Sep 26, 2012

Big Brother Is Watching You - Seriously!

One of the books I like to read and discuss with my English students is George Orwell's classic 1984, a novel which was written in 1948 and predicted a dark and depressing future. It describes a world in which everybody is manipulated by the creation of a new language (Newspeak), brainwashed into believing everything the government (called the Party) says and maybe most frightening of all - being watched at all times by devices called telescreens. Now while the gloomy picture that is painted by Orwell is - for the most part - very unrealistic in our part of the world, it does contain some ideas that are worth taking a closer look at. Because they might just have crept into our lives without us even taking notice...

Sep 19, 2012

I'll Buy What She's Buying

When you were a child, your parents decided what kind of clothes you'd wear.
When you were a teenager, your friends basically decided what kind of clothes you'd wear.
And now that you're an adult, you have finally become so independent that YOU decide what kind of clothes you'll wear. Right?

WRONG!

At least if you're willing to believe Martin Lindstrom, a marketing guru and expert on the human psychology of consumer decision-making. In his book Brandwashed, he goes so far as to compare us with the animal world in the way we copy the behavior of our fellow human beings and look towards them for guidance:

Sep 12, 2012

Who Still Needs Men?

That is the question asked by Greg Hampikian (yes, a man), a professor of biology and criminal justice and author of an article entitled Men, Who Needs Them? that I recently came across on the website of the New York Times. His main point is this:
"...women are both necessary and sufficient for reproduction, and men are neither. From the production of the first cell (egg) to the development of the fetus and the birth and breast-feeding of the child, fathers can be absent. They can be at work, at home, in prison or at war, living or dead."

Sep 9, 2012

Links of the Week XIV

The highlight of this weeks links are the so-called crop circles. Never heard of them? Then make sure to check them out, alongside a couple of other funny/weird links after the jump.

Sep 5, 2012

Why You Just Can't Quit

When you hear the word addiction, what do you think of?

Smoking? Alcohol? Maybe pornography?

While these are some of the most universal and most talked about addictions, lots of us have a different kind of addiction, one we may not even recognize as such: brand addiction. Have you ever wondered why you refuse to use any other toothpaste than Colgate, drink any other soda than Fanta, or use any other shampoo than Axe (fill in your own personal brand addiction here)?