discuss
Oh, the forgotten blog. Forgive me for my absence. As the forces of this world rip me away with their petty responsibilities...
Anyways. Yes, so I have posted nothing here and in the meantime the blog is feasted on by hoardes of spammers, like ants over a discarded ice cream cone. Whatever shall we do.
talk about things with me, people, I'll give you some topics:
1.) Environmental determinism. In other words: To what extent did the features of a culture arise from the environment (climate, soil quality, proximity to water, etc) in which it originally developed? This is often seen as a discredited idea, as it can obscure the influence of other, political factors (e.g., colonization). Did environment play a significant role in the evolution of cultures, or is its influence overestimated?
2.) It is general knowledge that you should turn off your cell phone in hospitals, and sometimes I see signs posted to reinforce this. What is it that the phones interfere with?
3.) What motivates the spammer? Do they actually make money? Do they enjoy the technical challenge of proliferating their material across the web? Are they bored? Where do they come from? Are they hired by someone to spam, or do they choose to do this on their own?
Comments
Yes, spammers generally do make money. I used to know one - a deplorable man - who made a modest (but sufficient) income spamming the living daylights out of thousands of websites and e-mail addresses. It wasn't just his spamming that made him unpleasant, though. He didn't rewind, he never held the elevator door, and if I didn't know better I'd swear he was the reason that economics textbooks even mention the free rider problem.
Cell phones have been known to interfere with things like pacemakers and ventilators (digital television signals, too). Whether they should be banned...that's a subject of debate. (see http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7387/460)
"Anecdotal reports exist of interference with medical electrical equipment, which led to a study by the Medical Devices Agency in the United Kingdom. In this study, 4% of medical devices suffered from electromagnetic interference from digital mobile phones at a distance of 1 metre. This compared with 41% from emergency services' handsets and 35% from porters' handsets. Most of the interference related to disturbance of the signal on monitors, such as electrocardiographs, confirmed by data from the United States."
As for the first topic, I'll leave that for someone a little more bored (or under the influence) - it's too nonspecific for my tastes. Of course environment plays a significant role (particularly in extremes, like high elevation areas in South America). Of course it varies from culture to culture. Of course it's occasionally overstated.
Perhaps you'd be more interested in a printable Borders coupon for 20% off. Unless, of course, the guilt of not giving your money to a quaint little neighborhood store or co-op would eat you alive.
http://f.chtah.com/i/9/276579820/book0216.htm
Posted by: Pyrrhura | Febrero 19, 2006 11:13 AM
Well, hello Pyrrhura! Or is it Paris Spleen? So you came to advertise Borders this time! I already use my Borders coupons quite frequently, thank you. What's with the "jab" about neighborhood stores? I sense quite a bit of hostility here.
Do these businesses pay you to comment on collegiate blogs??? If they do, I think I'll contact the companies directly to express my displeasure. Perhaps, then, I'll frequent Borders less often---and as for Eddie Bauer---I'll leave them to the shoppers who are "a little more bored (or under the influence)." They don't cater to my "tastes."
Just how much does an ice-cream-cone ant get paid?
Well, Karin, I guess we've met "one of those."
Posted by: Jane | Febrero 20, 2006 07:22 AM