximate width of the Atlantic Ocean, giving a probable explanation for the decrease in links.
Looking at a map of what countries talk to each other the most, the conclusions about "homophily", or associating with people like yourself, still hold true. Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America have strong links to each other and Spain. Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and the Korean peninsula form a tight network. Turkey shows strong links to Germany, which has a large population of Turkish immigrants.
The countries of the Arabic-speaking world stick close together and also communicate heavily with France, a former colonial power in North Africa and home to a large population of Arabs. These countries also have some of the longest conversations out of all the places in the study, a reflection of the family-oriented, close-knit culture of the area.
These conclusions are interesting, but not surprising. To me, the most important result is proof of something I've believed for a while. Instant Messaging can span the globe, but for the most part it doesn't make you new friends. The social network stays more or less same. It's just another medium to keep in touch with those you already know.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
LivePlasma: Expanding Your Horizons
So you're listening to your new favorite Korean-Metal-Rap band and feeling just a bit self-satisfied (smug) because you've "discovered" the next big star. But the same CD gets boring after a while, right? Ever start wondering how to find more artists in the same vein that you'll like? Amazon.com's "People also bought..." feature is great, but it doesn't offer much depth. This is where LivePlasma comes in. Just plug in the name of a band, artist or movie, and you're presented with a visual map of other artists you might like, based on the recommendations of LivePlasma members. While the genre and flavor of the media is similar to that movie you just loved, this spider web of films can open up the variety of that genre.
The map shows flowchart-like relationships between media. The closer two items appear to each other, the more similar those songs, artists or movies are in genre and taste. Each map is interactive. If the search term you used links to a bunch of media you're already familiar with, you can move through those and find increasingly distant links.
The site also has a very diverse library, catering to those who like American pop culture, French romance films, and Soviet-era underground music alike. Accessible in French, English, German and Spanish, LivePlasma is currently seeking translators to help make it easier to use for those who speak a foreign language.
The site remains free with little or no advertising to be found. My requests for information from the webmaster went unanswered, but it seems the main sources of revenue are user donations and referrals to Amazon.com. Getting a free user account adds increased functionality, such as being able to save your maps or send them to others, making this a great tool for anyone looking to see or hear something new.
The map shows flowchart-like relationships between media. The closer two items appear to each other, the more similar those songs, artists or movies are in genre and taste. Each map is interactive. If the search term you used links to a bunch of media you're already familiar with, you can move through those and find increasingly distant links.
The site also has a very diverse library, catering to those who like American pop culture, French romance films, and Soviet-era underground music alike. Accessible in French, English, German and Spanish, LivePlasma is currently seeking translators to help make it easier to use for those who speak a foreign language.
The site remains free with little or no advertising to be found. My requests for information from the webmaster went unanswered, but it seems the main sources of revenue are user donations and referrals to Amazon.com. Getting a free user account adds increased functionality, such as being able to save your maps or send them to others, making this a great tool for anyone looking to see or hear something new.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Time Banking: Bringing Back Barter
In a recent post, we talked about the nature of social capital. Here, we discuss a related concept. Time banking is a great way to build your social capital as well as do something you feel good about.
In 1980, a man named Dr. Edgar S. Cahn suffered a massive heart attack. He was 46. Recuperating in the hospital and “feeling useless,” he dreamed up Time Dollars as a new currency to provide a solution to massive cuts in government spending on social welfare. The concept of Time Dollars recreates humanity's first system of commerce. Before there was a gold standard or fiat money, there was barter. In its original form, it was trade in the most literal sense of the word. Person A would give person B one cow in exchange for, say, ten bags of grain. There was no currency and no inflation, and the exchange rates were determined through haggling. Time Banks, which trade in Time Dollars, put a modern spin on the same concept.
The basic concept is that all hours are created equal. A hair stylist's hour of work is equal to a babysitter's, and both of those are equal to an hour spent helping someone with their garden. In a specialized society like ours, each person trades primarily in one skill. Suppose the auto mechanic wants to go to a two-hour concert. Using a time bank, he can "debit" his account two Time Dollars for the tickets, as long as someone who can get him the tickets also participates. At a later date, he can perform two hours' worth of mechanical work for another participant of his time bank, at which point he will have paid his debt.
Most time banks are local organizations. They are found all over the world with several websites dedicated to directing users to time banks in their area. Timebanks.org, a sort of directory, advises that the optimal size for any one bank is under 150. Since every time bank relies on mutual trust, keeping the numbers small keeps things personal without a whole lot of unscreened strangers. It also makes it easier to track everyone's time dollar accounts.
What kind of experiences do people have with time banking? Loretta B., a guest writer at my favorite personal finance blog, Get Rich Slowly, writes:
"When my Dad died, my yoga teacher from the timebank came and stayed at the house during the funeral. She removed all the medical equipment, restoring the house to normal. Others served food and cleared up at the luncheon after my Dad’s funeral. I cannot tell you the relief I felt having people I could trust take care of that for me, and financially, I would not have been able to afford the luncheon any other way."
Time banking is an exciting concept for many reasons. When Dr. Cahn concieved the idea, he imagined it being used for social welfare programs, a sort of volunteer effort with rewards. That potential is just now being recognized. Since this is a "pay it forward" system, it's more than just another charity effort. People who use a service from a time bank are called upon to offer their own services to others. This creates a ripple effect and keeps the system from being a handout.
In 1980, a man named Dr. Edgar S. Cahn suffered a massive heart attack. He was 46. Recuperating in the hospital and “feeling useless,” he dreamed up Time Dollars as a new currency to provide a solution to massive cuts in government spending on social welfare. The concept of Time Dollars recreates humanity's first system of commerce. Before there was a gold standard or fiat money, there was barter. In its original form, it was trade in the most literal sense of the word. Person A would give person B one cow in exchange for, say, ten bags of grain. There was no currency and no inflation, and the exchange rates were determined through haggling. Time Banks, which trade in Time Dollars, put a modern spin on the same concept.
The basic concept is that all hours are created equal. A hair stylist's hour of work is equal to a babysitter's, and both of those are equal to an hour spent helping someone with their garden. In a specialized society like ours, each person trades primarily in one skill. Suppose the auto mechanic wants to go to a two-hour concert. Using a time bank, he can "debit" his account two Time Dollars for the tickets, as long as someone who can get him the tickets also participates. At a later date, he can perform two hours' worth of mechanical work for another participant of his time bank, at which point he will have paid his debt.
Most time banks are local organizations. They are found all over the world with several websites dedicated to directing users to time banks in their area. Timebanks.org, a sort of directory, advises that the optimal size for any one bank is under 150. Since every time bank relies on mutual trust, keeping the numbers small keeps things personal without a whole lot of unscreened strangers. It also makes it easier to track everyone's time dollar accounts.
What kind of experiences do people have with time banking? Loretta B., a guest writer at my favorite personal finance blog, Get Rich Slowly, writes:
"When my Dad died, my yoga teacher from the timebank came and stayed at the house during the funeral. She removed all the medical equipment, restoring the house to normal. Others served food and cleared up at the luncheon after my Dad’s funeral. I cannot tell you the relief I felt having people I could trust take care of that for me, and financially, I would not have been able to afford the luncheon any other way."
Time banking is an exciting concept for many reasons. When Dr. Cahn concieved the idea, he imagined it being used for social welfare programs, a sort of volunteer effort with rewards. That potential is just now being recognized. Since this is a "pay it forward" system, it's more than just another charity effort. People who use a service from a time bank are called upon to offer their own services to others. This creates a ripple effect and keeps the system from being a handout.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
TerraNet: Peer-to-Peer Cellular
TerraNet, a Swedish company, has announced that the first implementation of their revolutionary phone network will take place in South America later this year, with plans for a commercial debut in the works for 2009. The concept behind the network relies on using the handsets themselves to create a free wireless network. These would be augmented by low-cost substations. In its proposed form, the setup is purely peer-to-peer and eliminates all of the expensive overhead involved in setting up regular cell phone service.
The service is accomplished by using handsets adapted to work as peers. When a TerraNet phone switches on, it looks for other handsets within range. Each of these peers can route data or calls for other phones in the network. Though each handset has an effective range of about one kilometre, a call can be routed through several different phones, effectively extending the range as long as there is another phone to serve as a re-transmitter.
The idea has far-reaching implications for the developing world. Although it won't necessarily replace wireless service in metropolitan centers, it could be extremely effective in rural or isolated areas. For example, a small village in Africa doesn't have enough potential subscribers to justify the installation of base stations and towers, as well as the costs of connecting these over hundreds of miles to the nearest existing network. However, a P2P network requires no extra hardware aside from the phones themselves. This, as well as the lack of maintainance required, makes it an attractive option.
This idea has been proposed before, but TerraNet brings some very practical solutions to several important questions. The company has developed several protocols to address day-to-day issues. Switching from tower to tower or provider to provider constantly results in a significant drain on a phone's battery. A power-saving algorithm, vital for places without reliable electricity, is already in place on the phones TerraNet plans to use. Also included is high-end encryption, eliminating concerns over eavesdropping. TerraNet also says the process of distributing data flow through the network has been perfected and patented. While congestion is still possible, this will greatly increase the amount of information that can be passed over the network at any one time.
Finally, the company touts its interoperability with existing networks. Using a gateway consisting of a regular PC with an inexpensive USB device, a TerraNet network can be connected to another P2P or standard Global System for Mobile (GSM) network, meaning users are no longer restricted to their neighborhood in making calls.
Although many details, such as specifics of the protocols and specific frequencies remain closed, TerraNet is confident that commercial applications of their concept will begin within two years. With little information coming from inside the company itself, the results will have to speak for themselves.
The service is accomplished by using handsets adapted to work as peers. When a TerraNet phone switches on, it looks for other handsets within range. Each of these peers can route data or calls for other phones in the network. Though each handset has an effective range of about one kilometre, a call can be routed through several different phones, effectively extending the range as long as there is another phone to serve as a re-transmitter.
The idea has far-reaching implications for the developing world. Although it won't necessarily replace wireless service in metropolitan centers, it could be extremely effective in rural or isolated areas. For example, a small village in Africa doesn't have enough potential subscribers to justify the installation of base stations and towers, as well as the costs of connecting these over hundreds of miles to the nearest existing network. However, a P2P network requires no extra hardware aside from the phones themselves. This, as well as the lack of maintainance required, makes it an attractive option.
This idea has been proposed before, but TerraNet brings some very practical solutions to several important questions. The company has developed several protocols to address day-to-day issues. Switching from tower to tower or provider to provider constantly results in a significant drain on a phone's battery. A power-saving algorithm, vital for places without reliable electricity, is already in place on the phones TerraNet plans to use. Also included is high-end encryption, eliminating concerns over eavesdropping. TerraNet also says the process of distributing data flow through the network has been perfected and patented. While congestion is still possible, this will greatly increase the amount of information that can be passed over the network at any one time.
Finally, the company touts its interoperability with existing networks. Using a gateway consisting of a regular PC with an inexpensive USB device, a TerraNet network can be connected to another P2P or standard Global System for Mobile (GSM) network, meaning users are no longer restricted to their neighborhood in making calls.
Although many details, such as specifics of the protocols and specific frequencies remain closed, TerraNet is confident that commercial applications of their concept will begin within two years. With little information coming from inside the company itself, the results will have to speak for themselves.
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