An Exploration Of Human Emotion On A Global Scale

I first discovered We Feel Fine on Ted.com. It is an online project that collects human feelings from blogs across the web. Every few minutes, the system searches the world's newly posted blog entries for occurrences of the phrases "I feel" and "I am feeling". When it finds such a phrase, it records the full sentence, up to the period, and identifies the "feeling" expressed in that sentence (e.g. sad, happy, depressed, etc.).

The result is a database of several million human feelings. Using a series of playful interfaces, the feelings can be searched and sorted across a number of demographic slices, offering responses to specific questions like:

• Do Europeans feel sad more often than Americans?
• Do women feel fat more often than men?
• Does rainy weather affect how we feel?
• What were people feeling on Valentine's Day?
• Which are the happiest cities in the world?
• The saddest?

The interface to this data is available in a user friendly format that expresses the various pictures of human emotion in six formal movements titled: Madness, Murmurs, Montage, Mobs, Metrics, and Mounds.

I seriously could spend hours and hours on this site, just simply exploring the different movements and representations of human emotions.

I find it most amusing that as of May 24 2008 at 2:11am PST:

• Singapore, Melbourne and Canberra were in the Top 10 Saddest Cities - based on percent of feelings for each city that are 'sad'
• Melbourne and Brisbane were in the Top 10 Most Loved Cities - based on percent of feelings for each city that are 'loved'
• Sydney and Melbourne were in the Top 10 Angriest Cities - based on percent of feelings for each city that are 'angry'

Thought Of The Day: If You Could Have Any Job In The World What Would It Be?

"Imagine that it is 40 years in the future... let's say you're attending AIESEC's 100 year anniversary. Take a couple of minutes to think who you are, where you are and what you are currently doing. On a blank business card, write your name, job title and organisation that you work for. Walk around the room and introduce yourself to the other individuals at the reunion."

I'm sure we've all sat in similar personal goal setting exercise where you've had to sit back and reflect on the future. I guess I've always liked these sorts of sessions in conferences and the discussions with people that follow because I like being inspired by people hopes, dreams and ideas.

So what would you do if you could have any job in the world?

Strategic HR in Ghana

Food Critic

Entertainer on a Cruise Ship

President

Hermit

Journalist for the BBC or CNN

International Spy

Kindergarten Teacher

Social Justice with a Cool Soundtrack

Diversity Consultant

Entrepreneur

Foreign Ambassador


I've been exploring internships on dot net and thinking a lot about roles, jobs and careers. If we are to spend so much of our lives working, shouldn't we be doing something we find rewarding or at least enjoy? So what is it that stops us from pursuing our ideal role? Effort? Money? Other commitments? Fear of failure? No doubt the answer is option d) some combination of all of the above and more.

Really though, shouldn't our decisions and choices bring us closer to what in we want in life rather than lead us further away?

Spatially Challenged!

Hey hey~

Over the last week I think the combination of the earthquake in China and the reunion over the previous weekend has seriously messed with my head. As if I'm not spatially challenged enough as it is, this whole "the world is so big yet not big at all" concept has been floating around in my mind overtime lately.

So here's the brain dump in a nutshell.

You know the world is a small place when:

• You can start up a conversation with someone right where you last left off even if that was months or years ago
• Earthquakes are a lot closer to home when you have someone from home actually there
• You can go online at whatever time of day (or night) and still have a choice of 20 people to talk to
• There are no real 'goodbye's, only 'see you soon's
• You value every conversation and become aware of the significance of every word that is either said or goes unsaid
• You hear the names of countries but think faces and names of individuals rather than continents and land mass
• Every moment counts

You know the world is a big place when:

• You can't just go out and grab a coffee or a meal to catch up with your friends since they live out of the State (or country)
• Planning holidays factors in value per dollar for kilometre traveled
• You can't always be where you need to be in person
• Every pay cheque contributes to your next destination
• You question your impact on the bigger picture
• Teleporters haven't been invented yet
• Every moment counts

I think I am suffering from "big small world" syndrome, or is it "small big world" syndrome?

*hugz*

Mel (of the pondering variety)

38 Hours in Sydney

Hey hey~

Previously, I said that an AIESEC life is like an airport. More recently in my trip to Sydney I realised that if it had a flavour it would probably taste like Berocca. If you remember that Berocca commercial that used to be on television a little while ago with the two girls who traveled to different locations in the space of 48 hours that is pretty much what it was my weekend was like.

Sure, it was only 38 hours in Sydney as opposed to 48 hours across the world, but nevertheless, what an epic 38 hours it was!

Memorable Highlights Include:

• Touching down in Sydney - admiring the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House en route from the sky - but being strangely bewildered by the double decker Sydney trains
• Ruthie arriving and Muth sharing the longest hug since July 2007
• James, Nicky, Emma, Ruthie and I watching in awe as Michael orders three bottles of champagne to toast with at the Argyle
• A very interesting conversation with Lauraliscious and Jem about fantastic HR intern opportunities in both Vietnam and Pakistan!
• "Sing us a song, you're the piano man" - at Minsky's!
• 3am McDonald's with the crew
• Driving around for 20 minutes in a car lot only to be unsuccessful and still having to pay $10 for no car park!
• Endless Yum Cha of Death on Saturday
• Purple gift bracelet and another Brazilain wish tie to add to my wrist from Ruthie
• Michael cooking up the biggest feast of Cabonara and Stir Fry the world has ever seen - followed by glasses of champagne, red wine and Brazilian cocktails
• Calling up Martin, Sharan and Ausra and hearing their wonderful voices again
• Early morning airport trip out to the airport with the house mates
  

The trip was far too short as usual, but it was absolutely lovely being able to see everyone again.

So that's five flights since the beginning of the year. Not a bad start I suppose. Here's to the next trip, wherever it might take me.

*hugz*

Mel

I Want To Live Life Backwards!!

Hey hey~

So it could be the impending quarter life crisis that made this email have so much appeal. Regardless, this definitely brought a huge smile to my lips when it arrived in my inbox.

Thanks Fi!

*hugz*

Mel

Life Backwards... I Love The Logic!

Life would be much better lived backwards.

You'd start out dead and get it out of the way.

Then, wake up in an old peoples' home feeling better every day.

You get kicked out for being too healthy; go collect your pension, then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. At retirement - 18 years of age - you drive the sportscar you can actually enjoy!

You eat what you want, you party... and you get ready to start school.

You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, and then...

You spend your last 9 months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions; central heating, room service on tap, larger quarters every day...

And then, you finish off as an orgasm.

I rest my case.

Quote About Leadership

"If you're leading, and no one's following... then you're just out for a walk."

- John Maxwell

Musicovery~

http://www.musicovery.com/

Musicovery is an interactive webRadio. Simply specify a music style, mood, tempo or "age" of the music you want to listen to and Musicovery does the rest for you.

Hours and hours of music of fun!

It's fantastic!

(Thanks to Kristina and Jake for bringing this one to my attention.)

It Was Only Time Before A Team Building Wiki Was Created...

http://www.teampedia.net/

On Melbourne Weather

Hey hey~

I went out for lunch today and as I left the office it was freezing cold and started to rain.

While I was eating lunch this was followed by hail, lightening, thunder and more rain.

By time my one hour lunch break was up it was sunny and warm outside.

Welcome to Melbourne - I think I have finally experienced the four seasons in one day that I have heard so much about.

*hugz*

Mel