I Wanna Make You Happy
“Maybe that’s what we look for in the people we love, the spark of unhappiness we think we know how to extinguish.”
Tom Perrotta, Election
“I wanna make you feel alive”
M
Connected
A Few days ago, thanks to Sara, I discovered the program Immersion that gathers the metadata of your email and creates a visual mapping of your connections. Each collaborator is represented as a circle on the map, the larger the circle, the more communication has existed between you and your collaborator.
Through Immersion you can get a visual representation of your network (that is if, of course, you communicate a lot through email). I personally found it fascinating to get an “aerial” view of my everyday communication.
Here’s a screenshot of the results I got (I removed the name labels):
The red circles represent my family, the green ones are my friends and co-workers from home, and the orange ones are my friends from my studies abroad. The other small circles are people I had contact with for more than three times, but not regularly. The big blue circle in the middle is my sister (who is connected to both my family and my friends).
It is interesting to try and analyze your map to understand better your communication patterns. For example, it shows you whether your network is well balanced or if you rely too much on one person. It also shows you who are your most connected collaborators, and so on..
The program doesn’t access actual email content or subjects, it just looks at the “To”, the “CC”, and the “BCC”. So try it out! (if you aren’t hiding big info that you don’t want the NSA to see, haha).
It’s fun (and revealing) to generate your own map: https://immersion.media.mit.edu/.
“I got my own roots to water,got my own family tree.
Got my own set of heroes,that means something to me.
I got my own way to travel,my own story to tell.
(…) Still I’m connected to you and everyone and everything.”
M
Eat Lunch With The New Kid
-Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
-You only get one chance to notice a new haircut.
-If you’re staying more than one night, unpack.
-Expect the seat in front of you to recline. Prepare accordingly.
-Keep a picture of your first fish, first car, and first boy/girlfriend.
-Never lie to your doctor.
-All guns are loaded.
-Don’t fill up on bread, no matter how good.
-A handshake beats an autograph.
-Don’t linger in the doorway. In or out.
-If you want to know what makes you unique, sit for a caricature.
-Never get your hair cut the day of a special event.
-Be mindful of what comes between you and the Earth. Always buy good shoes, tires, and sheets.
-Never eat lunch at your desk if you can avoid it.
-When you’re with new friends, don’t just talk about old friends.
-Eat lunch with the new kid.
-It’s never too late for an apology.
-Don’t pose with booze.
-Never push someone off a dock.
-Under no circumstances should you ask a woman if she’s pregnant.
-It’s not enough to be proud of your ancestry; live up to it.
-Don’t make a scene.
-Make time for your mom on your birthday. It’s her special day, too.
-When opening presents, no one likes a good guesser.
-Sympathy is a crutch, never fake a limp.
-Give credit. Take blame.
-Never be the last one in the pool.
-Don’t stare.
-Address everyone that carries a firearm professionally.
-Stand up to bullies. You’ll only have to do it once.
-If you’ve made your point, stop talking.
-Admit it when you’re wrong.
-If you offer to help don’t quit until the job is done.
-Look people in the eye when you thank them.
-Thank the bus driver.
-Never answer the phone at the dinner table.
-Know at least one good joke.
-Don’t boo. Even the ref is somebody’s son.
-Know how to cook one good meal.
-Learn to drive a stick shift.
-Dance with your mother/father.
-Don’t lose your cool. Especially at work.
-Always thank the host.
-If you don’t understand, ask before it’s too late.
-Know the size of your boy/girlfriend’s clothes.
-Be a good listener. Don’t just wait for your turn to talk.
-Carry your mother’s bags. She carried you for nine months.
-Be patient with airport security. They’re just doing their jobs.
-The opposite sex likes people who shower.
-Learn to change a tire.
-Be kind. Everyone has a hard fight ahead of them.
-An hour with grandparents is time well spent. Ask for advice when you need it.
-If you have a sister, get to know her boyfriend. Your opinion is important.
-Never call someone before 9am or after 9pm.
-Buy the orange properties in Monopoly.
-Always wear a bra at work.
-You’re never too old to need your mom.
-Ladies, if you make the decision to wear heels on the first date, commit to keeping them on and keeping your trap shut about how much your feet kill.
-Know the words to your national anthem.
-Your dance moves might not be the best, but I promise making a fool of yourself is more fun then sitting on the bench alone.
-Smile at strangers.”
M
Ask Them…
… They know better:
M
Irresponsibility Made Easy
Monday Morning Happy Reggae Song (Thanks Dianou ! )
“Jah we gonna big it up never dance low
Dance to the max and never dance low no”
M
The Ministry of Silly Walks
To Jad, who introduced the concept to me by silly-walking in a 10m² office space. Quite an entertainment.
M
Men Rules
Rules of men, written by a man:
1-Men are not mind readers.
2- Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
3- Crying is blackmail.
4- Ask for what you want.
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it.
4- Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
5- Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
6- Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument, all comments become null and void after 7 days.
7- If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
8- You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
9- Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.
10- Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.
11- All men see only in 16 colors, like windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.
12- If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing”, we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it’s just not worth the hassle.
13- If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.
14- When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine, really.
15- Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as football or motor sports.
16- You have enough clothes.
17- You have too many shoes.
18- I am in shape, round is a shape.
19- Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight. But did you know men really don’t mind that? it’s like camping.
(Thanks Cyssou!)
M
Nerd Love
“Sallyburger,
If you took the number of sub-atomic particles in the universe and multiplied that number times itself that many times; and then added the total number of micro-seconds since the beginning of time, times itself; and then added 803—you would still have only the tiniest fraction of a billion-billionth per cent of the amount of love I have for you.
Love,
your candle partner,
the romantic Mr Carlin,
your eternal flame”
Not sure if I love the cat or the lyrics of the song more.
M
Smail of the Day 