A Blog Meme Thought Virus

Many years ago my brother became interested in the concept of "thought viruses" as he called them. In high-school he tried to get everyone he knew to "whomp the zimbob" (a nonsense phrase that he made up). He is also fond of infecting people with tunes by whistling or humming a catchy song.

The idea of these thought viruses, however, goes back farther than my brother. The concept is called a meme and was developed by Richard Dawkins in a book written in 1970. Memes are very prevalent on the Internet, starting with simple e-mail forwards and now including vast social networks. One manifestation is the blog meme. I was recently "tagged" by Lon of NoLimits2Learning. Here are the rules that were outlined.

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player's blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.


Here are the questions:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

Ten years ago I was working as a software developer at a printing company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I had dropped out of college a couple years before. My daughter was only three, and I tried to spend as much time as possible with her. I had not yet broken my neck, so I still had full control of my body. We enjoyed going to the park, riding bikes, and going on walks.


2. What are five things on my to-do list for today?

I don't keep a to do list, but today I am trying to catch up on my writing. I am using voice recognition for only the second time, so learning to do this better with also be on my list. This afternoon I have to pick up my nephew from school.

3. Snacks I enjoy...

I love chocolate, the darker the better. I also tend to snack on oatmeal or a banana since they are fast and easy.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

If I were a billionaire I would have a private jet. Traveling is such a hassle. I would also have a portable wheelchair that allows me to go up hills. I am not strong enough to push myself in my manual chair, but my power chair is not portable. I'd also have money to start a business. I'm not sure which idea I would pursue, but I would do one of them.

5. Three of my bad habits:

My worst bad habit is procrastination. I can also be hypercritical, and I'm not very friendly with new people.

6. Five places I have lived:

I have lived in the northwest suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, on the east side of Milwaukee, on the west side of Milwaukee, on the northwest side of Milwaukee, and in Santa Barbara, California. Not much diversity.

7. Five jobs I have had:

I have worked as a pizza delivery guy, an archaeologist, a beetle dissector and drawer, a software developer, and an elementary special education teacher.

8. People I would like to know about because I am just that nosey:
I'm afraid I don't have five or six people, but here is my list: Jared Goralnick at Technotheory.com, Ricky Buchanon of ATMac, and Daniel Eran Dilger of Roughly Drafted Magazine.