Classes are back in full swing. I usually end up sharing some of my reading material with Alpine, whether he likes it or not... so in an effort to keep from bugging him to death, I'll just put it here. It's interesting stuff, especially when you really think about the big picture.
My reading comes from Diffusion of Innovations, 5th ed, by Everett M. Rogers. In a nutshell, we are studying change, and how decisions are made to accept change by an individual or an organization. Most of this is based on communication, whether among friends, strangers or the media. This is the section on the diffusion of news events (pg 75-77):
"News diffusion investigations focus mainly on tracing the spread of spectacularly important news events such as the assassination of a U.S. president, or a Norwegian prime minister; the launch of Sputnik or the Challenger disaster; or some other major world news event, such as the September 11 terrorist attacks. At such times, all the mass media virtually crackle with the excitement of the news."
"What happens next, as the news reaches the public and spreads from individual to individual, is the main concern of news diffusion scholars. These investigations show how important radio, television, newspaper, and interpersonal channels are in diffusing the news event, and how quickly such diffusion occurs: very rapidly, Deutschmann and Danielson (1960) found."
"Salience is the degree to which a news event is perceived as important by individuals. What determines this salience of a news event? The media convey to their audience strong clues about the degree to which media professionals judge an event to have high news value: whether a news story is given bulletin status (that is, by interrupting regular broadcasts), whether it appears in bold headlines or at the top of a news show, and the length of broadcast time or news space allotted to the news story. Audience individuals evaluate the news story on the basis of whether it concerns someone of celebrity status, such as "Magic" Johnson, the U.S. President, or the pop, whether it affects them directly in some way, and whether it has local implications."
And then we go to page 84, where the author discusses Social Marketing:
"We can force people to adopt certain innovations. For example, city and state governments enforce laws requiring motorcycle helmet use, automobile seat belts, and driving under a certain speed limit. Cigarette smoking is not permitted on domestic airlines in the United States, nor in restaurants and other public places in the many cities that have adopted no-smoking ordinances. In these cases, society has imposed its will on individual behavior. Such coercion in forcing behavior change is understandable not popular with certain members of the public. A different approach to effecting the adoption of innovations that can improve health, raise literacy levels, and extend life expectancy is social marketing, the application of commercial marketing strategies to the diffusion of nonprofit products and services.
Social marketing was launched more than fifty years ago with the rhetorical question 'Why can't you sell brotherhood like you sell soap?' (Wiebe, 1952). In recent decades, the social marketing approach has been applied to energy conservation, smoking cessation, safer driving, decreasing infant mortality, HIV/AIDS prevention, family planning, preventing drug and alcohol abuse, anti-littering campaigns, and improving nutrition. Often social marketing campaigns seek to convince people to do something that may be unpleasant. For instance, many Americans wish to lose weight, stop smoking, exercises, and floss their teeth, but they do not engage in the health behaviors. The main applications of social marketing are to change behaviors in directions desired by individuals whose actions are impeded by inertia or other factors."
So... next time you watch the news, pay attention. Realize and understand that someone else is impressing on you their opinion on what is important news... and furthermore, what is actually news. Also, notice the difference in terminology dealing with social marketing. First, the author says that forcing people to adopt certain innovations isn't popular among some people, but another way to achieve this is through social marketing. Hmmm... isn't it really the same thing? It seems to me that social marketing is subjective... for infant mortality, anti-littering campaigns, etc, that's social marketing because you can't really argue against those issues. Motorcycle helmets, seat belt use and speed limits, however, are "forcing", because there is an alternative choice there. Isn't there an alternative choice with the other issues, too? Sure, nobody wants babies to die... but what about those people who die because they were driving too fast? What about those motorcyclists who become vegetables because they didn't wear a helmet? I'm not suggesting that we should force people to wear their seat belts, but they sure know how to sugar-coat it to make the "innovation" more likely to succeed.
Moral of the story: think for yourself, and take responsibility for your own self. Then, we wouldn't have to "force" you to do what's best for you... or change the wording a little so you don't realize that you are being forced.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
living history video
Saturday night, they had a nighttime artillery firing. First, if you've never been to a civil war reenactment, you should probably go - just once. Second, if you've never heard a cannon fire, that would be well worth it. To desensitize, you should stand behind it the first time. Then stand to the side for a totally different experience. If you shoot guns, you know what I mean! Last, if you haven't seen a cannon fire at night, that was well worth it. I've been to several reenactments, and this is the first time I've ever seen a nighttime cannon fire. The only thing that could come out of my mouth after the first shots was "Whoa." Enjoy the video!
living history
This weekend, Alpine, his mom and I went to the civil war reenactment of the Battle of Richmond in Kentucky. Here are some pictures from the weekend... enjoy!
fruits of labor and laundry
In my neck of the woods, gardens are usually planted in late April or early May. Given the May I had this year, there was a small window of time to get my garden planted. The first round got planted (corn, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes), but then we were gone a lot, and it didn't rain for three weeks. Seeds + water = plants. Seeds + no water = no plants. I hope this math is making sense. So, I got to replant my garden again in June. It's a small garden, and I got few second and no third plantings in... plus there was very little rain all summer. Not to mention, I'm a terrible weeder. Did you know that weeds WILL grow in drought-like conditions?
We had a plumbing problem that Alpine temporarily fixed by piping our laundry water to the garden. Two problems solved! Since the plantings were late, of course the fruits came late, but alas... here the are: six quarts of tomatoes and nine pints of green beans! Cucumbers and tomatoes have been wonderful snacks, lunches and additions to supper. I love growing my own veggies... even if it is a pain sometimes!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Irritated
Not that anyone reads this (except Alpine, but he hears about and experiences my life every day anyway)... but I'm really irritated with technology. I love technology and computers, etc, and can usually get along with them well, but recently, not so much.
First, the CPU fan goes out in the desktop. Not a big deal... I just went to Best Buy, got some help from an employee, bought by $12 fan and went on. Not a big deal... until I came home and tried to install it. "All CPU tower fans are generally the same size. There are two diameters, and if it's the small one, it's this one." WRONG. FYI: all CPU fans are NOT the same size. My desktop has two internal fans, plus the power supply fan. The fan that actually blows the hot air out of the CPU was the same size as the one I bought, but guess what? THAT WASN'T THE ONE THAT DIED. Go figure. I look online... cannot find a single freakin' fan like mine. So I do the next best thing... I call Sony to order a replacement. Ok, yeah, I'm probably going to pay more, but if they can look at my model number and send me the exact part I need, that's worth a lot at this point.
Aside: if you've ever dealt with customer service for anything related to technology, you know that (1) you are never going to speak to someone from this country and (2) if you have an issue that strays from the handbook, you are screwed. I'm not against people of other nationalities by any means, but it is what it is, and technology is the LAST place we need to have a communication problem. Of course, it didn't used to be this way, but with the advent of outsourcing, this is what we have. Alpine wonders why I'm so far up Sony's butt that I can't see the value in any other brand... well, here are some reasons why I love Sony: First, if you buy their product, it generally works. Actually, it usually works well. Frankly, I hardly ever have any trouble out of Sony products that aren't user inflicted. The few times I have had to contact them, they have been kind, helpful AND spoken English. This time was no exception: I spoke to a guy named Chris instead of Alid (which you know is a nickname because we can't handle their real name), he spoke United States English, he didn't know off the top of his head which fan I needed but was able to utilize his resources and figure it out, AND he was nice. Now, I haven't gotten my fan yet, so I don't know how this will end, but so far, so good. (Knock on wood)
So, my fan is ordered, and I mentioned that the help provided by Sony support was worth a lot at this point... $70!! No... it can't be the cheap one, can it?!? So, this order is still in route, and that isn't fixed. If you don't know, you can't run a computer without the appropriate ventilation, so that computer is out of commission. Alpine's classes started Monday, and mine start next Monday. Perfect timing.
So, this morning, Alpine was reading the "morning paper" (blogging, surfing, etc) and shut down the laptop before heading off to school. This afternoon, he can't get onto the internet AT ALL. Crap. So, I try to figure out what the problem is... remember that I ok'd some updates the night before... notice that Norton isn't even functioning. *Sigh* Can't open Norton AT ALL. Can't get on the internet AT ALL to get some help. So I do a system restore... which seems to "fix" the problem. I tried to reinstall the updates, and dadgummit we have a repeat performance. Well, that at least lets me know what the problem is... but then the stupid laptop won't do a system restore to get rid of it again! After the 15 millionth reboot, somehow it works (even though it said it made no changes), so I am now on the internet, trying to chat with Norton to get some help.
At 10:30pm central time, I get on Live Chat with Norton and I'm number 30 in the queue. I really wanted to go to bed early tonight, but I guess that'll have to wait. I get down to 24, the go back up to 25, which doesn't make any sense. I keep yo-yo-ing up and down, and an hour later, I am number 5. Good grief. Not to mention that I haven't had good luck with their customer service in the past, and I'm pretty sure this person won't be named Chris. I used to like Norton's products, but I haven't had a real good experience with those products in the past year, either. This may determine whether or not I purchase their product again, because I'm just a little irritated at this point.
Wish me luck. If anybody cares, I'll have to post an update later. If I can get online, anyway.
First, the CPU fan goes out in the desktop. Not a big deal... I just went to Best Buy, got some help from an employee, bought by $12 fan and went on. Not a big deal... until I came home and tried to install it. "All CPU tower fans are generally the same size. There are two diameters, and if it's the small one, it's this one." WRONG. FYI: all CPU fans are NOT the same size. My desktop has two internal fans, plus the power supply fan. The fan that actually blows the hot air out of the CPU was the same size as the one I bought, but guess what? THAT WASN'T THE ONE THAT DIED. Go figure. I look online... cannot find a single freakin' fan like mine. So I do the next best thing... I call Sony to order a replacement. Ok, yeah, I'm probably going to pay more, but if they can look at my model number and send me the exact part I need, that's worth a lot at this point.
Aside: if you've ever dealt with customer service for anything related to technology, you know that (1) you are never going to speak to someone from this country and (2) if you have an issue that strays from the handbook, you are screwed. I'm not against people of other nationalities by any means, but it is what it is, and technology is the LAST place we need to have a communication problem. Of course, it didn't used to be this way, but with the advent of outsourcing, this is what we have. Alpine wonders why I'm so far up Sony's butt that I can't see the value in any other brand... well, here are some reasons why I love Sony: First, if you buy their product, it generally works. Actually, it usually works well. Frankly, I hardly ever have any trouble out of Sony products that aren't user inflicted. The few times I have had to contact them, they have been kind, helpful AND spoken English. This time was no exception: I spoke to a guy named Chris instead of Alid (which you know is a nickname because we can't handle their real name), he spoke United States English, he didn't know off the top of his head which fan I needed but was able to utilize his resources and figure it out, AND he was nice. Now, I haven't gotten my fan yet, so I don't know how this will end, but so far, so good. (Knock on wood)
So, my fan is ordered, and I mentioned that the help provided by Sony support was worth a lot at this point... $70!! No... it can't be the cheap one, can it?!? So, this order is still in route, and that isn't fixed. If you don't know, you can't run a computer without the appropriate ventilation, so that computer is out of commission. Alpine's classes started Monday, and mine start next Monday. Perfect timing.
So, this morning, Alpine was reading the "morning paper" (blogging, surfing, etc) and shut down the laptop before heading off to school. This afternoon, he can't get onto the internet AT ALL. Crap. So, I try to figure out what the problem is... remember that I ok'd some updates the night before... notice that Norton isn't even functioning. *Sigh* Can't open Norton AT ALL. Can't get on the internet AT ALL to get some help. So I do a system restore... which seems to "fix" the problem. I tried to reinstall the updates, and dadgummit we have a repeat performance. Well, that at least lets me know what the problem is... but then the stupid laptop won't do a system restore to get rid of it again! After the 15 millionth reboot, somehow it works (even though it said it made no changes), so I am now on the internet, trying to chat with Norton to get some help.
At 10:30pm central time, I get on Live Chat with Norton and I'm number 30 in the queue. I really wanted to go to bed early tonight, but I guess that'll have to wait. I get down to 24, the go back up to 25, which doesn't make any sense. I keep yo-yo-ing up and down, and an hour later, I am number 5. Good grief. Not to mention that I haven't had good luck with their customer service in the past, and I'm pretty sure this person won't be named Chris. I used to like Norton's products, but I haven't had a real good experience with those products in the past year, either. This may determine whether or not I purchase their product again, because I'm just a little irritated at this point.
Wish me luck. If anybody cares, I'll have to post an update later. If I can get online, anyway.
Friday, May 04, 2007
She brings you good news...
... or haven't you heard?
Let the joyous news be spread, the wicked old witch at last is dead!
(Glinda) Come out, come out wherever you are
And meet the young lady who fell from a star
She fell from the sky, she fell very far
And Kansas she says is the name of the star
(Munchkins) Kansas she says is the name of the star
(Glinda) She brings you good news, or haven't you heard
When she fell out of Kansas a miracle occurred
(Dorothy) It really was no miracle
What happened was just this:
The wind began to switch the house to pitch
And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch
Just then the witch, to satisfy an itch
Went flying on her broomstick thumbing for a hitch
(Munchkin Man) And oh what happened then was rich
(Munchkins) The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch
It landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch
Which was not a healthy situation for the wicked witch
The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch
It landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch
Which was not a healthy situation for the wicked witch
Who began to twitch, and was reduced to just a stitch
Of what was once the wicked witch
(Munchkin 1) We thank you very sweetly for doing it so neatly
(Munchkin 2) You've killed her so completely
That we thank you very sweetly
(Glinda) Let the joyous news be spread
The wicked, old witch at last is dead
(Munchkins) Ding-dong the witch is dead! Which old witch?
The wicked witch Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepyhead Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up the wicked witch is dead
She's gone where the goblins go Below - below - below
Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead
(Mayor) As mayor of the Munchkin City In the county of the land of Oz I welcome you most regally
(Judge) But we've got to verify it legally To see...
(Mayor) To see...
(Judge) If she...
(Mayor) If she...
(Judge) Is morally, ethically
(Munchkin 1) Spiritually, physically
(Munchkin 2) Positively, absolutely
(Munchkin Men) Undeniably and reliably dead
(Coroner) As Coroner , I must aver I thoroughly examined her
And she's not only merely dead She's really most sincerely dead
(Mayor) Then this is a day of independence for all the munchkins And their descendants
Yes, let the joyous news be spread The wicked old witch at last is dead
(Munchkins) Ding-dong the witch is dead Which old witch?
The wicked witch Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepyhead Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up the wicked witch is dead
She's gone where the goblins go Below - below - below
Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead
(Lullaby League) We represent the Lullaby League The Lullaby League, the Lullaby League
And in the name of the Lullaby League
We wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land
(Lollipop Guild) We represent the Lollipop Guild The Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild
And in the name of the Lollipop Guild
We wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land
(Munchkins) We welcome you to Munchkin Land Tra la la la la la la la la la la la
(Munchkin 1) From now on you'll be history
(Munchkin 2) You'll be his...
(Munchkin 3) You'll be his...
(Munchkin 4) You'll be history
(Munchkin 1) And we will glorify your name You will be a bust...
(Munchkin 2) Be a bust...
(Munchkin 3) Be a bust...
(All) In the hall of fame Tra la la la la la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la
(You can get the full script here: http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Wizard-of-Oz,-The.html)
Let the joyous news be spread, the wicked old witch at last is dead!
(Glinda) Come out, come out wherever you are
And meet the young lady who fell from a star
She fell from the sky, she fell very far
And Kansas she says is the name of the star
(Munchkins) Kansas she says is the name of the star
(Glinda) She brings you good news, or haven't you heard
When she fell out of Kansas a miracle occurred
(Dorothy) It really was no miracle
What happened was just this:
The wind began to switch the house to pitch
And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch
Just then the witch, to satisfy an itch
Went flying on her broomstick thumbing for a hitch
(Munchkin Man) And oh what happened then was rich
(Munchkins) The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch
It landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch
Which was not a healthy situation for the wicked witch
The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch
It landed on the wicked witch in the middle of a ditch
Which was not a healthy situation for the wicked witch
Who began to twitch, and was reduced to just a stitch
Of what was once the wicked witch
(Munchkin 1) We thank you very sweetly for doing it so neatly
(Munchkin 2) You've killed her so completely
That we thank you very sweetly
(Glinda) Let the joyous news be spread
The wicked, old witch at last is dead
(Munchkins) Ding-dong the witch is dead! Which old witch?
The wicked witch Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepyhead Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up the wicked witch is dead
She's gone where the goblins go Below - below - below
Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead
(Mayor) As mayor of the Munchkin City In the county of the land of Oz I welcome you most regally
(Judge) But we've got to verify it legally To see...
(Mayor) To see...
(Judge) If she...
(Mayor) If she...
(Judge) Is morally, ethically
(Munchkin 1) Spiritually, physically
(Munchkin 2) Positively, absolutely
(Munchkin Men) Undeniably and reliably dead
(Coroner) As Coroner , I must aver I thoroughly examined her
And she's not only merely dead She's really most sincerely dead
(Mayor) Then this is a day of independence for all the munchkins And their descendants
Yes, let the joyous news be spread The wicked old witch at last is dead
(Munchkins) Ding-dong the witch is dead Which old witch?
The wicked witch Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead
Wake up you sleepyhead Rub your eyes, get out of bed
Wake up the wicked witch is dead
She's gone where the goblins go Below - below - below
Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low
Let them know the Wicked Witch is dead
(Lullaby League) We represent the Lullaby League The Lullaby League, the Lullaby League
And in the name of the Lullaby League
We wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land
(Lollipop Guild) We represent the Lollipop Guild The Lollipop Guild, the Lollipop Guild
And in the name of the Lollipop Guild
We wish to welcome you to Munchkin Land
(Munchkins) We welcome you to Munchkin Land Tra la la la la la la la la la la la
(Munchkin 1) From now on you'll be history
(Munchkin 2) You'll be his...
(Munchkin 3) You'll be his...
(Munchkin 4) You'll be history
(Munchkin 1) And we will glorify your name You will be a bust...
(Munchkin 2) Be a bust...
(Munchkin 3) Be a bust...
(All) In the hall of fame Tra la la la la la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la la la la la Tra la la la la la la
(You can get the full script here: http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Wizard-of-Oz,-The.html)
spotted terrors
Took the dogs to see the family a few weekends ago. My sister brought her Dalmatian over to play, and what a good time we had!
I think I'm about to get plowed!
Why are sticks so fun?
Luckily, there was no contact this time!
What's that they're all chasing?
Until the treats come out, that is. Sit, Booboo, sit! Good dog(s)!
I think I'm about to get plowed! Why are sticks so fun?
Luckily, there was no contact this time! What's that they're all chasing?
Sticks and pinecones... nature really does provide the best toys...
... and the best entertainment!
Until the treats come out, that is. Sit, Booboo, sit! Good dog(s)!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
cake updates...
I have done a handful of cakes since Darth Chocolate...
a John Deere cake for a John Deere fanatic...
a John Deere cake for a John Deere fanatic...
a Dale Jr cake for, go figure, a Dale Jr fan...
and another Dalmatian for another cute puppy lover.
I feel a little Hokie...
...feeling so deeply what has happened at Virginia Tech, but that's MY home. I didn't grow up there, I didn't go to school there, but that's still MY home. Tech is the closest state university from my hometown, so it's MY school. My friends went there, I visited my friends on campus numerous times... I cheer for the Hokies, only second to my Gamecocks!
I have some email friends, some actual close friends, others I only know through cyberspace... but all are Hokies. Even knowing how I feel about the situation, I can't imagine what they feel. They lived in those dorms and had classes in those buildings...
I can't fathom what this guy did to those people. I can't imagine how they feel. But this I do understand...
I have some email friends, some actual close friends, others I only know through cyberspace... but all are Hokies. Even knowing how I feel about the situation, I can't imagine what they feel. They lived in those dorms and had classes in those buildings...
I can't fathom what this guy did to those people. I can't imagine how they feel. But this I do understand...
Monday, February 19, 2007
Darth Chocolate
Here's my latest cake picture... pardon the quality, but it was taken with a cell phone. My digital camera is out of commission, hopefully only until this weekend. This time at least I can blame any mess-ups on the camera! =) Notice this is the same pan used for the deer cake below.
Monday, February 12, 2007
New
So, someone i know had a heck of a time with his blog recently because Blogger decided to make him go new or something... the next time i logged on, it looked like it gave me an ultimatum, too. So... new it is. Just get off my back. This better not suck. (my buddy is still having a time, so i'm not holding my breath...)
Speaking of new, here's my newest cake. I had a picture from a cake book that I went by, so the design isn't mine. The art, however, unfortunately is: "my" reflection looks somewhat drunk, and that hand is awful! Give it a quick look - I'm surprised the mirror hasn't broken yet! =)
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Happy 13th, Alpineman!
Today is a special day for Alpineman... it's a second birthday, of sorts. Well, his 13th second birthday, to be exact. Happy Birthday to you!!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
cake update
Old or new?
So, I've been away because I didn't really feel like dealing with the "Old Blogger or New Blogger" question. Yeah, that's lame, but it is what it is. So, here is some catch-up stuff:
Go Cocks!! We won the Liberty Bowl in Memphis... got to visit with a good high school buddy while there... good friends, a good game, and a good time on Beale Street - what more could you ask for?!?
Go Cocks!! We won the Liberty Bowl in Memphis... got to visit with a good high school buddy while there... good friends, a good game, and a good time on Beale Street - what more could you ask for?!?
TOUCHDOWN!!
VICTORY!!
I participated in my first ever College Football Bowl Pick-em... my dad and I picked our teams, and we did fairly well! I may have to teach him to do his own next time, though I really liked being on his side. Competition would be fun, but... we'll see. I've now gotten into personalizing my sports news on ESPN's website - how fun is it to have all that information at your fingertips? NASCAR headlines, College Football rankings, SEC standings, NFL, NBA... whatever you want, and all personalized with your team colors! Now, I don't really care a lot about the NFL or the NBA, but my dad's teams are my teams, and I'd like to know how they're doing when I talk to him. He keeps up with my Gamecocks, so the least I can do is help cheer his teams on to national championships. Speaking of... =)
My dad is probably awful to live with these days. The St Louis Cardinals AND the Indianapolis Colts both won their respective championships this season... he's in hog heaven! Too bad the Celtics aren't doing so well... but it's probably a good thing. I don't know if any of us could stand him... =) I need to get him a Colts Chamionship shirt or something. It's been about 30 years since they were in the Superbowl, and my poor dad has stuck with them through thick and thin. And there was a LOT of thin... so he better enjoy it while it lasts!
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