Author Archives: vitak

Social networking site adoption worldwide

Here’s a great map showing which social networking sites are popular around the world, along with my observations:

1) Friendster is still popular in Indonesia, which reaffirms my belief the Indonesia is the location of Hades.

2) As per usual, France feels the need to be different that everyone else, and especially from the U.S. by using some service even I’ve never heard of. In addition, the bastards publish the map in French, as if anyone outside of France knows their language!

3) I know there are people living on Antarctica because I saw it on an episode of House, which is the end-all, be-all of fact. So why isn’t it on the map? Such discrimination against the largest continent.

(Addendum: I guess I shouldn’t hate on France too much since the map exists only because of the French. No wait, I can still hate on them. Ha!)

Has anyone else noticed that the mobile Internet is blowing up?

I guess I like to blog in clusters. Tuesday, I posted a blog on Pew Internet’s site. Today, I put up a related blog on gnovis’ website. And as I have come to realize in my thesis research on Facebook, the evolution of cell phones is the next big hot topic. We’re going to see so much happening in 2008 in the world of cellular technology that you should probably buckle yourself in. In you didn’t get enough to sate your appetite reading my Pew post, check out my latest gnovis blog here.

Here’s a tasty snippet:

The U.S., which has never been a leader in mobile technology, may finally be catching up (ever so slightly, at least) with foreign markets, thanks in large part to Google and Apple’s recent efforts to make the Internet mobile.

At the very least, American demand for many of these newer technologies, especially phones with internet capabilities, has been experiencing a significant upswing in the last year. Earlier this week, I posted a blog on the Pew Internet Project’s website that looked at the organization’s most recent data in light of some recent tech business news. For example, Pew’s most recent data suggest that many Americans cannot live without their cell phones — 51% say that it would be “very hard to give up” using them. This number has increased by 15% over the last five years. Even more significant is the percentage of Americans who report they would have a hard time giving up their Blackberries, which has jumped from just 6% of respondents in 2002 to 36% of respondents in 2007. I expect if this same question was asked at year-end 2008, we would see that number approaching, if not surpassing, the 50% mark. [More…]

New blog post on Pew Internet Project website

My latest “masterpiece” resides on the Pew Internet site here.

Want a little taste? Well here’s a scoop of yummy mobile Internet goodness:

John Horrigan’s recent data memo on mobile internet access spotlights a growing trend: consumers are increasingly relying on mobile technologies (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, etc.) to stay connected on the go. In the memo, Horrigan cites recent Pew Internet data showing that Americans now list their cell phones as the most difficult technology to give up. At the same time, the percentage of consumers saying they would have a hard time giving up their Blackberry or other wireless email device has increased six-fold in the last five years, from 6% of American adults in 2002 to 36% in 2007.

These data support current trends within the business sector, and recent reports from some of the country’s biggest technology companies back up Pew’s findings. Americans want the freedom to access the internet anywhere and at any time, and technology is currently evolving to meet this demand. [More…]

Who cares about the war on drugs? I want to know if we’ll ever win the war on spam.

Stupid spam. I tried to count the ways I hate you, but I ran out of numbers. Why must you invade every aspect of my life?

So spam. We all know it, we all (I assume) hate it. Yet it’s still here, doing better than ever, invading every aspect of our lives. Why is this?

no-spam.jpg

Well, let’s take a quick history lesson of spam first. Ever wonder where the word “spam” comes from? I did, so I looked it up. Apparently, there is no absolute understanding of the word’s origin as related to unsolicited email, but most people tend to believe it refers to a Monty Python’s Flying Circus skit in which a couple go to a restaurant and the only thing on the menu is spam. The word “spam” is used to excess throughout the skit, until the couple (and the viewers) are ready to poke out their eyes, if only to make it stop.

I like this explanation, as it sums up my feelings toward spam rather succinctly.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. Spam filters have improved exponentially in recent years, so much so that (until recently) I rarely receive spams in my inbox. Well, at least in my Gmail. Yahoo!, on the other hand, doesn’t do as good a job, unless you consider the number of spams getting through to my inbox each day (3-6) in comparison to the number going into my spam filter each day (200+). I guess it’s not too bad, when examined from that angle.

However, I have begun to notice spam encroaching into previously sterile areas in recent weeks. At first I thought I was crazy, but I’ve been reinforced by a number of blog postings suggesting that spammers are getting more intelligent.

First, I noticed an increase in my Gmail about a month ago. The only reason I noticed this was because I never used to get any spam in this account, and suddenly I was seeing a few a week. Again, not a huge deal, especially since you only have to click two buttons to make it go away, but still a little unsettling. At first I thought that maybe I had signed up for something online that was causing the influx, even though I typically reserve registrations like that for my Yahoo! account. But then I was validated when Mashable reported that they were noticing a “leak” in the spam filters too.

Then there’s blog spam. Here at WordPress, the filters catch the vast majority of spam comments, but the sheer number caught (at least on my account) has gone up significantly since February. Mashable recently reported that WordPress thinks up to one-third of blogs posted on the site are actually “splogs,” or spam blogs.

THEN, this past weekend I began receiving notifications from Twitter of new followers on the site. As I am not a big user of the site and do not have a lot of friends using it, I was curious and a little confused by the notifications, although I did not link them to spammers until this morning when I read on Mashable that the Twitter problem is not just a coincidence, and there are users who are creating massive followers’ lists for no go reason. At least the “spam” aspect to this is minimal, since you would need to follow the spammer in order to have their messages appearing on your homepage. But still, this is annoying!

Finally, there is the impetus that caused me to write this post. Mashable is now reporting that spam has entered the most sacred realm of Google Calendars. How is this possible? Let me echo Stan’s post by asking, IS NOTHING SACRED ANYMORE? This insanity has got to stop!

Looking at the situation more broadly, it is obvious that spammers are becoming more persistent. The AFP reported at the end of2007 that virtually all email is now spam, with the number reaching 95% in 2007, up from 70% in 2006. Now that is quite a lot of junk emails about rich African businessmen who want to wire you money, penis enlargements to make her “hot all night”, magic weight loss pills, and free, well, just about everything. Where is the profit in this? Maybe it’s not a lot of work for the spammer, but does it ever pay off? I understand that phishing scams have the potential to be quite profitable, but spam just seems like a waste of space and time for everyone. So do us a favor spammers and go find another hobby. How about crocheting? Racquetball? Maybe stamp collecting?

So that is my brief look at how spam is taking over my life. Am I supposed to just deal with it and accept that spam will be a part of my life indefinitely? Do I even have a way to fight back without withdrawing myself from the Internet entirely (like that would ever happen)? What’s a girl to do to get a little peace and spam-free quiet these days.

Grr…

[And thanks to Mashable for providing me with tons of stuff to write about in this post!]

Be back soon

Dear blog,

I promise I have not forgotten you. Unfortunately, the thesis monster takes precedence at the moment. I swear that come May 1st I will be able to spend more time with you and share lots and lots of stories. But until then, things may be a little sketchy.

Don’t give up on me!
Love,

vitak

Picture of the Day: Teach your children about discipline from an early age

Kids are often bad. They need discipline in their lives. But discipline usually isn’t very fun. Certainly not as fun as say, COLORING! But discipline needs to be instilled in children, and from an early age, if it is to be successful. What a conundrum for parents.

Thanks to a new coloring book, this confusion is history!

The Torture Device Coloring Book offers the best of both worlds: (1) pictures that need coloring and (2) images to scare the living crap out of your children so much that they will never act up again.

The lessons start from the first page which warns children that they “will be punished” if they don’t stay within the lines. Maybe the Republican party should adopt this book to train children to follow their ways. Hmm…

The book has 20 images of various torture devices, each accompanied by a witty little poem. Here’s one of my favorites:

Scratch your back / Scratch your side / Scratch until / You see inside.

So buy it today for the low, low price of just $3.44 (download) or $8.85 (paperback) and start cracking the whip over your children’s heads!

[Thanks Boing Boing!]

New report confirms Captain Obvious is alive and well

As I sat at my desk chugging down a cafe mocha in a lame attempt to not pass out at work this morning, I had a good laugh over a recent (March 3) release from the National Sleep Foundation. Apparently, adults in America don’t sleep enough. What’s more, nearly one-third (29%) of workers have felt “sleepy” at work in the past month.

Egads! I can’t believe this nonsense! People are overworked and under-rested, and it shows in the daily work performance?!?

I guess I shouldn’t bash the NSF too badly, as the organization I work for is also often poked fun of for releasing studies with “obvious” results. I do find it a little strange, however, that the above statistic is the one garnering all the media attention, often being spun as 3 in 10 Americans *fall asleep* at work, even though the vast majority of respondents most likely did not actually fall asleep, but rather just felt sleepy. I don’t know about you, but I’m sleepy at work probably 90% of the time.

A much scarier statistic is this:

36 percent have nodded off or fallen asleep while driving.

This is not “felt sleepy while driving.” This is saying that more than one-third of people have actually closed their eyes long enough to be considered nodding off while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Isn’t that a little more concerning than being sleepy at work, considering most of us do not operate heavy machinery while at work? Admittedly, there are some jobs where it can be potentially deadly to fall asleep. For me, however, and most likely the vast majority of other people out there, the worst that could happen if we fell asleep on the job would be the vast embarrassment felt when the picture taken of us drooling on our desk circulates among the entire department.

Or, if we’re going to focus on the important parts of this study, how about this statistic?

65 percent of Americans report experiencing a sleep problem, such as difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, and waking feeling unrefreshed at least a few times each week, with nearly half (44%) of those saying they experience that sleep problem almost every night.

Two-thirds of Americans have sleep issues and nearly half of those say they have these problems most of the time. Does that not suggest we have some serious issues in this country? Being one of those people who has sleep problems every night, I can say with full surety that my inability to get a good night’s rest impacts my daily productivity. Sleepiness decreases motivation to do things like write thesis chapters, or even roll my ass off the couch. It keeps me from going to the gym on a regular basis. It leads me to stay up later because I couldn’t get everything done during the day, which means I’ll sleep less that night, thus encouraging the never-ending, downward spiral of sleep problems.

Maybe, just maybe, if Americans didn’t have to work so hard, or feel obliged to overbook themselves at every turn, or be the model citizen/parent/employee/etc., we would be a happier nation. Do I see this happening anytime soon? Hell no. Do I see myself changing many of my sleep-depriving ways? Most likely no. But to the vast majority of people out there who constantly bitch about not sleeping enough, why don’t you just cut it out, because everyone around you is in the same leaky boat, and if you keep bitchy, we might just throw you overboard.

Oh the joys of choosing a place to live (and research) for four long years …

I’m in the middle of deciding which school I want to attend for my PhD. Sometimes, I wish the schools had made it easy for me by only accepting me at one place, so then the decision would be made for me; but alas, that is not the case. So now I am visiting them to meet faculty, see the location (which, of course, is typically in the middle of nowhere) and try and figure out if I can tolerate the place for at least four years.


Tomorrow I fly to Michigan, and I must admit, I’m a little nervous at the prospect of living in the Midwest for four years. I like a little snow, but I don’t think I’m prepared for the winters they have along the Great Lakes. This (left) is what I think of when I think of the northern parts of the U.S., and in some cases, I may not be too far off. Okay, fine, I’m probably far off everywhere except northern Alaska. But still! I’ve been spoiled by living in the Mid-Atlantic and the South my whole life. I’ve never put chains on my tires. In fact, I try to avoid driving whenever there’s even a chance of snow!

So here’s my dilemma. What criteria do I use to choose a program and how much weight do I give to each factor? Location is important, but so is the strength of the program. Will it help me more to get a job if I go to the ivy league school with the ok program or the ok school with the better-known program? Should I go where the professor I want to work with is regardless of other factors, or should I put my ability to survive in that city first?

This is what I have been thinking about the last few weeks, and probably what I will continue to think about over the next month, as I try to make my final decision while finishing my master’s thesis. So if you have been through this before, I would love to hear your advice/story/etc. Anything to aid me in making this rather important decision.

Twitxr mashes up Twitter and Flickr; Vitak’s head subsequently explodes

I guess you could say I’m still new to this tech-heavy lifestyle I’ve thrown myself into over the last six months as I write my master’s thesis, but the seemingly nonstop, daily influx of new companies with ever-so-slight variations on the original is slowly driving me crazy. I wonder if I would have survived the tech bubble of the 90s, or if, in the end, I would have blown up my computer to get away from the insanity. Luckily, I was a naive little college student back then, without a care in the world past my next keg stand.

Now, however, keeping up on this stuff is part of my job and my education, so there will be no computer explosions in my house anytime soon (that, and my house is really old, so it’d probably burn down in under 30 seconds, which would totally suck). Don’t get me wrong, I’m fascinated with a lot of the new social networking sites launching every few milliseconds, but I have never particularly liked Twitter, and I don’t like posting my pictures for the whole world to see, so I haven’t yet caved to the massive powers of Flickr. So why in the world would I want them combined?

Well, that exacty what Twitxr has done my friends. Here we have one of the newest social networking site (it just launched this week), which is for all intensive purposes Twitter with pictures. Now, you can twit about photos you take on your cell phone, basically allowing people to follow your every last move as it happens — or at least shortly after it happens. Find some funny graffiti in a public bathroom? Send it on over! Amazed at how pretty your fancy, $175 entrée costs and want to show everyone that you’re a real spender? Post it up! Want to show the whole world how lame you are because you feel the need to share every minute of your day? Please, indulge us. We love it!

Ugh, sometimes this social connectivity and identity sharing starts to wear me down. It’s like we’ve all just given up on the hope of keeping any part of our lives private. Hold strong people, hold strong!