Observations

Some things I've noticed recently...

Observation: Internet privacy
Seems like it wasn't that long ago when people tended to guard their privacy on the Web much more closely. I distinctly remember re-publishing my blog to remove everyone's last name in links or posts, just in case people were sensitive about being Googled. People who posted their real pictures on, say, Friendster were admonished for not being discreet - I mean, people you don't know could find out what you look like!

So, at some point, this reticence seems to have just about disappeared. Almost everywhere you look, you can see people posting tons of pictures of themselves and their friends. There are even video-hosting websites so that you can hear people's latest attempts at singing karaoke, how cute their baby is, or the latest fun event.

I've never been overly shy about my online dealings, so this newfound vulnerability is kind of neat when catching up on my friends' blogs. Still, it's kind of interesting to observe. Are people just not as shy as they used to be?

Observation: Technology may be making us dumber
Not long from now, people will no longer have to memorize addresses or directions, due to personal navigation systems. Similarly to how the phone number memory storage on cell phones has obviated the need to remember digits, the day is coming soon where we'll be able to get into a car or other vehicle and just say where we want to go (Beam me up, Scotty!). This past weekend in LA, the nav system was highly useful for getting around with nary a Google Maps printout needed (Tru dat! Double tru!). I wonder what's the next area where technology will replace brain cells?

I, for one, look forward to the day when we have vehicles that can go on autopilot and take us to where we want to go without needing to drive. Perhaps 1-2 lanes on the road can be devoted to auto-driving and the other two can be given over to the guys who don't want to relinquish control of their vehicles.

Observation: The online attention span is shortening even more
I'm a firm believer in Socrates' creed that "the unexamined life is not worth living," and I've tried to reflect that by trying to regularly process my life, often in this very space. Thing is, with the recent flood of photos and videos easily available online, it's becoming a lot more tempting to ditch the introspection and just post lots of cool videos. Why invest time in thinking through ideas, fleshing out relevant examples and analogies, structuring writing, and proofreading, when it's so much easier to post those screencap/links to Youtube.com, or photos on people's smugmugs?

Anyway, the latest in fun videos:

Got this video of a live-action re-creation of the "Simpsons" intro from both Drew W and Alex. Those crazy Britishers. Best part is that they replicated the twins, Sherri and Terri, with actual twins.

The latest Jordan commercial has been getting a lot of buzz among sports fans as one of the top basketball commercials of recent years. From this ESPN article describing the making of the commercial (where kids from around the world imitate, down to the smallest detail, Jordan's moves and mannerisms), I picked up this interesting tidbit: "While one might think that the kids were shown the specific Jordan moves before they were performed, W+K execs maintain that was not the case. The kids did what they remembered as art director Jesse Coulter fine-tuned to make sure the moves were as technically accurate as possible." Check out this video to see the commercial and the original moves side by side to see just how accurate the kids' memories were.

That reminded me of one of my other favorite Jordan commercials, where the older, post-baseball version of MJ plays the young, taking-the-league-by-storm version in a game of one-on-one. No musical soundtrack, just the squeak of shoes on hardwood, the bounce of the ball, the ripple of the net, the thunder of an attacked rim, and the incessant trash talk between the old MJ and the young MJ. I think the thing that appeals to me most about the commercial is that it really does illuminate some of the nuance in savvy veteran basketball skills (pump fakes, bumping, leverage) compared to raw athleticism. Plus, it's not hard to imagine the ultra-competitive MJ engaging in that exact sort of trash talk against his opponents.

Oh, and for the fans of Yellow Fever from Wong Fu Productions out of UCSD, the bloopers are now available. Considering the over-the-top nature of most of those scenes, it must have been super hard to keep a straight face.

Observation: Coming down to hoops crunchtime
While the Spurs remain my favorite team, the Warriors have become unwatchable, and both the Pistons and the Suns may be more fun to watch than either. However, while I enjoy the basketball the Pistons play on both sides of the floor, I finally pinpointed the thing that bugs me about their team - the Pistons never believe that a foul called against them is legitimate. They react violently to more calls than any other team I watch, and this annoys me.

In the college ranks, here's proof that Berkeley students are diabolically clever.

LA Memories

This past weekend, a bunch of us went down to LA for a wedding (see Maria's, Joy's, and Karen's recaps). Coupla memories:

- quote of the weekend, from the reception, by Dr. Andy: "I don't understand the point of dancing. How do you win?"
- if at all possible, remember not to ask a woman about cramps (see Joy's recap above)
- finally, in the last 3 months, two women have thrown up in a car that I was driving. I am the human ipecac. I make women barf!