Modern Pavlovian Response

Comic Strip: Frank and Ernest on May 11, 2011

In a book by Elmer Wheeler, "Tested Sentences That Sell," first chapter is "Don't Sell the Steak -- Sell the Sizzle!" Of course this is a figurative expression, but it is right to the point.

In the above comic strip, "Beep" is "Sizzle." This automatic response by human is not only increasing our appetite, but also a strong marketing tool to us -- as another type of example for that automatic response,  expense = good stereotype (Reference from "Influence" by Robert B. Cialdini). Unfortunately, "Beep" and "Sizzle" works too well, even though you don't have a feeling to buy anything or going to a restaurant. We cannot avoid our physiological instinct.

What is your sizzle to stimulate your appetite? Mine is a slam when slamming a fridge to because my favorite dessert is a grapefruit jelly (and also Bon Bons,  a chocolate ice candy). To keep my figure and health, all I have to do is to wear earplugs like him, especially when someone slams a fridge door to.

Photo: Milton Bradley

A new function for Facebook

I've wondered why Facebook doesn't have a function to connect with friends' friends by a friend's recommendation.

Photo: halifaxlight

Suppose I'm looking for a person who speak English to develop my English skills via chatting on face-to-face or Skype like a conversation partner. And then, When I post that comment on the Facebook, although by far some friends see it, they usually wouldn't introduce me to their friends who have the same needs like wanting to speak Japanese to improve his/her skills -- because I'm Japanese, so both become win-win. -- as a friend (I mean as a friend who is on the Facebook, not necessarily to be a real friend.). Existing function is, for example, "Find friends." This gives us an opportunity to find a new friend through being able to see our friends' friends. However, this is not a good way to connect with people, in my opinion. Generally, when in our community friends' friends are connected with each other, an intermediary -- in this case, a direct friend between both friends' friends -- plays a significant role to this accomplishment because he/she knows information regarding both of them well. He/she can match up between them well.

With those idea, my suggestion is to create a new tool: "Want" and "Recommend" buttons. First, I'd like to explain about the "Want" function. If a person is looking for a textbook and want to know about the class at the same time, one of the best solution is to make a friend who already took that class and want to sell the textbook. First, that person posts that message on the "Want" like an usual Facebook comment. But, this "Want" function spreads that comment to all friends or friends who that person designated (This function is similar to the event function.). And then, if the friends who received that message have frieds' friends who would meet the request, they can introduce that friends' friends to him/her by using "Recommend" function. When using the "Recommend," the message is forwarded to that friends' friends as a friend's recommendation, and to the person who used "Want" too. And then, if both that friends' friends and the person agree with the offer, they can become a friend.

"Want" and "Recommend" function provides a win-win opportunity for us. But, my story is not the end here. My idea is not only to give a win-win situation to friends' friends and the requester, but also a profit to the intermediary. The intermediary is like a matchmaker. Although some people are a good matchmaker, they are not known well sometimes. So, when the intermediary did tie up between friends' friends by using "Recommend" button, their "Profile" on the Facebook lets him/her show "Matchmaking" like "Friend" and "Family" so that friends can see. As a result, the intermediaries may get a trust from friends and even make a new friend by that signaling effect as a matchmaker.

So far, I don't know such service. If you know anything like that, let me know. And, what do you think such service?

Mrs. Tanaka

Since 2007, Mrs. Watanabe has been recognized as one of factors to move market trends among dealers and investors who are in active to global currency market.

Who is Mrs. Watanabe?

Photo: The Star Publications

No...(This is Ken Watanabe, a famous actor, and his wife)

Photo: Catastrophist

Indeed, Mrs. Watanabe is "a mythical housewife representing the thousands of small Japanese investors who prefer speculating on currencies to stocks" (Reference is here). She is generally doing investment activities during lunch time. As a result of her activities, at Tokyo market, a fact that after the lunch time the market price frequently turns the opposite way against that morning market price, despite no significant factor, at the foreign exchange market between dollar and yen has been confirmed. This was surprising foreign investors. And, they couldn't help highlighting Mrs. Watanabe.

Recently, Mrs. Watanabe has been crashed allegedly by hedge funds. After the Japanese big earthquake and tsunami, despite the serious situation, the yen has been risen against the dollar. This tough condition would continue to face on Mrs. Watanabe awhile.

Although some articles wrote up of Mrs. Watanabe, I would like to highlight another point these articles didn't pointed out. Many housewives include in small Japanese investors who deal in the foreign exchange -- aka Mrs. Watanabe. I guess they are majority, of course though there are a lot of college students and businesspeople engaging as side business. And, they are a key player for Japanese economy now.

Though some of them got a lot of loss by this tough situation, they would keep doing or come back because most of their money come from their husband's income -- for them, dealing in foreign exchange is a thing like earning their allowance.

For example, my mom, Mrs. Tanaka, set up a booth at a flea market like a garage sale last Sunday. When coming back home, she got some money by selling our stuffs which we didn't need. Also, she has engaged to invest some stocks and have a real estate -- the source of funds from my dad -- like many Japanese housewives do , though she is not one of Mrs. Watanabe. When she gets a profit from her business (?), she enjoys traveling and shopping by using its money.

Thus, Japanese housewives are so powerful not only in their family, particularly wives hold real power in modern family, but also in economy by their very good business mind. They will have continued to have an impact on markets and economies, albeit Japanese markets and economies have been sunk by the earthquake and tsunami. And surprisingly, they are spending a lot of money to buying clothes and even eat a great lunch at an expensive restaurant because they have a good backup giving them funds and also their return in their investment to stocks and foreign exchanges. Although Every housewife is not like that and Mrs. Watanabe, they are worth to be highlighted and they are the hinge of recovering from this bad situation in Japan.

I personally have a little hope that my mom becomes the person called "Mrs. Tanaka" who is success in business world instead of "Mrs. Watanabe." I know it's not going to happen...

Good Definitions

I just translated a part of an article by my professor into English as follows:

1. Study: knowing what somebody revealed
2. Criticism: criticizing it
3. Education: letting people know it
4. Research: revealing what nobody knows

These definitions look like pretty good to me. I was considering about which level my blog is (Study is easiest level and Research is the most difficult). I assume this blog would be categorized Study/ Education. My goal is that someday in the future, I will engage in researching somehow. When you write a report or something, what do you think which level your report is? 

M's Won!!

The most amazing game by the Seattle Mariners in this two seasons it was!!

Photo: CosbySweaters.com

They came from behind, 7-0, and won at walk-off hit by Louis Rodriguez. During the almost entire game, I was nearly crying and the game made me crazy.

However, in the 8th inning, the situation was changing. The Seattle Mariners got five runs including by three straight based-loaded walks (actually, in the 7th inning, Bradley got solo home run.). So, at the finishing 8th inning, the Mariners was losing against the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6.

Oh boy, boy. The drama was waiting in the bottom of 9th inning. First, Saunders doubled, and then Branden Ryan did a perfect sacrificed bunt to Saunders for the third. Adam Kennedy grounded out to short stop. And, Ichiro was given an intentional walk.

And, Louis Rodriguez, he got it!! Good for him!!

I did give up winning, because this year again the offence of Mariners had stunk, so far. But, we baseball fans are always waiting this kind of game and moment for a pretty long time. Anyway, I'm quite happy now.

Nothing Special, Nothing New

Photo: kyokke tanaka (Onyx)

Three days ago, I got an email from a person. It had some questions for me. So, I wrote some suggestions from my point of view. Although those are nothing special and new, what do you think? Are those proper way to answer the questions or appropriate answers? If you wouldn't mind, I want to hear your comment to followings (*I added a few links and fixed some sentences on the original one):

• Do you think I'm stupid about my just keeping myself busy for my family or friends?

I don't think keeping busy for families or friends is stupid. At least, everybody spends some time with their family, friends and, more say, somebody. Social networking is a part of our essential job, as long as we live in a society. But, you should consider about how much you devote your time and endeavor to your family and friends. Just in my opinion, if you need something special like your own skills and competence -- in other words, to differentiate from others, you should make your own time in order to create who you are. For me, you look like you don't recognize who you are and what difference you are from others. Our tendency is that when we are close enough to each other, we couldn't see and create difference between us because we are likely to be being similar between us. Let's think about another way. It also means if you were someone, you should be close to him/her, inasmuch as we have the nature of similarity (This nature comes from the struggle for existence.).  So, I suggest that you should consider about this way. If you want to keep busy by taking care of your family and hanging out with friends, would your ideal and future be connected with them? Remember your family and friends are very important, though, yet they are not you, they live their own life and they don't replace your life. You have to invest your future. 

• Do you think I'm sacrificing myself not thinking anything??

I partly agree with your statement, even though I don't think you're not thinking about anything. Why do we sacrifice myself? Why don't we sacrifice others? Just thought. What is your role in your family, friends, groups, and society? Speaking of a baseball, each player has diffident role. For example, second hitter is generally supposed to do most sacrificed bunt. However, they don't do every time. How come? Because what they make a decision whether they do or not depends on what situation it is. Did you look at any situations? Sometimes they do choose a different choice from a sacrificed bunt, even if the situation is absolutely necessary to do the bunt. The reason is that they outwit a rival. This is not always needed, but, especially, when we need a big change, this strategy is useful. Don't beware I don't tell you thinking longer and more careful. Use your blink.

• Have you thought I'm selfish and just pretending to be nice to others?

I'm selfish too. Who cares? Probably you care. What's the matter? If you were pretending to be nice, I don't know and even care. I want to ask you what the difference between pretending and not is. For me, it's more significant that what someone or I did something nice was really so? If not, and then the cause was the pretentious attitude. Think about it. But, this is just in our mind. Who really knows the truth? The opposite case could happen high possibility. We do not handle everything, especially invisible things. And, we are easy to lie! Anyway, overall I'm really no concerned about the argument whether or not selfish and pretending is. If you are interested in it, you should ask Onyx (He is a shiba dog.). He is a really well socialist. In addition, we don't know what he think about, you know.

Thank you,

Taking Test

Photo: Sheknows.com

Who the heck loves taking a test? I confess that I hate a test. Whenever I take a test, it makes me nervous. And, if a test were a big deal like an entrance exam, it could make me crazy. In fact, before the quake and tsunami hit in Japan, cheating at entrance exams for college was a big issue. I would not say about how to prevent such cheating in this blog, but I would like to introduce a way to feel better to take a test.

Here is two pieces of research. One suggests that taking a test is the best way to learn, and another one introduces how to improve your test score better. These are just a tip.

First, Jeffrey D. Karpicke and Janell R. Blunt found that students who read a passage, and then took a test asking thiem to recall what they had read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used two other methods -- repeatedly studying the material and studying with concept mapping. Although this doesn't urge you to take a test more often as argued at an article by the New York Times, just keep your mind that an exam is one of the ways you study and retain knowledge. Also, I want to make a comment for this research. This study supposed school situations. Especially, if we were in school, we would be required many tests, and take again and again. This hatred ritual actually helps us retain taught knowledge at school.

Next, a study by Gerardo Ramirez and Sian L. Beilock showed that a brief expressive writing assignment, which occurred immediately before taking an important test, significantly improved students' exam scores, especially for students habitually anxious about test taking. This advice might be useful for some of readers who are facing on a significant test like an entrance exam and qualifying exam. I think this is worthy to try once because if it doesn't work well, we'll find another way to improve our exam scores. That's it.

Finally, I'd like to say if you have an opportunity to take a test, take it easy!! Because there is no royal road to learning. Although they may be useful, yet aforementioned researches are no more than some consolation.