Saving Face

It appears that I have not been doing this correctly after many years according to the Wall Street Journal.

At this point I am just happy to have a face.  Easy does it going forward...

Hat Tip @WSJ

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What's Your Metadata Story?

There's a very timely New York Times Bits article, 'Using E-mail Data to Connect the Dots of Your Life'
 about the metadata (data about the data) that defines your e-mail and how it is different than the actual content.  With all the recent talk of NSA and Prism, it's interesting to see your data visualized and the story that it tells.

The Immersion team at MIT Labs is doing some interesting work where you can see first hand the metadata view of your gmail account. It's secure and also allows you to delete once your complete and provides a much more detailed and interactive view than the summary I've provided.  I encourage you to try it and see first hand your e-mail metadata story and share what you think.

Thank You: @NYTimesBits and MIT @MediaLab

@gurnick

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In the news: Hip Pockets & Hick-Hop

Reading the newspaper so you don't have to here are a few items to share:

1. Hip Pocket - Yelp has been using the metadata tag hipster since 2011 for their users. The result is this interactive map of 14 cities including Chicago, London, New York, Paris, Portland and San Francisco.

1. Hick-Hop - The WSJ covers the unlikely rise of this new genre of music and it sounds like a must to look into and experience.  They also mention some additional genres that have emerged naming Folk Metal, Epic Doom, Vaporwave, Disco Polo, Zeuhl Music, Chicken Scratch, Cowpunk, Japanoise, Nitzhonot, Kindie Rock, New Wave of New Wave, New Mexico Spanish Music, Trap, Celtic Gospel, Newgrass, PBR&B, Antifolk, and Carolina Beach Music. 

Closing on the topic of music. Blondie and X will be touring together this fall together as the 'No Principals Tour' - leaving you with Deborah Harry of Blondie demonstrating the pogo and the seasonal favorite '4th of July' by X.

Thank you: @tdmrussell, @Oregonian, @urbandictionary, @WSJ, @slicingeyeballs, @sullydish, &  @YouTube

#MusicMatters

@gurnick

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Spanning The Globe - Brazil, Japan, China & Russia

A few links to share from around the globe today in no particular order:

Tech in Brazil - A print ad from Nivea that can charge your phone while your out in the sun

Source: @viralblog

Big in Japan - Making an art of displaying and stacking books

Source: @MargRev

Made in China - Everything from homemade submarines, prosthetics to rickshaw walking robots

Source: @TheAtlantic

Russia - Not your average dancing bear

Source: @MeanwhileRussia

and which countries are the happiest (ranking of 35 countries)

Source: @OECD

The Portland Winterhawks - Modern Day Portland Buckaroos

The Portland Winterhawks quest for The Memorial Cup begins today in Saskatoon as the top four teams in junior hockey meet to decide who will be crowned the best team for 2013.  There will be plenty of NHL scouts watching as the matches begin.

Portland has gotten behind the Winterhawks in such a way that it solidifies their link to the Portland Buckaroos and their place in the city's history.

May the spirit of the Portland Buckaroos be with you as you play on the road in your quest for the cup.

Go Winterhawks!

@gurnick 

A Name Above The Title Name

'The Name Above The Title' is an entertaining book by the accomplished director Frank Capra about old Hollywood and his path to success as told by a great storyteller.  The title has always interested me in that if you are bigger than the movie your name will get top billing. Keeping that in mind, are there any name above the title names out there that help you reach top billing?

Each year I read the annual story on the most popular baby names and I think about how well these names will stand the test of time and if they will be a help or hindrance to the owner.

My interest in the name selection process is higher these days with a friend at work having her first child. The naming ritual always intrigues me.  Some people openly share the name they are considering while others (my wife and I fell into this camp) kept it to ourselves until the name could be put to the face and then shared as a whole.

I recently read The Ladders The Blog. 'On a First-name Basis with Success? Your Mom Chose Your Name Wisely.' which ends with the advice that a shorter name correlates to the likelihood for more earned income as well as "doing a simple linear regression, it looks like every additional letter added to your name accounts for a $3,600 drop in annual salary."  I have also provided a link to the 'All Things Data' response.  

I have a hard time believing that a person's name will increase their chances of success but rather may just help them out a bit along the way. Is there any correlation with the success you've achieved based on the name you've been given? Have you ever wanted to change your name or met someone and secretly wished that you had their name?

As for my friend from work, she had a healthy baby boy and his name is Wyatt.  I think that name will suit him just fine.

Treat People Fairly - Lessons from a Capuchin Monkey

There's a very simple message in this video excerpt of a TED talk from Frans de Wall on Moral behavior in Animals.

It's been said that "we're all just monkeys with car keys."  Treat people fairly and equally. It's how we all wanted to be treated.

Thanks to The Awesomer for posting this original video

@gurnick