A Social Contract
Ramblings on the collision of technology and human nature
Ramblings on the collision of technology and human nature
Warren Adelman
GoDaddy CEO Warren Adelman, Personal Blog
The Mob (No Not That One)
More than a year ago I wrote about how the anonymity of the Internet often drags open online discourse into the gutter. Well sadly not much has changed!
I've been a user of Twitter for quite some time. You can do a lot in 140 characters (sometimes!). But here are 8 characters I would love to see disappear from the Twitter lexicon:
SUCKS ASS
I don't really understand why people want to express their innermost feelings publicly, but so be it. They also want to comment on an event, a product or service or a celebrity, politician, friend or enemy on Twitter. But why must they use these choice 8 characters to do it?
SUCKS ASS
Is our educational system so dysfunctional that those who Twitter cannot come up with a better level of commentary? Have social norms been so degraded that
SUCKS ASS
is now an acceptable way to communicate?
Do a search on twitter for
SUCKS ASS
Just in the last hour this descriptive has been used many times. Apparently ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy sucks ass. Many think school sucks ass...That is an age old complaint of students! Breakfast, work, sunburns and cramps all suck ass. A rapper named Kobe sucks ass compared to Eminem according to one person. Another twitterer thinks the baseball player Mariano Rivera sucks ass.
I'm so tired of hearing those two words from the Internet Mob.
Recommended alternatives to sucks ass are welcome!
I've been a user of Twitter for quite some time. You can do a lot in 140 characters (sometimes!). But here are 8 characters I would love to see disappear from the Twitter lexicon:
SUCKS ASS
I don't really understand why people want to express their innermost feelings publicly, but so be it. They also want to comment on an event, a product or service or a celebrity, politician, friend or enemy on Twitter. But why must they use these choice 8 characters to do it?
SUCKS ASS
Is our educational system so dysfunctional that those who Twitter cannot come up with a better level of commentary? Have social norms been so degraded that
SUCKS ASS
is now an acceptable way to communicate?
Do a search on twitter for
SUCKS ASS
Just in the last hour this descriptive has been used many times. Apparently ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy sucks ass. Many think school sucks ass...That is an age old complaint of students! Breakfast, work, sunburns and cramps all suck ass. A rapper named Kobe sucks ass compared to Eminem according to one person. Another twitterer thinks the baseball player Mariano Rivera sucks ass.
I'm so tired of hearing those two words from the Internet Mob.
Recommended alternatives to sucks ass are welcome!
Recommended Reading
My Blog Administration service from GoDaddy-Quick BlogCast tells me I have not published an entry in a very long time........So I thought I would jump back in with some book recommendations for all those interested in sales, marketing and human behavior. I enjoyed the following books and also learned quite a bit from them. In fact in one case, Nudge, I wish I had read it BEFORE implementing some new practices.
Here we go:
By Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
Among other things, this is a good book for any HR or Finance professional designing 401k programs or anyone considering their own retirement needs. It is also an important read for online marketeers presenting options to customers. The authors cover the irrational decisions individuals make and the importance of guidance, their "nudges." They have some interesting thoughts on the marriage process. You will also enjoy the urinal story from Schipol airport in Amsterdam. I'm going to check out the urinals the next time I am there!
By Martin Lindstrom
Lindstrom used MRIs on a few thousand people to observe their reactions to certain ads and buying habits. He looked at the notion that sex sells, at "anti" campaigns and other advertising strategies including product placement. For those of you wondering, the book came out more than 3 years after GoDaddy released its first, and now famous, Super Bowl commercial.
One of the interesting findings....anti-smoking billboards and commercials can actually drive sales of the products they are warning against. You can check out an interview with the author here. And that lime you stick in your bottle of Corona...I've had people tell me it was a practice intended to keep flies away. Look for the REAL answer in Buyology.
by Dan Ariely
A really compelling read on why we do what we do-even when it is not in our best interest. Ever wonder why a $4.00 cup of coffee seems entirely reasonable these days? Or the power of a "Free" offer ? How about bundles--print and online versions of a magazine for example. Like Nudge, this has real world practical insights for marketeers.
Ariely also covers social behaviors, sex, procrastination and choice
Ariely, now a professor at MIT, also shares his heart-wrenching personal story in the book's introduction.
I suggest you read them all. And if I see a lot of referrer traffic to Amazon I guess I should think about joining their affiliate program 
Whom The Gods Will Destroy They First Make Mad
This cautionary tale of cellphone use is now a few months old but worth relating nonetheless. It revolves around the magic trio of cellphone, nude pictures and McDonalds. Think of it as a new kind of combo meal......
In Fayetteville, Arkansas a Phil Sherman left his cellphone at a local McDonalds. That is always a bummer but for Phil it was a little more problematic. It turns out that Phil had a collection of nude photos of his wife, Tina, stored on his cellphone. Doh!
In Fayetteville, Arkansas a Phil Sherman left his cellphone at a local McDonalds. That is always a bummer but for Phil it was a little more problematic. It turns out that Phil had a collection of nude photos of his wife, Tina, stored on his cellphone. Doh!
The phone was apparently picked up by someone at the McDonalds and it wasn't long before those pictures of Tina made their way to the Internet. Phil was apparently not familiar with the password/lock function of his phone (a really good thing to use if you store nude pictures of your wife or anyone else on your mobile device.)
So what happened next? In grand American litigious style, Tina and Phil filed suit against McDonald's Corp, the franchise owner and the restaurant manager. The couple is seeking a jury trial and $3 million in damages for suffering, embarrassment and the cost of having to move to a new home?
Why I Still Belong to Netflix
I first started blogging in December of 2007 after an experience with an inconsiderate cellphone user at the movie theater. Luckily violence was averted. Not so in Philadelphia this past Christmas season. When I read this story below. I just had to share it. I'm, of course, not justifying the shooter's action. It is simply another example of the decay of social behavior (no cellphone involved.)
Man Allegedly Shoots Talker at Movies
By MARYCLAIRE DALE
PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 27, 2009) — A man enraged by a noisy family sitting near him in a movie theater on Christmas night shot the father of the family in the arm, police said.
James Joseph Cialella, 29, of Philadelphia, faces six charges that include attempted murder and aggravated assault. He remained in custody.
Philadelphia Police Department
Police said James Joseph Cialella, 29, was carrying a .380-caliber handgun when he was arrested for allegedly shooting a man in a Philadelphia movie theater.
Police said Cialella told the man's family to be quiet, then threw popcorn at the man's son. The victim, whom television reports identified as Woffard Lomax, told police that Cialella was walking toward his family when he stood up and was shot.
Detectives called to the United Artists Riverview Stadium theater in South Philadelphia found Cialella carrying the weapon, a .380-caliber handgun, in his waistband, police said.
Lt. Frank Vanore called the incident "scary that it gets to that level of violence from being too noisy during a movie."
Lomax, 31, of Yeadon, was released from a hospital after the shooting. He declined to comment when contacted by phone Saturday.
It was not immediately known whether Cialella had a lawyer or whether bail had been set. A woman who answered a call to his home number Saturday declined to comment.
Police could not confirm what movie was playing in the theater, but The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that it was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Does he look like the type that would have been seeing Benjamin Button?
Blackberryphilia
Blackberry addiction is once again in the news. President-elect Obama is a heavy Blackberry user and a variety of government rules appear to have the device destined to the sock drawer for a few years. (I recently had a conversation with a German about this who advised me that the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is a total SMS addict and had the law adapted to her digital needs.).
While Im sure the President-elect is going to have MUCH bigger issues to deal with, I would support a change that allows SMS and mobile mail to be used by the Pres. Why stand in the way of societal technology trends?
But, of course, there are always people who give the Blackberry a bad name. (No-- I am not talking about myself despite the pictures below from Europe which my wife took).
Enjoying Paris:
And Berlin:
A fairly recent study conducted by that bastion of scientific research, Sheraton Hotels, fond that a whopping 35% of executives would chose their Blackberry over their spouse. " I can't live without it," was a common refrain.
The study, which included some 6500 executives, also noted that 87% of those polled bring their device (smartphone) into the bedroom. 84% check their mail just before they go to sleep. And, in one stat I had to read more than once, 85% check their email once in the middle of the night!
These people are really sick. I feel comparatively healthy and normal. I've printed out the whole study to show my wife how well adjusted I am compared to these sickos!
Yes, I think the Blackberry is a great productivity tool (in addition to being an electronic ball and chain). Yes, I think it is great that, when necessary, you can be connected anywhere, anytime. But there are limits.
One psychologist's comment on the study's findings: "Turn it off...Have a real relationship with a living human being." Or as Bob Parsons would say, "We're not here for a long time; We're here for a good time."
Does facebook Think I'm Fat?
I was on my facebook page today and noticed the two interesting display ads on the page.
The first ad, as you can see below, is for the Simon Pegg film Run Fatboy Run. It is a movie with a few chuckles but I would never rent ANYTHING from Blockbuster. I'm still angry for the $35 dollars they charged me years ago for a film I absolutely returned.
The second ad (also below) is for a liposuction clinic here in Arizona. You get to watch a real liposuction procedure. What fun!
Should I assume that facebook thinks I am fat. I don't think I am fat. My friends on facebook have not posted about me being fat.
The other possibility is that facebook thought I would like to watch Run Fatboy Run. Not a terrible assumption. Then I assume their ad system decided to match the second ad with the first. Run Fatboy Run equals liposuction. More fat to go around. You can check out the great video (lipo porn?) here.
I'm going to go with scenario two (and maybe layoff on some high calorie snacks just to be safe).
The Stuff of Creation
Day Two and all is well at CERN with the Collider. Phew!
All of the news, and concern, around the First Beam jarred my memory. I recalled that famous interview with Robert Oppenheimer where he reflected on the feelings among the scientists as the first atomic bomb was tested in the New Mexico desert. Here it is:
Chilling.
The ultimate collision of technology and human nature.
Chilling.
The ultimate collision of technology and human nature.
Engaged
Follow-Up: The first beam in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN was successfully steered around the full 27 kilometers of the world’s most powerful particle accelerator this morning. We survived!
The people at CERN are thrilled:
Engage
On April 12th, I wrote about the Large Hadron Collider being developed by CERN--the European Organization for Nuclear Research. At the time, some voices were heard expressing concern over the potential safety hazards of creating the conditions that existed at the time of the creation of the universe.
In anticipation of go-live (or FIRST BEAM as it is called) on September 10th, CERN published a new paper touting the safety of the Collider. Here is an excerpt:
The LHC, like other particle accelerators, recreates the natural phenomena of cosmic rays under controlled laboratory conditions, enabling them to be studied in more detail. Cosmic rays are particles produced in outer space, some of which are accelerated to energies far exceeding those of the LHC. The energy and the rate at which they reach the Earth’s atmosphere have been measured in experiments for some 70 years. Over the past billions of years, Nature has already generated on Earth as many collisions as about a million LHC experiments – and the planet still exists. Astronomers observe an enormous number of larger astronomical bodies throughout the Universe, all of which are also struck by cosmic rays. The Universe as a whole conducts more than 10 million million LHC-like experiments per second. The possibility of any dangerous consequences contradicts what astronomers see - stars and galaxies still exist.
You can read the full text here.
Let's hope they get it right.
If not we can all be very angry with this CERN scientist and his colleagues:
By the way, CERN chose Russian parts for triggers for the Quench Protection System pictured here:
Hope that works out.
Lets check in on September 10th
P.S. Sorry for the long absence.
Goodbye Mr. Bond continued
More pictures of China's recent anti-terror exercises pre-Olympics can be found at this link.
Seems that Segways did indeed feature prominently in the exercises called Great Wall 5.
One photo that caught my eye follows here:
This photo, released by the official Xinhau news agency, show an anti-terror police officer using a flame thrower.
Holy Smokes. Is that the most targeted way to interdict terrorists? It seems positively pre-Industrial compared to the cool and stylish Segway masters.
Warren Adelman
A Social Contract is the personal blog of Warren Adelman, CEO of GoDaddy.com. The blog represents his personal thoughts only.
