Friday, March 12, 2010

March 12, 2010

Several random ideas that I’ve been meaning to write about over the past few days. There’s no connection between them.

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Influence. I have been thinking about it quite a bit lately and then just happened to come up in a conversation two nights ago with Viv.

I hate the idea of influence. Everything we do is based on our own decisions. We have to discern whether or not something that we see or experience should be taken in and incorporated into our lives. Just because we see or experience something doesn’t mean that we have to emulate it. We are given a choice, and this choice defines us as an individual. That’s what makes us unique because everyone has a different opinion on what they see or experience should be a part of their persona.

This is kind of a rule that I try to dictate my life with. I don’t do things just because other people are doing it. I do things because I see it, think about it, and realized that it would be in my best interest to do so.

I want to say that I hate people who just does something because everyone else is doing it. But I guess they could be going through this same thought process; except they just accept everything.

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Next random thought.

Chatroulette. I read an article on CNET News yesterday regarding this apparently huge trend amongst college students. It basically talks about how this website is bringing more of reality into the internet.

Nowadays, online interaction is done within our selective network of friends-- people we carefully choose to share our lives with. A few months ago, this sense of comfort was disturbed when Chatroulette launched, a site that pairs users with random Webcam partners.

We can choose what we do on the internet. Almost all of it is based on whether or not we want to do it or not. Very rarely do we see something unexpected because everything we see is based on what we are looking for. Chatroulette changes that because you’re putting yourself, your actual identity out there and seeing what comes up on the other end. You know to expect the unexpected. That, all of a sudden, seams to be the reality of our every day lives. This next quote is where it gets really interseting:

In the "real world," people don't get the opportunity to present their profiles. There's a moment when two people meet and judgment is passed: a first impression. From there, the relationship ends or evolves.

Chatroulette emulates such an experience with one exception: you can't get "nexted" in real life. When paired, users have the choice to chat or hit "next" to see a new person. When I tested the site, there were times when I was "nexted" within seconds. A first thought was, "why?" If we interacted in the real world, it would be socially unacceptable for them to just walk away from me.

I would have not put this together myself, but I cannot agree more. Chatroulette is kind of like walking around New York City. You see some of the strangest things. You can meet some of the strangest people, or you can meet some of the nicest people. It’s a giant mixture of all different characters. Essentially what this Russian teen did was bring social reality to the internet. Amazing. Honestly, what’s the difference besides being able to next someone? (Just throwing this out there, but if you meet someone really strange on the streets in New York City, you’re very likely to just walk away).

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10465705-2.html

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Another thought.

Kalvin was telling me yesterday about how he thinks I express through text a lot. I guess I agree. I enjoy formal communication and I feel that’s more easily satisfied through writing. I’m not really an eloquent writer, but I feel that it gives me more of an opportunity to express what I’m trying to say. I enjoy elaborating and you typically don’t do that as much through verbal communication. It’s strange how a lot of my closest relationships were originally solely based off of written communication (IM, email, etc.). Just an idea that I’d thought I would share. Kind of weird. I suppose this doesn’t bode well for me in the real world considering people don’t sit around typing conversations to each other regularly. Heh.

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Last thing. I just did this personality survey. It’s pretty interesting and seems relatively accurate. Here it is:

I am a “Builder / director.”

You are an executive. You are consistent, reliable, thorough and persevering. You can also be socially charming. So you are good at managing others at home and work, in your social circles, and in community projects.

You are efficient too. You have high standards and take your duties seriously, focusing carefully and persistently on your assignments with sensible, concrete, tough-minded thinking and exactitude.

You respect schedules, rules, routines and customs. Appropriate behavior is generally important to you. Yet you have a streak of the independent and innovative thinker. As a result, you have a good balance between conventionality and originality.

You are also a good leader. You are direct, analytical, and skeptical, as well as emotionally contained and clear headed. You acquire the perks of rank more easily than most. And you handle your possessions gracefully. You also enjoy time alone, focusing deeply on your personal interests.

With Builder as your primary type, you can be:

  • Traditional
  • Patient
  • Social
  • Community Oriented
  • Loyal
  • Orderly
  • Dependable

With Director as your secondary type, you can be:

  • Decisive
  • Competitive
  • Focused
  • Self disciplined
  • Analytical
  • Independent
  • Logical

Relating to others

You like people and are generally comfortable with them. Family is important to you and you are very protective of those you love. Yet you are skeptical of people who are impulsive and impatient with those who don't "get to the point" in conversations. You like concrete and focused conversations on everything from trivia to the important topics of the day.

In love and relationships

As a Builder, you need a partner who knows his/her own mind and earnestly wants to help you establish a stable family life, cultivate a network of friends and build career and financial stability. You are good natured and willing to do thankless jobs for friends and family. And you gravitate to people who are honest and respectful of traditions. You particularly admire people who are socially conscious, and who participate in community-based organizations--for both charitable and social reasons. Foremost, you need a partner who is devoted to family, sensible with money, responsible with possessions, compassionate, and wants to have detailed and informed conversations.

Things to be aware of

  1. You can be overly swayed by the opinions of friends and family.
  2. You can be critical of others. There is often more than one "right way" to do something.
  3. Sometimes you have a hard time changing your mind, even when you think you should.

So what do you think? Accurate?

 

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Sorry about the intensely long post.

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