Dr. Diane Hamilton's Blog
A Revolution in Hiring and Working with Eva Andres of Juniper Networks
What is a Meme?
There may be some confusion as to the meaning of the word meme (rhymes with dream). John Gunders and Damon Brown, authors of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Memes, define it as, “A cultural unit of measure. It can be a thought, a phrase, a style, or any other cultural expression that can be imitated by individuals. More important, a meme is a replicator; that is, a particle of culture that strives to get itself copied as many times as possible.”
Basically it is an idea that is replicated through imitation. There is a lot of that going around on the Internet. If an idea catches on there, it may be referred to as “going viral”. There is much more than just Internet messages that are memes. Gunders and Brown explain that things like philosophy, sex, religion and politics also exhibit meme qualities.
It is a unit of culture such as a tune, idea, habit, that makes its way from person to person. It must be short enough to catch on and easily understood. There are a lot of versions of the following meme that are based on different job occupations. The template of what others think that the job entails is the same. People have had some fun putting in their own ideas of the different perspectives of a job. Here is one for a sales professional:
Examples of Memes:
- Technological: Rick Rolling – Promising one web site but redirecting to Rick Astley’s music video.
- Musical: The opening five bars of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
- Marketing: Slogans like “Where’s the Beef?” The trick is to have something be catchy, memorable and desirable.
The Players and How it Works:
- The Creator: Â Creates the Meme
- The Hook:Â The Enticement to Remember the Idea; Example:Â Belief That Others Will Enjoy Idea or That Others Need to Experience the Idea
- The Bait:Â The Desired Result; Example: Positive Benefit of Meme is Realized
- The Vector: The Medium that Transports the Idea. Example: E-mail, Facebook, Youtube
- The Host:Â The Carrier of the Idea Who Initiates Delivery
Popular Internet Memes:
Popular Concept Memes:
Popular Video Memes:
Popular Picture Memes:
The following list are some websites that explain more about memes:
Related articles
What is Typosquatting? When Misspelling is an Expensive Mistake
Typosquatting occurs when a website is created to prey on people who may have inadvertently typed in the wrong web address. An example would be arifrance instead of airfrance.  Typosquatting is also referred to as URL hijacking, cybersquatting or brandjacking.
The registration of misspelled domain names is illegal. Sites like Wikapedia and Twtter have been shut down and fined $156,000 each. Mashable reported that sites like these “are popping up on the web to trick unsuspecting web users into clicking on fake ads that claim the user has won a prize. In the case of these two sites, to receive a prize, like an iPad, people were asked for their cellphone number. The site sent a text with a pin and more texts with survey questions. Each time a person responded to the survey questions via texts he or she was charged.”
Alexa reported that some of the web’s most popular sites were typosquatted. Scambusters.org lists some helpful tips to identify typosquatting. Some of the main uses for these sites include:
- Revenue Generating
- Transfer of Virus and/or Malware
- Phishing Scams
- Advertising Pay Per Click Scam
USA Today reported that, “most typosquatting domains lead to a bot network, used to steal passwords and obtain personal information such as financial or banking records. Bot networks aren’t obvious and can involve millions of computers.” According to TGdaily.com, it is a good idea to get into the habit of bookmarking your favorite sites to be sure that you are landing on the correct page. Sixty Four percent of the typosquatted sites are US-based.  Bendelman.org compiled a list of popular domains and their typosquatted sites to compare number of daily visitors. Click here for that report.
Related Articles
- Young Adults:Â Unique Identity Theft Issues
- Recognize and Avoid Work at Home Scams
- Affinity Fraud – Ponzi Schemes
- Home-Based Scams
- College Students Beware of Financial Aid Scams
Credit Score Savvy
With the New Year, people often make resolutions to fix problem financial situations. Part of cleaning an individual’s financial house includes taking a hard look at his or her credit. Credit Score Savvy (2003) was one of my earlier articles that I wrote for a local magazine. At that time, I was a loan officer and found that many people were confused by FICO scores and credit issues. In the article I explained factors that affected scores and the ability to finance a home. Although the market has changed since then, a lot has remained the same in terms of confusion about credit issues. A more recent article titled Polish up Your Credit includes some information about things people can do to improve his or her credit score now. What may be most useful from this article are some of the statistics. The following chart provides answers to some of the most basic credit-related questions.
Related Articles
Purchasers from Amazon Responsible for StateTaxes
Article first published as Purchasers from Amazon Responsible for StateTaxes on Technorati.
Amazon has enjoyed an advantage over their competition. They have not had to add tax to the purchase amount in states where they don’t have a physical presence. Slate reported, “According to Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, a 1992 Supreme Court ruling, companies are only required to collect sales taxes from their customers when they have a presence in the state in which they reside.”
This has been a sore spot for many of Amazon’s competitors. Many of them feel that if they should have to handle the taxes for customers, so should Amazon.  This advantage has made them undersell big competitors like the Apple Store and Best Buy.
Purchasers from the Amazon site may think they are getting a better deal. In reality, there may be taxes owed, but it won’t be by Amazon. What many people in certain states like Arizona don’t know about their purchases on Amazon, is that it is going to be up to them to keep financial records of what taxes are due. At the end of the year, when they file their tax returns, these taxes should be included in any amount owed to the government.
According to the Arizona Republic, “If you buy something online from a retailer who doesn’t have a physical presence in Arizona and they don’t charge state tax or the tax from the state where they’re located, then you’re probably liable for the use tax – the 6.6 percent tax. The safest thing to do is if you buy something online and you get a receipt, save it. It’ll probably show if there was any sales tax from the state where it was charged. If there’s not and there is no Arizona tax, then you should think about paying the use tax on that.”
What if you haven’t kept all of your Amazon receipts? Go to your account page on Amazon and under Order History, click on Download Order Reports. This tool allows you to put in the date range of purchases to request a report of purchased items.
According to Amazon’s site, “Items sold by Amazon.com LLC, or its subsidiaries, and shipped to destinations in the states of Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, or Washington are subject to tax.” It is wise to check with your state to see what your tax obligation is.  For more information from Amazon regarding taxes, click here.
Related Articles
New Research Uses Imaging to Show Serotonin’s Link to Anger
Article first published as New Research Uses Imaging to Show Serotonin’s Link to Anger on Technorati.
The University of Cambridge recently published study in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry that provides insight into why some people are more aggressive. Scientists have known that when people haven’t eaten or are overly stressed, they have a harder time controlling their anger. Scientists now have the ability to use technology to scan the brain and visualize the connection between serotonin and the ability to handle emotions.
According to The University of Cambridge News, “Although reduced serotonin levels have previously been implicated in aggression, this is the first study which has shown how this chemical helps regulate behavior in the brain as well as why some individuals may be more prone to aggression.”
Healthy volunteers had their serotonin levels altered through diet manipulation. Their brains were then scanned with a function magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as researchers measured their reactions to images of faces showing anger, happiness or neutral expressions. The findings suggested that when the serotonin was low, the prefrontal cortex had a more difficult time controlling emotional responses.
According to author Dr. Molly Crockett, “We’ve known for decades that serotonin plays a key role in aggression, but it’s only very recently that we’ve had the technology to look into the brain and examine just how serotonin helps us regulate our emotional impulses. By combining a long tradition in behavioral research with new technology, we were finally able to uncover a mechanism for how serotonin might influence aggression.”
Serotonin has been the subject of many psychological studies. In 2003 a popular study indicated that there was a gene responsible for people to be more receptive to becoming depressed. However, in 2009, a study published in the Journal of American Medical Association that analyzed data from 14 studies found that this serotonin gene was not linked to depression.
How serotonin affects depression and aggression will continue to be studied. Currently, the most widely prescribed antidepressants are serotonin enhancers. The researchers from the Cambridge study hope that this new discovery can help pave the way to new treatments of psychiatric disorders.
WebMD offers a 9-question quiz to help sufferers recognize the symptoms of depression caused by low serotonin.