Treasure hunts...on the internet.

Hello fellow Internet aficionados!

I know it's been awhile since I posted last, but it's been a busy few months on this end. Two summer internships, plus the resumption of school has left me with a significant deficit of time to write and ruminate on things that I actually WANT to write about.

Fortunately, that time is rapidly coming to an end, and I now have the tools enabling me to elucidate on the idiosyncrasies of our modern times. Namely, I've purchased a smartphone, and that coincidentally enough, is my topic of consideration today.

The rise of social media and Internet enabled mobile devices has led to some revolutionary changes in personal entertainment and productivity. Not only are we able to entertain ourselves everywhere we go, but we are constantly connected to the vast networks of social media that increasingly define our lives both on and offline.

This yields some interesting possibilities for a variety of personal entertainment applications. No, I'm not talking about enjoying "Farmville" on your iPhone or "Mafia Wars" on your Droid, but something far more in depth and involved.

Namely, who's up for a social media treasure hunt?

Various clues posted across a variety of social media (Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, any combination or number will do) leading someone to a hidden goal or web page with a secret or reward posted. Such a thing has already been tried by a Turkish airline in marketing, but I believe that with the increasing connectivity that is available between social networks that these are games everyday consumers can play as well.

Already, activities taking advantage of GPS-capable smartphones has sprung up in the form of Geocaching, a modern physical treasure hunt that leads people to hidden packages all across the world, from Central Park to the Indian Ocean (literally, some packages require you to dive for them).

With the rate of smartphone, netbook, and wireless device adoption soaring along with the expansion of the importance of social media, the prospects for the future of business and marketing in these realms are enormous. The environment changes so rapidly, and the next big thing is always just around the corner. It is my only hope to become a part of this evolution, and to be among those critical guiding forces of the direction of tomorrow.

For some more information on the Turkish Airlines' use of "treasure hunts", check out this link.

To check out the fascinating world of geocaching, head here.

If you're name is Kimi Waldbillig, however, you really should just probably click here. Seriously.

Cash for clunkers

This one, once again, comes courtesy of my sister's boyfriend. One of us has way too much time on their hands...

"Investment: $1,000,000,000
Cars Sold: 240,000 cars
Avg. MPG Increase: 9.62 mpg (from 15.78 to 25.4 mpg)
Avg. Miles Driven Per year: 12,000

240,000*9.6 = 2,304,000 effective mpg increase
12,000/25.4mpg = 472.45 gallons/yr after per car
12,000/15.78mpg = 760.46 gallons/yr before per car

113,385,827 total gallons used per year after
182,510,400 total gallons used per year before

69,124,573 total gallons difference per year

Average Car Life: 5 years
Gallons Saved (5 years): 345,622,865
Gov't Cost Per Gallon Saved: $2.89"

Pretty cool, huh? I also like how the government is essentially paying market price for a gallon of premium gasoline per gallon saved (here in Mass. anyway).

See kids? Isn't math fun?

Edit: Oh yeah, and the source for those numbers
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/04/autos/cash_for_clunkers_cars/index.htm
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1914367,00.html

This is great...

I know I've been a massive delinquent in posting, but two internships keeps you kind of busy.

Anyway, something interesting for you science buffs out there. This comes from an email chain I had with my sister's boyfriend about the merits of shutting off your computer when it's not in use:

"I just did a quick calculation (hey I'm an engineer!)

Pretend I leave my comp on for an entire month without shutting if off:
24 hours/day x 30 days = 720 hours/month

Now pretend I keep my comp on every weeknight for 5 hours (7pm-12am) and 10 hours every weekend day which is probably way more than I would actually do in real life:
(5 hours/day x 22 days) + (10 hours/day x 8 days) = 190 hours/month

Well my beastly computer probably uses about 250 Watts of power on standby, more when in use, so we'll use a conservative estimate of 0.250 KiloWatts.

Always on: 0.250 KW x 720 hours = 180 kilowatt hours/month (2160 KW/year)
On/Off: 0.250 KW x 190 hours = 47.5 kilowatt hours/month (570 KW/year)

Now lets assume all Americans are just like me (~300,000,000) and that 1 in 8 own a computer (37,500,000).

Nationwide Always on: 81,000,000,000 KWH or 81 Gigawatt hours
Nationwide On/off: 21,375,000,000 KWH or 21.375 Gigawatt hours

Just think what we could do with all the excess power! We could send Marty back 2 the future 65 more times (@ 1.21 Gigawatts)!

Well that was a fun little break."

A fun break, indeed. My co-workers must think I'm a psycho with how much I was smiling when I read that!

W(eather)TF???

Hey everyone!





Before I post my views on last week's topic of censorship, I just wanted to ask one question: WTF is going on with our weather?!?!?!?!

And that's just the FIRST half of our forecast! It goes on for another three days like that! What the hell?

At this point, I'd normally launch into a diatribe about global warming, climate change, and all that, but I think we all know whose fault this is.

Canada. And their stupid cold fronts.

Curse you, you hose-headed freaks! Give me back my summer!

(P.S. I kid Canada. It's a lovely country with great beer and...lumber. But seriously, quit dicking around with the weather and give me a few days of sun so that I can enjoy my break)

*Bleep!

Hey all!

Today I feel like ruminating a bit, so instead of an advice post, I'm going to share my opinion with you on another interesting topic. This time? Censorship.

My friends over at Zookah! and I were discussing our favorite Family Guy episodes the other day (Over a lovely bowl of Tangiers Orange Soda shisha, check out their review), and for those of you who know the series "P-TV" is sure to ring a bell. The episode essentially revolves around the FCC censoring people's daily lives for "innappropriate" content. Earlier today I thought of the South Park movie, where one of the characters has a device installed in him that shocks him (like a dog collar) every time he swears (which is A LOT). Put those two together, and my mind clicks in its typical, nonsensical way.

Censorship is a very hot topic these days. What can you say/do on T.V.? What websites can you look at while you're at work? What's the definition of "objectable content?" Who's responsibility should it be to enforce or censor this content? The list goes on.

Most of these topics could be (and are) debated for hours on end, so I'm not going to get into each one specifically. Instead, simply consider the issues above as examples of problems with censorship as a whole. I find one of the biggest issues with the, um, issue is that the entire current approach is remarkably subjective. Everyone has their own feelings as to what offends them and what doesn't, and the debate ends up entirely dependent on the question "Who best knows what's best for you? Who...best...yeah!" So, instead of getting bogged down by this obstacle, lets flip it on its head and use it. Consider the following thought experiment:

Let's say that researchers have recently made a breakthrough in neuroscience and computer technology that allows a small chip to be implanted into one's brain (This is a thought experiment, bear with me). This chip can be programmed to do a number of things, for example, it could constantly monitor the intricate details of a person's biology and regulate hormone and chemical levels in the body for people who have neurochemical imbalances that their body can't correct on its own.

However (still in thought experiment mode), many researchers and advocacy groups are particularly interested in its ability to block certain types of messages to certain areas of the brain. This feature could, some theorize, be used to block the type of brainwaves associated with the feelings of shock, disgust and horror. Not only that, but the device and alter the brain patterns so that the brain never registers the source of those feelings at all--in effect editing out objectionable content and censoring real life.

Take a couple of moments to suspend your disbelief and just consider the potential implications of such a device and what its impact could be on our lives and our culture as a whole.

Done?

Good. So, aside from the glaring flaws in the practical application of such a device (we can get away with that, though, in our imaginations), we see what could be the perfect system for censoring objectionable content. If people find different things offensive to varying degrees, why continue extrapolating the sensitivity level of the masses when you can leave it up to them what they do or do not feel comfortable seeing? Those who are mentally capable can live as uncensored a life as they want, while parents can feel safe knowing that their children are not being exposed to offensive material until they're ready.

So, before I post my thoughts on the matter, I figured I'd throw this question out there to you. What are your opinions on this? Would this benefit society overall, to have such an ability, or would it serve to our detriment? Would you use it? Would you have your kids (either your actual or future) use it? What kind of limitations or features would you expect a device like this to have?

And, remember, think about the children(or not)!

Final-ly

Hey out there.

I know I haven't updated in a while, but as you might expect the terror known as final exams take up a lot of time. And energy. And brainpower. So needless to say my head has been too busy contemplating Long-Run Average Total Cost curves and the IS-LM model than anything fun that I'd rather be thinking of. But it's done, and I'm back to share a piece of my mind with you.

I know we over at Bentley have our exams a bit earlier than the rest of the college-going world, and that you're all likely slaving away over them now. Since I survived my third year (sixth semester) at Bentley, I thought I'd share some of my secrets to success.

1. Make a plan, and stick to it. What possibly helped me the most through my finals was good time management, which can make or break an exam period. Put together a schedule for when you are going to study, when you are going to write that paper, and when you are going to tear yourself away from the books long enough to pretend to eat something. Use Outlook, a spreadsheet, a scribbled napkin from the dining hall, anything, but stick to your schedule.
2. Break up your time. If you focus on one subject for too long, you can lose your ability to retain information. It's like driving on the highway for hours upon hours: you get hypnotized by the road, stop paying attention, miss your exit and wind up in Rhode Island instead of on the Cape. Take a break and work on something else if you feel yourself starting to lose focus, then come back and test yourself on what you have already studied before you continue on to new things.
3. DO THE WORK. If you're having trouble focusing, move to a place with fewer distractions. Your common room where your roommate is celebrating the completion of his finance project with a bottle of Svedka and a rampage on Grand Theft Auto is not a healthy study environment. Try the library, or another quiet location. If you're like me and have to hop yourself up on antihistimines just to open your eyes, do some exercise to clear the fog away so you can focus.
4. Reward yourself. Reach an important milestone in that Government paper? Give yourself a treat! Take some time out of the day to do something you enjoy. Grab the controller from your drunken roommate after he gets lit up in a GTA gang war, go toss the frisbee around, anything that's going to destress you.
5. Finally, look down the road. Think about it, you are going to be out of there in a few days/weeks/phases of the moon, off on break (hopefully) doing things you want to do. Start with thinking about where you'll be at the end of today once you get everything done on your schedule (you made one, right?), and go from there. If you're dilligent about it, looking back on your accomplishments is a huge confidence booster, and can be enough to get you through another day.

Those five little tips have helped me tremendously. Prioritize and plan, break up your work, DO the work, reward yourself, and keep an eye on the finish line. Hang in there, and you'll be done before you know it.

...Sometimes good.

Since my last post, I've managed to line up three interviews! Coincidence? Lucky timing? Or am I just that good? Questions for later, I suppose.

Anyway, the companies that I'll be meeting with are:

BzzAgent-A Word-of-Mouth marketing agency, where everyday people can sign up to try out a product and spread "buzz" or word of mouth opinion to their friends and families.

Racepoint Group-A PR company that specializes digital media relations, or the interactions of firms with consumers in the online space.

Opinion Dynamics Corporation-A market research firm with an ear in many different industries, who also handles polling for Fox News and political opinion research.

I have to say, though, that none of these interviews would be possible without the help and keen eye of my sister, Stephanie. She works in the analytics department of a major marketing firm, and has helped me make some inroads and contacts in the industry. As we're so fond of saying here at Bentley, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

Steph has a tremendous penchant for proofreading and a love for helping others. She's currently a mentor for YearUp and is a writing coach for the Posse Foundation. Check these places out if you need some help or if you're looking for some great places to volunteer.