A recent Google search on how to properly delete one’s Facebook account yielded some unexpected results!  I came across some articles about websites that assist users in committing “Facebook suicide” and/or the self-killing of other social network profiles.

Seppukoo.com is a site created by Les Liens invisibles, the “imaginary” media-art duo Clemente Pestelli and Gionatan Quintini.  They refer to their creation as a virus ” . . . haunting the busy communication highways of the social networking sphere.”  The site name refers to “seppuku,” or the ritual suicide of the Samauri warrior.

You are more than your virtual identity.
«Virtual life» is an - often - abused term used to describe the whole of one person online activities. But as media communications let our second/online/offline identities overflowing into real life - and vice-versa - the distinctions between the real and the virtual are becoming, more and more confused. Which is virtual? And where’s the real? Beyond all those questions only a fact remains: that our privacy, our profiles, our identities, our relationships, they are all - fake and/or real - entirely exploited for a sole purpose: to be sold as a product. But are those lives really worth to be experienced?   –from the Seppukoo website

Those who use the site’s services provide Seppukoo with their Facebook log-in information and are then able to send out their last words to friends and customize their own memorial page.

Another site, Web 2.0 Suicide Machine, functions in a similar way and takes it a step further, enabling users to delete not only Facebook, but Twitter, LinkedIn, and MySpace accounts.  As the site’s homepage proclaims,”This machine lets you delete all your energy sucking social-networking profiles, kill your fake virtual friends, and completely do away with your Web2.0 alter ego.”

Recently, Facebook has ordered Seppukoo and Web 2.0 Suicide Machine to cease and desist, citing that their services violate Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.  Use the link below to access copies of these letters that have been made available on their sites:
http://suicidemachine.org/download/Web_2.0_Suicide_Machine.pdf
http://www.seppukoo.com/docs/seppukoo_cease_desist.pdf

Some folks, like Micah M. White of Adbusters.org, argue that Facebook intentionally makes it difficult to delete an account using the tools they provide.  You can go into your Account Settings and Deactivate your account, but your personal information will stay on Facebook’s servers.  If it is your private information that you are worried about, not everyone is convinced that using sites like Seppukoo or Web 2.0 Suicide Machine are any better in removing that information.  As Rafe Needlemen of CNET has said,”My advice: If you want to remove yourself from a social site, use the end-of-account tools on the site itself. It’s a less painful way to go.”

That said, after going to Facebook’s Help Center and doing a search, one will find this on the subject of deleting an account, permanently:

If you do not think you will use Facebook again and would like your account deleted, please keep in mind that you will not be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you have added. If you would like your account permanently deleted with no option for recovery, log in to your account and then submit your request by clicking here.
http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=12271

There is no doubt that these services are provocative!  Some think these sites are playful and fun, while others call them morbid and disturbing.  Unarguably, the mere existence of such services points to some interesting questions about online identity and privacy.

Read more about this fascinating, seemingly inevitable phenomenon:

How to Disappear From Facebook and Twitter
Kill Off Your Facebook identity with Seppukoo
Facebook Cuts Off Suicide Machine Access
Fed Up with Facebook Privacy Issues? Here’s How to End It All
Facebook Suicide: The End of a Virtual Life
Quitting Facebook Gets Easier

Ever heard of the DSM IV? If you are in psychology or nursing, you probably have or will. This book is THE book used in diagnosing mental disorders. DSM stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and it is published by the American Psychiatric Association.  Well, the APA is going to updating the 4th edition with the 5th edition in the next couple of years.  The DSM is very important, and (naturally) it is has also been very controversial over the decades.  I wanted to share a couple of pieces about the DSM, its edits, and its uses.

• Art of Diagnosis: http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/02/12/06: This On the Media story looks at how science and society combine in the DSM.  There are many people advocating for disorders such as eating disorder to be included.  The difference between inclusion and exclusion is the difference between reality and non-existence.
• The Protest Psychosis: http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2010/02/12/07: This On the Media story examines how the diagnosis of Schizophrenia in the DSM has changed over the years.
• Psychiatrists Propose Revisions to Diagnosis Manual: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/jan-june10/mentalillness_02-10.html: This News Hour piece is a general overview of the proposed change process for the DSM.

(Click here for availability of the DSM in the MVCC library: http://library.morainevalley.edu/record=b235692~S0)

Having been a William Faulkner fan myself for years, I couldn’t resist this NY Times article.  Turns out the plots of many of Faulkner’s novels are based upon a particular slave owner’s diary, the ancestor of one of Faulkner’s neighbors. One of the characters based upon that slave owner is Thomas Sutpen, hero of Absalom, Absalom!, described as a man of “valor and strength but without pity or honor.” This novel of rape and incest and murder is based on fact. Truth and fiction closely intertwined, revealed by research.

To see the full story follow the link below: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/books/11faulkner.html?scp=2&sq=faulkner&st=cse

Relax and savor tidbits `in A History of Foods by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat. Visit this link for availability in our library: http://library.morainevalley.edu/record=b254534~S0.   Find out about the legends of coffee, sugar, and the peach.  Who wouldn’t want to know about the history of breads and cakes?  Do you know what the most widely eaten plant in the world is?
Discover little known facts about well known foods –
Wines:
“The ancient world did not see intoxication, whether induced by mead, beers, or diluted wine, as reprehensible.  To some extent it was regarded as an act of religion”(p229)
“Rosé wine is not a mixture of red and white wine, but is made from black grapes” (p232)

Fish:
“In Arab tradition, to dream of fish is a very good omen.” (p281)
“Among the 15,000 species of edible sea fish, only about 40, as have seen, are sold in the developed and wasteful societies of Europe.” (p284)

Spices:
The Greeks and Romans first valued cinnamon as “medicine, a cordial and an aphrodisiac.” (p437)
“The scent of vanilla is so intoxicating that in large doses, for instance inhaled by workers who handle large quantities daily, it sometimes has an effect like a drug.” (p473)

Have you ever been rickrolled?

Have you posted or received a demotivational poster?

Have you very nearly suffered a heart attack while trying to complete a scary maze?

If you can answer any of the above questions in the affirmative, then chances are you’ve seen or helped spread an Internet Meme.

What’s a meme?  According to the OED Online, a meme is: “A cultural element or behavioral trait whose transmission and consequent persistence in a population, although occurring by non-genetic means (esp. imitation), is considered as analogous to the inheritance of a gene.” (Oxford English Dictionary).

In other words, a meme is an idea which spreads between people through word of mouth or mass communication.  The idea for memes is credited to Richard Dawkins, who first mentioned it in his 1976 book “The Selfish Gene,” although the notion of ideas being things that are passed down or spread virus-like from person to person is much older.  If memes were common enough for Dawkins to notice them in 1976, they’ve become downright pervasive in recent years thanks to the internet.  Internet Memes seem to pop up every day and spread rapidly across the networks.  You’ve undoubtedly heard of LOLcats, “All Your Base Are Belong to Us,” and Leroy Jenkins.  Maybe you’ve even contributed to the spread of these memes yourself.  If you’re curious about Internet Memes, you may wish to check out the following resources:

Know Your Meme is a website, where memes are cataloged and studied.  A word of warning, not all these memes are work-safe, so be cautious: (knowyourmeme.com).

NPR’s “All Things Considered” program recently aired a segment on Internet Memes as well: (www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyID=121931675).

Finally, if you’re interested in going back to the source, we carry the 30th anniversary edition of “The Selfish Gene” here at the Moraine Valley Library: (QH437 .D38 2006).

Source cited: “Meme.” Def. N. Oxford English Dictionary.  New York: Oxford UP, 2010.  Oxford English Dictionary.  Web. 11 Feb 2010. <http://dictionary.oed.com/>

Rap and hiphop continue to teach us valuable lessons about our world. Here rap teaches us about two of the greatest economists of all times. Their theories are central to the political and economic divides that battle to influence our economy. You can visit YouTube to view this video at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk&feature=player_embedded”

Trying to save the earth? Interested in the environment?“Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Earth, a new electronic reference about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society. The Encyclopedia is a free, fully searchable collection of articles written by scholars, professionals, educators, and experts who collaborate and review each other’s work. The articles are written in non-technical language and will be useful to students, educators, scholars, professionals, as well as to the general public.” These words are from the web site  http://www.eoearth.org/. It is a very good resource for the student and layperson alike. A keeper. Who’s responsible for it? The National Council for Science and the Environment with editorial support from the Department of Geography and Environment and the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at Boston University.

On another note, if you want to know the lay of the land, Lincoln Land in particular, visit http://www.dot.state.il.us/maps/generalmaps1.html. Put out by the Illinois Dept. of Transportation, these are PDF maps of Illinois. Although Google Maps will give you directions and streets, these maps, rather, show the features of regions in Illinois according to Township, County, and City, with only the main thoroughfares plotted. Not all cities in Illinois are on the list. 

And finally, try to learn something new by visiting www.monkeysee.com. You will have to get through a lot of ads to get to your video, but as a neophyte, you will be treated to step-by-step instructions or information on various topics from handling corn snakes to putting on mineral make-up to advanced pole dancing.

Kudos to Moraine Valley librarian Marie Martino for telling me about this nifty new online presentation tool: prezi.com.  This is a neat resource that helps users create dynamic presentations without having to mess with slides or static layouts.  Users have the ability to zoom in on specifc sections, create custom, nonlinear layouts, and post images and media links.  Prezi’s basic account is free, can be accessed over the internet, and offers users 100 MB of storage space.  Interested users can sign up for paid accounts and desktop versions, which offer more storage space, accessories, and the option to work offline.  You don’t need to load anything on your computer (apart from a web browser) to use Prezi, and there are several online video tutorials on the site to teach users the basics of building and modifying presentations.  There are a few quirks and bugs that the folks at Prezi are still trying to fix, so do test your idea before you try this for a class, but if you’re getting tired of Power Point and want to try a different method for sharing ideas with an audience, this is a good place to start.