Socio Analytica

Football: Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals has just changed is name (legally) to Chad Ocho Cinqo. His jersey number is 85, and fans have called him Ocho Cinqo for a while now. However, I think there is a certain level at which some level of mental illness is involved here. I have heard of him and questionable decision making in the past. But I think this is the case of a lot of money, lot of ego and people around them that will not say ‘No’.

I’m not sure how we could do it, but it seems to me that some level of accountability and responsibility should be involved here. I suppose that we as a society are largely to blame. We give these guys a lot of money to entertain us, and then do not put in place needed elements to make sure that they can understand the context of what they have.

People are telling them that they are great for most of their lives, and then give them money and the keys to the kingdom. So if there is mental illness involved it can get exaggerated and unchecked. I am not sure if Chad “Ocho Cinqo” has any mental illness but the fact remains that this behavior is exaggerated. Mike Tyson is probably one of the biggest examples of this out of control. Also, one of the saddest.

Is there a way to help this situation without denying civil rights?

Technorati Tags:
accountability, decision making, mental illness, responsibility, football, money

Tags: Behavior, Commentary, Identity by mlwhall

In an effort to separate some differing interests, I am creating this new blog. This, I hope, will be an outlet for may of my more professional pursuits. This is my other blog.

Tags: Commentary, Weblogs by mlwhall

Interesting how there is a mathematical relationship between how the more a verb is used, the less likely it will change. Or at least it will change at a much smaller pace. I had not really thought about this as much but if you are going to do document analysis of documents over time, there will be differing degrees to which they will change. You get wedded before you get thinked. When doing values analysis it makes me wonder if nouns change at a similar rate. The article that I linked above suggests that there is a mathematical relationship to the degree to which something decays. Some thing that is used 100 times less frequently will decay or change 10 times as fast. Quite fascinating.

Tags: document analysis, verb, decay

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Tags: Behavior, Commentary, Culture, Meaning, SysVal by mlwhall

We will see how it goes today. I have dead rats at various parts of the house. I did not anticipate that I would have the smell of rotting flesh permeating my home. Yuck!

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Tags: ratsterminex pest control

Tags: Commentary, Personal by mlwhall

I never thought that I would have an issue with rats. For a couple of weeks, Scruffy (my Cairn terrrier) has gone nuts and has alternately sat staring at various corners in the house. I was in denial, I am doing some work on my computer in the living room last night and I see a couple of rats essentially hanging out at Sakima’s dog dish. The scatter when they see me (at least two of them). THEN this morning, they come out again, and they pretty much could care less if I am there or not. If I entered the kitchen they would run but making noise did nothing.

Well, I called Terminix and set an appointment. Called Animal Control to see what their thoughts were. And off to Home Depot to see what might be the short term options. I was hoping to get sometype of humane trap where they could be "released into the wild" after capture. No such luck. Humane pretty much means quick death. Poison was out of the question (kids, pets and uncertain burial location). Ended up with something that said it was considered to be ‘humane’ because it electrocutes the little critters, and they supposedly do not suffer.

I have mixed feelings about all this. The decision that one never thought they would have to face. Where is Simba in all of this? The cat is clueless!

Tags: rats, pests, traps, pets

Tags: Behavior, Personal, Random Thoughts by mlwhall

Which Programming Language are You?

Not sure it would have been the one that I would have thought…

Tags: small talk, programming, languages

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Tags: Identity, Random Thoughts, Tech, Web/Tech by mlwhall

I was just perusing Matt Mower‘s thoughts on Google‘s motto of "Do no evil". What is the nature of evil? Does it exist? Or is it made? Many branches of Christianity believe that satan is constantly trying to take you down.  This suggests that evil exists unto itself. Is evil, simply the absence of good? I know it is possible to ‘train’ someone to be bad. But can you be born evil? The "Omen" movies would have you think so I am not so sure. Also, whose is deciding that something is evil? Foucault would have us believe that it is those that are in a position of power in a given moment and given context that define what is evil. Cigarette companies are ‘evil’ in the current time, but were not thought so in the 1950s.

Tags: google, evil, religion, nature, nurture, philosophy

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Tags: Behavior, Commentary, Ethics, Morality, Random Thoughts, Religion by mlwhall

Well, last week (12/28/06) Svea and I got the caique that I got her for Christmas. She (Ziva) is taking quite a bit to get used to the new surroundings. She also is only a baby so that is probably an added issue. Boy, the hard work as only just begun….

Tags: pets, ziva, bird, caique, family

Tags: Commentary, Random Thoughts by mlwhall

My theme or vision of the Phoenix needs to start changing. I need to do more than rise from the ashes, but move towards transformation. While I am not one to get my philosophical thinking from the rapper Eminem, I am finding that I need to do more than just keep reaching for the brass ring and take maybe a stronger two prong approach.

In the movie, 8 Mile, Eminem’s character, "Rabbit", asks when do you stop living up here and start living down there. Essentially saying that if you want to reach your dreams that you may need to start at a lower level and make your own opportunities.  I am working at a winery here in Napa Valley. It is definitely not at the level that I tend to envision myself (someone with solid tech skills and a Ph.D.), but it is remarkably useful in starting a build up of self-esteem. Now all my co-workers are not virtual.

 I am going to focus more on getting Metaxio up and running, and partnering with key people. I have about 8 or so started blog articles that I need to finish. Well, onward and upward.

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Tags: Behavior, Commentary by mlwhall

At the risk of offending the people, I find this article from the Guardian (or maybe more accurately the title) intriguing even though it does not really look at the issue of a ‘God’ particle, per se. But the idea of trying to recreate the conditions of the Big Bang, and seeing it as a search for a ‘God’ particle is thought provoking.

I have been seeing some interviews, articles, etc. from physicists that wonder/hope that it will reconcile some faith issue for themselves (and possibly for others). Not that science can help explain faith so much as where science leaves off and faith begins (that does not do justice to thinking but hopefully you get the idea).

Something or somebody had to get the whole thing (Big Bang) rolling….

Tags: faith, religion, big bang, God, science, physics

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Tags: Commentary, Current Affairs, Faith, Morality, Personal, Philosophy, Religion, Research, Science by mlwhall