Tom M Wilson - UW Madison Computer Science Student

Two Dubs Creative Studio Launches

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:21:35 EST

I will no longer be updating this website, instead I (Tom Wilson) and my business partner Sean Weas are creating an LLC in which we will conduct our business. Our new company is called Two Dubs Creative Studios, for the two Double-U's in our last names, Weas and Wilson. We plan on developing software that utilizes the power of the internet to create useful web based applications. We are currently in the start up phase, so we've been pretty busy getting everything set up. Be sure to check out our web presence at new website at Two Dubs Creative Studios. Thanks for stopping in, and hope you enjoyed the show!

Here are some other places you can find Two Dubs online,
Two Dubs LLC at Myspace
Two Dubs LLC on Facebook
Two Dubs LLC on Google Maps

Blue Cloud Spires Mountain Bike Ride

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:32:53 EST

Blue Cloud Spires Mountain Bike Ride

Avalanche Lake Hike - Glacier National Park

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:32:15 EST

Avalanche Lake Hike - Glacier National Park

Truman Gulch Mountain Biking

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:31:18 EST

Truman Gulch Mountain Biking

Boundaries of Science

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:27:05 EST

Roses are red, violets are blue, this is a color classification system, just for you. I have just presented an example of the classification system of colors. Just as we can use colors to help describe flowers, there are numerous classification systems that help describe and make sense of the world by classifying objects into their rightful place. The narrator, Dyer in H.P. Lovecraft’s novel, The Mountains of Madness, is a famous geologist who travels an unknown region of the Antarctic to explore. As a geologist, Dyer uses different classification tools to help describe unknown places and species that he discovers. Scientists try to describe how the world works, and to so, they have created scientific classification systems. Humans have used different classification methods to help describe the world and to make sense of it, however, when something falls outside of the classification boundaries, a crisis of category occurs, and a monstrous situation arises. Humans have created social norms, the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors, and if a person were to break these established rules, they are seen as monstrous. Throughout The Mountains of Madness, Dyer the geologist discovers new species and artifacts which he tries to describe according to his geological classification systems. Based on Dyers knowledge of how the current world works, he uses his scientific categories to classify species into their rightful place.

The goal of science is to explain how the world works, through mathematical formulas and physical laws that govern the world. In the Mountains of Madness, a group of geologists venture into the Arctic to explore a new territory of land. The science of geology consists of the “study of the solid matter that constitutes the earth. Encompassing such things as rocks, soil, and gemstones, geology studies the composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape Earth's components.”(Wikipedia:Geology) Geologists study and describe the living and non-living inhabitants of earth and place these things into categories based on specific classification methods and tools. One of these tools is the geological timescale, which Dyer uses to classify the estimated life of a specimen that he finds. In being able to classify the time that a specimen originated, Dyer is also able to associate what its habitat was like, and what other things were around during that specific geological time period.

When Lake, one of Dyer’s crewmates, discovers a new species in a hidden cave, he at once jumps into describing the specimen, “Their wings seem to be membranous, stretched on frame work of glandular tubing. Apparent minute orifices in frame tubing at wing tips. Ends of body shriveled, giving no clue to interior or to what has been broken off there.”(Lovecraft) Throughout the novel, the geologists go to great depths to describe the unknown species they encounter in order to gain insight on how the species lived and survived while they inhabited the earth. However, when Dyer later tries to classify the same species, he has the problem of not being able to use his current classification system to properly classify it,”One could hardly hesitate to call the thing animal; but internal inspection brought up so many vegetable evidences.” (Lovecraft) This creates a monstrous situation, as the geologist is unable to classify this new species with his current knowledge of how the world works.

This new species, which Lake names “The Elder Ones”, ends up being a species that lived over 500 million years ago and created its own civilization inhabiting the Artic. Lake describes The Elder Ones as “Tough, muscular arms four feet long and tapering from seven inches diameter at base to about two and five-tenths at point…inner angles of starfish arrangement project two-foot reddish tubes tapering from three inches diameter at base to one at tip…Four-foot arms with paddles”(Lovecraft) Lake meticulously describes every aspect of the species in order to classify it and also explain how it lived and survived in the arctic. Lake, who went out exploring and left Dyer behind retreats for the day, and sleeps through a blizzard. In the morning, Lake is unreachable by radio, and Dyer flies to their base camp as soon as he can. When Dyer reaches Lake’s camp, he finds that Lake and all of his crew members are dead, along with their dogs, and all their supplies are ruined. Dyer, the great explorer that he is, decides to continue the investigation Lake began.

In doing so, Dyer finds the city that The Elder Ones created and inhabited. He discovered that The Elder Ones were of superior intelligence as, “their scientific and mechanical knowledge far surpassed man’s today.”(Lovecraft) Dyer also discovered writings that suggested that The Elder Ones discovered many of the same scientific feats that humans possess. Dyer explains some of The Elder Ones geological findings, “In certain cases existing science will require revision, while in other cases its bold deductions are magnificently confirmed.”(Lovecraft,pg) Dyer at once gains a huge amount of appreciation for this new species, as he can relate to their scientific findings, which show superior intelligence.

As Dyer explores more, he find evidence that The Elder Ones had a self serving government, a monetary system, and even created synthetic slaves called Shoggoths. They created a civilization that could inhabit the Arctic, where no humans have yet to even venture. In this sense, Dyer overlooks the species abnormal body parts, and sees the Elder Ones as a truly magnificent creature. If Dyer were to classify The Elder Ones as human or monsters, he would overlook the five-start pointed head, and the eight tentacle legs, and see their intelligence as being truly humane. As a geologist whose job it is to describe and classify species, Dyer is truly intrigued by this species, so much that, instead of running when he sees that Lake and the rest of his crew were all dead, he continues to explore.

When defining what a monster is, the dictionary definition is, “a legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination.”(dictionary.com:monster) If Dyer were to use this definition to classify The Elder Ones, they surely would be classified as monstrous. When looking at the word define, which originates from the Latin word finis or end (Livanos), and we try to define where humanity ends and monstrous begins, to put a classification on something that is monstrous, boundaries are placed on what is humane and what is inhumane. The only thing monstrous about The Elder Ones is that their outer body is unlike any human, as they have a starfish head and tentacles. However, when looking within, they were of superior intelligence, had a fondness for art, and knew of many of the same scientific discoveries that humans know of. Although, this would make them legendary, they were in fact real, and far superior to humans, therefore Dyer leans towards not classifying them as monstrous. When defining when something is humane, “characterized by tenderness, compassion, and sympathy for people and animals,” (dictionary.com:humane) humans use a classification method to describe socially acceptable behavior, just as Dyer uses his classification methods to describe his species.

Although some believe sociology is not a science, it also uses classification methods to determine what is socially acceptable. Social norms, “rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors,” (changingminds.org) can be used by groups of people to distinguish what is right and wrong. Through Dyer’s investigations, he concluded that The Elder Ones lived together in homes, created a social system with a “Government …evidently complex and probably socialistic, extensive commerce, both local and between different cities - certain small, flat counters, five-pointed and inscribed, serving as money.” (Lovercraft) The Elder Ones created and existed in a socially vibrant city just as humans exist today. Dyer uses the social norms humans have established and can tell that the Elder Ones were humane by our standards, as they were likely to have a governmental system, and appreciated the same things we humans do. Dyer does not classify The Elder Ones as monstrous, but as humane, as they contain many of the same humane characteristics as humans, thus the Elder Ones fit in the same category as humans.

Science helps us describe how the world works the way it does. Dyer the geologist uses classification tools to help describe and classify the species that finds while exploring. While Dyer tries to initially describe the species named The Elder Ones, he at first cannot place the species into a specific category, as it looks like it is both animal and vegetable. This creates a crisis of category as Dyer’s current classification methods do not have a category to place the species. However, as Dyer investigates more, he starts to unveil the species intelligence and gains an understanding for their human like characteristics. This intelligence which Dyer proclaimed was far superior than man’s, shows that even though this species that has many abnormal parts on the outside, they also contain many humane characteristics that are similar to humans today. Just as humans have the classification system of social norms to determine what is socially acceptable, Dyer sympathizes with The Elder Ones and is entranced by their inner beauty, an. Dyer does not classify The Elder Ones as monstrous, but as humane due to their similar human characteristics that many people contain today.

Bibliography

Mountains of Madness by H.P Lovecraft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology

Dictionary.com
http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/social_norms.htm

Heading West

Sat, 24 May 2008 02:16:39 EST

Now that I have graduated and am finally done with 16 years of schooling, I am ready to take on the real world. But before I do that, I will be heading out to Bozeman, Montana for the summer to become a mountain man.

Digital Interactions: Social Capital in Virtual Communities

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:48 EST

Introduction

The Internet is a large scale communications network that can transfer information from one computer to any computer around the world in a split second. The Internet has evolved into a massive networks of inter-connected computers that has been build up as a public platform where anyone with an Internet connection can easily share knowledge, opinions and personal beliefs. As the Internet expands into almost every Americans house, it is making significant impacts on how individuals communicate and interact in society. From communicating to distant family through email, to sharing of photographs through social networks, the Internet is turning into the new form of communication of the 21st century. With new tools being build on top of the Internet, is is becoming easier for people to share their lives, communicate with friends and collaborate in groups to accomplish great feats. The disregard to geopgraphic boundaries enables people to connect with any around the world to share a common interest, form an economic relationship or start political movements. The Internet has created a public platform for sharing information without censorship. As communication shift from personal conversations to digital transferring of messages, the interaction of groups and individuals change and help create a more efficient sociological community by connecting individuals who have common interests. The expansion of the Internet has created an efficient means of communication and collaboration that has increased the social capital and efficiency in which individuals collaborate in groups by streamlining communication and collaboration, publicly sharing information, and breaking geographic boundaries.

The Internet

The Internet is series of connections between computers that can send and receive digital information and allows for connected machines to communicate with one another.(Best 226:369). These series of connections create a large scale network, called the Internet, that allows any computers to transfer information to another computer on the same network. The exchange of digital information creates a connected virtual world where users can communicate and collaborate with individuals without regard for geographic location. The Internet offers services for users to engage in social interactions like, "commercial exchange, political engagement, recreation, psychological support and personal companionship." Users are allowed to share information, express opinions, ask for advice and receive help. (Best 2006:392) These tools have created a public platform to create and share information between communities and groups of individuals who have common interests. One of the Internets most widely used communication tool is e-mail, similar to regular mail but can transfer a message in a matter of seconds to anywhere around the world. With computers being able to process and transfer information and data at incredibly fast speeds, the Internet has become an efficient replacement to conventional information outlets like mail, newspapers, and even the telephone.

Social Capital

Social capital, the connections within social networks and "features of social life that enable participants to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectives"(Putnam, 1995:67) is being dramatically changed by new tools which utilize the Internet. Social capital is believed to result from participation in voluntary associations which help define norms, trust and collective resources that are essential to community life" (Scott) 2005:1 The Internet allows anyone with a computer and an Internet connection to connect and communicate with other individuals with computers, allowing individuals sharing a common interest to participate and share their ideas and opinions. The Internet is changing the way in which individuals communicate and interact in groups, it has allowed for the creating of special interest groups that are not tied to a specific location or time. It is still questioned weather these online interests groups can count as voluntary associations that are essential to community life. Robert Putnam argues that the United States is suffering from a decline in "social capital" since the 1950's resulting in the decline in civic organizations, joint family time, church and other community activities. (Williams 2006 p14). Putnam's work, written in 1995, states the main reason for the decline in social capital being the invention of the television, which has created "privatization of leisure time" and has allowed Americans to focus their attention onto a screen instead of interacting with those immediately around us. The television and the Internet are similar in that they both deliver information into a screen very quickly, yet the Internet is a medium for two way communication, while the television is a one way information stream.

Internet and the TV

Since the exponential growth of the Internet in recent years, Putnam could also imply that the technology of the Internet is also decreasing social capital, however the television and the computer have main differences. A television is a one way information stream, news and television shows are broadcasted to a mass population, with the mass population not being able to respond back. In the case of the Internet, information is presented on a page, such as a blog (web log) or a forum, and individuals have the choice to actively participate and can voice their opinion by writing a response or comment. The Internet creates a public forum for individuals to post their knowledge, ideas, and interest and can communication and collaboration with other individuals, where as the television is a one way stream of information. The Internet has the capabilities to both the upload and download of information, this capability encouraged individuals to share their ideas as well as content such as videos and pictures. Unlike a television where information is being soaked in, the Internet is a way for people to connect and communicate through a computer, and does so very efficiently, increasing the cooperation of groups. A computer however can only used by a single person at a time, whereas a television can be viewed by many people. Many times a television series bring together close friends to watch and enjoy entertainment, the computer connects friends over distance through digital communications. The evolution of the Internet has created a virtual space for people to communicate their ideas and collaborate with others and has allowed for the creation of groups that are not restricted by boundaries, which are considered online communities.

Online Communities

Online communities are "groups of people with common interest that communicate regularly, and for some duration, in an organized way over the Internet"( Bowl, p2). The Internet provides tools for individuals to interact and communicate in online communities such as chat rooms, forums, blogs, social networks, and instant messengers. All these tools can be leveraged by users to stay in contact with distant friends, easily collaborate with large groups, and create a community where ideas and knowledge can be shared. This allows individuals to either seek an existing group online by using search engines, or to create their own group to share their knowledge and experience with one another in a public platform. Online communities are not limited to their geographic location, letting groups communicate from anywhere around the world without regards to space or time. Online communities usually share a common interest which binds them together and allows like-minded individuals to connect with other.
Online communities work best when members are likely to meet, are able to identify each other, and can identify others interests and their trustworthiness. (bowl :4) It has been shown that the most successful online communities are those that already have preexisting relationships, and they use tools offered online to help stay connected and streamline the process of organizing discussion and events.() Websites such as craigslist.org allows local communities to post classifieds ads on a public forum for free. This has revolutionized the way people buy and sell items within a local community and has greatly improved the efficiency on how people exchange goods and interact within a local community. (craigslist.org) As online communities become more prevalent on the Internet, the affects on social capital are still unclear.

Local Communities Coming Together

The Internets main power is the transfer of and sharing of public data with quick speeds. It can provides a public forum for community members to communicate about local matters. It was found that the Internet is being used by individuals who are already participating in a groups or organization, and they are using the tools of the Internet to increase the efficiency of their organization. This means the Internet brings together those that are already tied to an existing community, and is used to "mobilize and organize individuals who were already civically engaged"(Stern :421) Creating a public forum where a local community can publish and share their public opinion creates a virtual place where an existing community can contribute, collaborate and organize to benefit their group. Local communities are using the tools offered by the Internet to help accomplish more and to supplement their existing work flow. It has also been shown that the more users of the Internet are involved in online organizations and political activity, then they are more likely to be involved in offline organizations and political activities. People in offline groups use the Internet to extend their participation to their existing groups.(Williams 2005)
A main use of the Internet is to interact and maintain ties with friends. Studies have shown that the Internet is used to maintain relationships with distant friends, but overall, "communication is lower with distant than nearby friends."(James 2005) This shows us that online interaction and communication helps strengthen existing ties between friends and is used as a supplementary tool to maintain friendships.(Williams 2005) Friends can organize meetings through e-mail or instant messaging, as well as communicate through the Internet and social websites.

Anonnymous Groups Weak Ties

Many times Internet users participate in group discussions online with anonymous users that share a common interest. Since members have no preexisting ties and are bonded by a common interest, these social ties between members as perceived as weak ties, and do not warrant the increase in social capital. Social ties are bound by trust, honesty, accountability all of which is identified with a person's identity. It is difficult for to perceive an Internet users identity since many of the social factors are hidden behind a computer and identity must be obtained only though their written communication skills and not their personal identity. (Best 398) These weak ties which relate hide the identity of an individual behind a computer leads to weak social ties between anonymous Internet users and do not increase social capital.
In order for a group to work efficiently, there must be a certain amount of trust. In the case of the Internet, there are many unknown users that hide behind alias and create an online identity that is different from their personal identity. It can be hard to gain trust in individuals when social barriers such as race, gender and age are not displayed online, and where social norms online are very different from real life. However, most online community websites enable users to register an account, and with that account they are given a reputation meter. As the user completes certain tasks, their reputation or rating can be positive or negative. This can be attributed to their trustworthiness, as in the case of ebay.com, the Internets largest online auction website, as a user completes positive transaction, their transaction can be rated and also given feedback. This allows users to benefit from the past experiences with users and creates a situation where it would be beneficial to not cheat so that a users reputation does not get tarnished. It is easy to portray a false identity online like the New Yorker states in a cartoon, "nobody knows your a dog", however websites have features embedded in them so that the risks of trust are diminished.

Miscommunication

In a study reported by New York Times, it was found that face-to-face interaction is full of information. We interpret tone, body language, pacing and other factors besides the verbal message to convey a message being transferred. In sending an e-mail, typed words lack rich emotional information that would have been transferred through a phone conversation. Many times words have different meanings through different tonal pitch inflections and pitch inflection can create a positive or negative spin on a sentence. Through e-mail their is no verbal tone, no verbal pitch which can create confusion in interpretation, especially when communicating with an anonymous individual.(Goleman 2007:1) Although e-mail is quick and efficient, it increases the chances of miscommunication and mis-interpretation, leading to possible conflicts which could have been avoided with a personal phone call.(Daniel, 2007) The use of e-mail also leads to the decline in phone conversations, which creates social isolation, as the time it takes to respond to e-mail is not instant as in a real conversation. The use of e-mail creates a social isolation and a distant connection that lacks emotional content that can lead to a decline is social capital.

Internet Isolation

The increase in e-mail usage has shown a decline in routine friendly greetings around an office, leaving individuals feeling disconnected. Many times the use of the Internet creates an isolation from the social world. Instead of walking down the hallway to greet a co-worker, an instant message is sent. This leads to depersonalized communication and a sense of social isolation. In the case of Internet e-commerce websites, Internet users can order from online stores and get packages sent to their house instead of going out to the store to buy goods where they might meet a friend. Many once social activities are now being replaced by Internet stores, such as hanging out at the mall, or the library and the movie store. These Internet websites are of moving individuals out of the public and into their house where they are social isolated from the social world. (Williams 2005:14)
Computer are an individualistic tool, usually used by a single person. The Internet can be used for other means than communicating, such as watching videos, playing games, and soaking in information. It can be seen that Internet use leads to decreased communication with family members in the same household. Instead of spending quality family time at the dinner table, children are hooked onto the Internet communicating with their friends on social networks such as myspace or facebook, resulting in a decrease of social capital. Cases have shown that increase in Internet usage is associated with "declines in participants' communication with family members in the households, decline in the size of their social circle, and increase in their depression and loneliness." (Hopkins, 2004) Spending large amounts of time in a digital world with out emotional or social contact can have negative effects on both and individuals social capital as well as psychological well being.

Gloabization

The Internet allows individuals to connect with one another around the world. No longer are groups constrained to their geographic location, they can venture out onto the Internet and find other individuals with the same interests. Individuals from all around the world can now come together and create a community over the Internet. Those that were restricted to a community out of geographic or time constraints can now participate with others. It has opened up the doors for global economic partnership, political activism and the sharing of collective knowledge. With the Internet creating a public platform for communication, regular individuals are no becoming reporters. Groups can communicate and share information about local events all around the world. Personal stories can make a deep impact on the whole of the global war.

Conclusion

The Internet is a powerful tool that when utilized correctly can increase the efficiency of a group by enabling users to easily communicate and collaborate with each other. Online communication is not meant to replace phone or face-to-face communication, but can be used to increase the efficiency of communication with an existing group. It allows for group a public forum where knowledge, opinions and ideas can be shared in a community. It has been shown that most only communication involves pre-existing relationships and the Internet is used to supplement and help maintain those existing relationships. There are many powerful tools on the Internet that enable groups to organize and collaborate and to efficiently work together to achieve a means. In some cases, the Internet creates social isolation by creating a virtual world where identity can become anonymous, however, when used correctly, it can increase social capital within local communities and can improve the social capital amongst friends and distant families. The Internet is evolving at an exponential pace and as new tools and services become available, social capital will be affected in different ways. The change in social capital depends on the individual using the Internet and for what purpose they use it.

References

Best, Saumel J. , Krueger, Brian S. 2006. Online Interactions and Social Capital Distinguishing Between New and Existing Ties. Social Science Computer Review. Col 24 #4 Winter 2006.

Cowan, Douglas E. Online U-Topia: Cyberspace and the Mythology of Placelessness. Journal of the Scientific Study of Religious (2005) 44(3):257-263

Goleman, Daniel. "E-mail is Easy to Write (and to Misread). New York Times. Oct 7, 2007.

Hopkins, Liza, Thomas, Julian, Meredyth, Denise, Ewing, Scott. Social capital and community building through an electronic network. Australian Journal of Social Issues; Nov 2004; 39,4; Social Science Module pg. 369

Robert D. Putnam. 1995. "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital," Journal of Democracy (Jan. 1995): 65-78

Scott, James K. & Johnson, Thomas G. 2005. Bowling Alone but Online Together: Social Capital in E-Communities. Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society, Vol 36, No1, 2005

Stern, Michael J., & Dillman, Don A. 2006. Community participation, social ties, and use of the internet. City & Community, 5(4): 409-424.

Williams, Dmitri. 2006. "Why Game Studies Now? Gamers Don't Bowl Alone". Games and Culture; 1,1. Sage Publications

Free Laptop Nation, another scam?

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:52:23 EST

I was listening to the radio on the way to the grocery store this past weekend and heard another amazing commercial telling me that I can get a free laptop by going to the website: Free Laptop Nation! I was like, no way, there going to just give me a free laptop? I wrote a blog post about a sister site of free laptop nation called, I want My Free Laptop .com. That post has been blowing up with people wondering if the site is really a scam or not, the post has over 36 posts, most from people saying they are poor or in college and really want their free laptop that these commercials are offering.

These sites are typical 1990's internet schemes, and I can't believe they are still around and actually advertising on the radio. The general theme is that they have many offers that you can complete, from signing up for credit cards, to signing up for subscription offers. For everything that you sign up for, most of which cost you money, they get a commission. They then use that commission to buy you a laptop and keep the remaining commission left over. However, it takes a massive amount of offers to actually qualify for them to send you a free laptop.

Free laptops sound nice and dandy, but it would probably be easier for you to get a job and buy a nice $600 laptop from dell.com. The site is usually a scam and please don't write comments asking where you can get a free laptop, because you simple can't. There is no such thing as a free laptop, sorry to inform you.

The Gendered Workplace

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:58:13 EST

Reading Response 4 – The Gendered Workplace

In Barbara F. Reskin article, "Bringing the Men Back In: Sex Differentiation and the devaluation of Women's Work", she observes the significant gap in wages between different genders in the work place. In most cases, males out earned their counter females, by as much as 50% in 1986. Reskin believes that this income gap exists because there is a segregation of jobs, where males acquire the high paying jobs, and leave the lower status jobs for females. This segregation of jobs stemmed from males desire to preserve their high paying jobs, and re-write rules to allow them to keep their high position (Reskin 2000:258). As more women enter the workforce, social differences in gender must be broken down to ensure equality and value of women’s contributions in the workplace.
One reason a wage gap exists between males and females is that males who hold high paying positions will do anything possible to preserve their position. As women enter the workforce, only lower subordinate jobs are available to them, while the males re-write the rules to keep themselves in power. Males feel threatened by the fact that women are competing with them, thus they need to differentiate themselves based on gender through a hierarchical system in order to stay in power(Reskin 2000:258).
The push for males to differentiate themselves between women leads to a segregation of occupations based on gender, with males tending to hold high paying jobs and leaving lower paying jobs for females. A Science Mode article shows that there is a gap of high paying males and lower paying females is in California. "Women hold 9.4 percent of the 3,283 board seats in the 400 largest public companies in California." This includes companies such as Apple computers, who have no women in any top company positions(Davis, 2007). This shows that males dominate top paying board positions by holding 90.6% of the top paying jobs.
Many of these companies are technology and electronic corporations, which tend to be dominated by men. A 2000 study by the National Science Foundation (NSF) 2000 reported that women comprise of 19% of total undergraduate enrollment in engineering programs across the country (Trenor 2007). Technology and engineering fields are being dominated by males with little competition from females. These fields are expanding at fast rates and are creating many high paying jobs, with the majority of them being given to males.
The differential feminist point of view states that women are different from men, but instead of saying men are better than women, women's differences should be valued. Women tend to be better than men in fields of communication, clerical and emotional work(Reskin 2000:260). I suggest the segregation of this gap exists because these differences utilize different skills that are required for specific jobs. It not that males are fighting to preserve their power, but that females fit into jobs that happen to pay less than their male counterparts.
As corporations try and equal the playing fields between males and females in the workplace, quotas are being placed for the number of males and females. This however leads to bias, as a male engineer who is within the 80% of graduates has a harder time getting a job compared to a female engineering undergraduate. These quotas help keep a balance for genders, much like Affirmative Action keeps a balance on race, however it depends what side of the stick you are on for it to be beneficial.
I believe that current society provides equal opportunity for all genders to enter the workforce and be compensated equally, especially in the United States. I believe that the physical and biological differences in gender have a large influence on the occupation for a specific individual. As the high paying field of engineering is dominated by males, males will continue to out earn women, however, women have the same opportunity, if not more to take the same path as males, but choose a career path more suited to their individualistic needs. Females tend to specialize in the communication and service based occupations, it is the societies needs that place a premium on how much a jobs is needed, and thus how much it should be compensated for.

References
Davis, Apple is Among California Corporations with No Women at the Top, University of California, Oct 21, 2007
Trenor , Julie M, Advancing the Women in Engineering Pipeline, University of Houston, 2007

The Managed Heart

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:57:14 EST

In the first chapter of "The Managed Heart Commercialization of Human Feeling by Arlie Russell Hochschild, Hoschschild explains that current trends of economic capitalist states are becoming more service based, requiring individuals to become an emotional "instrument of labor". As more jobs require emotional labor, there becomes a detachment from the inner feelings to present the emotional labor required for a job. This emotional labor is considered "The Managed Heart". Hoschschild uses the flight attendant as an example of the managed heart since airlines main goal is customer satisfaction, it is a non-elite occupation and women are not a minority so it's easier to compare the experiences of men and women doing the same work. Hoschschild examines the roles and responsibilities of flight attendants and the emotional services they provide for airlines. As a flight attendant, one must portray the image of the sensitive corporate airline and to provide excellent customer service which calls upon emotional services to get the job done. (Hoschschild , 1983, p3).

Hoschschild explains there are two types of labor, physical labor, the act of using the body to accomplish a task and emotional labor, which "requires one to induce or suppress feeling in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others." The current trend in the market place is starting to require more "voice to voice or face to face delivery of service", which means the increase in communication tends to bring in more emotional labor and feelings into job responsibilities. In the case of the flight attendants, he or she are continually communicating with passengers and and are required to present excellent customer service. This communication in customer service includes treating the customer with respect, displaying a smile, and presenting a warmness that directly reflects the company. These tasks require the flight attendant to display emotions that he or she might not feel within, thus causing the flight attendant to become "estranged or alienated from an aspect of self that is used to do work". In order to meet his or her job requirements, he or she must put on a show, much like an actor playing a specific role in a movie.

The "managed heart" requires individuals to detach from their self to fulfill the requirements of their job. This will have a significant effect as more people are required into emotional labor as machines start to automate physical labor jobs. This trend will benefit two classes of people, women, who tend to specialize in emotional labor and middle and upper classes individuals in society since they tend to do more administrative work which requires more communication. This could be seen as a cause for the increase of women in the workforce. Their emotional services are in higher demand as the need for communication labor rises.

A flight attendant knows that she will have to suppress her emotions and sell her smile in order to succeed. The training process for a flight attendant is very rigorous, and the roles and responsibilities are laid out form the beginning. I believe there is a certain personality a flight attendant must have in order to succeed at the job. This personality benefits from giving positive emotional labor and enjoys being the comforting fight attendant. In this case, the flight attendant isn't being taken out of her self, but is able to flourish in a job that accentuates her personality. Many people complain about their current job and want to find something better, it is probably because they are being detached from their self by being put into a role that they do not correlate with. The act of giving an emotional service to passengers gives a flight attendant a feeling of happiness in making passengers feel comfortable.

Social Capital and Rationality

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:54:14 EST

In the first chapter of Sociological Insight, Randall Collins explains that groups and societies are based on reasoning and rational agreements, but also lie upon a non-rational foundation. When faced with a decision, an individual is influenced by certain conditions that make them choose a non-rational path to come to a rational outcome. He also explains that rationality is limited and only appears under certain conditions. Two types of rationality described were functional rationality, consisting of calculating how a result can be achieved most efficiently, and substantive rationality, which considers the ends (Collins 1992 p3-29).

An example that Collins gives is the case of a social contract. Both parties to the contract want to gain the most benefit from the agreement. The most rational decision would be to cheat the other person, thus reducing your risk and getting the most gain out of the deal. Often the case is that the non-rational decision is made to uphold the contract and to not cheat. This non-rational decision is influenced by other means, one example is Durkheim's theory for non-rational solidarity, which lies in the notion of trust. People can work together to build a society and hold their side of the social contract because they don't have to rationally decide if they might get cheated. They can put trust in other individuals not to break the contract, thus allowing a non-rational decision to become a rational outcome (Collins 1992 p11).

In Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital, Putnam explains that since World War II the popularity of bowling has increased, however, group bowling has decreased significantly while bowling by individuals has been on the rise. He believes this shows that social capital, or connections within social networks, has been declining in the US. Another example is that Americans are participating less and less in voluntary group associations. This observation can be linked to specific changes such as busy lives, increased work, change in family life, and women working more. However Putnam believes the rise in technology is the most influential social capital killer(Putnam 1995 p71).

One of the major influences of declining social capital is believed to be the invention of the television. The television was brought into American households around the 1960's and has created "radically privatizing and individualizing" of leisure time. Instead of congregating in groups and playing games, groups focus their attention on a television screen and become absorbed into the life of a television show or movie and not those around them. This is even more pronouced with the advancement of computers and the Internet. Only one person can use a computer at a time, compared to a television where multiple people can view the same show, creating an even more individualistic form of entertainment(Putnam 1995 p77).

Capitalism as a whole encourages people to make their own decisions and gain the rewards of success or embrace the punishment of failure. The immense options of choice in the world has increased such as hobbies, activities and political interests. It is increasingly difficult to find like minded individuals in a society of so much choice. In the case of politics, it's hard to match individual beliefs and views to a single running candidate from a specific party. With all the complex issues that plague the world, it is hard to choose between the man in red on the right and the man in blue on the left when their opinions do not specifically line up with many individuals.

With social capital decreasing in many societies and individualism on the rise, the lack of society congregating in groups leads to less trust. Societies are no longer interacting as a whole. The inability of individuals to make a trust-based non-rational decision is becoming a problem. If individuals can not trust those around them, then social contracts will be cheated on and a society will not work as a group to improve the efficiency of society as a whole. Although there are still other factors that bind social contracts, such as the governmental laws and long-term payoffs of an existing relationship, trust is required to create a successful, cooperative and efficient society.

The Nature of Deference and Demeanor

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 02:51:59 EST

    In Erving Goffman's, The Nature of Deference and Demeanor, Goffman explains the concepts of deference and demeanor and the active role they play in how individuals act and respond to specific situations. These actions are influenced by "rules of conduct" that form an individual's identity and help them act accordingly to the cultural norms or a certain group or role in society. Deference is a "component of activity which functions as a symbolic means by which appreciations is regularly conveyed"(Goffman 1967). Deference can take the form of compliments, apologies, or criticism. Demeanor refers to an individual's behavior, displayed through actions or presentation. Through the actions of deference and demeanor identities are formed by the actions and reactions of many individuals acting to a certain role, and by gaining feedback of their demeanor through deference

    Goffman explains that society has placed "rules of conduct" on how an individual should act in the form of creating direct "obligations," and indirect "expectations."(Goffman 1967) This influences an individual's demeanor, creating an identity that an individual molds themself into, depending on the obligations and expectations that are required. A doctor has an obligation to provide treatment to a patient, depending on the result of the demeanor. The patient gives the doctor deference, either positive or negative, which the doctor then responds to either by accepting the positive deference and appreciating it, or accepting the negative and changing to fix it, thus solidifying the doctor's role to the patient through the effects of deference and demeanor.

An individual's status in society, or a group determines the "rules of conduct" that they must present through their demeanor. If they present a good demeanor by fitting into this identity and follow the rules of conduct, then it should be granted that people in the same social group will give deference and compliments to that individual, one of the cause and effect examples Goffman gives, having compliments reinforce good actions, and criticism to thwart negative behavior.

    Goffman places emphasis on certain roles, and explains that certain roles have "status position and power." A doctor has more power over a nurse, so a doctor can display certain deference actions that would be unsuitable for a nurse. It would be unsuitable for a nurse to give commands to a doctor, but is not unsuitable for a doctor to give commands to a nurse. These actions are described as one way, or asymmetrical expectations. Symmetrical expectations describe the shared expectations of both individuals, both the doctor and nurse greet each other and say "Good morning"(Goffman 1967). These differences in power create defined boundaries and specific roles and responsibilities for individuals to carry out and respond to, pushing an individual to act in accordance to an identity that is specified by cultural norms, society values, and ethical laws.

    Many of the examples Goffman uses take place in a hospital ward between doctors, patients, and nurses. This only goes on to explain certain situations in a specific controlled environment. In the present, identities, social norms, and rules of conduct are continuously changing. New generations are coming and going, and along with them, certain ceremonial rituals are being adapted, while most are forgotten. Goffman explains that substantial rules help form "law, morality and ethics," and ceremonial rules shape our "etiquette"(Goffman 1967). Most substantial rules do not fluctuate, but as new generations grow old, ceremonial rules are easily influenced by mass media and seem to change on a daily basis. The interactions of individuals through behavior and dress are now influenced by music superstars, movies and the mass media. Many people take deference for granted, and are self-centered and show no gratitude or respect for other individuals.

    Deference and demeanor shape identity and social norms by making individuals act in accord to certain "rules of conduct" social norms, and these rules of conduct create identities by form an individual's decisions (deference) on how they act and dress to fit it. That deference keeps these identities shaped by either giving praise or lack or praise for that specific act. If an individual doesn't like a certain role, he or she is free to make the decision to switch roles to a more comfortable setting where he or she can be given the appropriate deference for their demeanor.

Holy Schmoley It's Been A Long Time

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 01:16:10 EST

Wow, it's been over 2 and half months since I've written a post on this website. I've been pretty busy with school, and one of my websites started getting an enormous amount of traffic, so I've been trying to keep that site updated. I also tried to do some updates to the administration panel for this blog and during construction I got sidetracked and let the admin panel in limbo, but I have it fixed now, no worries!.

The semester is almost coming to an end, now being the last week of class with only finals week left! Planning on doing some nice relaxing over winter break back in Green Bay and going out west to Big Sky Montana to do some big mountain snowboarding, oh yea oh yea!

Thats about it for now, just wanted to make a post to see if this blog still works, which it does, so awesome!

Bela Fleck at the Orpheum: Madison, WI

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 03:23:33 EST

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones played at The Orpheum on State Street in Madison last night, Friday September 21st 2007. I went to the concert with my girlfriend, sister, and my sisters friend. We showed up at 8:15, 15 minutes after the show was announced to start, and the Flecktones were already on stage playing. The entire first floor seating was filled so we were forced to sit in the balcony, which was also very packed, for the first set.

What was played?

Bela and the Flecktones played a wide variety of songs, a lot of their later hits, such as Locks of Dread, which I captured on video, to some of their more recent hits of their last album, and also a couple covers, one of them being the Beatles song "Come Together" which I also captured on video. The music ranged from smooth contemporary jazz, to spaced out psychedelic trances at times, to the always upbeat and funky bluegrass the Flecktones are known for.

Going Solo

As always, each player was given their opportunity to take the stage themselves. Victor Wooten played some funky bass lines, and did some cool improvisational work with his loop station. Futureman impressed the crowd by playing his drum synthesizer, and also added an additional keyboard that played simple and melodic samples and phrases. Bela of course took the show down when he sat on his stole by himself and threw down, while the crowd eagerly cheered him on.

The Conclusion?

The show ended after two sets, and a very long encore. There were alot of older folks in the crowd, and almost all of them were standing up for the 30+ minute encore, and by the end the crowd was ecstatic and full energy, cheering on Bela Fleck and the Flecktones to keep on playing. Overall it was one of the better concerts I've seen from Bela, maybe because of the Madison atmosphere and the enchanting vibes and surreal closeness(since I was about 20 feet from the stage 2nd set) that made this concert really come to life and showed me that there are some truly amazing musicians still out there touring.

Free Music on Pandora Internet Radio Station

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:55:36 EST

What is Pandora Internet Radio?

For the past couple months I have been using the new Pandora Internet Radio Station. Pandora is a free service that streams music to your computer, the kicker, it creates a radio channel based on a specific artist and then plays relevant songs based on that artists style. For example, say you like Eric Clapton. Enter in Eric Clapton and Pandora will instantly start playing music from Eric Clapton's collection and also other music that is similar to Clapton's style. Pretty cool eh? It only gets better.

Its in the vote

So now your listening to some free music, and Pandora suggests a really bad song. "I don't want to listen to this crap" you say. All you have to do is hover over the album cover art and press the thumbs down button. It will automatically skip the song and go onto a different one. There is also an option for thumbs up if you really like a song. Depending on how you vote, Pandora's algorithm for choosing songs will now play songs tailored to similar songs that you like and will not play songs that you don't like. Wow, thats sweet, it dives deep into each aspect of the song, the instruments, the tempo, the genre, and based on what you like, don't like, and even what other people like, Pandora will come up with music, based on it's algorithmic calculation, that you will enjoy.

Free Music? Ah, Targeted Advertising

Pandora is free, but with the addition of a full page advertisements that border the Pandora music player. Advertisements seem to range from promoting musical concerts to alcohol related advertisements. One thing thats interesting to think about is that Pandora knows an incredible amount of information about you. Sociologists can make accurate predicts based on what type of music you listen to, and Pandora knows exactly what music you like, and what music you don't like, which enables them to place you in a very targeted demographic. As far as advertising, this is huge, since they can now show you highly targeted ads, based on your music style.

Pandora Problems?

So far I have very few complaints of Pandora. I have been using it for the past 3 months, and it's really nice to have someone else find new music for you. I've expanding my music intake, and have found new music that I would have never found before. One problem is that Pandora plays a lot of repeats, most of which I have "Thumbed Up". They could expand their music collection, but they are in the middle of a large legal litigation over the right of internet radio. Overall though, give Pandora a try, and you probably will fall in love.

ASM groceries? WTF?

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:41:11 EST

ASM, Madison's great student government has come up with the great idea to try and implement a Student Grocery store. Yes that is not a joke. Just like they tried to start a book rental program, which I haven't seen at all.

Taken from the Badger Herald:

“We realize that students need cheap and accessible groceries,” said Christie Penn, ASM campus relations chair. “So right now we are putting pressure on planners to include a grocery store in the new Union South.”

The idea is to give people without access to a car a reasonable option to get groceries to their house. Lets take a look at a students current options to get groceries.

Drive, or get a ride, take the bus

To say the least, parking is a bitch in Madison. If you are lucky to have enough money to afford the steep parking rates of Madison, or have a friend who does, you have the luxury of taking a car to either Copps on Park, Copps on University, or if you really want to save, you can go to the east or west side Woodmans.

Go Local

If you live on the east side, go to Capitol Centre Foods, they even deliver your groceries to you for you if they are over $40. You can even order your groceries online, however I have never tried this. If you live on the westside, take a walk up Monroe street to Trader Joes. Yes, its a bit pricey, and alot of it's health food, but I'm sure it would offer alot better selection than the Union. Didn't the Mifflin Street Co-op just go out of business? Come on man, this is the looniest idea and biggest waste of money I've ever heard of.

Live in the Dorms?

If you live in the dorms, you already have your food catered to you every day. The meal plans are more than enough to keep you going. Need some additional groceries? Why not just go to Carson's or Ed's where they have shelves stocked with groceries, much of which are discounted if your living university housing.

So really, ASM, come on, try and do something more productive with your time, than wasting all of our student money on trying to build a grocery store in the new Union South(which most of us don't want).

Want some more info on the ASM groceries?

Daily Cardinal's - ASM calls for UW grocery store
Badger Heralds - ASM hopes to bag new grocery store
Another Badger Herald Article - Groceries? Try governing first

Madison Acropolis, no more Taco Johns on Regent

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:24:05 EST

During the last week of summer I went on vacation to Montana. When I left, the corner of Regent and Orchard street was inhabited by the all mighty Taco Johns restaurant, which boasted tasty potato ole's, Taco Tuesdays, (59 cent tacos) and 6 packs and a pound (6 tacos and a pound of potato ole's). Upon my return from my trip to Montana, the Taco Johns sign was replaced with a new blue sign with the writing, "Acropolis". This really pissed me off considering I used to go to Taco Johns minimum twice a week, being only 2 blocks from work at the Computer Science department, and 1 block from my new apartment. Check out this thread on the daily page about others concerns about the Acropolis Takeover.

It seems that Acropolis is some sort of Greek fast food chain, however doing a google search, I wasn't able to find any information on them at all. Acropolis still has all the same workers that used to work at the old Taco Johns, except no more Taco Tuesdays, and instead pricey Gyros. I decided to try it out and see what it was like, and got the original Gyro, and paid a little under $6. What I got was a pita with a bunch of processed lamb meat and a load of onions and some crappy sauce. To say the least, I probably won't be returning.

Why they turned Taco Johns into an Acropolis I do not know. Considering it lines Regent street which is smack dab in the middle of Southern Campus housing, and drunk students looking for a late night snack would probably prefer a greasy taco, to a greasy Gyro. Now if I want to get my fill of fast food tacos I have to go all the way down to the state street Taco Bell/KFC. Boo you owner of the old Taco Johns/new Acropolis.

Madison Drink Specials

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:52:23 EST

Do you live in Madison, WI? Do you like to go to bars? Do you hate when you have to pay $4 for a beer? Me too, thats why I created the Madison Drink Special Widget on the new Campus Atlas that was just released. Now you can get your drink specials for the day to any of the bars around Madison. You can also see all the drink specials a bar has for the entire week. Need directions? No problemo, just click on the bar name, and a pop-up window will show with a Google Map and a quick link for you to get directions. Pretty sweet, eh?

Product SEO: beating Amazon

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 01:49:07 EST

Product SEO is optimizing a page that is dedicated to a specific product. When a searcher searches for a product, your page lands within the top placements, so visitors can land. It is incredibly valuable to rank high for a product's title because the searcher is seeking out information on that product, and if you have it, you have a very good chance of selling the product or referring them to where they can buy it to gain a nice commission.

The website that is dominating Product SEO is currently Amazon with it's tremendous database of products, it's loyal users, and its great trust with Google. I will explore the ways that Amazon got to the top, to give you a better idea on how to beat out Amazon, or at least come a close second.

Amazon Affiliate Program

The Amazon Affiliate Program gives web publishers a change to gain a commission every time the publisher sends traffic to amazon. A publisher can write a review about a book, and then give a link to that book, and if a visitors visits the Amazon Affiliate link and purchases a product, the web publisher will get a 4% commission on ALL items purchased, not just the product referred. For Amazon, they generate traffic to their site, and convert that traffic into purchases. But what it also does is generates a backlinks to the Amazon product page. The page with the backlink usually has descriptive text about the book, and the anchor text of the link is generally the title of the book. This ranks has heavy link juice for Amazon. Since Amazon has millions of targeted links pointing to a specific product page, that page usually shows up very high in search results, good for amazon, bad for you.

Quality Content

The best way to rank higher in search results is to do SEO. It might be hard to beat out Amazon for the number 1 spot on Google, but coming in a close second doesn't hurt. Considering the run down, taken from Worth To Rank in Google
Ranking Number 1 receives 42.1 percent of click through.
Ranking Number 2 receives 11.9 percent of click through.
Ranking Number 3 receives 8.5 percent of click through.
The next step is getting high quality backlinks to your site. There are many ways to create link-bait, but the best possibly way is to create solid content that other bloggers or web publishers think is worthy enough to link to. This can come in the form of product reviews, descriptions, photos, taking videos of the product and showing it in use. Amazon offers the option for it's users to review products on their site.

Google Product Base

One way to beat out Amazon is to embrace the Google Product Base. When a specific product is searched for in Google, and the product is found in it's base, supplementary results usually show up in Google's Search Results at the number one spot. Example, [Nord Electro 2]. The product is also displayed with the price, and what site the product is hosted on. Of course, you will need to be selling the product to take advantage of this, but it is a simple way to get ahead of Amazon.

Amazon Reviews

Amazon allows users to write product reviews and give their opinions. This helps amazon immensely. It creates unique user generated content for them that is always getting refreshed my users adding in new reviews, Google loves this. It also increases the relevancy of the page, many times people love reading reviews on a product and getting opinions before they dive into buying a product. This is where you come in, let users write reviews on your site to begin with to start generating comments, but also create your own reviews on Amazon with a link pointing back to your site's product page. This will give your site some link juice, and show people looking at the product page that you know what your talking about, in case they visit your site in the future.

Amazon URL's and Title

Take a look at Amazon Titles and their url for a specific product page. It has the name of the product in both the title, and the url, as well as the product's name embedded within the content of the page numerous times. This helps google trigger what the page is about and meant to rank for. It is a basic SEO tip that Amazon uses to it's advantage, and so should you.

All Online Games - Alluc for Games - allonga org

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 01:42:54 EST

Alluc.org has been working on some side projects as of lately. Their most recent being "All Online Games" or the hyperlink is Allonga.org which was launched today, Monday September 10th, 2007.

From the looks it it, the new All Online Games site is using the same content management software that is used to house all the Alluc links. They are already boasting a database of over 17,000 links, quite impressive, however the main distinction between Alluc.org and Allonga.org is that all the links to Allonga.org are not illegal, and don't ride along the lines of linking to illegal content, but more on the links of linking to poplar games that can be found at legitimate sites.

If you house an online gaming website, I would seriously recommend uploading your entire database of games to the site, to help deliver quality traffic to your site, and to build up links. I think the deciding factor for this site that will make it successful is extremely active userbase if alluc.org that will be visiting this site frequently.

This is All Online Games's description they have up on their homepage at the moment, with spelling mistakes corrected ;)

All online Games“ is a collection of links to free online games from all over the web.
Every member can post links to support the community. So the collection can grow larger and larger every day.
For starters we collected about 17m000 links to free online games for you.
Get registered now!
Every member can:

Post links (but only freeware games)

Comment on links to online games

Send messages to other members (private or public in the “Shoutbox”)

Create a “playlist” with your personal favorite games

Have a look at the “playlist” of other members

And of course … PLAY!