The Idea Shop

Well... this all spurred with my roommate telling me the school is offering rides to the Inauguration. And I said that it'll prolly be boring... who would want to go.

He was absolutely dumbfounded. Telling me how I don't get it and that i'm being absolutely ignorant to how monumental the new president is. (He is white btw... from a majority white small town in Pennsylvania... dunno if that'll effect your opinion or anything)

I was confused at this statement. I told him that I wasn't into politics and do not care about it. He goes into a tangent about how I am a minority and how this new president should be a huge step for the country. Telling me... now people (minorities) can truly mean it when they tell their children that they can be anything they want to be. So I should be joyful in this event...

I told him... yes, he is the first African-American President of the United States... but hes gonna run the country like hes any ole democrat... so I do not see it being that important to me. If there was a white obama... hes gonna run the country the same way obama is gonna run the country... and isn't the job he runs more important than his race... that's what I think about when Obama becomes president.

This was my thought process during the discussion. But he still called me being ignorant and tryin to ignore the fact that he's African-American. Telling me how it should be more important to me than him cuz I'm a minority.

It's just something I don't worry about when I think of things... and I thought the country was in the same boat.... perhaps I'm being idealistic? or perhaps ignorant? What do you guys think? Do you still consider race to be a big factor in decisions? Any other thoughts?

PS - I gave him the argument that the country has progressed for quite some time in this area... it's just now there's some proof of it. Either way... I still consider the progress itself more important than the proof cuz my own thoughts display the progress. And it's good enough for me. It wasn't enough for him.

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life:
That word is love."
-Sophocles

I think love is a religious concept. I'm not referring to the generic pleasure kind of love, but the selfless, unconditional love. The willingness to sacrifice everything, the complete faith and trust, the utter acceptance and support. .. these concepts are not humanly possible no matter how hard we try. We are born as selfish individuals and selfishness is the opposite of love, not hate.

Many religions teach us how to love. Through pain and suffering, we learn how to love more perfectly.

So imagine you were involved in a car crash and you were severely injured and now you're at the hospital. To what extent could you consider yourself the same person you were before the accident?

Let me give you some situations.

You lost a leg, and now you're replacing the leg with a prosthetic terminator-like limb. Yes, most would consider you the same person. The only thing that's missing is a physical apparatus of your body. Even if you were to lose everything except for your head (assuming you could still sustain life) one might even be so bold to suggest you are still the same person.

But what happens when things go awry in the brain?

Retrograde and anterograde amnesia are possible outcomes that are both fascinating yet perturbing. Does one lose the essence of themselves having undergone this trauma? Can you really say that someone with retrograde amnesia is really the same person as you knew before? Again many would probably agree that as long as the personality is intact, yes; that is, under the justification that it is not necessarily always the person that makes up who he/she is, but the memories of those around him/her. Plus, the personality is still intact.

But what happens when things go missing in the brain?

Assume in order to live after having undergone severe head trauma, doctors needed to save your life by replacing 10% of your brain with synthetic neural networks. This means your brain is 10% machine and 90% still you. Those who justified that people having undergone retrograde amnesia are still the same person because of the memories existent among one's dearest, now will have to redefine the essence of existence. Can you really say after having undergone a 10% replacement of the brain, you are still yourself? Now, I want you to consider that this is a philosophical question, not a technical one. One could argue that the brain is compartmentialized and thus physically replacing 10% could lead to a complete transformation of one's personality. However, I'm asking you, what if only 10% of the personality was transformed? 90% is still you. Some might ask, indeed, as long as the majority of you is still you, you are still you.

However, what happens when you cross the half point mark, making it 49/51?

Now you are not the majority of yourself, but rather the minority of a synthetic entity. So can you really say you still exist? If no, then what is going on at 50/50?

My point is, this identity of one's existence is a blurred gradient. It's often frustrating trying to define borders in answer to this question. I've tried to think about it myself, but I couldn't come up with an answer. What do you guys thing?

Oook, calling all venture capitalists, investment banks and kids with big piggy banks'! Two more ideas for you.

*'s denote something that has to be thought out practically in more detail

1.) A big live map of available parking spaces!

So, each parking space (we'll start with a campus first) at Northwestern, including street parking, will have *cheap sensors* that will know when there is a car in the spot. When there is, it tells a *little parking map* on your phone or GPS that that spot is free! No more driving around looking for spots and no more fretting about parking.

2.) Speed sensors for highways

Not so much an invention as just "an improvement"...for me at least. When "Air Traffic 780" our local radio station talks about: "...18 minutes from the Dan Ryan in", from their "air chopper 780":

1.) I don't know which one the Dan Ryan is (although my invention won't solve that)
2.) I have no idea how long the mentioned lengths should take on a good or bad day...just the time it takes me to get from Deerfield road entrance on I94 to the Skokie exit on 41.

So how about, instead...they told me the speeds. And we're in a recession right now, so no need for choppers, a simple road-side speed tester'll do just fine.

What are the modern dangers that, if left uncontrolled, threaten to
destroy our society? Nuclear weapon proliferation, AIDS, poverty,
global warming, and the impending fuel crisis are commonly known
threats to society. However, there is a rot in our society that has
gone completely unnoticed. It is aggressively unhealthy, wasteful,
and useless. It is our obsession with sports. It floods the media,
drains our time, and all it does is fuel more devotion to sports.
It's not that sports are inherently unhealthy, but the fact that, as a
nation, we are obsessed. When Rome fell, it collapsed around the
Colosseum.

It is undeniable that our modern society has a sports addiction.
Every major city in America has erected sports stadiums. The
tremendous ticket sales pay the multimillion dollar salaries of the
athletes and coaches. TV networks and cable stations cover the games
live, and news programs review the results and highlights. Newspapers
discuss and comment on the games the next day, and the cycle repeats
itself.

This media bombardment has a visible effect on the American
population, dangerously consuming our emotions and brainpower. Sports
are a central topic for conversations and arguments everywhere in
America. The commentator's words are like the Word of God; the
statistics he mentions are unquestioningly quoted word for word by
anyone debating the topic. Fans (short for fanatics) often know the
whole history of their favorite team, and know countless random
statistics. Can you imagine how much time and money is wasted each
year on the media publicizing sports? Can you imagine how many
problems we could solve if we spent a fraction of that time and money
educating the public on the importance of healthy eating or the
dangers of substance abuse?

It's true that sports have redeeming qualities. They teach
discipline and teamwork, and that results come from sweat and hard
work. But for all the time and money invested into sports, what is
the result? What purpose does it serve? No matter how many times a
sports team grabs the national championship; they'll never grab the
cure for cancer. Regardless of how many millions of dollars spent, or
how many hours they train, they'll never fix the hole in the ozone
layer. America's fixation with sports tragically drains our energy
and talents, and it wastes our potential to really make a difference
in the world.

(Guys, Jake wasn't lying when he said that this post wasn't written by him haha! It was actually written by me. Since I'm actually becoming a part of the community, I figured I would repost this as myself. I'm excited to join the Idea Shop and look forward to contributing and reading insightful articles from other posters. :] )

We all have had this experience. You’re just minding your own business, secure in the knowledge that you know where everyone in your social circle stands. You know, you have certain people in your social circle who are “just friends”, certain others who you’ll casually flirt with while not expecting any sort of relationship ever, and certain others who you just want to shove up against a wall, preferably in broad daylight in a public place in front of your lousy ex. Everyone’s categorized and stays in their social niches, and life goes on perfectly.

Until someone in your friend zone causes you to have second thoughts about every aspect of your relationship.

You know how it happens. They go out of their way to do something for you which you consider to be really sweet, but of course it’s platonic! Except all your friends, who don’t even know this person, are convinced it’s a sign that that person is madly in love with you and wants to have your babies that very instant.

And then you begin to wonder. Of course, it doesn’t help that you’re oblivious anyway, and perhaps that person does like you and you’re just too dense to see it? And what sort of offspring would your combined genetics produce anyway? Come to think of it, they would turn out rather attractive…

But focus!

You had a crush on this person a long long time ago. But it was a moment of weakness, and it’s over now. But then all of a sudden you see this person after a long time and one thing leads to another…

And somehow you aren’t friends anymore. That safe green zone is now red (red with a mutual blaze of passion that is).

Oh and did I mention you’re not going to see this person again for a long time?

In keeping with the previous posts about what girls look for in guys and vice versa, here’s an important question: when you find your previously platonic relationship changed, how have you responded? How often has this happened? And what are your craziest stories?

Putting the spotlight on just the girls wouldn't be fair...soo, guys this is your chance to prove that you don't just look for hmmm... looks. What traits do you find most attractive (and yes looks can be in there) in a girl? These traits...prbbly like the girls' won't be the same as what our parents' generation was looking for. No longer is the story of the princess and the frog a story for just girls...maybe guys are now looking for good looking frogs too!

So, let's also shoot for a top 10 list! I hope we don't disgrace ourselves and just stop at the two that came first to my mind (and i'm sure is repeated in many guys here)...brains and brawn. hehe

People should leave their 10 items in the comment section, if you do not want your identity revealed please posted under No ID. I will eventually tally up the comments and stick it up for the guys...girls are just more controlled =P. And finally...results are out!

Top 10 List
1.) Trustworthy/Committed is our most voted for quality!...no playas plz, leaf that to the people who dunno how to spel
2.) Smart...we want the girls who can spell!
3.) Artistic...dunno, they voted for it so i'm putting it up
4.) Playful...not as in poking...virtual or otherwise, but genuinely fun to be around.
5.) Funny...Everybody's a comedian...
6.) Self-Confident/Self-Respect...if you dunno what this is go listen to arethra franklin
7.) Pretty/Beautiful...Odd, not hot but pretty or beautiful
8.) Creativity...Add some spice into everyday Life
9.) Caring...A hint of softness under that creatively decorated, funny, good-looking exterior
10.) And our number 10 (it was tied with many other ones) is Social...so you can ask us out on the first date (at least that's what i think the boys voting for it were thinking...)

Thank you for participating, I am sure it has dramatically changed the lives of many women...

So, for the guys out there, ever wonder what girls are looking for in a guy? Well here's your chance to find out...if the girls will step up =P.

Why don't we shoot for a top-10 list of what girls are looking for the most in their "prince of shining armor" or maybe their looking for just a Matt Damon...who knows...

If you have a suggestion (and you're a girl...please just go right ahead and add your suggestions to this article, don't bother commenting...that's for the enlightened guys =P)

Top 11 List

1.) loyal/faithful
2.) confident, but not cocky!
3.) intelligent/talented (not in video games!)
4.) witty, but not a smartass!
5.) caring/thoughtful
6.) ambitious/adventurous
7.) mature/respectful
8.) athletic/fit
9.) romantic/sweet
10.) good looking/cute
11.) not possessive, but a little jealousy is cute

Orson Scott Card writes:

"Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn. Only when the marriage of heterosexuals has the support of the whole society can we have our best hope of raising each new generation to aspire to continue our civilization.."

Is gay marriage worth killing people over? If the majority of the people in the country want to impose something over others, should they get it? At one time, the majority of voting Americans wanted slavery, and didn't want women's suffrage. At one time, the majority of Americans wanted Japanese Internment. Is gay marriage an example of history repeating itself? Discuss.

This is by all means not a suicide note or I am not an emo kid. I should prolly give you some background before I present my questions.

This past weekend, my hallmate from my freshmen year killed himself in a cemetary. He lit himself on fire and took his own life. He was a christian, an athlete, high school valedictorian, and etc.

I didn't know him on a very deep level but I have talked to him before and would often enjoy playing Wii or bothering him while he played a game I've never seen before.

Ok that was a very short summary of the background. Now, I want to ask anyone willing to respond. When do you think it'd be okay to suicide? (like if you were being tortured... is it ok?) Do you believe everyone thinks about taking his/her own life the same amount? (does it differ depending on social status, race, religion, or etc.?) And what your opinion is of suicide? (such as religious views or personal views)

I know this is a very somber topic, but I felt like I needed another's opinion about it. Plus, if anyone wants to just give an opinion without answering a question, I welcome it happily.

Now that the election is over (go Obama!), we expect revolutionary changes perhaps in the near future...

Many believe that in 50 years we will no longer be using laptops, plasma TV, and many other high techs that we are lusting after today. So which direction is technology headed?

Futurama seems reasonable to me. Agree?

Speaking of different religious belief, it has become a rationale for terrorism, a way of justifying what is "right" and "wrong".

In the past 200 years, we have gone through 4 waves of terrorism and modelski. we started out with terrorism due to anarchists from 1880-1914, then moved on to nationalist and ideologists from 1920-1960 and 1960-1990 respectively. Finally, religious terrorism initiated after the 1990 and has become a transnational and comic one. The state is no longer the political arbiter, which in turn leads to larger and more violent acts of terrorism.

I can't say what's Al-Qaeda's ultimate motive, but his ideology is justified by his religious belief. He opposes all nations not governed to a particular interpretation of Islam and the US forces in the Middle East, therefore he "attack the enemies of God" in order to create a unified Muslim-state.

Though he might've used religion only as an excuse, but it's sure powerful enough to bring his people together and follow his lead.

So does religion advocate peace or war?

I heard an interesting thing in Economics a few days ago that when polled, 80-90% of the population think that they're "above average" drivers. Same results for looks. Supposedly, they look around and say hmm, "well i know i'm no brad pitt or sarah pallin"...but I'm pretty decent. Obviously 80% of people can't be above average.

Odd that our confidence levels seem to be so high according to these tests...almost doesn't seem to stick with what we know about people. Now, I think that these two things are hard for people to self-inspect because people rarely get people telling them how "beautiful/ugly" they are. For drivers, bad drivers just say that they're "aggressive" and not unsafe, while the unbearably slow drivers just claim to be "safe". There are also no ways of quantifying either of them (tickets/horn beeps might, but people justify more tickets with time saved on the commute...so not poor skills but a conscious trade).

Instead, what about intelligence? Would people generally say they're above average when they know they're a C or a B student? Would be interesting to have people comment anonymously with a number between 1-10 with how smart they think they are COMPARED TO THE WORLD. I think we have pretty high average, seeing how this is an "intellectual" blog haha...and it'll be interesting to compare that number to what happens in the next post.

So imagine the year is 2337, 1000 years after l337. We shall call this time period...the future. The world has not changed in a long time, since the world entered a big depression after 2008; the same year students around the world stopped studying, instead wondering how Northwestern's football team was 6-1. John McCain is still alive and is president.

Now, in this perfect world, it turns out that everybody who is pregnant gets to choose one trait that they believe will serve their baby the best. This can be anything, creativity, physical strength, good-looks. In everything else, they are like a normal person, mediocre, but in this trait, they are super-duper. What trait would you choose for your baby and why?
(What I chose and why is on the bottom along with why this is interesting...please think first though!)














Intelligence because it is the one that best complements other traits and is the most adaptable. With intelligence, one learns and mimics the strengths of others more easily, thus probably giving this person the best chance at being well-rounded. It also means that they can analyze what they will need to succeed in any environment the best. Say that the person looks around and sees that the land is rural and an agricultural society that requires strength. If he concludes that the most successful path (and this person's analysis should be the best out of anyone's) is to gain strength, then he will work out and hone his body. If it is a place of high-culture and arts, this person can learn to enhance his creativity by analyzing himself and comparing it to the way others think. In this way, the best traits in any situation can be almost traded for by his intelligence.

Please write what you think before continuing.









Why is this interesting? Because it shows you what characteristic you care about the most. Oftentimes it's the quality you value most in yourself.

For those of you who are like me and don't watch much TV anymore, there is a FOX gameshow now that has a new twist how contestants can make money and how to get people to spill their darkest secrets on national television (which inevitably draws viewer attention). So the idea is that half a million dollars can easily be achieved since all of the gameshow's questions...are about you! Essentially "The Moment of Truth" hooks possible contestants up to a polygraph before the show and asks them about 50-60 questions that absolutely train wreck their image, marriage and lives...all for the possibility of winning 500k. The candidates with the juiciest secrets are then put in front of national television, their friends and families and asked to repeat the answers again while strapped to a polygraph again. Questions about feelings towards ex's, family members, past deeds are all fair game and your job is to tell the truth...according to the polygraph. It seems like one of the most uncomfortable and stupid things to put yourself through especially if you're not going to go all the way (which nobody has ever gotten to before). The host himself says that:

When Walberg talked to Access Hollywood about it tonight, he made mention of the fact that the contestants know the questions before they get onto the stage, so it’s not like they’re surprised by the questions. But he seemed to have a hard time understanding why Lauren went forward with the questions, saying, “I don’t have any problem of the fairness aspect of it. I have a problem with her judgment of then choosing to do it.” Walberg went on to say, “I know people are going to think I was BS-ing but the truth is, I was begging her to stop.”

link

Now, my thing is, after answering questions that have already thrown your image, your family's image and your marriage out the window...why do people stop? Did they plan to go in there for just 100k pricing their worth in the world for that and a few minutes of national shame? I seriously don't understand how people who value any of the aforementioned things can do this show...and for those who don't actually care...how can they not reach 500k? Nobody has gotten past the 100k mark and I just wonder if they just did not realize that it's either money+a lonely but wealthy life or just continue living happily albeit under a false image. If you're dumb enough to sell out your family and pride for money, at least be smart enough not to put it out on sale.

So besides for thinking of how foolish the contestants must be, I was wondering if lie detectors are really that useful. Everybody has heard about the technical things: heart rate, body heat...but the general idea is if you know you're lying and react...it will know. However, imagine this: have two simple questions in your head, one designed for true and one for false.

Ex:
Is your name Joey? (yes)
Are you really the Batman? (no)

Now if somebody asks you a question such as: (real question on show) do you like your mother in law.

Just calm down, and ask yourself the question "Is your name Joey?" of course not out loud...and then with that question in mind, answer out loud. You can even convince yourself that you have answered the last question already. Imagine the show's surprise when every single one of your answers are different from the audition (you're allowed to change as long as lie detector validates it...and this step needed to get on show). Of course this means that during the audition, every question from the most simple of questions must also be answered in this fashion. So now that I know how to beat the game, all i need is somebody to pretend to be my newlywed and let's go chop that money.