Posts

Showing posts from March, 2009

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

Image
This is who I got to hear speak today. Dr. Morris sent me a link to his work last year. Got any creative ideas as to how to get students engaged using Web 2.0?

Did You Know

While watching, or when you've finished, what comes to mind? What does this make you consider, to think about, to wonder?

Crowds and contagion theory

Any application of contagion theory?

Energy and Environment

Image
ETA on our region "going green"?

Community Infrastructure

Image
Love this bridge

NCAA Tourney and Crowds

Currently doing some annual reading about Collective Behavior and Crowds. I'm heading to Indianapolis on Friday for three days, lucky enough to catch the Louisville Cardinals play on Friday. And of course if they win, they will play on Sunday. I'll be posting some pics from the Road to the Big Dance. In the meantime, check out some preliminary reading on Collective Behavior . Pay particular attention to "Theories of Crowd Behavior". I'll be posting pics as well, and will offer questions through the weekend that you can answer for extra credit.

Soc Peeps: the Lesbian(s) and the Water Fountain

krogerchick on Twitter sent this to me today: krogerchick@profgesser i saw someone refuse to drink from a water fountain after a lesbian drank from it. absolute chaos! made me think about soc krogerchick@profgesser a man saw two girls all but makin out in front of the store & he went to get a drink later, but saw 1 girl get a drink 1st. krogerchick@profgesser he says "i be damned if i is gonna drink outta the same fountain as some homo bitch!" she freaked. crazy. So, in terms of getting a drink from the same water fountain, what do you think the man was worried about? Why?

"Synergy of the Arts..."

I'm currently reading through the Placemaking Initiative report regarding downtown development in Owensboro. I'm currently President of the Board of Directors at Theatre Workshop of Owensboro , and we were hoping to acquire the Goldie's Opryhouse facility with the assistance of local government. I have found interesting references in the Placemaking Initiative report about "synergy of the arts", and "historical preservation." So the question is this: Is requesting $250,000 for the purchasing price for Goldie's too much in the face of a $79 million incentive plan to reinvent downtown Owensboro? Should a public entity with a proven track record, and as the oldest arts organization in Owensboro, be shown preference to acquire the facility to "synergize the arts"? Or, should local government rely solely on the private sector?

The Turtleman

Would certainly be remiss if I didn't include a link to the Turtleman video that we watched early in the semester. Posting this for entertainment purposes.

Daviess County Sheriff's Office "Methbuster"

Image
I saw this picture today. This is the car I've spoken about in class. It is no longer in use as a marketing tool. I believe it was originally donated. Some questions we have explored in class were regarding the purpose and effectiveness of this vehicle. Does using it as a marketing tool do anything to curve, prevent, or have other impact on meth production and/or use?

Multimedia message

Image
Pic of a painting made at the Nov. 2007 event. Just ended, will edit all posts into one later.
Suggested reading, The Next Form of Democracy
Now discussing deliberative democracy..integrating citizen voices into decision making
Emphasizing systemic solutions for systemic problems.
.highlighting Obama's Memorandum on Open Government: Transparency, Collaboration, and Participation
..now speaking to "Changing the Way Gov. Relates to People".

Multimedia message

Image
..audience member questions
First question is regarding the role of technology in polling and gathering large amounts of data and making sense of it.
Taking questions and comments from the audience. First question is regarding the role of technology in polling and gathe -- ================================================================== This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T
Placing significance on public space. What are the public venues for citizen engagement in decision making?
She started out citing the Jeffersonian ideal of by the people, of the people, for the people.
Dr. Lukensmeyer is now speaking. She has great words to say about O'boro's effort.

Multimedia message

Image
Listening to Shelly Nichols, Exec. Dir. of We the People Owensboro. She's currently providing an overview of work conducted over the past two years. More info regarding their work can be found at their website. Will provide that link later, but can be found with a Google search.

Carolyn Lukensmeyer speaking at OCTC

In November 2007, Owensboro held an unprecedented event, the We the People Town Hall meeting , facilitated by the non-profit group AmericaSpeaks . The founder of AmericaSpeaks, Dr. Carolyn Lukensmeyer, will be speaking at Blandford Hall in the Humanities Building at the community college on Thursday, 3/12. In addition, an update will be provided regarding the local We the People activities. The event begins at 7pm, and I do believe that all attendees will find the information meaningful as it relates to Sociology and community politics.

CNN - Tents on wheels give homeless people roof and pride

Image
Sent from chad.gesser@kctcs.edu's mobile device from http://www.cnn.com. Tents on wheels give homeless people roof and pride Brenda Gardenhire shows off her new home with pride. It looks like an oversized shopping cart covered with a khaki canvas. But to her, it's "wonderful" -- a stepping stone to get her off the streets and get her life back in order. "It's like your own home, your own apartment, your own room," she said, showing off the 7-foot-long living space on wheels. "No one else can come in here but me." Gardenhire is talking about her makeshift home called an EDAR, which stands for Everyone Deserves A Roof. The units are being distributed to homeless people in the Los Angeles area by the Everyone Deserves A Roof nonprofit organization. It's the brainchild of "Revenge of the Nerds" movie producer Peter Samuelson, who has spent much of his life working with charities to help impoverished children. He got the idea to help t

Multimedia message

Image
Has anyone noticed that the new Kroger parking lot was punk'd by innovative stripers, promoting a uni-directional parking design?

"Drugs Erase Your Mind"

Image
a waste of school funds or a lesson for life?
Image
Click the image above to enlarge. This is an interesting piece of information just released by worldpublicopinion.org.
Image

Multimedia message

Image
Tricked out mopeds...the future of individualism

Interesting discussion between Chuck D and Michael Steele (Republican Party Chairman)

This is an interesting discussion about the black experience, identity, and the future political implications.

Report on foodstamps

Saw this on CNN, a report about foodstamps and meeting basic food needs. Embedded video from CNN Video

Multimedia message

Image
Does this restaurant sign violate cultural norms? Is it odd to see political expressions mixed with pizza?

Prof. Gesser's other hobby: dancin'

Image
there i am, the blur on the left!