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Samhain Doings [Oct. 26th, 2009|07:47 am]
So if you are the type who celebrates Samhain as opposed to (or along with) Halloween, may I recommend you contact Chaive Trust? She does tarot readings, and could use a little extra funds.
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*SNORT* [Oct. 26th, 2009|07:45 am]
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Writer's Block: War and peace [Oct. 22nd, 2009|03:25 pm]
[Tags|, , ]

Many countries require all citizens to fulfill a mandatory period of service in the armed forces. Do you agree or disagree with this policy? Do you think the current recruitment system creates or sustains socioeconomic inequality?

Submitted By [info]jeepgirl77


View 607 Answers



I don't normally do these, but this one...

I am STRONGLY opposed to mandatory service.

Let's be honest, there are a lot of good arguments in favor of it. It creates a large military, and that's good for the nation. It also instills discipline and a sense of group membership in the conscripts, as well as giving them technical training that can be useful for the future, and that's good for the individuals conscripted. Additionally, done right it's fair and equitable, not viewing race, sex, class, economic status, and etc. as privileging someone. (The U.S. Drafts during the Civil War, WWII, and Vietnam were all very inequal, allowing college students to be exempt, rich drafties could buy their way out of it, etc.) Note: The only nation truly fair in this is Israel, which conscripts all 18 year old citizens, regardless of sex. Yes, that means Israel not only allows women to serve, it REQUIRES them to.

HOWEVER!

There is one REALLY big reason I am opposed to it. I, having three combat tours under my belt, would NEVER feel comfortable being in a combat zone knowing that the people there with me hadn't chosen to serve along side of me. This is not to say that draftees and conscripts are universally worthless. Most of those drafted for the Civil War, WWII, or Vietnam served honorably and well, some of them receiving the highest honors the nation could give them. But there were enough who resented being drafted and thus did the barest necessary to not get shot by their own side that it created bad situations where the ability to trust the person next to you in the foxhole did not exist. When you're getting shot at, you HAVE to trust that the people there beside you are going to do their best to keep you alive. Conscription destroys that trust.

And that's my 2c. Don't spend it all in one place.
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Heehee! [Oct. 18th, 2009|08:21 am]
A friend requested a little something of another friend. I am VERY amused by the results.

You remember this?



Well...



I am much amused!
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Christmas List [Oct. 18th, 2009|07:59 am]
I really dislike the whole thing how people start putting up Christmas advertising and the like months ahead of time. BUT... I do understand that there are people who go shopping for Christmas gifts before December 24th, so putting up Christmas Wish Lists is something I can handle. In fact, I'm going to do that myself right now.

Sorta.

You see, I am already thinking about where I want to go for my Doctorate. I kind of have to, really. For one, the front runner school I am interested in (University of Michigan) requires that you apply well in advance. If you want to get in for fall 2011 (my target goal) you have to apply January 2011. That's with everything, not the initial form, with things to follow up (with the exception of things like your (May 2011 grades and diploma.) So I kind of need to make sure I have things ready in advance.

It also means I should probably have a darned good idea where I want to go. There are a number of places on the list (UofM is the front runner, but hardly the only place on the list. Shoot... Even MIT is on the list (Sherry Turkle teaches there.)) So as part of that process I want to visit a few of the campuses this spring, meet some of the profs, and get ideas about if these are places I really want to spend a few years twisting my brain into a pretzel.

Which takes money.

So, yeah. What I'm more or less someone that actually reads this and who was actually planning to send me some sort of Christmas gift this year, if you aren't completely offended by the crassness of it, instead of books, or sweaters, or coal (I deserve coal, it's true!) funds that can be put towards plane/train/bus tickets, hotel rooms, and meals would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
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Not another meme! [Sep. 12th, 2009|08:14 pm]
Comment and I'll give you a person (indicate a preferred fandom if you want). Find a picture of that person for each category. Post the results in your journal.

I got this off of [info]hobomama She gave me Setsuna.

Read more... )
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Mississippi Squirrel Revival. [Aug. 29th, 2009|09:45 am]
I wonder how many people will get that joke...

ANYWAY...

MINIONS! SQUIRRELS!  FUN PEOPLEZ UV ALL TYPEZ!

Some of you may remember the little LiveJournal game I ran last year as part of my Senior Thesis.  Some of you may remember a campus overrun with squirrels, Men In Black, and the occasional well dressed demon.  Some of you may even remember these events fondly.

If so, rejoice!  Some of the players in that have decided they want to revive PolyMagic University!  If you are interested, please feel free to enroll in the new semester, pick up your books and uniforms at the campus store, and try to get along with your dorm mates.

And if you weren't a participant, be aware that they are accepting new students to the High School and University both.

OOC journal: http://community.livejournal.com/polymagic_new

Application How-To: http://community.livejournal.com/polymagic_new/419.html

RP journal (Polymagic University):
http://community.livejournal.com/polymagic_rpn

Journal for Logs: http://community.livejournal.com/npolymagic_nlog

Remember, a new school term at Polymagic University is starting, enabling new students and old students alike to mingle, have fun, and see what their classes are about at this premier school for young mages!

Offensive Magics has a new building this year, leading to rumors of what may have happened last year...

And there's a fall formal for students, alumni, and parents coming up soon!

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Change of plans [Aug. 27th, 2009|09:10 pm]
Fast post before I go keel over.

First, if any of you are expecting me to, oh, say, HAVE A LIFE for the next two years... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA no.

ANYWAY...

Remember that big long plan I had discussing an ethnographic approach to four micronations online?

When I first broached the basic concept to my adviser, he loved it. When I then detailed out what I meant, he nearly had a heart attack. In his words, I was talking about doing TWO DOCTORAL thesis.

While working two jobs AND going to school full time.

Needless to say, he talked me out of it.

So... New plan!

I've gone back more or less to an old idea, questions about online identity.

One of the concepts that is explored in a number of social sciences, and which certainly has an impact on communication, is the concept of the Self. A number of theorists touching on communications fields posit all kinds of things. Some think that the self is a creation made up by the language we use, as we can't even realize we ourselves exist without using the language we know. Others feel that the self certainly exists as an unchanging, driving force, and language is a tool we use to express that. Still others see us as having a very mutateable self, that alters and adapts in every situation, and Language is the mask that helps to distort and alter us to the moment.

Yeah, a lot of theories about the self and how it interacts with communication.

Anyway, I had an epiphany moment, the other day involving the concept of self and computer mediated communication.

Allow me to give a little more background than I really should, as overly curious types might try using it to track me down, and I'd prefer that not happen given a number of factors.

When first I decided to examine Second Life as a possible research platform on the advise of a colleague, (Hee! I'm talking like a professional researcher now! Colleague! Er... Don't mind me, Master's Students don't get much sleep, apparently...) it was recommended to me by said colleague that I further my exploration of my previous research... faking sex (gender, not intercourse thankyouverymuch!) online. I was encouraged to enter SL with a female avatar, so that rather than observing faking second hand, I could experience it from the high heeled shoes of a presenter.

So I did. It's been fascinating.

And now to the epiphany.

I had noticed that there were times where, when in SL emoting all over the place and flouncing about in very full dresses, sometimes I would find myself thinking as the girl I was presenting myself to be. I wasn't role-playing. Role-playing can be a blast, and I've loved my characters, but I was always a step removed from them. Here, the lines were blurring, and I was not asking "would my avatar find that pretty?" I was asking "do *I* find that pretty?" The sense of self was adapting to the setting and situation. Of course, once I logged off, things snapped back to normal and I went back to scratching myself in public and truncating my sentences.

And then a couple stepped on the bus while I was on the way to work. The gentleman sat in a seat near mine. The lady sat next to him. Then she twisted in the seat, and lay back, so that she was laying against him. His arms wrapped around her, she snuggled in...

And I found myself thinking two things at the same time. Literally two things at once, which I don't do.

Geeze...  Why in the world does she look so happy?  She looks like a possession, like she is eager to belong to him, and has no real sense of worth if she isn't being owned by him!  Ugh.That is so romantic!  How I envy her.  I wish there was someone who loved me possessively like that, and really valued me!

The thought on the left was mine, a well honed bit of classic Sareth paranoia and independence that doesn't like anyone thinking they need the approval of anyone else.  Particular if that person happens to be Sareth himself.

The thought on the left...

My SL character had to to stick her nose into things.  I even heard the thought in her "voice."

As you can see, those are VERY different perspectives on the situation.  It was rather a shock and a surprise.  But it also was a moment that really gave me something to think about, and within ten minutes I was desperately eager to dive into research.

You see, that moment caused me to think.  Some of the theories posit that our sense of self alters and changes in accordance with situation.  It's not that we are always the same person, we just change our behavior based on who we are around or the situation we are in, it's that even our own perception of who we are changes and adapts.  The fundamental core shifts around to meet the situation.  And I, having immersed myself fairly deeply in SL and in seeing if I could fake being a girl, had done so well that in  moment where my sense of self was not having to actively interact with the world, two senses of self both popped up to express an idle opinion.

Now, we can chalk that up to a lack of sleep, or my brain obsessing over various ways person-hood manifests, or training my brain to try to think in "girl" paying off, or to Sareth needing to get his head examined.  But it DID wake me to a very, VERY interesting (to me, at least) concept.

If phenomenological thought about the self is correct, and the self changes and alters to fit the situation, then people within SL who present characters that are different from their physical selves will find that their very sense of self changes to match the avatar.  Further, if sociocultural thinkers are correct, and the self is a construct of the society and culture they are in, then those changes of self caused by the different presence being placed in SL will alter in ways beyond the control of the individual sitting at the keyboard.

In short... Avatars can develop a limited but still real sense of self separate from their creators.

And so, my Master's Thesis, a much more limited paper (thankfully... It's only the first week of class and I'm already stressed out) will involve using qualitative survey techniques to investigate if this is true (by comparing people's descriptions of their avatar's thoughts, actions, and values with those of the creators behind them.)

Exciting, isn't it?

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Latest on the research project [Aug. 21st, 2009|01:27 pm]
I am probably being far, FAR too ambitious with this...

Here's where I am currently at, for any who actually care.

I've been attempting to find previous work that is relevant to my area of research. What I have found has been... not much.

Most of the work I have found dealing with online society has been very general "This is what Second Life looks like," "This is what World of Warcraft looks like," "This is what Eve Online looks like." Very general overviews that have isolated out either individual issues ("Preservation of rights on corporate run MMORPGs," for example) or very broad cultural looks exploring why the general populace gets involved in them. Most of them clearly assume "Every user looks the same" in their approach, and the rest assume "there are only two types of players, rules lawyers, and rules breakers." One I just finished, in fact, insisted that Second Life is, in fact, only useful for the antisocial introverts who would be quite happy playing one-player games. I have no idea what Second Life he's been playing...

I've even asked my Advisor and the library's dedicated research staff to see if there's any key words I am missing that would suddenly unleash the research waters. They've come up pretty much empty as well. Each has another person they suggested I speak with, but they think I am going to have to bridge from general sociological research into the specifics of Micronations.

Fun fun fun.

But this means that my rough mental plan is looking like I won't have to scrap all or part of it on account of someone already having done it.

Of course, that means that the full plan is currently go. And the full plan is...

Ambitious.

Very ambitious.

In brief, what I am planning to do is take an ethnographic approach to producing a complete socio-cultural view of four micronations, to include communication flow, normative behavior, power structures, and influence, comparing and contrasting them to get a basic overview of what common things are shared, and what differences are found, giving us a good definition of what a micronation is.

For the layman, that means I plan to basically play anthropologist in four cultures at once. Sort of like attempting to study Zulu, Maori, Inuit, and Ainu by living with all four of them all at the same time.

Yeah, it's insane.

I do have certain advantages. Unlike the Zulu, Maori, Inuit, and Ainu, the four micronations I want to study will be within a mouse-click of one another. And all four will have a common root, being English speaking European/American culturally originated in their populations, even if they have created radical departures from there. Further, unlike a normal anthropologist, I will be able to change my physical appearance as well as my behaviors to better set the cultures being studied at ease.

Plus, I don't have to worry about TseTse flies or Mosquitoes.

To make things easier (hopefully) I will also be stealing an idea from Anthropology, and attempting to find someone to be a "translator" and guide for each culture. How much these people will be involved in actual data collection I don't know yet (there are a number of ethical questions involved in that question) but they will at least be able to help introduce me to basic customs and personages I would need to know.

Anyway, I'm starting to look around four for identifiable micronations (which is hard when one doesn't have a good working definition of what one is... But that's what this research is about... defining micronations.) Currently my thoughts are:

VICTORIANA/STEAMPUNK: The cultural assumptions here will be most "normative" when looked at from a current/western perspective. Because it is our cultural heritage, familiarity with the basic rules and behavior should be very rapid, allowing for easy integration, allowing me to quickly begin prying things apart and peeking inside to see how they work. I even have a target nation already picked out, I just need permission.

ARISTASIAN: Based off the concepts of Marianne Martindale as set out in her novels, Aristasia is a national/cultural concept in which there are no males, instead there are "blonds" and "brunettes." Essentially, it's a culture where women are not one of two genders, rather they are the entire species, and the genders are based around what I would think of as the Thinking (T) / Feeling (F) portions of the Myers-Briggs personality test. Blonds are Feeling types, who are highly creative dreamers in touch with the spiritual and artistic sides of things. Brunettes are Thinking types who tend to be grounded in mundane realities. Further, while one would expect an all female culture to be feminist, Aristasians reject feminist thought as an attempt to portray women as men with different organs. Instead, they highlight feminine behavior and practices, attempting to actively create a kinder, gentler society around feminine concepts of nurture and grace. I believe there is an Aristasian nation in SL, I just need to see if I can A) get permission to examine it, and B) if it is large enough in population to form the structures I self-define as being a necessary part of a micronation.

GOREAN: Based off the books of John Norman, the Gorean culture is very rigid and very much predicated on a belief that there is no such thing as equality, or migration of station. Basic values are Home, Honor, Duty, and Propriety. Power is determined by strength of will and body. It's also a very paternalistic, slave owning culture. Because Gorean micronations would, in many ways, be antithetical to current western beliefs and values (such as equality and democracy) they could serve as a strong contrast to a Victorian or Aristasian culture. Anything they do that Goreans also do are likely to be a universal trait for a micronation. I haven't found any of these yet, but I haven't gone looking. Even not looking, I encounter references to them all over the place, so I suspect this will be EASY to find.

BAKAFU/WARRING STATES: A Bakufu or Warring States period micronation would provide a good non-western contrast to the previous three, as it would be an attempt to create an idealized version of pre-Meiji Japan. The expectation is that in spite of its Japanese roots, it would still be built and people primarily by westerners, so that common language and cultural roots will make it fairly easy to integrate initially, while at the same time providing an "Eastern" ideal to compare and contrast with the other three, reducing the "Westernizing" of a definition of Micronations. I haven't looked for any of these either, but I have stumbled across feudal japanese towns in SL, so I don't imagine this will be too hard to find.

So... Anyone think I am insane yet?

I should find out more about key dates later this week, so I'll know when I need to be ready to go to an IRB and such...
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2 Memes [Aug. 11th, 2009|08:04 am]
MEME 1

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.

I got mine off of Kit.

1. Tricare

*shudder* I personally didn't have to deal with Tricare (the military insurance system for dependents) much myself. But I did have to sit through a LOT of briefings about it, where they talked all about Tricare Basic, Tricare Prime, Tricare Regions, paperwork, policy issues, co-pays, coverage, issues, complaints, took questions... I must have sat through at least 2 briefings a year for 9 1/2 years, and I STILL don't get any of it. I swear, that system was designed by a monkey with a short attention span. But it beat being without coverage...

2. Army

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... I think the Army did an a great deal of good for me, and I am proud of what I did. I had some truly miserable experiences while in, but I had some wonderful experiences as well. Most importantly, the Army grew me up, something I was in sore need of (and probably could still use a little more of.) And I know I've made my mark... The Army is *not* for everyone. It's a hard life. But it was worth it for me.

3. Second Life

Fascinating. Utterly fascinating. It has only been in the past 20 or so years that the internet has really opened up a whole new world of opportunities, both for great good and great ill. Before this generation, the chance for every day Joes to routinely interact with people from all over the world on a daily basis just didn't exist, except in rare "melting pot" cities full of immigrants. Yet now the world is just a click away. Second Life's content creation system allows people everything they need to create the ultimate melting pot. They can build entire societies and cultures, with all of its trappings, pulling in the cultural elements they like from throughout the world, and then see if their new society works. As a researcher, it makes me salivate just thinking about the potential for sociocultural and cybernetic experimentation...

4. Shoujo

Not completely certain if you mean "girls" or "girl's manga." So... Girls? What's not to like? Place would be pretty darned boring without 'em. Girl's Manga? Okay, guilty secret, I read a surprising number of Shoujo Manga. I just really enjoy the somewhat shiny, rose colored glasses approach to relationships you can find in a lot of them. Maria-sama ga Miteru is full of conflict, and misunderstanding, and trouble... but you know that by the end of the story arc, it's going to be really sweet and cuddly. Okay, now that my guy card has just taken a major hit of demerits...

5. Research

Depends on the part of research. I'm not overly thrilled by finding previously existing research. Spending hours pouring over journals or trying to convince the library software to spit out good resources and not bad ones gets old fast. And even when I've found previously existing articles, reading them can be dry dry dry. Seriously, some researchers need to learn to write. BUT! The rest of it... Formulating a project meant to answer questions we don't yet know the answer to, putting that project into an experimental form, then unleashing it to see what happens when we stir the pot and try to find the ingredients... Now THAT is fun! I am seriously looking forward to my Master's Thesis. Just have to get past the Review of Literature phase...

Which I should be doing right now, but instead...

MEME 2

CHARACTER MEME: Who would I want to...

...take to lunch?

Jamie and I have very similar tastes. Steak, really rare. Yes, a rare steak is a meal all on its own.

...want to rescue you?

I'm screwed. None of my characters are really capable of the task. Oh, some of them are powerful as all get up (Trinh and Saeko come to mind.) But powerful and competent are two different things. Saeko's too much of a flake (I'm working on that) and Trinh... Trinh wouldn't *care*. And they're probably the *best* qualified. So... Yeah.

...never want to meet in a dark alley?

Saeko has made death threats towards me before. And given what she does to casual strangers, I shudder to think what she would do to someone she genuinely hates.

...hug?

Lillith. Poor thing needs a hug. It's been one trauma after the other since she left Sancturiel, and she's just not cut out for the hero business, really.

...be for a day?

Oh, easy. Alana. She doesn't have an enemy in the world, that I know of. And while she frets a lot, she tends to be so genki it's sickening.

...steal powers/skills from?

Saeko. She can fly, and seems to have a knack for getting away with just about anything. Plus, she can somewhat influence the weather. If Idaho suddenly becomes perpetually cold and rainy, you'll know why...

...take to an amusement park?

Hrm... That's hard to say. I think Sareth is the only one that wouldn't scream, squee, or otherwise make excessive fuss in my ear and make me deaf. And Sareth would either be boring, or would cause something far, far too exciting. In fact, I'm not sure ANY of my characters should be allowed anywhere NEAR an amusement park.

Well, maybe Lillith. Again, she's more a trauma case than a trauma causer...

... See their story made into a movie?

Sareth probably has the best plot. The Nex arc might be good, if streamlined and cleaned up. I suspect people would have trouble buying the Saeko angle though.

...never trade places with, ever?

Trinh. She's a DEMON. She's even more paranoid than me (with reason, the world *is* out to get her), and with the power to really make things BAD when she gets spooked. NOT a good thing...

...get stuck on an island with?

Alana. She's got wings. She could fly right off of that rock and try to find rescue, then lead it back. And she's nice enough to do so, unlike my other two winged freaks. Yes, Saeko and Trinh, I'm talking about you!
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IIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiinteresting... [Aug. 6th, 2009|10:05 am]
So, Spring break is March 29th to April 4th. Sakuracon is April 2nd-4th.

Finals end May 13th. Acen starts May 14th.

>.>

<.<

HMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
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Don't Ask, Don't Tell. [Aug. 2nd, 2009|05:25 pm]
Some recent incidents have resulted in people stating that the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy instituted by the military under President Clinton can be implicated in these incidents, including the death of a U.S. Navy Sailor. The logic is that Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual military personnel cannot report when they are being harassed, because they will be thrown out of the military should they do so. Even if it means putting up with harassment that includes physical abuse and threats on one's life.

Incorrect.

It is true that Don't Ask/Don't Tell states that a military member's chain of command is not allowed to ask their orientation. It also states that military members should not volunteer that information. BUT! If it comes to the knowledge of the chain of command that a military member is L, G, or B, the chain of command is NOT required to throw that member out. All the policy states is that the chain of command MAY initiate judicial action seeking to remove the individual from service IF THE CHAIN OF COMMAND CAN DEMONSTRATE THAT PERSON IS HARMFUL TO UNIT COHESION. I repeat, the Chain of Command is under NO OBLIGATION to remove openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual members from the military. It is merely meant to be a tool to enable commanders to remove Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual members of the military if the individual is the harasser, not the victim.

(Note, this does not mean that unscrupulous members of the military can't *try* to use DA/DT to remove gay, lesbian, or bisexual personnel. It's a flawed program, and really, I could stand to see it done away with. If an G, L, or B military member IS causing problems, why not hit them with UCMJ for the same thing het personnel get hit with when crossing lines, such as dating within the chain of command or sexual harassment?)

I knew several individuals during my time in who were openly lesbian or bisexual, and never came under threat of removal for it. I did not know any openly gay personnel, I admit. Whether that was fear of DA/DT or of fellow soldiers, I don't know. But if the comments I keep hearing about DA/DT were actually true, those l/bi personnel I knew would have been court martialed out.

Now, let's get to the harassment/threat situation. If a military member is being harassed or threatened, he or she has the right to report that they are being harassed or threatened. When asked the circumstances of why, they should report it is because of a belief on the part of the perpetrator that the victim of the harassment is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. The victim is under NO obligation to answer questions about whether or not the allegations on the part of the harasser are true. If the chain of command, when listening to the report, asks if the allegations are true, then the chain of command is stepping out of bounds, not the victim.

In short, if you are in then military and being threatened or harassed, REPORT IT! if the NCO or officer taking the report asks if it is true, remind them they are not allowed to ask! Even if you are straight!

There. Now you know.
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Thesis Topics [Jul. 30th, 2009|09:18 am]
Alright. So I've been thinking a good deal about Thesis Topics, and I've narrowed things down. Figured I'd put up a public rambling about where my thoughts are, just to see if someone braindrops something that could cause me to sit up and go "OOOOOooooooooh." It's happened before. For those of you curious, all of these take place within Persistent Worlds online. The basic concepts could be examined either as a collective whole, or as an isolate, generally. There are exceptions

Topic
Communities/micronations
Basic ConceptsFormation of
Structure of
Purpose for
Communication within
Culture of
Impact on "real life"
Values within
AdvantagesAlready familiar with several
Target audience tends to be collected into one location, with easily
   accessed means of communication
A wide variety of such groups exist, such as Victorian, Gorean, LGBT,
   Bakufu, Tellurian, etc. thus allowing for a good
   comparison/contrast structure
Study taps heavily into concepts important to communications
   studies
Studies do exist that can provide a foundation for further research
DisadvantagesEssential needs permission of key leaders to get anywhere
Study probably would not break new ground
Requires interaction with groups that may be wary, or less than
   pleasant to be around
DiscussionIn many ways this would be cake to do. I am familiar with several micronations within my P.W. of choice, and can easily find more within it. Many of these groups would probably be open to study, if approached respectfully, allowing me to get a good look at what these groups are, how they operate, what they mean to their participants, and where they might be going in the future. Unfortunately, I don't see this leading to anything particularly groundbreaking, as internet groups have been studied in the past, so all I would be doing is providing an additional context for verifying what has already been done. A conservative and fairly easy study.

TopicGender
Basic ConceptsCommunications differences between
How it is represented visually and in text
What expectations there are in regard to roles, how they are met,
   and what they mean
Faking it
Perceptions of
Equality of
Porportions of representation, both of RL gender and PW gender
AdvantagesAn area I've already done some research in
Gender studies are already heavily documented, giving a good
   grounding
Deals in fundamental questions relevent even outside of the net
Attention grabbing
Very easy to find subjects to study as everyone has a gender
Covers territory that is fairly new, since pre-internet days made
   "cross-dressing" difficult to to do well
Asks important questions that have policy implications
Delves deeply into the opportunities and dangers that new
   communications technologies represent
DisadvantagesCould be highly controversial
Runs the risk of accusations of sensationalistic topic for attention
   gettings sake
Potentially politicizing
Have to be able to find willing study subjects who may not want to
   reveal themselves
Deals with stereotyping
Gets into questions of sexuality, which can be very difficult to handle
   well
DiscussionThis could be an absolutely fascinating to study to do. I've already done some work on the subject (such as the Senior Thesis I did asking if people could detect fakes in a persistent environment online) so I'm already familiar with it. Further, it delves into areas that are fascinating, such as asking what our current beliefs are regarding gender, how it is represented, how it impacts us, what we think about non-traditional aspects of it, and such. However, it could be a pretty risky study to do, as it also delves into topics that can be come highly politicized, such as feminism and transexual rights. Further, it also demands a great deal of trust, as I would have to be able to discuss with people things that they might be very uncomfortable revealing (such as real life gender, or orientation, and the like). Plus there are a number of ethical considerations. Not to mention it likely will involve discussions of sexuality as well, and that is always a very sensitive topic to get into. Potentially powerful study, but with significant risk.

TopicIdentity
Basic ConceptsWhy people choose the appearances and backgrounds they do
How much RL influence is brought into creation of background,
   how much is created, and why?
Why do some people choose a single appearance, while others have
   multiple variations?
Why do people choose alternative (gender/race/species)
   appearances?
Do people's perspectives and opinions change based on avatar?
   What influence do gender/race/species play in this?
Do people intentionally communicate through their avatar choices?
   What? Unintentional?
Transgender behavior online
AdvantagesI don't think this has been done before
Gets into the quite new area of non-verbal communication online,
  something that has not been possible until very recently
Gets into questions of what appearance means to us in an area
   where everything can be chosen, rather than us being stuck
   with what we were born with
Large pool of people to select from
DisadvantagesRequires people be willing to reveal a good deal of personal RL data
   about themselves
Gets into questions of what counts as "normal" vs. "deviant"
Relies very heavily on subjective rather than objective reasoning and
   thought, which is very subject to interpretation and easily messed
   up
Could swerve into potentially controversial ground ("furries,"
   "anatomically correct avatars")
Without much pre-existing literature on the subject it would be very
   easy to screw up owing to a lack of guidance to help base the
   research on.
DiscussionThis could be a lot of fun. Aside from a simple picture, avatars are a reasonably new phenomenon within online communications. The tech has only really recently allowed for people to go beyond "pick sex, race, skin color, hair color, and uniform color" as a means of differentiating between graphic representations. With the extremes of flexibility we now have, avatar appearance has entered a realm where we have as much, no... even MORE variety in appearance than we have in real life (thanks to the ability to create non-human avatars.) So we now have the opportunity to choose very elaborate and detailed ways to represent ourselves, when previously the best we could do towards that end was cosmetics on top of what nature gave us. Decoding the meanings of what we are presenting could be very valuable for a variety of disciplines. A potentially ground-breaking study.

TopicSexuality
Basic ConceptsWhat does cybersex entail?
Why do people engage in it?
Does it have RL impacts? What are they? Why? What does this
   mean?
How is it displayed/communicated?
What role does it play within people's cyber-lives?
What roles do people take?
Alternative sexuality and variations of behavior
Dating
Relationships, in world vs. out world
Perceptions of
Sexual identity
AdvantagesWould certainly garner attention and interest
Covers an area that certainly needs to be understood so we can
   formulate policies regarding it
Has potential to be ground breaking
Looks at subject with potential to have major impacts on people's
   lives, and deals with important social structures being debated
   offline as well as online
DisadvantagesFinding people willing to be research subjects entails a LOT of risk
Has the potential to be percieved as sensationalistic
Requires a great deal of invasion into people's very personal lives
   both in world and out
HUGE ethical considerations
Exposure to the underworld of the internet, including areas that are
   potentially unethical/illegal
Dramadramadrama
How participatory would I have to be?
DiscussionCall this the Unholy Hand Grenade of research. This is a subject that my professor last year brought up. She had heard it happens, had no idea about how any of it works, and felt it was something that really, REALLY needed to be studied. This, of course, means that if I studied it I'd be playing straight to at least one of the board that will judge my work. Not that this would be the chief reason I would do it, but it is a consideration. The implications of really analyzing and understanding this very controversial subject has huge, huge reach in terms of business, law, sociology, technology... But it's also a very dangerous subject. For many it crosses all sorts of taboos religiously, socially, politically... I'd run the risk of not only exposing myself to criticism of voyuerism and sensationalism, but depending on where the research takes me, I could even run into risky legal territory. What happens if I find myself interviewing someone who collects child porn? Research ethics say I have to keep a lid on it to protect the confidentiality needed to perform research. Legally, I become an accessory if I don't report it. And that is just one example. An explosive research project, it's just a question of whether it's a good boom or a bad one.

TopicAge
Basic ConceptsAre there differences in how different age groups approach
   Persistent Worlds?
Is there an age gap in terms of acceptance?
Is there an age gap in terms of accessibility?
Is there an age gap in terms of uses?
What breakdown of representation is there?
How do people percieve the different age demographics?
Are they represented? How?
AdvantagesA very simple, straightforward study
Relies fairly heavily on objective rather than subjective data
Shouldn't rock the boat too badly
DisadvantagesSimple and noncontroversial also means somewhat staid and boring
Might be too simple for someone wanting to demonstrate he's hot
   stuff
Have to get and verify RL statistics from research subjects
DiscussionTo be honest, I'm not enthusiastic about this one. It would probably be the simplest and safest option, so I haven't thrown it out, but I really don't feel like it's challenging enough, or that I could really shine with it.

TopicNorms
Basic ConceptsPolite vs. impolite language
Polite vs. impolite behavior
Body norms
Development
Role played
Enforcement
Breakdowns
AdvantagesGets to look at how the world wide web has brought together
   people from diverse cultures and established rules of
   behavior that cross cultural boundaries
Studies normative culture to find commonalities, and differences,
   between groups, and  analyzes why those exist
Very much oriented towards the social impact of computer
   mediated communications
DisadvantagesDeals heavily with very subjective judgments regarding right and
   wrong
Could result in having to deal with very controversial or even flat
   out legally questionable groups while looking for variances
Many groups don't like having their norms poked at
Asking "who makes the rules, and why?" tends to get one shot at
DiscussionGetting tired enough of writing that I'm starting to cut things short here. *laughs* Let's just say this could be a little tricky, but is still fairly straightforward

METHODS:

Survey,
Interview,
Observation,
Ethnography/biographical
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Schedule [Jul. 27th, 2009|08:50 pm]
For those that care to know, here is how life will look for me starting mid August and ending in December (Note, I'm already working, so that part is already good):

Monday:

6:00 Get up.
7:00 Head to work.
8:30 Work.
13:00 Head to class.
14:00 Comm 501
17:00 Head home.
19:00 Get home.
22:00 Bed.

Tuesday:

6:00 Get up.
7:00 Head to class.
9:15 Comm 421.
10:30 Peer Counseling
11:45 Head to work
12:30 Work
16:30 Head to class.
18:00 Soc 502
21:00 Head to home.
22:30 Get home and go to bed.

Wednesday:

6:00 Get up.
7:00 Head to Peer Counseling.
11:45 Head to work.
12:30 Work.
16:30 Head home.
18:00 Get home.
22:00 Bed.

Thursday:

6:00 Get up.
7:00 Head to class.
9:15 Comm 421.
10:30 Peer Counseling.
11:45 Head to work.
12:30 Work.
16:30 Head home.
18:00 Get home.
22:00 Bed.

Friday:

6:00 Get up.
7:00 Head to work.
8:30 Work.
16:30 Head home.
18:00 Get home.
Cows come home Bed.

Saturday:

Whenever Whatever
16:00 head to hang with old friends.
Whenever Head home.
Wheneverer Get home.
Wheneverafter Bed.

Sunday:

Whenever Whatever
22:00 Bed.

All times are Mountain Standard. So add two hours if you're on the East Coast, subtract one if your on the West Coast, and do the Time Warp if your in Texas.
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Meme stolen from Hobomama [Jul. 20th, 2009|05:46 pm]
RULES: Comment and I'll LJ stalk you to find THREE FANDOMS you apparently love. And then you answer these questions about them!

01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?
02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?
03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?
04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?
05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?


(Note, I don't promise I will actually do this for you all. I've been in a little bit of a snit of late, and will do it if I bloody well feel like it.)

Hobomama picked: Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, Full Metal Alchemist

Battlestar Galactica

01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?

Geeze, they played the original series on Saturday mornings when I was young, so when I heard they were doing a new one, it piked my interest. Then a co-worker left the first season at work on a VERY slow night, and I marathoned the first ten or so episodes... I was hooked.

02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?

Stayed with it until the final episode. Was quite a ride...

03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?

Sad as it was, I loved the ending. The death of the Pegasus rocked as well.

04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?

Nope. Never really thought about it... But now you have me thinking...

05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?

It is very much an acquired taste. Do I think it's very good? Yes. Do I think just anyone would enjoy it? Nope. It's DAAAAAAAAAAAAARK.

Lord of the Rings

01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?

Dad read the books to my sister and I when we were young. We've both been hooked since.

02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?

I've been in it for well over 20 years. Don't see any reason to bail on it now.

03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?

The charge of the Rohirim, in the original books, always got to me. And even though most people are bored by it, I loved the chapter where Faramir and Eowyn fall in love while in the Houses of Healing. In the recent movies, Sam hauling Frodo up the side of Mt. Doom is a moment of awesome, and I think Boromir died as heroically as it was possible for him to do.

04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?

Not really? I wrote a fic once (by request) in which Sauron had won, and Sam was leading a doomed resistance movement in the Shire, but that's about it.

05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?

Again, it's not for everyone, but generally, yes. The one thing I really wish for, however, is that more people would read the books rather than rely on the movies for their understanding of THE story that created modern fantasy. The movies rocked, and the production crew really did do their homework when it came to showing how deep the world Tolkein created was, but the books pack so much more into it...

Full Metal Alchemist

01: What got you into this fandom in the first place?

When I first discovered that some of the webcomics I was reading were manga-inspired, I decided to shove aside my prejudices and actually start reading manga and watching anime to see if it was better than I had presupposed. (Guess what, it was.) As part of that, I asked a number of people I knew to name anime or manga they thought was worth recommending to a skeptical noob. FMA was one of the top three recommendations. So while I was getting ready to go to Afghanistan, I picked up the first DVD. Then the next. Then the one after. Then... You get the picture.

02: Do you think you'll stay in this fandom or eventually move on?

I haven't watched the new anime version (I'm told it stinks.) But I watched the first anime all the way through, and have read the entire manga released so far. I figure I'll stick with the Manga to the end.

03: Favorite episodes/books/movies/etc.?

Honestly, my favorite episode was the one that didn't even feature the Elrics. The one with Mustang and his merry band of miscreants was a riot. Scar saving Al was good too. And the fight between Mustang and Ed? Priceless.

04: Do you participate in this fandom (fanfiction, graphics, discussions)?

Not really? Never really have gotten an opportunity that I know of. I mean, I've read a few small fanfics, but never written any.

05: Do you think that more people should get into this fandom?

Yeah, generally speaking. As before, it's not for everyone, but it's got a well put together and compelling story.
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Absolutely Rediculous Physics Question [Jul. 17th, 2009|12:07 pm]
Okay, so the other day I was mulling over the question of how to armor plate a lighter than air vessel. Which is, of course, patently ridiculous and pointless. Never-the-less, I would like to lay down a train of (il)logic here, then ask any of you physics/engineer types who read me to ponder something, and maybe even do some number crunching if you get bored.

Alright, now as I understand it, the first thing you need to create a lighter-than-air vessel is a gas of some sort that is capable of overcoming the weight of the materials in the vessel. So to start with, you need gasses that are (duh) lighter than air. Given that most of the atmosphere is Nitrogen, that generally means a gas that is lighter than Nitrogen. Now, Hot Air Balloons kind of cheat by taking advantage of thermodynamics. But to REALLY get lift we typically use Helium and Hydrogen.

Helium is a great gas to use. It's inert, so it doesn't tend to have issues with, oh, say, BLOWING UP. But as I understand it, it's getting kind of rare. Hydrogen, on the other hand, is plentiful, and also the lightest element out there that's actually an element. Unfortunately it also tends to react violently to anything from matches, to metals, to a harsh scolding from its mother. So we tend to prefer using Helium to Hydrogen in our lighter-than-air craft in spite of it being much heavier (relatively) and rare.

But what if we go to the ULTIMATE in lacking in weight.

Vacuum!

What's lighter than Hydrogen? Nothing! So let's use nothing! (For the really technical, yes, I am fully aware that there are particles that are smaller than hydrogen, such as protons, neutrons, quarks, and etc. But let's see you figure out how to fill a gas bag with quarks.)

So my question is... Can we make a lifting bag strong enough to hold up against the crush of atmospheric pressure when the contents are reduced to a reasonable approximation of vacuum, what sort of buoyancy would we get out of it, and what would we need to make it out of?

The killing of catgirls may now commence.

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"If this be treason..." [Jul. 4th, 2009|09:36 am]
(As has become my tradition for who knows what reason, I give you that post I wrote a LONG time ago once again...)

Who were these men, these people who fought at Valley Forge, at Yorktown, and at a hundred other small battlefields during those 8 long years? What motivated a collection of farmers and craftsmen to take up arms and risk the fury of the most powerful nation on earth? Why did they endure what they did?

Was it for Glory that they flocked to the colors of a nation that did not yet exist? Perhaps for some, but it was certainly not for glory that they stayed. Look at what these men endured. Their uniform was a collection of layered pieces consisting of linens and wool. The same uniform they wore in summer they wore in winter. It broiled them in their own sweat during hot Virginia summers and froze them in the bitter cold of New Jersey winters. And those who had the uniform were fortunate, as there were scarce supplies of them. Those whose uniforms wore out had to make do with rags, marching mile after mile in bare feet, patching holes in knees and elbows with scraps of cloth scarcely better than rags themselves. Combat was a cruel, vicious affair, as men had to be close enough to one another to see the fear and hate. Death was a demeaning, ravening beast on the field, robbing men of dignity in their final moments. Men were subjected to watching friends, brothers, fathers trying to hold in their own intestines, faces twisted into crude parodies by the pain. The wounded screamed or wept, begging for death to end the misery of horrific injuries. The hospitals of the day were charnel houses with stacks of limbs outside, and the sickly smell of rot within. Men slowly died from gangrene, the slow rot that liquefies a man's flesh while he still lives. They died of dysentery, as the diarrhea we find to be little more than an inconvenience today proved fatal then. They slept in the mud, in the dirt, in the snow... There's glory for you.

Was it for honor that they fought? Honor... Let's face some unpleasant facts. These men were traitors. They were willfully defying their king, and their country. They weren't fighting a foreign occupier. They were English subjects. When they fired at the British Troops at Lexington and Concord they were firing on the same men who had protected them against the French and the Indian Tribes allied with the French. They were firing on the men they had previously stood beside guarding the colonies. A number of them, including George Washington, had served in the previous war, even commanded in it. King George was their sworn king. Britain was their sworn country. They violated those oaths to fight a war against their own brothers. There's honor for you.

Then, if it was not for glory or honor they fought, why did they fight? It certainly wasn't about taxes, as the tax burden in the colonies was insignificant next to that experienced back in England. It had nothing to do with representation, as King George had agreed to allow the colonies to have representation in Parliament, and the right to choose their own governors. It wasn't about the repressions of the King, as his acts were made in response to the provocations of the colonists. So what was it? What made 8 years of such living worth it?

It was one thing. One minor thing. Self determination. The thought that a man should have the right to determine his own fate, and his own value, independent of some one thousands of miles away. That a man's birth did not make him noble or serf, that a man did not have a station to which he should keep, but rather than a man should be able to go as high as his talents and determination could get him.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident:

That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."

The history of the United States is certainly not flawless as we attempted to put these words into practice. The legacy of Slavery and Jim Crow, the driving of the Indian onto poor reservations, the exploitation of immigrants, the mass incarceration of Asians in World War II, all show how imperfect our ancestors were, and we continue to be. But one thing has held true that entire time. The Founding Fathers, the Continental Army, the Patriots and Minutemen, they fought for something different. They fought for an ideal we may never reach, but it was an ideal worth fighting for, worth dying for. One of their descendants probably said it best as he dedicated a cemetery on another battlefield 87 years later.

"that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. . . and that government of the people. . .by the people. . .for the people. . . shall not perish from this earth."

So, as we go out and watch the fireworks, as we enjoy eating hot dogs and playing with our children and friends in the park, let us remember those men, so long ago, and the path they set us on. Let us remember what was worth sacrificing their honor, and enduring the foul glory of battle. Let us remember the price so many of them payed, and so many continue to pay to this day. And as they did before us, let us "mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Happy Independence Day, all.
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Color me impressed [Jul. 3rd, 2009|11:53 am]
Considering they aren't the original actors, or backed by people like Paramount and Weta Workshop, I am quite impressed.

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Do Not Mess With Me. [Jul. 1st, 2009|08:31 am]


D&D Home Page - What Monster Are You? - D&D Compendium

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A CHALLENGE! [Jun. 20th, 2009|01:46 pm]
Beat this caption!



I'm curious to see what you come up with.

(Image can be found here.
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