Jesse Alter's Blogular Distraction

Half of US social program recipients believe they "have not used a government social program"

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 12:17:39 -0400

The following table is from the results of the “Social and Governmental Issues and Participation Study of 2008”. It seems around 50% of Americans who participate in one or more government social programs report that “they have not used a government social program.” Given the public’s broad lack of support for social programs, I would speculate that many of these people are those who regard program beneficiaries as “parasites”, conveniently excluding themselves from the group.

It’s also interesting to see which program beneficiaries are most convinced that they are not using a government program. Beneficiaries of programs that assist people who are middle and upper class (529/Coverdell, Mortgage Interest Deduction, and subsidized student loans) are much more likely to believe they are self-sufficient individualists compared to the most vulnerable (Medicaid, Subsidized Housing, SSI, Head Start etc.) Even 43% of unemployment insurance beneficiaries don’t feel they are using a government social program. Nearly everyone I know has received unemployment at one point or another in their life.

After 11 years, social workers to shed stereotypes in The Sims

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:31:00 -0400

If you’ve played The Sims, you probably have seen this scene before. This is the social worker. The social worker’s job is to prevent the player from killing children. In later editions of The Sims, social workers would remove children who were left home alone, or who performed badly in school. In some versions of the game, the social worker would ignore children with poor hygiene, but take away socially isolated and hungry children.

Social workers eventually became involved in the adoption process, instead of having your adopted child “teleport” out of nowhere. Still, the main role of the social worker is to remove children. This is aligned with the stereotype social workers have as malicious child-snatchers. The game does not go into detail over the family preservation model of child protective services. Social workers do not practice caseworker in The Sims. They do not have any other role other than to step in to remove children from the game instead of allowing them to die.

So, finally, there is an opportunity to change. Electronic Arts has asked the National Association of Social Workers for help, saying “We can use you guys as a resource.” It’s about time! And what better time for them to ask than during Social Work Month? A caveat: I have not extensively played The Sims 2 or The Sims 3. My understanding is that the differences are somewhat minor.

So, what’s wrong with social workers In The Sims?

1. They don’t get involved until it’s too late.
Struggling parents do not have any emergency resources to draw upon in The Sims. Instead, social workers in The Sims pop out of nowhere and take away kids who are “at-risk”. This is not the way child protective services usually work. Immediate removal happens when kids are at imminent risk. Physical abuse of children would qualify, but it’s not even possible in the game. Admittedly, it is possible to emotionally abuse or abandon children. Rather than split hairs, let’s get rid of the “immediate removal” mechanism, since it frustrates players and its implementation rarely matches the reality of child protective services. The game mechanics can be modified to prevent children from being abandoned. If the player chooses to go to work without someone to look after the children, they can automatically call a babysitter or a neighbor. Mis-clicks should not result in breaking up families.

2. They have only one tool in their toolbox - removal.
In most cases, rather than remove children, it is more likely that the social worker would put services into effect, such as family training, case management, or even emergency assistance. Why not implement an investigation and family assessment? It need not be particularly detailed (this is a video game), but it changes the tenor of the social workers involvement. The player will have to demonstrate an improved level of care and follow-up with the social worker.

3. They shame, rather than support parents.
If I recall correctly, in the original The Sims, a dialog box scolds you with a message along the lines of, “Your baby is crying! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!” If NPCs (non-player characters) will be using that language, they should not be associated with social workers. The involvement of child protective services need not be seen as a positive event, but the relationship with the social worker should be positive.

4. The social worker is always a woman.
Maybe I’m over-sensitive to this as a male social worker, but it seems that at least occasionally you should see a male social worker.

5. The only role social workers play are in child protective services, or adoption.
If Electronic Arts is serious about improving the way social workers are portrayed in The Sims, they need not force the player to become exposed to a greater variety of social workers. Instead, allow players to pursue social work/social services as a career path, and learn more about the diversity of social work in that way.

I’m watching the Jeopardy episode with IBM Watson. I’m not sure this is fair - the...

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:04:44 -0500

I’m watching the Jeopardy episode with IBM Watson.

I’m not sure this is fair - the human contestants need to convert the sound of Alex Trebek’s voice, or the image of the words on the screen into semantic units (words/phrases/sentences) before they can parse the meaning. Watson gets its questions given as a text file, so it can begin parsing right away. To be fair, Watson should have to rely on an image of the question (which shouldn’t be too hard for it to parse), or the sound of Alex’s voice (which it could probably not parse accurately). That being said, it’s still pretty impressive that it can do what it does.

I am interested in ergonomics and trying to make my living and working spaces more comfortable, but...

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:48:00 -0500

I am interested in ergonomics and trying to make my living and working spaces more comfortable, but it is difficult. Many of the products labeled “ergonomic” have little or no evidence to support their claim, and the advice is conflicting.

I’ve spent a few minutes adjusting my cheap Staples chair and tilting my monitor. I read a few sites that said the top of the screen should be 3 inches above my eye level. I looked at diagrams of faceless people sitting at a 90 degree angle with their monitors perpendicular to their gaze. Then, I found an article that seems to turn all of that advice on its head.

The recommendation that computer monitors be placed at or slightly below eye-level is based in part on the belief that the “normal line of sight,” considered to be the resting point of the eyes, is 15° below the horizontal when the head is upright.

A statement to that effect appears first in an engineering handbook published in 1963 (Morgan et al., 1963). No references were provided and a conversation with one of the authors of the chapter (Orlansky, 1994) could not determine a basis for the statement. It was confirmed that it did not result from laboratory or field studies. Eye-level monitor placement has developed as a guideline despite little or no evidence to support it, and despite the discomfort that persists with this placement.

Interesting that most people probably sit at their laptops with a similar position that they are recommending. Starting today, my chair is raised, and the top of my monitor is tilted away from me. I haven’t noticed a difference yet, but it’s possible that I really need a new chair before I’ll notice any benefits.

"Mistrust is like an axe on the tree of partnership but since only God could ordain trust, I will be..."

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 17:41:54 -0500

“Mistrust is like an axe on the tree of partnership but since only God could ordain trust, I will be very grateful to him to build up such a relationship with you in accordance to his will.”

- A Nigerian 419 spammer

In June, I posted a video of a Knights of Cydonia cover by Ze...

Sun, 16 Jan 2011 10:03:47 -0500

In June, I posted a video of a Knights of Cydonia cover by Ze Trio. They used a guitar, an accordion, and a violin, and the overall sound was kind of folksy/Gypsy-esque. The recording quality was terrible, and the playing wasn’t particular accurate, but I still loved it. Well, it looks like as of December, they’re getting better!

Star Fox in Iraq

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:23:00 -0500

Star Fox in Iraq

Aerosmith - Cryin’ - Played on a Roland FR-7 (digital...

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 09:31:00 -0500

Aerosmith - Cryin’ - Played on a Roland FR-7 (digital accordion)

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story I especially like how Weird...

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:30:01 -0500

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

I especially like how Weird Al’s in the video, but he’s playing a completely different character.

adventuretime: 10 Things… from Animation Magazine: “#3....

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:20:16 -0500

adventuretime:

10 Things… from Animation Magazine:
“#3. Adventure Time fills the void left by Calvin and Hobbes!”

Animation Magazine
December/January 2010/11

Illustrated by Mike Fisher

When I was younger, there was a point that I came to the realization that the main reason I was reading the comic strips in the newspaper was because of Calvin and Hobbes. FoxTrot was a nice relief from the Family Circus and that medieval-ish strip that seems really serious - but nothing really took the place of Calvin and Hobbes. When I first saw the Adventure Time pilot, there was no indication it would become a full show. I’m very pleased that it’s become so popular.

Woo! Medical Social Work is in the Top 50 Best Careers again

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:01:00 -0500

Woo! Medical Social Work is in the Top 50 Best Careers again:

Medical and public health social workers held 138,700 jobs in 2008. Over the next decade, that figure is expected to climb faster than most careers by 31,000, or more than 22 percent, according to the Labor Department. That’s largely because of the aging of the baby boomer generation, which is beefing up the need for social workers in nursing homes and in home healthcare settings.

Man re-enters the US without going through pornoscanner or groping

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:50:42 -0500

Man re-enters the US without going through pornoscanner or groping:

noblasters:

He starts to defer responsibility to the officers. They emphasize that no – they have no issue with me and they are only acting on his behalf. It is his jurisdiction. It is policy. They won’t detain me unless he tells them to.

So I emphasize the iPhone again, and ask,” So, if I were to get up, walk through the metal detector, and not have it go off, would you still have them arrest me?”

The Supervisor answers, “I can’t answer that question. That is no longer an option because you were selected for the Backscatter.”

People like these are my heroes, because they can calmly assert their rights (and therefore my rights) in the face of ~~tyranny~~ authority.

BoingBoing.net received word that the TSA plans to announce a new policy that will deny entrance to the airport for anyone who refuses a pat-down.

Today in the past: Lightning strikes the Hill Valley Courthouse...

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:20:00 -0500

Today in the past: Lightning strikes the Hill Valley Courthouse Clock Tower. The current is harnessed by an improbable time traveler to power his nuclear powered sports car and return him to the 80’s. NEVER FORGET.

danmeth:

55 Years Ago tonight…
Lighting Struck the Hill Valley Courthouse Clock Tower.

Never Forget.

"It is almost universally said that HIV and other STIs are acquired from sex. It is inherently..."

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:48:00 -0500

“It is almost universally said that HIV and other STIs are acquired from sex. It is inherently antisexual in tone; in this manner of speaking, the diseases are linguistically blamed on sex. In a parallel context, we do not refer to colds or tuberculosis as BTIs, or breathing transmitted infections!”

- Sex And Sensibility: The Thinking Parents Guide To Talking Sense About Sex - By Deborah M. Roffman

Dimming the Too-Bright LEDs

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:37:06 -0400

I’m a pretty sound sleeper, but it’s not always easy getting there. I’ve got lots of tricks for blocking out sound (binaural beats, earplugs, white noise, turning on fans) but it’s surprising how much light a few LEDs can generate.

Previously, I’ve used translucent Scotch tape to block some of the light. Multiple layers of translucent Scotch tape. Sometimes a torn piece of a post-it note with multiple layers of translucent Scotch tape. Ugh.

Unplggd has a better solution: use lithographer’s tape to dim it to a “pleasant deep red.” A big drawback is that I would not be able to tell what color the LED is, which is a problem for LEDs that change color. One of the commenters suggested using automobile window tint, which would darken the light, but not totally block the color. I’m thinking of getting both and giving it a try.

Anyone have experience with this, or suggestions on how dark the tint should be? How annoyingly bright is YOUR workspace?

I am in agreement that “CUT IT OUT, YOU FOOL” should...

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:13:00 -0400

I am in agreement that “CUT IT OUT, YOU FOOL” should be printed on all packs of cigarettes.

Anti-smoking sign from 1915 - Boing Boing

Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:11:23 -0400

Why are so many people in their 20s taking so long to grow up?:

A few years ago, I read an article saying that “my generation” will be among the first to do less well than their parents’ generation. I wish I still had a link to that article, because things certainly look like they’re going in that direction. They also predicted that home ownership would be out of reach for many in my generation, but they clearly had not foreseen the current housing market crash. Zack Gilbert had an interesting post in this vein about the growing ranks of the underemployed dependent twenty-somethings, in reference to a NY Times article.

brain-food:

zackgilbert:

Something I’ve been thinking about lately.

“One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other stretch. Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner without being married.”

That hits close to home, but also with reading that article they didn’t take in account for the 20-something year olds that actually have a degree and can’t find a job because they’re now competing with 40+ year olds whose job was terminated from the economic fall out and no longer have the luxury of a set salary with a retirement plan. Adults who are much older are now taking the summer jobs that we, the “20-something” would normally go after. Even down to the pizza delivery guy.

We’re not incredibly ecstatic about moving in with our parents and not reaching the extent of adulthood, but its kind of hard to become a homeowner, support a family, and raise a child (since thats the criteria of being an adult) when you’re fighting with more people over a mediocre 30,000 a year job even with a degree.

I can’t afford to be an adult.

The Alderaan Trail. How I wish this were a real game.

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:05:00 -0400

The Alderaan Trail. How I wish this were a real game.

Not only are your student loans expensive, not only will it take...

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:14:00 -0400

Not only are your student loans expensive, not only will it take you decades to pay it off, but you forfeit numerous borrower protections by taking a student loan over say, a credit card (what?!?!). Welcome to debt slavery. Click for the full-size infographic, courtesy of College Scholarships.org .

The neuroscience of break-ups: it's like craving cocaine!

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:32:40 -0400

The neuroscience of break-ups: it's like craving cocaine!:

“This brain imaging study of individuals who were still ‘in love’ with their rejecter supplies further evidence that the passion of ‘romantic love’ is a goal-oriented motivation state rather than a specific emotion” the researchers concluded, noting that brain imaging showed some similarities between romantic rejection and cocaine craving. “The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that romantic love is a specific form of addiction.”

Somehow, I think we all already knew this.

(via Boing Boing)