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It's our 20th issue of Saturday Edition. Lots of Saturdays along the way. I remember them well. ::ic
Send letters to the editor to feedback@instantcoffee.org
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Saturday Edition Feature
1. Mapping vs. Tracking
by Michelle Kasprzak
So, dear reader, there's all these very cool maps and diagrams you can easily access, which will show you the intricacies of the social networks that you belong to. Friendster and Orkut, arguably the two heavyweights, have come under particular scrutiny.
This is a marvellous time vacuum and I like nothing better than to zoom in on maps of Manhattan and see where all the Orkut users live. Or know who Ben Discoe's friends are on Friendster, and their relationships to each other.
However, I'm more interested in tracking how information is passed from person to person. (Maybe this is the same thing, but I'd reckon it isn't - there are those to whom I'd send information, that I wouldn't link to on Friendster or Orkut.) I'd like to see a diagram of this information sharing. For example: someone recently forwarded me the URL to the Isometric Screenshots project. I'd received this URL months before, and thought to myself, "wow, poor X is way behind." But is he? Who gave it to him? Aren't they behind too? Who started it? When did it start? What does the branching tree that would be the email trail look like?
There's two things that interest me here. 1) Why forward? A lot of people forward me cool links (like the Isometric Screenshots). They took a split second to decide that I would be interested in this information and send it on. This sharing impulse, where you don't really have anything to say except "wow, cool" is interesting because you wouldn't bother to pick up the phone and call someone to tell them to go check it out. You're saying to yourself "OK MK, but of course they would forward a link via email and not call you and tell you "OK, double you double you double you..."" But wait! It's similar to how I've heard the texting impulse described - you wouldn't call someone to say that there's a sale on at H&M, but you would text that information to your friend. It's information that you want people to know about, but not so much so that you would go through the whole "hi, how are you, ya I'm fine" stuff to get there.
2) Who starts it and how does it die? To borrow from the Tipping Point (sorry, I know you've all read it and are maybe tired of it, information fatigue, if you will) the people who start it might be "Mavens", holders of the information, or "Connectors", people who have mastered the weak tie and act as our social glue (meaning they have massive address books). I suppose those who start these forwarding frenzies might be Maven/Connector hybrids. I'd love to know the average life cycle of these kinds of phenomenon.
I'm sure someone out there has grand theories on all of this, charts and graphs maybe too. All I could find on Google was how to track email forwarding for spam and marketing and other nefarious purposes. If you know of any legitimate information, ie. people figuring this out for fun and not profit, please post it in the comments. I'll keep digging.
And now, two of my favourite forwards that I have received multiple times over the years: The Superfriends in "Whazzup" I Kiss You!!!!
Enjoy them, for the fiftieth time. And no, I don't remember who forwarded them to me first.
http://michelle.kasprzak.ca/blog
2. Study Finds That Teenage Virginity Pledges Are Rarely Kept
by LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
PHILADELPHIA, March 9 - Among teenagers who pledged not to have sex before marriage, a majority did not live up to their vows, according to a national study reported here on tuesday. The teenagers also developed sexually transmitted diseases at about the same rate as adolescents who had not made such pledges.
But a pledge to refrain from premarital sex, the researchers found, did tend to delay the start of sexual intercourse by 18 months. The adolescents who took virginity pledges also married earlier and had fewer sexual partners than the other teenagers surveyed, said Dr. Peter Bearman, the chairman of the sociology department at columbia University and the lead author of the study.
Of the 12,000 teenagers included in the federal study, 88 percent of those who pledged chastity reported having had sexual intercourse before they married, Dr. Bearman said at a scientific meeting in Philadelphia on preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
The researchers tested the participants for three common sexually transmitted infections - chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis - and found that the rates were almost identical for the teenagers who took pledges and those who did not.
Yet the teenagers who had taken pledges were less likely to know they had an infection, raising the risk of their transmitting it to other people, said Dr. Bearman and Hannah Brackner of Yale University, the other author of the report.
Dr. Bearman said that telling teenagers "to `just say no,' without understanding risk or how to protect oneself from risk, turns out to create greater risk" of sexually transmitted diseases.
The findings challenge a number of assumptions underlying the policies of the Bush administration and private groups that encourage virginity pledges as part of promoting abstinence before marriage.
"The study is not the final answer," said Dr. Ronald O.Valdiserri, an expert on preventing sexually transmitted diseases at the federal Centers for Disease Control andPrevention. "It points to the need for additional research in this area to identify effective interventions and to understand what makes them work."
Under the Clinton and Bush administrations, Dr. Valdiserrisaid, the agency has promoted abstinence as the only sure way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and has recommended monogamy and the use of condoms for those whoare sexually active.
Jimmy Hester, a spokesman for True Love Waits, a campaign begun in 1993 by the Southern Baptist Convention, said, "Signing a pledge card does not mean you are magically protected."
Mr. Hester said True Love Waits had followed Dr. Bearman's study for seven years but had not seen the latest findings. He added that what he had heard about the findings caused him concern "because we're not following up on pledges well enough."
True Love Waits says that 2.4 million young people have signed a virginity pledge since the group's founding in 1993.
The new findings are part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The study is financed by the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Science Foundation.The findings were based on a six-year follow-up of participants who entered the study when they were 12 to 18 years old.
By age 23, half the teenagers who had made virginity pledges were married, compared with 25 percent of those whohad not pledged, the study found. Dr. Bearman said he didnot know whether the teenagers who had broken their pledges did so initially with their fiancee's or with others, becausethe data had not yet been analyzed.
But he said, "After they break their pledge, the gates are open, and they catch up," having more partners in a shorter time.
Lack of condom use was an important factor in the higher-than-expected rates of sexually transmitted diseases among the pledgers, the study found. Only 40 percent reported having used condoms in the most recent year of the study, compared with 60 percent of the teenagers who had not pledged.
Also, the adolescents who had made pledges were less likely to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Among the boys, 5.2 percent had been tested, compared with 9.1 percent of the boys who had not pledged. Among the girls, 14 percent of pledgers had been tested, compared with 28 percent of girls who had not pledged.
This article from NYTimes.com, March 10, 2004
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International Coffees
1. Weird email knows no borders
From: MRS BETTY BROWN
Reply-To:darlington004@netscape.net Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2004 22:58:31 +0100 To: jbanana@interlog.com Subject: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
DARLINGTON LOTTERY AGENCY Ref. Number: 109/654/1340 Batch Number: 436730167-HY98
Sir/Madam,We are pleased to inform you of the result of the Lottery WinnersInternational programs held on the 20th Febuary 2004. Your e-mail addressattached to ticket number 278511465896-4872 with serial Number 9840-885 drewlucky numbers 9-78-09-87-44-67 which consequently won in the 1st category,you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$1,000,000 (OneMillion United States Dollars) CONGRATULATIONS!!! Due to some numbers andnames, we ask that you keep your winning information confidential until youfile for your claim.. This is part of our security protocol to avoid doubleclaiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some participants. Allparticipants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn from over20,000 company and 30,000,000 individual email addresses and names from allover the World. This promotional program takes place every year.This lotterywas promoted and sponsored by some eminent personalities who do not wish todeclare their identity for security reasons.
To file for your claim, please contact our fiducial Agent:
Mr Darlington Maxwell Email: darlington2004@netscape.net Tel:0031 610 320 867
Remember, all winning must be filed not later than 29th of March 2004 orwhen authentic proof is given for the delay of filing. Please note in orderto avoid unnecessary delays and complications, remember to quote yourreference number and batch numbers in all correspondence. Furthermore,should there be any change of address do inform our agent as soon aspossible. Congratulations once more from our members of staff and thank youfor being a Winner in our promotional program.Note: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified.
Sincerely yours, Mrs Betty Brown. Lottery Coordinator.
From: MRBATESALANN@netscape.net [mailto:MRBATESALANN@netscape.net]
Sent: Fri 20/02/2004 3:20 PM To: Pamila Matharu Subject: REPLY SOON
Dear Friend,
As you read this, I don't want you to feel sorry forme, because, I believe everyone will die someday.My name is BATES ALAN a merchant in Dubai, in theU.A.E.I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer.It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right nowI have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts.I have not particularly lived my life so well, as Inever really cared for anyone(not even myself)but mybusiness. Though I am very rich, I was nevergenerous, I was always hostile to people and onlyfocused on my business as that was the only thing Icared for. But now I regret all this as I now knowthat there is more to life than just wanting to haveor make all the money in the world.
I believe when God gives me a second chance to cometo this world I would live my life a different wayfrom how I have lived it. Now that God has calledme, I have willed and given most of my propertyand assets to my immediate and extended familymembers as well as a few close friends.I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soulso, I have decided to give alms to charityorganizations, as I want this to be one of the lastgood deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributedmoney to some charity organizations in the U.A.E,Algeria and Malaysia. Now that my health hasdeteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myselfanymore. I once asked members of my family to close oneof my accounts and distribute the money which I havethere to charity organization in Bulgaria andPakistan, they refused and kept the money tothemselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, asthey seem not to be contended with what I have leftfor them.
The last of my money which no one knows of is thehuge cash deposit of eighteen million dollars$18,000,000,00 that I have with a finance/Security Companyabroad. I will want you to help me collect this depositand dispatched it to charity organizations.I have set aside 10% for you and for your time.God be with you.BATES ALAN
From: swisspolitics@swissinfo.ch
To: "Timothy Comeau" Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 9:00 AM Subject: swisspolitics.org alert
swisspolitics.org alert from 30.01.2004
Dear swisspolitics user,
The next nationwide vote takes place on February 8th. Voters are being called upon to cast their ballots on the following three issues. - Counter-proposal to the popular initiative "Avanti - for safe and efficient motorways"- Change to the Tenancy Law- Popular Initiative "Life imprisonment for non-treatable, very dangerous sexual criminals"
For more information click on: http://www.swisspolitics.org/en/news/index.php?page=aktuelle_abstimmungen_0802.
Throughout Sunday's vote, swisspolitics.org will keep you updated with live results.
Your swisspolitics team
"swisspolitics.org alert", a service offered by the swisspolitics team Giacomettistrasse 1, CH-3000 Berne 15, Switzerland. Email: swisspolitics@swissinfo.ch.
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Tasters Choice
Irish Coffee
Irish Whiskey glass
coffee maker
small spoon
measuring spoons
shot glass
1 1/2 oz. Irish whiskey
1 tsp. granulated sugar
strong hot coffee
whipped cream
Pour whiskey and sugar into Irish whiskey glass. Add coffee to 1/2 inch from top. Stir lightly. Pour on whipped cream, filling to the brim. Do not stir.
This drink goes perfectly with or without a dessert. We suggest listening to Chicago or Neil Young while enjoying this delicious coffee.
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Ten Ten
1. Timothy's Good Reads Mailing List
Tim has started a mailing list of articles he's found on the net which consitute "good reads," interesting news, or at the very least, food for thought (it's not always something easily agreed with).
The articles are archived at www.goodreads.ca and to subscribe, email tim@instantcoffee.org
Rating: ten out of ten
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Sanka
1. Week in Review sad poetic version 1
s: Too much coffee, and little rest.
m: The day went slowly. Time crawled.
t: The cravings for both salty and sweet were overwhelming.
w: Work was something that could no longer be kept within a neat timeframe.
th: Socializing became difficult, even painful.
f: By Friday, art just didn't seem to matter all that much.
s: Saturday brought little relief
2. Captions to pictures in a soap opera magazine six years ago
by Timothy Comeau
1. Much to her family's objections, Lucinda is hellbent on becoming Mrs. James Steinbeck
2. Josh is in trouble again now that Annie is back it town.
3. After each does some soul-searching, Hayley and Mateo reach an agreement that both of them can live with - but can Raquel?
4. A night of loving for John and Marlena
5. Marley and Cindy colloborate on a plan they hope will get them waht they want.
6. V, disguised as Isabella, and Jax travel to Monte Carlo where she finds herself the center of a very high stakes wager.
7. Caitlin and Cole find themselves trapped in an explosive situation
8. Viki confronts Todd after he leaves Tea at the alter
9. Humor is an important ingredient to get one through the day.
10. Francesca and Cole opened a Pandora's Box after succesfully heisting the Rosario jeweles11. Coles couldn't be happier now that she's settled into her new home.
12. Believing Brenda's life was in danger because of his mob ties, Sonny left her at the alter, while he stood outside the church in pain and misery.
13. Longtime friends, Sonny and Lois grew up together in Brooklyn and shared many memories.
14. Due to Lily's pregnancy, Sonny's farewell to his true love, Brenda, was bitter sweet.15. Kimberly and Rick go to dinner - but each has something different in mind.
3. "Louie Louie vs. Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Timothy Comeau
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Feedback
1. From: "Winston Lau" Hi Jin & Kate
I still recall your installation waaay back at AGO. Anyhow, I wanted to share an observation.
IMHO, recent architectural developments in Toronto ought to be called 'The Serif Period'.
Merriam Webster Dictionary states Serifs are, "...short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter'". Only short lines stem at an angle from buildings instead. They become either rooftops or horizontal facades jutting like serifs from main structures. Examine the Eatonville Library, UofT's Graduate House or Ghery's AGO. Ghery's AGO, in both the visor-like front and rear glass, exhibit serif-like characteristics.
It seems the last major wave of construction - coined Brutalism - hit Toronto in the 50s and 60s. where Brutalism featured formed concrete (Witness UofT's Robarts Library) 'Serifs' distinguish structures today. My $0.02,
Winston Lau
2. From: Andrew DeCola To: everyone@instantcoffee.org Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2003 6:32 PM Subject: link
Hey guys. I just wanted thank you for adding me to your LINKS section. I didn't even know until someone told me about it. Which is awesome. I'll have a link to your site added to mine as well.Add me to your mailing list because I love what you guys are doing.
Thanks again,
Andy decola
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Instant Coffee Saturday Edition is our email/online zine, sent out every month or two. Saturday Edition compliments Instant Coffee's email list service, which has been promoting local, national and international events to a targeted audience since 2000.
Instant Coffee Saturday Edition takes submissions; graphics, articles, reviews, links; about music, video/film, art exhibitions, architecture, design and all else worth knowing; ... self indulgence welcome in the Sanka section. Send submissions to saturday@instantcoffee.org
Instant Coffee kissin and huggin and lovin
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