Is the Glass half-full or half-empty?
Posted by Michael Gaigg
![Is the glass half-full or half-empty? [Picture by Gjon Mili, 1953, Dublin, Ireland - <a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=12e1734295709b34&q=glass%20source:life%20half%20empty&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dglass%2Bsource:life%2Bhalf%2Bempty%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26newwindow%3D1">(c) Time Inc.</a>]](http://www.michaelgaigg.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/glass-half-empty.jpg "Is the glass half-full or half-empty?")
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Picture by Gjon Mili, 1953, Dublin, Ireland - (c) Time Inc.
Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
I want you to think about this age-old question for a sec (yes, once more).
The point
Ok, here is the point: the answer does NOT show YOU who you are, it shows ME (the person who asks the question) who you are. And I'm not talking about personality, optimist or pessimist, mental state or whatever else. No, in simple terms, it shows me whether you are the bartender or the beer drinker, the producer or the consumer, it depends on the perspective, your answer depends on the role you are in and therefore how I need to interpret it.
It's too easy to interpret interview results or client observations by the pure nature of the answer. What really needs to be looked at is what the role of the person was that answered the question which in many cases might be the real purpose of the question in the first place.
Alternative answers 
If you answered that the glass cannot be half-empty because half (1/2) of empty (0) is impossible and doesn't make sense, then you are as much of a freaky scientist as if your answer were full because I didn't specify the type of filling, water (beer) plus oxygen.
Your answer
What was YOUR response? Don't worry, I'm not going to analyze you... not.
I will tell you MY answer later...
There is a Fly in my Urinal – Questions?
Posted by Michael Gaigg
On my last trip to Europe I discovered a fly in my urinal (sorry ladies, no offense). I was surprised and a little amazed and ended up aiming for this little critter. Yes, according to Urinalfly these things "keep bathrooms up to 85% cleaner [...] by locating the fly correctly in the urinal, splashback is significantly reduced". I guess it worked, at least for my.
Fly in the urinal (Munich Airport)
Smart, huh? Now take this:
Questions above the urinal (SeaWorld, San Diego)
Sea World in San Diego, CA took a different approach in keeping their 'customers' distracted: they installed little frames with question about animal conservation above the urinals. Yes, after I was done with 'my' question my eyes wondered off to my 'neighbors' question. Do NOT picture any possible implications for the cleaning personal, it wasn't like that...
Go figure: Hierarchy of Digital Distractions
Posted by Michael Gaigg
I'm still smiling about David McCandless's Hierarchy of Digital Distractions, a visual representation of digital things that matter to us. Well, some of them more than others.
In the shape of a pyramid the illustration reminds us of the order of importance model as suggested by Maslow's hierarchy of needs where the most fundamental need - earning our bread and butter (any kind of actual work) - is at base. Activities higher in the pyramid require more of our attention and 'trump' the activities below. Moving up in the pyramid means re-prioritizing activities by focusing on lesser important but subjectively more fulfilling needs.
The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions
So, if you in the midst of a phone call on one of those ancient Landlines, a New Voicemail will catch your attention which in turn will be trumped by a Mobile Phone call in silent vibrating only before the next Text Message comes in which obviously is not as important as a Mobile Phone call. Beware of buying an iPhone though because anything happening on your iPhone will overpower the before mentioned.
An email from a romantic partner will always rule over any skype call and a new message from your online dating service which is in return more important than an @message on twitter, a message on facebook or a new contact on flickr. All this happens is fine until one of your devices crash or your partner shuts the lid of your laptop on your fingers.
What's your funny interpretation?
Go figure: 10 Comic Strips that have Something in Common
Posted by Michael Gaigg
Here is to all you peeps that cannot survive the weekend without a computer, smart phone or internet connection: What do the following 10 comic strips have in common?
Be aware, this is a trick question!
Comic 01: 'You have major self-esteem issues. I highly recommend that you immediately disable commenting on your blog.'
Comic 02: 'You don't send me trackbacks anymore. Are you blogging someone else?'
Comic 03: 'I wanna Wii' - 'Well, please wait until you're finished telling Santa what you want.'
Comic 04: 'Will blog for food'
Comic 05: 'You can't go outside to play until you've finished reading all your RSS feeds!'
Comic 06: 'Hey Sport, there's a huge sale today so I'm going to buy some software. You need anything?'
Comic 07: '...and Phillip, do you promise to blog about Janice, every day for the rest of your life...'
Comic 08: 'Waddya mean all my facts are wrong? I copied everything straight off the internet.'
Comic 09: 'I can't find my GPS.' - 'Oh, the sweet, sweet irony.'
Comic 10: 'I don't care what 57% of your blog readers think is cool. We're not naming her Skype!'
Go figure: Are You Colorblind? Take a quick Color Vision Test
Posted by Michael Gaigg
8% of the male population has a red/green color weakness. Take a quick color vision test to see where you stand The following 8 images were taken from PseudoIsochromatic Plate Ishihara Compatible (PIP) Color Vision Test 24 Plate Edition by Dr. Terrace L. Waggoner.
Can you identify the numbers?
Leave a comment with your answers (or guesses hahahaha).
Demonstration Plate 1
Demonstration Plate 2
Demonstration Plate 3
Demonstration Plate 4
Demonstration Plate 5
Demonstration Plate 6
Demonstration Plate 7
Demonstration Plate 8
Go figure: Making the City work together
Posted by Michael Gaigg
Manchester Metroshuttle: Making the City work together.
Man, somebody must have paid some big bucks to the designer of this campaign. Who can figure out the problem with this picture? Somebody? Anybody? ...Engineers?
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