Idiocracy: Food Packaging Should Have Traffic Light Labels?

Heather Callaghan

The main character in the movie Idiocracy goes to the hospital of the future and tries to tell the clerk about his problem. She apathetically scans her finger over a bunch of picture buttons that indicate a medical problem - she doesn't have to think. Imagine if everything was even further reduced from Idiocracy into nothing but basic colors and shapes. It would almost be like shopping with Big Bird as your guide.

"Should food products be labeled with traffic light symbols to make health-related information on ingredients easier to understand?"

Apparently, this very topic has been up for debate...according to researchers at the University of Bonn. This writer would like to show you that this is really only yet another study that benefits Big Food, not the obesity-ridden consumer.

Manufactured 'Cascades' on Social Media Can Direct Behavior and Decisions

Heather Callaghan

And how the 'cascade' can be directed...

Was the Internet or Social Media created for your benefit? The current set-up allows for some exposure of new ideas and online connection between friends and family. However, it is also a major surveillance tool and a boon to behavioral psychological researchers observing in secret.

It turns out, human behavior (the most highly studied topic of all time) is so pathetically predictable - especially on social media - that its direction and influence can be cracked using a mathematical algorithm. Information cascades - off or online - are useful for mass behavior modification as they prompt people to do what they normally wouldn't.

A press release asks:

How do people in a social network behave? How are opinions, decisions and behaviors of individuals influenced by their online networks? Can the application of math help answer these questions?

The Smart Meter Divide and Conquer Model in Relationships

Heather Callaghan

Uh-oh! A bizarro new study probing human behavior and energy usage almost sounds like the makings of a reality TV show. Why? Because smart meters could be a cause of conflict for roommates, friends and spouses. Anyone sharing a home.

But not for reasons you might think...

No, it is not the negative health effects of smart meters, the invasiveness of surveillance, the insecurity that comes from remote control or the idea that smart meters are actually leading to soaring energy costs that leads to conflict according to researchers. In fact, the idea of preventing smart meters from taking the UK by storm never enters the picture. "Resistance is futile." This study wants you to get used to their calculating presence. Very snug and comfy with smart meters. Use them to monitor your roommates' energy usage and let them know they have no right to that energy. It wants to categorize your behavior and modify it.

Most of all, it wants you to be that hundredth monkey and become an ambassador to make sure none of you are taking using the energy resources that you all paid for.

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