I seem to run into this problem every year: what do I get my siblings for their birthdays (and x-mas)?

My brother turns 24 in a few weeks and I don’t have a clue as what to get him. I debated sending a movie or two. He likes to watch movies and has a fairly large DVD collection as a result of CD-store employee nepotism (I used to work in a CD/DVD/video game store).  But now he subscribes to Netflix. In my opinion, that pretty much nullifies the need for ever buying a DVD again. One of his favorite movies happens to be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

In a moment inspired by LaVar Burton, I figured I’d sent him a copy of that Hunter S. Thompson book. I later found the book used as the surface where he rolls his cigarettes. I feel like Thompson would be happy with his book being used in a such a fashion, but I was a bit dismayed.

Last time my dad came to visit, I sent some video games for the Xbox 360 back with him for my brother. A few months after that I went back to Ohio. When I walked in the door, I noticed the games sitting on the counter, untouched. My brother was sitting near by and I asked if he ever had a moment to play them. He said no, and that he probably wouldn’t get to them. He had been playing World of Warcraft, but I think he’s lost interest. I haven’t seen him on the game in weeks.

As for other interests, he watches football. I’m not sure where allegiances lie, but I think he generally roots for Ohio teams, collegiate and professional.

And this is where I stand. I know his general interests, but none of the specifics. We live about eight hours apart, so it’s not like I can sneak over to see what he’s been up to. Suggestions?

How does she do that?

How does Sarah Palin get her hair into that shape? Extensions? Some kind of weave? One of the ponytail things sold at a mall kiosk?

I’ve been reading Packaging Girlhood by Sharon Lamb and Lyn Mikel Brown. The book shows the impact of female-targeted marketing on society and women’s self-perception as a result.

One of the common stereotypes portrayed in the media is the “cool” girl. This girl is into “boy” things, like video games, sports, or comic books. In a sitcom, this girl always has a snappy come back or a witty one-liner, and acts tough but remains cute. This stereotype shuns “traditional” things deemed feminine, such as the color pink, flowers and stuffed animals in favor of something more sporty. This girl has an independent attitude and, to borrow Ja Rule’s parlance, is a “down ass chick.” Girls not into Princess Barbie use this person as a role model.

But with this identity comes a certain preconception. The “cool” girl gives up her feminine side by trying to distance herself from common girl activities, such as shopping or putting on makeup. The pre-packaged cool girl isn’t the free spirit we think she is. By shunning all things feminine she states that women must give up their softer side to achieve “cool.” The media doesn’t show a balance between punk rock chick and sorority sister, the independent thinker and the stereotype. It’s one or the other.

The book describes several instances where this rings true. In the interest of me getting to bed at a decent hour, I will refer you to page 61 of the book (it’s a good read. A used copy only runs $5 before shipping).

What I find interesting is how this sexism has affected me. Years of admiring the spunky television starlet has convinced me to seek out the “down ass chick.” I tend to like people that go against the norm, ones that fight against roles established by society. I always thought that my interest in these girls was a result of my hipster sympathies and a bit of admiration for strong-willed individuals. In actuality, it’s probably because Lady Jaye on G.I. Joe impressed me as she beat on Cobra Vipers only to turn around and make out with Flint and Punky Brewster was the perfect balance of cute and free spirit.

My response to this branding is almost Pavlovian. By falling for a certain look and being into interests associated with the “cool” girl stereotype, I can be categorized and targeted by marketers. Some suit in a room must be really proud of him or herself right now. The anti-corporation belief system I’ve been fed is actually a cash swindle on behalf of consumerism. I’m part of an audience that beliefs itself immune to the influence of marketing departments. I buy the products that suggest I’m different, read the magazines that tell me how to do things differently, and my Apple iPod suggests that I “think different.” I always thought I was pretty market savvy and didn’t buy into the hype, but I’ve come to find that commercialism’s influence runs very deep. Scary, huh?

According to Metcalfe’s Law, a network’s value increases exponentially with every additional member. I would argue that not every member of the network helps to increase its value.  Some people purposefully try to make things difficult for others.

Some people do not add value to a network. For example, on Youtube lots of people create their own videos and even more people leave comments. If you notice, most of these comments are asinine at best. Most of these comments actually detract from the value of the network because the information presented isn’t accurate, nor does it help anyone. It’s just additional text you have to slog through.

I watch DJ Qbert’s Youtube channel and occasionally scan the comments. Someone wrote something along the lines of “Who does this new guy think he is? DJ Spooky is much better. This guy will never amount to anything.” If someone wasn’t familiar with DJ Qbert, they might take the comment at face value. To set the record straight, DJ Qbert has been providing aural pleasure since 1990, won four DMC World DJ championships, released a bunch of CDs and is arguably the best scratch DJ in the world. So comments provided by people not qualified to respond the videos are detrimental to the network’s value. Without someone vetting detractors, misinformation spreads.

If one person starts to spread rumors or misinformation, they devalue the network. Every incorrect comment left in a network requires someone to rectify the information. The person correcting the error only serves to cancel out the detractor because that time would have otherwise been used to provide additional commentary or benefits to other parts of the network.  Because of this, the effort needed to maintain the value of a network becomes burdensome and some networks will eventually collapse if the detractors out number the producers.

Cut Copy is touring with The Presets.

Cut Copy

The Presets

Get excited.

Internet rumor has it that Amazon will release an updated version of the Kindle, its e-book device. I am all for innovation and I love gadgets, but I don’t think the market is ready.

Things to be addressed:

• A lot of books aren’t available digitally. The bestsellers get digital equivalents, but I don’t want a $300 device that doesn’t have everything readily available.  That really limits it usefulness. I usually get a gadget for the convenience it provides. Also, the digitization of a lot of books is mired in copyright litigation hell. Some publishing houses aren’t even sure who holds the rights to a lot of material. We need to push new precedents through to address nebulous ownership of intellectual property (Lawrence Lessig occasionally talks about this in his blog).
• An e-book runs about $8.99. Many times I can purchase a used physical copy for $0.01 and I don’t need a $300 device to read it.
• What about books I already own?  I think we should get digital copies for free with hardcopies. Amazon has a list of things I’ve purchased, they know what I should have access to based on my buying history.
• What about other formats? Amazon wants to cater to college students, saying text books are expensive.  That may be the case, but a lot of my grad work dealt in PDFs. I don’t want to pay Amazon to convert these files to Kindle friendly formats because I am a broke college student and I need things immediately, especially if I have a paper due. The Kindle needs to support several formats.
• What happens when book publishers splinter the market like the music and television industries? Not all artists sell their music on iTunes, and I’m sure not all book publishers will agree to sign on to Amazon’s service.  What if Random House joins up with Sony’s e-reader service?  In addition to e-readers supporting several formats of files, we need a universal, DRM free e-book filetype supported across all devices.  This isn’t ideal for Amazon, but they would sell more e-books for people that already invested in other e-reader devices.
• Color e-ink has already been developed, three years ago. I want a color Kindle.

I think there are a lot of benefits to owning a Kindle, but the investment at this time isn’t worth it.

What do you think would help get e-readers into the hands of the people?

Pop and lock, Fred!

The World of Warcraft survey for my graduate thesis passed the review board examination!

I am researching language development in an electronic medium, focusing on communication in World of Warcraft. Since all communication in World of Warcraft happens through a computer, surveying its players can provide insight into language developments in a computer mediated environment.

If you play World of Warcraft, please take a few minutes to complete my research survey by following the hyperlink below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=YbyDPDace_2bQeCKHcxGnrHQ_3d_3d

I’d also appreciate you all passing the link to any other WoW players you may know.