bestmediablog

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:12:19 GMT

Romantic Thoughts Increase Male Chivalry

experiment, the researchers sent confederates, about half young men and half young women, to randomly approach people in the street. They asked each person if they would answer a few questions for one of two (fictional) journals:

''Love and Feelings''. In this condition participants were asked to retrieve a ''love episode'' and the associated emotions.

''Twenty-First Century''. In this condition participants were asked about a piece of music that meant a great deal to them.

After this participants were thanked and they continued down the street. Further along they were approached again, this time by someone asking them for change to buy a bus ticket. Although it seemed to people that these were unrelated incidents, this was, of course, all part of the same experiment.

Knight in shining armourWhat the experimenters found was that when men were asked to recall a ''love episode'' (love that expression!) they were much more likely to give money to a woman asking for money at the bus stop. A paltry 13% of men gave money in the ''music'' condition, while this increased to 38% in the ''love'' condition. Thinking about love seemed to make men more generous towards women.

For women, meanwhile, thinking about love had little effect on their helping behaviour. They were more generous than men while thinking about music in the control condition (23% gave money) and only slightly more generous when thinking about love (27% gave money).

Lamy et al. (2008) explain this through the gender stereotypes adopted by men and women. The amount of help provided is affected by how men and women see their role in society. Men generally like to display chivalrous behaviour to women - rescuing the damsel in distress - and this becomes especially salient to men when they are encouraged to think romantic thoughts. It also doesn''t hurt that they''re in the street with a better opportunity to show off their chivalrous behaviour to others.

The effect on women, though, was not as marked. Although women are stereotypically nurturant and therefore keen to help others, especially friends or family, Lamy et al. (2008) suggest this doesn''t stretch to strangers in a public place. This might explain why cueing women with a love episode didn''t significantly increase the help they were willing to give to a stranger.

Help me!This study is in line with previous research finding that women are more likely to be on the receiving end of help than men, and that when men help another person it is more likely to be a woman than a man. What it adds is the idea that men''s gender roles can be made particularly salient to them with thoughts of love.

Naturally women already understand this principle, whether consciously or not. That''s why when they ask a man to do them a big favour, it is usually prefaced by: "How much do you love me?"

[Image credit: linhngan] Posted by: Jerry      Read more     Source

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:06:54 GMT

Lula Looks

Today, I am angry at Pepsi and Barnes & Noble.

Why, you ask? Well, I was stuck behind a mind-numbingly slow Pepsi truck on the way to school today, so that accounts for the Pepsi hatred. But Barnes & Noble, a store I normally think of lovingly, appears to have stopped carrying Lula Magazine. And so I must hate it. Having looked at tFS to pore over editorials from the latest issue, I feel that B&N is doing me a great disservice.

And so, it is with Lula on my mind that I share those new cut-offs with you. I like ''em lots. They may be a simple, ratty garment, but sometimes those are the best parts of your wardrobe. It just depends on how you style them.

See if you can spot the Lula "influence" in these photos. Har, har. I must admit that I''m rather proud of myself.
Wearing:

♥ Artfully torn cut-offs

♥ New T sent over by the lovely people at Alternative Apparel after seeing the post I did on AltA. Reviews and such of the gear they sent coming up soon. . .

♥ Strap detached from a bag and worn as a belt

♥ Beautiful necklace brought back from Spain by my wonderful brother

♥ Combat boots

♥ Over-the-knee socks folded down

♥ Randomly puffy half-ponytail hairstyle

♥ A wee bit of attitude

Clickity clack, indeed.

No, I don''t believe that comment made any sense. But it needed to be said.

The best part of this outfit is that the $25 boots were the most expensive part. Works for me! Posted by: Kori      Read more     Source

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:38:05 GMT

How Does Your Astrological Sign Match Up With Various Celebrities'?

Here's an interesting idea for those of you who are tuned in to Astrology and are fans of celebrities.

I found a website that has a program that enables you to input your astrological sign and then, using a drop down list, select from among various celebrities to determine your compatibility.

The website is on MSN.com and has other interesting information about horoscopes and celebrities.

This site has general information about horoscopes, astrological signs, Feng Shui and related matters, and this one has even more details about astrology.

Source:www.wayneluthi.com Posted by: jim      Read more     Source

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:36:33 GMT

ASUS Talker - Yet another Windows Mobile Smartphone

Asus recently announced the P552w Windows Smartphone and it seems ASUS is working on launching another touch screen Windows Smartphone. Not much is known about the device as yet but the Asus Talker AKA the GM5, the Crystal and the XDA Zest looks a lot like the Samsung Omnia and features a 5 Megapixels camera. The Asus Talker is also rumored to come with the following specifications: 3G/HSDPA, Tri-band GSM, Large WQVGA or WVGA Touch Screen Display, WiFi, Bluetooth, microSD slot & a Track-ball.

Source: Register Hardware Posted by: Umair Khalid      Read more     Source

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:33:05 GMT

Season of exhaustion

This photo is actually a couple of months old, but it illustrates the condition of the lake at Roundrock pretty well. This is the season of exhaustion in my woods. The heat and humidity pull every ounce of enthusiasm from my flesh and make even the simplest jobs too much work and trouble to pursue. All of the ambitions to change the face of Roundrock to match my imagination seem unworkable, impossible.

The plants in the forest show their exhaustion too. The robust, riotous growth is over and the leaves on the scrub hang in a state of fatigue, as though the big idea of growing so robustly in the spring was maybe not such a good idea after all. The trees don’t tend to show similar limpness; they take a longer view of things and sink their roots deeper. Even the trees, though, can begin to look exhausted if the heat and drought persist.

There may be a few good rainstorms yet this year to recharge the lake, but by August, much of the water has drained and the west end bottom is exposed. The ambitious idea of a large lake in the Central Valley seems presumptuous this time of year, like so many other big dreams I have.

But that doesn’t stop me from wishing I was there right now, scheming and dreaming and maybe putting a hand to bringing some of them about.

Missouri calendar:

• Wild grapes begin to ripen.

Today in Missouri history:

• Duff Green was born on this date in 1791. During his years in Missouri he served as a secret agent for President Buchanan, attempting to negotiate a deal with President-elect Lincoln that would provide a constitutional solution to the secession that was pending. The effort failed, but Green, served in many capacities of the federal government for years later.
• The Battle of Lone Jack near Kansas City occurs in 1862.
• Character actress Alice Ghostley is born on this day in 1926 (or is it 1924 - she may have lied about her age to get into acting sooner) in Eve, Missouri.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:17:38 GMT

The Adventures of Jake: Shower Dilemma

I don''t know how many of you know this (some of you might remember our twin photo shoot), but I have a twin brother. His name is Jake, and he''s pretty awesome, at least most of the time. In the spirit of copying Winona (because let''s face it; who doesn''t want to copy Winona), I''ve asked him to do a guest post on my blog. Enjoy! And comment lots; it''s his first ever blog post and I want it to be a good experience! He insists that this post is a piece of crap (it''s not), so let''s prove him otherwise!

Hi. My name is Jake, and I am Kori’s twin brother. Kori has been asking me to do a guest post on her blog for a bajillion years, and I’ve finally decided to come around and join the oh-so-wonderful blogging community. Before I begin, however, I think it is important to provide you guys with a warning. Unfortunately, I am saddened to admit that I do not have the same artistic talent that Kori has; I know very little about fashion. Occasionally I get it into my head that yes, maybe I really am fashionable, but Kori is always quick to put me in my place – for example, when she alerted me to the fact that the grey sweatpants-grey sweatshirt combo is actually a fashion don’t (despite the parallel in color). To put it succinctly, if it were not for Kori’s constant fashion advice, I would probably look like a crazy who belongs on the classic MTV hit, “Next.” (My sincere apologies to any fans). [Note from Kori: Ahem, Jake likes this show.]

So if fashion isn’t my thing, then why am I writing on The Fashion-y Blog? Well, for a graduation gift, I received a very fancy bottle of shower gel from L’Occitane. I have to admit, when I first received the gift I was a little disappointed – I didn’t even know what shower gel was. I’ve always been a soap and water kind of guy (call me traditional), so this whole “shower gel” technology was understandably a bit intimidating. I examined the golden brown bottle and took a sniff of the yellow-y, gel-like solution inside. It smelled fresh, organic, natural. . . one might say it was designed for those of pure and unadulterated masculinity (i.e. yours truly). As I peered questioningly at the gleaming bottle of goo, it occurred to me in a moment of brilliance that “shower gel” was most likely another, hipper way of saying shampoo. After all, what other kind of liquidy substance did one use in the shower? My limited experience told me that this bottle could only be meant for use on my head. Satisfied with my logic, I hopped into the shower, prepared to give my hair the wash of a lifetime. I squeezed some of the thick liquid into my hands, and attempted to turn the gel into a rich lather. However, when the gel refused to foam into a consistency I was used to, I realized that shower gel was not the hair product I had thought it to be; the great mystery lived on. I felt as if the world was collapsing before my very eyes, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, but the point remains the same – I was very disappointed. My logical reasoning hadn''t worked. I rinsed the suds from my hair and decided to save the logic for math class.

Ultimately, I was left with no choice but to ask Kori, my kind and loving sister, what the true meaning of “shower gel” really was. As one might expect, her initial response was to laugh her ass off while I stood there feeling like a complete awko. However, after a wonderful five minutes of humiliation, she explained to me that shower gel, contrary to common thought (yes, I am making myself feel better by calling it common) is simply a kind of luxurious soap alternative.

In conclusion, I think I’ll leave fashion and all fashion-related topics in the capable hands of my sister. I’ll give you an update on the L’Occitane shower gel once I have a chance to use it correctly, but for now, it’s a wrap.

Okay, grasshoppers, I hope you enjoyed Jake''s post! I feel like I should let you know that I really love how the shower gel smells - sort of a spicy, cedar-y smell. I actually tried it out once (okay, twice - sorry Jake), and while it''s definitely a male fragrance, a girl could easily pull it off. Outside of the shower, the scent fades until you can only get a faint whiff of something fresh, casual, and classy. Delish! Posted by: Kori      Read more     Source

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:59:50 GMT

The Human Condition

"The three-part fuming World War II bummer The Human Condition (1959 - 61) - considered the magnum opus of socially critical Japanese filmmaker Masaki Kobayashi (Harakiri) - runs just shy of 10 hours and is an arduous watch in ways beyond its creator''s intentions," writes Aaron Hillis in the Voice. "Based on Jumpei Gomikawa''s ambitious novel and seasoned with Kobayashi''s own experiences, this overly melodramatic trilogy set in Japanese-occupied Manchuria depicts the dehumanizing brutality of war with on-the-nose pedantry, never subtext, and offers little richness to Western eyes already adjusted to the next half-century''s deeper anti-war tales."

Updated through 7/18. Posted by: dwhudson      Read more     Source

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:18:14 GMT

My Dream Job

I’m a featured blogger now on blog.hu because of my Hungarian medical blog and I got an interesting question about which famous blogger I would like to wake up as tomorrow morning. It made me think for a while.

I’ve always wanted to become a researcher specialized in human genetics, that’s why I study genetics at the school of medicine of Debrecen. But as a blogger, I realized how innovative and fast online projects can be and how important e-health is.

My dream job would be a job where my only task is to inspire others with my vision and ideas while travelling through the world; and to understand more and more things that can have global effect.

Robert Scoble seems to be the best example right now.

Regarding the medical field, Alex Jadad has such a job:

Dr. Jadad initiated a new effort, known as the Global eHealth and eWellness Network Initiative (GENI, pronounced as ''genie''), which seeks to explore innovative ways to promote optimal levels of health and wellbeing through the use of ICTs. Areas of interest include technologically-assisted vital environments, social networks and virtual supportive communities, new modalities of tele-work and tele-mentoring, robotic applications to improve quality of life and innovations in entertainment… Dr. Jadad currently advises the World Health Organization as a member of its Global Observatory for eHealth''s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) .

He is also the leader of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation.

So I will graduate from medical school before September, 2009; then I plan to start PhD training in genetics but will also work on my blog and the projects I have recently launched. Until then, I will attend conferences focusing on the future of medicine:

• 20th International Conference of the Society for Medical Innovation and Technology (Vienna, Austria; August 28-30): Oral presentation
• Medicine 2.0 Congress (Toronto, Canada, September 4-5): Oral presentation and Medical Bloggers’ Panel
• Health 2.0 conference? (Bilbao, Spain; November 20)
• Medicine Meets Virtual Reality conference 17 (Long Beach, CA; January, 2009): I’m a member of the organizing committee.
• NeXtHealth conference (2009)

And of course, we will see how it goes. Posted by: Bertalan      Read more     Source

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:40:35 GMT

24 Unforgettable Advertisements

Why should ads be boring? Check out this collection of unforgettable advertisements from around the world. Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:05:27 GMT

Ads With Widgets In 'Em

Everything else is social on the Web, why not the ads? MediaForge has created ads that ad a social aspect to your interaction with them. As you roll your mouse over the ad a widget appears. This allows you to interact with the ad itself.

The widgets themselves are downloadable. Add them to your desktop or add them to your social network. They're customizable to. Depending on what your marketing goals are you can change the ad to meet your needs. Posted by: Linda Roeder      Read more     Source