Ross's profile

195 ratings | 76 reviews
avg rating: 3.65

Ross's bookshelves

read (195)
currently-reading (7)
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science-nature (34)

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Ross is currently reading

	10/04 Ross is currently reading: The Johnstown Flood (Audio CD - Narrated by Edward Herrmann) by David McCullough bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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	10/04 Ross is currently reading: Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review (Paperback) by Eugene Volokh bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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	10/04 Ross is currently reading: Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives (Hardcover) by Brian L. Weiss bookshelves: currently-reading	my rating:
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Ross's recent updates (rss)

October 12

New comment on Jessica's review of Twilight (Twilight Series, Book 1)

Ross wrote: "It's like they say: Vampires are the new Zombies. "

(see all 2 comments)

October 06

Ross marked as to-read:
Mosque (Hardcover)
by David Macaulay
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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October 04

Ross is currently reading:
The Johnstown Flood (Audio CD - Narrated by Edward Herrmann)
by David McCullough
bookshelves: currently-reading

my rating:

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Ross read and liked David's review of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference:

"In a work heavily influenced by the budding science of memetics (though he never once uses the word meme), Malcom Gladwell seeks to provide a framework for explaining why certain isolated phenomena (suicide in Micronesia, wearing hush puppies, readin...more In a work heavily influenced by the budding science of memetics (though he never once uses the word meme), Malcom Gladwell seeks to provide a framework for explaining why certain isolated phenomena (suicide in Micronesia, wearing hush puppies, reading a particular novel) can suddenly become widespread and why situations can suddenly swing from one extreme (rampant crime in 80s NYC) to another (the huge drop in crime in that same city during the 90s). Gladwell postulates three mechanisms of cultural epidemiology, the axioms of the law of the few, the stickiness factor and the power of context. The law of the few declares that change is often initiated by a small group of people (three different types) with an ever-widening pyramid of influence. Making up the first type are the connectors, basically human nexuses whose webs of important acquaintances (note that these are not friends) spread out in logarithmic vertigos of extension (e.g., Revere’s “the British are coming” spread more quickly than that of William Dawes because of the many people Revere knew in the towns he visited).

Another group mentioned in the law of the few are mavens, whom we could term data strategists, their almost hobby-like information-gathering not just carried out to further their own interests, but to assist a broader sphere of people. The final set of individuals counted among the few are the salesmen, persuasive communicators whose instinctual ability to adapt the non-verbal cues of others and infect them with emotion is key to effecting wide-sweeping change.

The second axiom in Gladwell’s informal theory is stickiness: the impact of the vector on the host, i.e., an idea or product must be memorable in order to spread; otherwise, it will not be embraced by the people in the connector's network. As a result, marketers must constantly devise ways to present products so that they are memorable. Of course, there is no ready-made science of what makes something catchy. However, the effectiveness of a product or idea’s packaging can be tested and tweaked, as Gladwell demonstrates in his discussion of how the creators of Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues try to ensure that children remember their message (in other words, learn the concept being taught).

The final factor leading toward the tipping point is the power of context. This area is less well defined by Gladwell, and he unfortunately seems to be trying to herd together a host of disparate considerations under a single, handy rubric. The basic concept is that human behavior is strongly influenced by external variables of context. For example, "zero tolerance" efforts to combat minor crimes such as fare-beating and vandalism on the New York subway led to a decline in more violent crimes; the perception of increased vigilance altered the behavior and attitudes of the passengers. This theory of broken windows is well-known in sociology: attention to small details, reparation of seemingly unimportant (when looking at the big picture) problems, can engender massive change in a larger system (this is sort of the butterfly effect of sociology).

On the whole, however, Gladwell has made an admirable foray into the construction of a theoretical model of memetic transmission and epidemiology. Building upon his layman’s approach, scientists specializing in cultural transmission might now begin testing his specific claims with an eye toward developing such a model.
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New comment on Jennifer's review of The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Ross wrote: "And Gladwell has a new book coming out next month (Nov.)! "

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September 28

Ross gave

to:
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Paperback)
by Malcolm Gladwell
bookshelves: audiobook

my rating:

read in September, 2008

Ross said: "Good reporting, good analysis, good storytelling, good synthesis, flat-out good writing. Believe the hype. "

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Ross marked as to-read:
What Jesus Meant (Paperback)
by Garry Wills
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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Ross marked as to-read:
Ocean to Sky: India from the Air (Hardcover)
by Kunal Verma
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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September 24

Ross is currently reading:
Academic Legal Writing: Law Review Articles, Student Notes, Seminar Papers, and Getting on Law Review (Paperback)
by Eugene Volokh
bookshelves: currently-reading

my rating:

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September 23

Ross marked as to-read:
A Rare Breed of Love: The True Story of Baby and the Mission She Inspired to Help Dogs Everywhere (Hardcover)
by Jana Kohl
bookshelves: to-read

my rating:

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Ross's friend comments

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from Ross

01/24/2008 09:11PM

You got that right. Plus it's motivation to finish my books faster, so I can link more books than you (not bloody likely)

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from Anna

01/19/2008 09:41AM

Welcome to your newest addiction

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