Monthly Archives: January 2009

Turn on the charm

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[In reference to a tweet of mine]

In 1972, Trout lived in a basement apartment in Cohoes, New York. He made his living as an installer of aluminum combination storm windows and screens. He had nothing to do with the sales end of the business–because he had no charm. Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind. Dwayne Hoover had oodles of charm. I can have oodles of charm when I want to. A lot of people have oodles of charm.

~Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

Charm is possessing contradictory qualities, thereby rousing a curiosity in others. Didn’t we all know that already? I particularly liked that the article suggested that charm wasn’t innate or exclusively cued by external actions, but rather formed by your circumstances, which ultimately affects your behavior, verbal and non-verbal. Charisma isn’t purely a charade or means for entertainment though, it can be in the authenticity and the honesty. Does that mean anyone can be charming? I’m not sure. Probably.

Then again, what’s charming to me may not be what’s charming to you. What’s charming to you? Also, can you assess your own charm? Charm is so elusive, but so natural. Oh, the contradictions.

I think that makes me charming.

If you’re interested, I just found a podcast with the author on the article from NPR’s Talk of the Nation.

Turn on the charm

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[In reference to a tweet of mine]

In 1972, Trout lived in a basement apartment in Cohoes, New York. He made his living as an installer of aluminum combination storm windows and screens. He had nothing to do with the sales end of the business–because he had no charm. Charm was a scheme for making strangers like and trust a person immediately, no matter what the charmer had in mind. Dwayne Hoover had oodles of charm. I can have oodles of charm when I want to. A lot of people have oodles of charm.

~Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

Charm is possessing contradictory qualities, thereby rousing a curiosity in others. Didn’t we all know that already? I particularly liked that the article suggested that charm wasn’t innate or exclusively cued by external actions, but rather formed by your circumstances, which ultimately affects your behavior, verbal and non-verbal. Charisma isn’t purely a charade or means for entertainment though, it can be in the authenticity and the honesty. Does that mean anyone can be charming? I’m not sure. Probably.

Then again, what’s charming to me may not be what’s charming to you. What’s charming to you? Also, can you assess your own charm? Charm is so elusive, but so natural. Oh, the contradictions.

I think that makes me charming.

If you’re interested, I just found a podcast with the author on the article from NPR’s Talk of the Nation.

I’m such a cliché

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It’s raining. Actually, it may be a slight drizzle, but nevertheless moisture of some sort is descending from the little pockets of water vapor floating in the atmosphere. I am in a study room above a café. I’ve even used “é” twice already. I could even throw in some Madeleine Peyroux and Diana Krall in the background for the sake of this description. However, if I were really in an ideal state right now, I’d be able to connect to this bloody server and do my job (real job, not just figuratively). Also, If I were truly the cliché I’m thinking of, I’d have a lot of things right now, things that I would call simple pleasures:

  • 1. Clean laundry (underwear, workout clothes, socks, etc.)
  • 2. Groceries — CHECK!
  • 3. Fresh linens because when you have been sick, you don’t want to sleep in a bed of sick-sheets
  • 4. YOUR HEALTH; see pleasure #3
  • 5. No Internet/server/connectivity problems. Ever. It is unacceptable. 

 

Seriously, what am I? A college boy? 

The Internet & Multimedia at its best

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An excerpt of one of my favorite parts, though there are so many quotable parts throughout.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor — who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

Here is a link to something from the NYTimes similar to the tag cloud graphic below, but with all of the presidents. Also, the Economist did a similar chart, but only comparing “hope” and “change.”

Originally uploaded by emilychang

I know I beat my love for Mo’Dowd to death, but her latest column is one of her best, in my opinion. She is concise and honest, albeit a little facetious (of course) in analyzing former (heh) President G.W. Bush and cautious with President Obama. Really, it’s almost everything I could ask for.

That is vividly apparent as we watch W. and Obama share the stage as they pass the battered baton. One seems small and inconsequential, even though he keeps insisting he’s not; the other grows large and impressive, filling Americans with cockeyed hope even as he warns them not to expect too much too soon. Even Obama’s caution — a commodity notably absent from the White House for eight years — fills people with optimism.

Also from the NYTimes, this graphic displays the hopes of people across America for our President. And last but not least, check out our new Web 2.0 WhiteHouse.gov website! Seriously… is that flash?

Aside from all of that, did anyone else notice that Michelle Obama was basically wearing Pantone’s 2009 Color of the Year?

Delayed Procrastination

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Is that a double negative of sorts? Is it even possible? I’ll cut the rhetoric and philosophizing of the headlines now. How is it that the last post I’ve written coincided with my last Model UN conference and this post will aptly follow yet another conference? Maybe my little space on the internet has been reduced to a post-MUN purgatory. While only slightly embarrassing, I’ve learned that what is more mortifying is watching a public viewing of [Ask me about it].

When I was younger, though this means when I was 15, I used to be so jazzed about finding myself on Google. Now, a little older, not much smarter, and still foolish — I’m more aware that I can’t have professionals read about my social experiments in the name of research for my column. Maybe as people grow older and more conscious of how others perceive them, they become incredibly banal. Just kidding; I think adults are fascinating.

Oh, and don’t you hate how recovering from a busy weekend means you have to waste time (read-the usual routine) to get back on track? I hate negative feedback loops. Or is that a positive loop?

Speaking of loops — in class earlier this week, a girl raised her hand to describe a feedback loop. She used the example of a fat (… heavy? Is that more PC?) person taking the elevator/escalator, which deprives them of exercise, making them more fat/heavy, which makes them more inclined to take the elevator! Yeah, it’s not good. I think that’s a positive (+lbs.) feedback loop for sure.

Lesson for today: Don’t be the fat person taking the elevator. It only goes downhill (No pun; but is it uphill then?) from there.