Code | Definition | Reference |
0*0 | Roh-Roh! | |
0*10*0 | Im tired | |
0*17*8*1*2 | Oh you ate one too | OU812 |
0*7*1 | I need a favor | |
00 | Airhead | |
000 | Call whenever you can | |
000 | Time; What time is it? | |
000*0000 | I'm online/I will be online | |
0000000 | Bronx cheer | |
0001000 | I'm alone right now | |
001 | Please | |
001122 | I don't know | |
0049 | Accident; Something wrong | |
007 | I've got a secret | James Bond |
00-88-00 | Call me later | |
009 | Going to a movie, wanna come? | |
0099 | Going out, wanna come? | |
01*01*01 | Don't have a cow! | Term popularized by The Simpsons |
010 | Plans changed; I'm tired/flaking | |
0101 | I'm tired | |
011 | Monday | |
01210 | I'm confused | |
016 | Plans changed | |
020 | Plans changed | |
020202 | Just thinking of you | |
022 | Tuesday | |
024 | Going to the beach | |
0242 | Hey lover! | |
033 | Wednesday | |
04*04*04 | Happy Holidays | |
0404 | I will always love you | |
044 | Thursday | |
05*05 | Margaritas | |
055 | Friday | |
0563 | Please don't leave me | |
060 | You are fine | |
064 | Don't call me | |
066 | Saturday | |
06644 | Don't call me | |
07 | Just kidding | |
07 | I salute you | |
074 | I need a favor | |
0741 | I need a favor | |
0747 | I need a favor | |
077 | Sunday | |
07700 | Ha ha ha! | |
080808 | Kisses and hugs | X and O's |
09 | Why dont you get a
cordless phone like regular people? |
|
09*09*09 | Let's talk | |
0909 | It's off, canceled | |
099 | I've got something to tell you | |
0990 | Too late to call | |
0998 | I have a question | |
1 | You're the one; You the man | |
1*00 | Im on the phone with my significant other |
|
1*8 | I ate | |
1*800 | I'm free - no plans tonight | |
10 | You're perfect | |
10*2 | You've got 10 minutes | |
10*2*1 | Slim chance | |
10*20 | Where are you? | |
10*4 | Is everything OK? | |
10*400 | Thank you | |
100 | Come back | |
100*200* 300 |
I can't see you anymore | |
10000 | Lets go for a swim | 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea |
10000001 | Miss you | |
1001 | Prove it | |
1004 | From your angel | |
101 | I've got an easy question | |
1023 | It's over | |
1038 | Can't stop loving you | |
104 | Come over | |
1040 | You owe me big-time | |
105 | Cancel | |
1052 | LOVE!!! | |
107 | Come back | |
1078 | I miss the old us | |
108 | Come over | |
11 | Maybe | |
11 | You're perfect | |
11111111 | Congratulations! | Resembles a series of exclamation marks |
112233 | At the club | |
116 | I'm in trouble | |
1182 | Come here fast | |
119 | I'm in trouble | |
12*25 | Merry Christmas | |
120 | Leave | |
121 | I need to talk to you alone | |
121212 | Happy Birthday! | |
122 | I want/need you? | |
122223 | Is anyone still here? | |
123 | I miss you | |
124 | I'm dreaming of you | |
125 | I'm bored | |
1250 | Me too | |
1259 | Me too | |
13 | I'm having a bad day | |
13*30 | It's getting old | |
1300 | Going out | |
133 | Don't forget | |
135 | You wish | |
13579 | This is weird | |
141 | I'm with you | |
1423 | I want to die | |
143 | I love you | |
1432 | I love you too | |
1432222222 | I love you so much | |
1437 | I love you forever | |
1443 | I don't love you | |
1444 | I hate this life | |
146 | Good morning | |
1463 | I miss the old you | |
1492 | Let's go sailing | |
15 | Whatever | |
15 | Hugs | |
15*11 | OK | |
151- | Want to join me? | |
15243 | Be With Me | |
15243 | I want to be with you | |
153 | I hate you | |
1543 | I still love you | |
155 | Just kidding | |
155 | I wanna go to sleep | |
157 | Keep in touch | |
16 | Kisses | |
1692 | I want to | |
17 | No; No way | |
1701 | Live long and prosper | Spock, Star Trek |
171 | Mad | |
177117 | Minutes | Usually preceding a number to indicate how long you will be. |
1776 | You're sickening | |
178 | I'll call you back later | |
18 | Yes | |
180 | Yesterday | |
180 | I love you | |
183 | I'm busy | |
187 | You're dead/I hate you | |
19 | Hug | |
19 | Yes | |
1925 | Let's go out | |
193 | Miss Me? | |
193 | Do you miss me? | |
195 | See you tonight | |
197 | I'm pissed off | |
2 | Me too | |
2*2 | Let's dance | |
2*4*6 | I'm pissed off | |
20 | Pick me up | |
200 | Tonight | |
2001 | You're way out there | |
201 | Cancel previous page | |
2010 | Later | |
202 | Don't meet me | |
20-20-20 | Sorry | |
203 | And | |
203 | Get off the phone | |
204 | I'm/Everything OK | |
205 | I'm on my way home | |
209 | On my way | |
21 | Maybe | |
21 | Let's have a drink | |
210 | Got your page...I understand | |
213 | Miss me? | |
214 | Happy Valentine's Day | |
214 | Received your message | |
215 | Running late | |
22 | Be good | |
220 | Why haven't you called | |
221 | Where are you? | |
222 | Your busted!; Are you busted? | |
2222 | I'm sleepy | |
224 | 2 good 4 you | |
23 | Te Amo | I love you in Spanish and Portuguese |
23 | Whatever | |
230 | Oh yeah! | |
234 | Just for today | |
235 | Problem has been handled | |
237 | Are you alone? | |
24 | I'm Home | |
24*7 | 24 hours, 7 days a week | |
240 | Tomorrow | |
243 | We love you | |
244 | My baby | |
245 | I'm/everything is ok | |
2468 | Your terrific | |
25 | Hi, my crush | |
25 | Sorry | |
255 | I'm at a payphone, hurry | |
26 | Te Quiero | I love you in Spanish |
260 | It's late, please hurry | |
265 | Check your e-mail | |
27 | Need you | |
270 | Cancel previous page | |
280 | My Sexy Baby | |
280 | Today | |
285 | Stay away for awhile | |
288 | Today | |
288 | But | |
288 | When will I see you again? | |
29 | You suck | |
290 | I'm without my pager today | |
3 | Wussup | |
30 | This is getting old | |
300 | Guess who? | |
301 | Is this a bad time to call? | |
3011 | Be careful | |
303 | Stop playing | |
304 | Ho Ho Ho | |
305 | I love you back | |
310 | I'm thinking about you | |
315 | But | |
315 | I miss you | |
32 | Eat Me | |
320- | Wish you were here | |
321 | Please reply | |
323 | Let Me Hit | |
324 | C-U-Soon | |
325 | Hope you're feeling better | |
3293 | Can't wait | |
330 | You are incredible | |
332211 | Movies | |
333 | Love | |
333 | Whats up?; How are you? | |
335 | Your crazy | |
340 | I owe you one | |
341 | I like you | |
342 | See you later | |
343 | Call back now | |
345 | Thank you | |
345987 | I'm horny | |
346 | Come back please | |
350 | Sorry about that | |
36 | You're cool | |
360 | I love you back | |
3620 | Sorry I lied | |
365 | I'm blowing you a kiss | |
370 | Congratulations | |
372 | What are you doing? | |
375 | Don't ever change | |
380 | Your last page has me smiling | |
3838 | Hey bebe | |
385 | Hi Cutie/Handsome | |
390 | Best of luck to you today | |
395 | Please be careful out there | |
3999 | You hurt me | |
400 | Wanna hear something stupid? | |
4040 | I hate you | |
405 | I've got a secret, hehe | |
406 | Hugs and kisses | |
41 | Call me | |
410 | You owe me big time | |
411 | Call for info | |
411 | I need info/I have a question | |
412 | Please stay with me | |
414141 | Sorry to bother you | |
415 | Get an attitude adjustment | |
41526 | Let's talk | |
41633 | Merry Xmas | |
419 | I don't understand | |
42 | Fuck Me | |
420 | It's that time! | |
420 | You're in trouble, buddy! | |
4200 | Losing feelings for you | |
423 | Call me now | |
424 | Call me back | |
425 | Call me later | |
426 | Call me tonight | |
428 | Call me whenever | |
428 | Call me tomorrow | |
43 | Fuck You | |
43 | You freak | |
430 | You did it....bravo | |
433 | Call me now | |
434 | Feel Better | |
434 | Hope you feel better | |
436 | Hugs and kisses | |
438 | Going to the beach | |
440 | Hey clown, cheer up | |
444 | I Want Love | |
444 | Thinking of you | |
445 | Ditto to your last page | |
45 | Good night | |
450 | Who pulled you chain? | |
455 | Don't make me come get you | |
46 | Hug | |
46*73 | Goodnight, sweet dreams | |
460 | Mind your own buisness | |
4678 | Let's stay home | |
47 | Good morning | |
470 | I'm with you thru thick and thin | |
475 | Long time no harass, hehe | |
477 | Best friends forever | |
478 | Just you and me | |
480 | Let me know | |
485 | A quick howdy to you | |
49 | Good afternoon | |
490 | You're in loony land | |
495 | Go for it! | |
5 | Hi | |
5*0 | Are you booked? | |
50*50 | It doesn't matter to me | |
500 | Beep me | |
5020 | So what | |
505 | SOS | |
5150 | Crazy | |
52 | Hurry | |
522 | Think of me | |
525 | Going to the party | |
5280 | Be mine | |
53 | Thank You | |
533 | Where are you? | |
5391 | So, we are strangers again? | |
54 | Never mind | |
54321 | I'm ready to explode | |
55 | You are a sweetheart | |
555 | I want your sex | |
555 | Call me | |
5555 | I miss your voice | |
56 | Sweet dreams | |
58 | Happy birthday | |
5900 | I'm sick | |
5971 | I feel better | |
6 | Always | |
6*9999999- | Get in line | |
60*017 | Go online | |
60*60 | I'm very happy | |
6000*6 | Good luck | |
601 | Happy birthday/anniversary | |
603 | Hope your feeling better | |
606 | Bitch | |
607 | I miss you | |
609 | I'm mad at you | |
611 | I'm sorry | |
612 | Thinking about you | |
6167 | I am going to lunch | |
620 | I dont know | |
62180 | I'm grounded | |
629 | Calling from payphone | |
630 | Calling from cellphone | |
6302 | I'm starting to like you | |
637 | Always and forever | |
66 | I'm mad | |
66 | Let's hit the road | Route 66 |
660 | You better be ready | |
666 | Can't go out | |
668 | Not | |
67 | Always and Forever | |
6771 | Good friend/friends | |
69 | Both ways | |
69 | Lets get together | |
7 | Forever; You will be in my
heart forever |
|
70 | I'm sad/depressed | |
700*600 | Happy anniversary | |
7007 | You're a joke | |
707- | LOL | |
710 | I'm out of gas | |
7179 | Best bud/friend | |
722 | Don't beep me | |
7537 | I know you don't like me | |
747 | Let's fly | |
7537 | I know you don't like me | |
757 | I miss my baby | |
77 | Friends forever | |
7735 | Sell out | |
7741 | Call me | |
789 | Going to the mall | |
7942 | From your friend | |
7979 | Cheer up | |
8000 | Goodbye or take care | |
801 | I'm going over | |
8081 | I had a bad time | |
811 | Not a emergency, but important | |
815 | I'll be good | |
8198 | How about dinner? | |
82 | Freak Me | |
82 | Hurry | |
823 | Thinking of you | |
825 | Anytime | |
8255 | Get your butt over here now | |
8282 | Hurry up | |
831 | I love you | 8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning |
838 | I know it's you | |
8431 | I can't wait to see you | |
844 | Can you handle me | |
8498 | Forget it | |
8558 | Waiting for your call | |
86 | You're finished | |
86*0 | Are you mad? | |
864 | I'm home | |
8642 | I'm gonna get even with you | |
87 | You're late; I'm late | |
8800 | I'll call you later | |
881 | I forgive you | |
883 | Beep me now | |
890 | Leave me alone | |
9*09 | I have good news | |
9*2*9 | Forgive me | |
9*4*4*4 | Are you thinking of me | |
9*5 | It's quitting time | |
9*52 | I screwed up | |
9*9*9 | Only us | |
90 | You're beautiful | |
90*90*90 | No, no, no | |
90*91*92 | I had a great time | |
9000 | Repeat message | |
90210 | Watta snob | |
9043 | Relax | |
906 | I'm on my way | |
909 | I am at work | |
9090- | Go! Go!; Get a move on! | |
910 | Sorry I hurt you | |
9103 | I will try | |
911 | Emergency | |
911 | This is big!; This is an
emergency, call me now |
|
9143 | Do you love me? | |
920 | Cheer up | |
921 | I do care | |
922 | Let's try something new | |
9229 | Big problem | |
93 | Grow up | |
9339 | Some other time | |
9341 | Do you like me? | |
937 | Never | |
9428 | What do you want to do? | |
943 | Where are you? | |
9437 | Liar | |
9438 | Where? | |
9444 | Are you thinking of me? | |
9449 | Please be good | |
949 | Why? | |
9500 | Friends | |
95507 | Your loss | |
961 | Let's try again | |
966 | Bad news | |
968 | I'm all yours | |
971 | I had to go… | |
972 | I'm ready | |
9779 | Mmmmmm | |
98*6 | Hope you're feeling better | |
9810 | I'm bored | |
9876 | I'm serious | |
9890 | Forever | |
99 | Nighty Night | |
99*44*100 | I'm almost totally
completely bored |
|
9908 | Can't talk now | |
9922 | You don't care | |
9955 | Don't do it again | |
9993 | I'm OK |
My personal glimpse into the first half of the 21st Century for some yet to be known future
Friday, January 10, 2014
Beeper Codes list (completed)
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Using a thorn to write
I'm not sure why, but I have a growing fascination with the letter thorn. Maybe it comes from the fact that we have sounds in the English language that have no letter to themselves. This is particularly strange since we used to have letters for at least some of these sounds. In the case of sounds for th, those letters are thorn and eth.
Capital thorn: Þ
Lowercase thorn: þ
Capital eth: Ð
Lowercase eth: ð
Thorn represents the unvoiced th sound, as in the words thin, things, wither, and eighth. Eth represents the voiced th sound, as in the words the, that, those, feather, and clothe. When these letters were in common use, they were often used interchangeably, regardless to which th sound was actually used. Additionally, the letter Y was often used in place of thorn since print type fonts of Medieval times didn't have the letter thorn. This means, "Ye Olde Shoppe" was really pronounced "The Old Shop", no different than today. In this case, the "Y" was a replacement for the letter thorn, which represented the voiced th sound of the word "the". (Further discussion on English sounds that are missing letters.)
So, I've decided to play around with the idea of using thorn in its rightful place within the English language. The following is a republished old article, where the letters th (representing the voiced and unvoiced th sounds) are replaced with the letter thorn.
INFAMOUS MINIATURE GOLF STORY
Ok...here's þe infamous Miniature Golf story..
Þis one time, like two years ago, I took Miriam to play Miniature Golf at a Golfland in San Jose. She hadn't been to a Miniature Golf place in aeons. So, we get our clubs, balls, scorecard and pencils, þen head to þe first tee. Being þe gentleman þat I am, I let her go first. She bends down by sticking her ass up in þe air as usual (þis being a family type place, mind you) to put þe ball on þe black mat. It starts rolling around a bit, but finally she makes it stay in place. While þis was going on, I'm watching her out of þe corner of my eye, just kinda waiting for her to get her ball to stop rolling around. Getting þe ball to stay in place was, of course, a pointless exercise given what she does next.
She swings. I hear a panicked "Oh!". She's looking back at me, embarrassed, kinda laughing, kinda whimpering. Þen I notice þe club is no longer in her hands. I briefly look around for it, confused. Þen I realize, she's þrown þe club up in þe air during her swing! I ask, "Where did you þrow þe club?" Þen I realize furþer, þe club went straight up in þe air! Worse yet, it hasn't come down yet! Þen, my even more profound realization is þat it has now been 5 seconds, from when I was wondering why Miriam was embarrassed to þis moment (when I realized þe club was still up in þe air), and þe club was still up in þe air! I shout at Miriam, "Get out of þe way!", while using pure instinct as to where not be when it finally decided to come back down to Earþ. We boþ duck and run. I turn around, worried þat þis magic club (which has now been in þe air for over 6 seconds) might land on someone else. To my relief, it tumbles to þe ground safely, right on þe spot þat Miriam and I had just ran away from.
We laughed it off, and were relieved no one got hurt. But to þis day, we wonder how þe hell þis club shot straight up out of her hands into þe air far enough to land in þe same spot a whole 7 seconds later!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Old School: Pager Code
There are/were several types of pager codes in the 1990's before cellphones become common with inexpensive data/text plans.
Calculator Method
The simplest (and prolly earliest) pager code was the Calculator Method. This method replaced letters with numbers that resemble those letters when held upside down (similar to how you'd create words using upside down numbers on a calculator). These were typed backwards so that the effect was easy to read. Examples:
- HELLO would read 07734. 4 kinda looks like an H, 3 is clearly an upside down E, 7 is clearly an upside down L and 0 is O in either direction.
- GUESS WHO would read 04177*553176. 6 kinda looks like a G, 17 looks like an upside down U, 5 looks like an S, * is a space, 177 looks like an upside down W.
Beeper Codes
Another common pager code system consisted of a string of numbers that were typically 3 letters long used to represent specific words and phrases. Though I doubt there is consensus regarding a name for the collection of these pager codes, these seem most closely associated with the term "Beeper Codes". Beeper codes were really a collection of many individual codes that were derived from several cipher methods. Many codes used letter count, but other methods were also employed.
- I LOVE YOU was commonly typed as 143. This required foreknowledge of the code, as any combination of words can share common letter counts. 143 could've easily meant I CAN'T FLY if you didn't know the established meaning.
- I LOVE YOU was also 831 from the phrase, "8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning." Again, foreknowledge is necessary to decipher the code.
Number look alikes
The most versatile pager code was a slightly more formal substitution method. Letters were represented by a look alike number or string of numbers. This is similar to the Calculator Method, but can be read rightside up and used to spell any word without a lot of forethought (or turning your phone upside). Different varieties existed, but the most common was this:
|
|
---|---|
Letter | Number Look Alike |
A | 8 |
B | 8 |
C | 6 |
D | 0 |
E | 3 |
F | 4 |
G | 6 |
H | 4 |
I | 1 |
J | 7 |
K | 15 |
L | 7 |
M | 177 |
N | 17 |
O | 0 |
P | 9 |
Q | 0 |
R | 12 |
S | 5 |
T | 7 |
U | 11 |
V | 11 |
W | 111 |
X | 25 |
Y | 4 |
Z | 2 |
Spacebar | - or * |
With this method, complex messages could be sent without a lot of effort. Even after texting and cellphones become more common, this was still a good system to encipher messages from casual interloping.
- HELLO becomes 43770
- WISH YOU WERE HERE becomes 111154 4011 1113123 43123 (a special symbol for spacebar wasn't necessary once texting was available)
- FOUR SCORE AND SEVEN YEARS AGO becomes 401112 560123 8170 5311317 438125 860
Pager codes were still used by some people even after texting become available because most early texting-capable cellphones didn't have an alphabet keyboard. Typing words was still tedious using the texting system. It was prolly around the time when type-ahead appeared that use of pager codes finally become uncommon. Once smartphones become common, there was really no need for pager codes anymore at all, except for fun. I still find myself using some of the old 3 digit beeper codes if I don't feel like typing out a common phrase.
Friday, November 29, 2013
Infinite Universe
Deep thoughts by me, "If the Universe is infinite, then all possibilities will be a reality, which means the Universe was simultaneously created by a God and came into existence without a god. The Universe itself becomes its own quantum superpositional object between all possibilities." [There is a flaw with this logic (infinity does not mean all things that can happen will happen), but it's still a bit of a mind-trip.]
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
This is America! Wait, what? [Infographic]
Labels:
Humor,
Observation,
Photo,
Society
Location:
North America
Tuesday Two: Tracking balls
The aptly name Bounce Imaging Explorer is a throwable camera that allows you to see around corners simply by rolling or throwing it into the area. Great for cops, firefighters, and military.
You can track yourself, your kids, your phone and your car. Now you track your luggage with Trakdot. This device can send text messages, emails or updates to an app. This allows you to know where luggage is, even if the airline doesn't.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Who needs privacy?
Allie said just now, "I don't know why people post everything on Facebook. ...there's no privacy." I couldn't help but post this quote on Facebook just to be ironic.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Yahoo's Blunder with unnecessary changes to their services is well explained on slashdot.org
Yahoo's blunder with unnecessary changes to their services such as Yahoo! Groups is well explained on slashdot.org by anonymous poster.
More of this person's comment can be found here. If you are interested in exploring the topics brought up by this person, click on the links I added to their quote above. That will take you to Wikipedia articles that will explain each of the terms.
If you have no userbase, the Agile concept of ship (garbage) early and ship (garbage) often even before you really have an MVP actually makes some sense. If you have a 6-month runway of capital before you go belly-up and start over (oh, I'm sorry, "pivot"), there's no point in wasting another month to get it right.
But if you already have a userbase, the developer-centric attitude of leaving what, to users, is core functionality in the backlog while you release half-assed stuff that merely shows off how good you are with AJAX, or how quickly your UX people can change the design from one week to the next, doesn't work. It's bad for your customer base, it alienates them, and it eventually drives them to your competitors.
Senseless Sunday: Mort fog tail
- Micromort is the unit of measure assigned to determining the risk of mortality in terms of one-in-a-million chance of dying.
- The invention of the toothbrush has no well defined origin, but the first bristle toothbrush has been discovered in China from the Tang Dynasty (circa A.D. 619–907). It used hog bristle. Not quite the same as brushing your teeth with bacon flavored toothpaste, but close.
- A cubic mile of fog is made up of 56,000 gallons of water.
- The word coward original comes from Latin word couda, meaning "tail".
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Monday, November 04, 2013
Stupid press and their stupid ways (Facebook haters)
From time to time there are articles claiming the end of Facebook. These articles are all pretty much the same, saying how "kids" are using other social media sites now, such as Vine, Snapchat, Ask.fm, and Instagram. Really?
Vine is not used instead of Facebook. Vine is used instead of Youtube. It's a video app.
Snapchat is only being used for sending sexy videos that cannot be stored. Again, not something that was ever really Facebook's thing. Facebook might be losing some use to Snapchat, but I don't think it's much. Youtube is losing more than Facebook.
Ask.fm is really competition for Reddit and Yahoo! Answers rather than Facebook. Maybe Reddit is stealing time away from Facebook, but ultimately, even these individuals end up on Facebook for social networking (even as they pretend to hate it). Reddit doesn't have a strong social interaction and is mostly just strangers posting for strangers.
What about Instagram? People use Instagram instead of older services like Flickr and Photobucket. It's a photo app. There is a stronger social aspect, but photos aren't really a replacement for communicating on Facebook. It's more like one-way bragging, which ultimately doesn't promote long and engaging interaction. When people respond to someone else's brags, they are trying to make themselves relevant in the context of the braggartry, and that's what tends to happen on Facebook. That's something that just isn't possible on Instagram.
You know what kids are using instead of Facebook? Nothing, ...kinda. They are using text messaging. Texting is why Facebook is seeing a small decline in usage in the younger demographics. Aggressive use of texting is temporary for people, though. Textings doesn't grow as your network grows. There's a certain point where texting becomes intrusive. When that happens, people move their social networking to a more broad service. When they do, that service still tends to be Facebook.
I'm not a Facebook pumper. I can live with or without it. I do know it is the most convenient service right now. There is just something about it that makes it more usable than Google+. Anyone that thinks that Facebook will go the way of Myspace and Friendster just isn't paying attention or only seeing what they want to see. Until something that is actually better comes around, Facebook isn't going to die from a supposed mass migration of its user base.
There is merit to all the services mentioned above. Some services appeal to certain people more than others. Facebook's success is that it is a generalist that covers all the bases.
Vine is not used instead of Facebook. Vine is used instead of Youtube. It's a video app.
Snapchat is only being used for sending sexy videos that cannot be stored. Again, not something that was ever really Facebook's thing. Facebook might be losing some use to Snapchat, but I don't think it's much. Youtube is losing more than Facebook.
Ask.fm is really competition for Reddit and Yahoo! Answers rather than Facebook. Maybe Reddit is stealing time away from Facebook, but ultimately, even these individuals end up on Facebook for social networking (even as they pretend to hate it). Reddit doesn't have a strong social interaction and is mostly just strangers posting for strangers.
What about Instagram? People use Instagram instead of older services like Flickr and Photobucket. It's a photo app. There is a stronger social aspect, but photos aren't really a replacement for communicating on Facebook. It's more like one-way bragging, which ultimately doesn't promote long and engaging interaction. When people respond to someone else's brags, they are trying to make themselves relevant in the context of the braggartry, and that's what tends to happen on Facebook. That's something that just isn't possible on Instagram.
You know what kids are using instead of Facebook? Nothing, ...kinda. They are using text messaging. Texting is why Facebook is seeing a small decline in usage in the younger demographics. Aggressive use of texting is temporary for people, though. Textings doesn't grow as your network grows. There's a certain point where texting becomes intrusive. When that happens, people move their social networking to a more broad service. When they do, that service still tends to be Facebook.
I'm not a Facebook pumper. I can live with or without it. I do know it is the most convenient service right now. There is just something about it that makes it more usable than Google+. Anyone that thinks that Facebook will go the way of Myspace and Friendster just isn't paying attention or only seeing what they want to see. Until something that is actually better comes around, Facebook isn't going to die from a supposed mass migration of its user base.
There is merit to all the services mentioned above. Some services appeal to certain people more than others. Facebook's success is that it is a generalist that covers all the bases.
Friday, November 01, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Amazon.com's double-whammy for Massachusetts comes in one more day (Nov 1)
Whammy #1
Despite the illegality of applying a state tax (of any kind) to an interstate purchase (in direct violation of U.S. Constitution's Commerce Clause found at Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3), Amazon.com has capitulated to Massachusetts' harassment. As of November 1, 2013, Amazon.com will begin collecting the state's sales tax on purchases sold by Amazon.com. This does not include third party vendors which sell their product through Amazon.com's website, who are responsible to handle their own taxation (if any).The problem I have with this is that is really is illegal. Until such a time that Congress actually passes a law granting states the authority to apply their intrastate taxes to interstate sales, these states are in willful violation of our Constitution. There are exceptions this that have been allowed by Federal Courts, but Amazon.com (nor most online retailers) does not have a business that operates in such as way as to fall under these exceptions. Besides that, there are ambiguities that Congress needs to resolve. Allowing taxation of purchases that do not originate within the state may be an open door for states to outright tax purchases that have no origin or destination within their own territory, but are rather just passing through.
There are a lot of nonsensical justifications for taxation of interstate sales, and there are a lot of good reasons to not allow such taxation. I would go into detail here as to why, but I've actually covered this pretty well in a previous article about California's similar attempts to harass Amazon.com and other online retailers.
Whammy #2
Not quit as annoying, but still bothersome is that last week Amazon.com raised their minimum purchase for free shipping. Instead of the $25 threshold, the minimum purchase for free shipping is now $35. What does this mean for most casual shoppers who don't buy into the Amazon Prime plan? There may be some short term gain in sales from customers who are not aware of the change and planned on making immediate purchase. But over the long run, my guess is that many will wait longer between purchases rather that purchase more each time.Saturday, October 12, 2013
Recent trip to Vancouver, BC
I recently visited Vancouver, BC. This photo set on Flickr pretty much tells most of the details of my time off. Here's some views:
Friday, October 04, 2013
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Seriously, who thought of this? Let the rhymes commence
There really is a website for everything. Well, there is a site for word rhyming called Visual Rhymes. This site is so smart that it can even find rhymes for orange. I always believed there are no English words that rhyme with orange. Of course, the website shows the closest rhyme, but I think it is a bit rough, though it is technically correct. Let me try to use the rhymes with orange in a bad poem that only Vogons will love.
Let me say how I love your skin orange.
Random pieces dogs will scavenge.
Keep your dogs away from that syringe.
Oh, o'er there the bad dogs whinge.
Watchout for the skintle to avoid a cringe
face from roughed up skin. Oh, I love your skin orange.
Orange, orange, Oh, orange of color grand,
sometimes impinge.
I did warn that it would be bad poetry. As bad poetry goes, I'd say that was pretty good attempt and being really really bad. So bad. So very very bad. Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings of Sussex might be proud. Anyway, I'm not convinced it is a good idea to try to attempt rhymes with the word orange, even if there are words that are available for such as task.
Labels:
Interesting Link,
Poetry
Location:
Massachusetts, USA
Valuable lesson from my first professional job, or how much is a brownie point worth?
My first professional job was in Silicon Valley for a laser company. My boss was Bob. Based on my take of things, Bob was stereotypical for a guy named "Bob" in the professional realm. I'll just leave that to your imagination. Anyway, Bob was wise and taught this young pup a few lessons. One that has proven exceptionally valuable is the concept of brownie points.
Brownie points are earned one at a time for doing someting that impresses the boss. The first time I earned a brownie point for being cleaver (I can't even remember what about), Bob said to me something along the lines of,
There it was; the formula that explained everything that happens on the job.
Do something impressive and you get quick praise "b". Make one mistake big "M" and you are in trouble no matter how much good you've done. Unlike your 401K, brownie points don't carry over from job to job either. Get a new job - start over. I hope this helps! :)
Brownie points are earned one at a time for doing someting that impresses the boss. The first time I earned a brownie point for being cleaver (I can't even remember what about), Bob said to me something along the lines of,
Congraluations! You've earned one brownie point. It takes 1000 to cancel-out one "Oh Shit".
There it was; the formula that explained everything that happens on the job.
1000b = 1M
Do something impressive and you get quick praise "b". Make one mistake big "M" and you are in trouble no matter how much good you've done. Unlike your 401K, brownie points don't carry over from job to job either. Get a new job - start over. I hope this helps! :)
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Senseless Sunday: Dog's life
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A dog was killed by a meteor at Nakhla, Egypt, in 1911.[1]
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The tallest recorded bamboo is 130 feet high.[2]
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World's longest beaver dam is found in Alberta, Canada with a length of 2790 feet.[3]
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Adwaita, an Aldabra Giant Tortoise died at the age of 255 in March 2006 in Alipore Zoo, Kolkata, India. It was recorded the oldest Terrestrial animal in the world.
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