This week the Wall Street Journal ran a column exploring the additive qualities of the Internet and email. The article cited that in a recent study in the United States 20 Million Americans said that their relationships have suffered due to their excessive on-line time. And with 14% of these same respondents saying they would have trouble staying offline for more than a couple of days, it does begin to look like an addictive behavior.

While the experts claim it is far too early to name it an “official addiction” it is clear that the topic of excessive on-line usage is popping up with more frequency in the therapist office, and as a topic of many scientic papers published recently.

Psychologists suggest that the Internet fulfills the immediate gratifcation craving that humans have, providing everything from instant contact with others to instant information. As Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a psychiatrist at Stanford’s Impulse control Disorders Clinic explains, “There is a desire for connectedness. People can find wonderful social interactions through the Internet.”

The good doctor then goes on to explain that if you experience restlessness and anxiety when you blocked from going on-line, that you might be on your way to a serious problem.

I for one, know that I suffer from CCD - Compulsive Connection Disorder. I LOVE to be connected, anytime - all the time. I am terrified that if I’m not, I will miss something. I know it would be healthier if I would just “turn off” my connection for some “me or we” time, but I’m not convinced I can do it.

I’d be curious what the rest of the world thinks and does.

Do you access your work email from home? If so when?

What is your guilty pleasure on-line (And please, we don’t want to hear about porn).

Do you have a policy about turning the world off, for some private or family time or are you “on call” 24/7?

I’d like to hear from anyone who has beat CCD - if you did, just click on Comments below and tell me how you did it?

This is what I would always “throw” when playing the game Rock, Paper, Scissors (also known as RPS). I used to think it was a good choice: rock can break through scissors, was impervious to other rocks, and it made my knuckles look slightly intimidating in case my opponent and I ever needed to “discuss” a judgment call later in the game. The only thing is, paper covers rock, scissors cuts through paper, rock breaks scissors and scissors cuts through…well, paper. It’s a vicious cycle.

Sure, claiming repeated victory over your grammar school classmate for his share of chocolate milk during lunch might have seemed like a good choice, but what if you were to compete with middle-aged men and women who not only had their own fists of threatening rocks, but a devious pair of scissors, a cunning paper and a few hundred RPS championships under their belts? Where would you turn? The Official Rock, Paper, Scissors Strategy Guide, that’s where. (You might also want to turn there if you want to learn how to pick up chicks.)

Okay, so you may be wondering, how is this relevant to our network? Well, it’s not, but the man who wrote it is: our very own Douglas Walker from TBWA\Toronto. He is the Managing Director of the World RPS Society and Organizer of the Annual World Championships of Rock Paper Scissors.

So how does one become a world champion? Not by throwing rocks. There’s a lot to learn, and you’ll have to pick up his book to find out. Meantime, here are some excerpts:

Walker begins with a history lesson:
“The first known proto-RPS game was played widely by early Homo Sapiens circa 50,000 B.C. and was used primarily to resolve food and mating disputes. The game involved only one hand position, almost identical to a modern-day throw of the Rock. The game would involve two or more players, with some players acting as “throwers” and the others as “catchers.” The thrower would attempt to place his Rock at a strategic position on another player’s body; the catcher would then attempt to avoid the opponent’s throw.

“Over the centuries this game was further advanced to include the use of open hands to stop or block a throw of Rock, and also the use of the index and middle finger (or the ‘eye-poker,’ as it was then known). It was this very early form of RPS that was the inspiration for martial arts throughout India, China, Korea and Japan.

“Janken, as the first known true RPS game, was roused into existence by application of the Guu Choki Paa (or Sansukumi) way of thinking, which can be defined as a nontransitive tripartite system or, in laymen’s terms, a three-way impasse. Guu Choki Paa describes how the snake fears the slug; the slug fears the frog; and the frog fears the snake. When all three are present, they are held in balance so that none can triumph over another. When only two are present, the balance is disrupted, allowing one to dominate over another.”

He then moves into “how to play”:

The Prime: “The prime is the ritual used to get players in synch with each other…”
There’s two “priming conventions”: European prime, which is a three-prime shoot. Players pump their arms in unison three times. And the North American prime, which is a two-prime shoot.

Rock: “Represented as it is by a closed fist, Rock is commonly perceived as the most aggressive throw.”

According to Walker, each rock, paper and scissors has its own set of values:

Rock: overbearing | aggressive | blunt
Player’s mind-set:
I am confident, perhaps even arrogant
I am seeking the quick win
I act before thinking

Paper: Protective | Passive | Thoughtful
Player’s mind-set:
I feel threatened
I conserve my strength
I am open-minded

Scissors: Devious | Ingenious | Reactive
Player’s mind-set:
I am not to be trusted
I am calculating
I may switch tactics quickly

Gambits is a series of successive moves made with strategic intention. Here are a few:

Avalanche: Rock rock rock. The avalanche is a relentless and devastating offensive maneuver.

The Crescendo: Paper, Scissors, Rock. “The slow-building nature of this gambit makes it a very elegant opening series.”

Well, there you go. That’s all you get. There are just too many strategic tips in this book to fit in this itty-bitty blog posting.

To purchase the book go here

anonymous

I know we get used to it. But we shouldn’t.

We get used to living in back door apartments and not having another view but the windows around. And because there is no view, sooner or later we get used to not looking outside. And because we don’t look outside, sooner or later we get used to not opening the curtains.

And because we don’t open the curtains sooner or later we get used to turning on the light earlier. And by getting used to, we forget the sun, forget the air, and forget the magnitude.

We get used to waking up in the morning exasperated because it’s time. To rush into breakfast because we are late. To read newspapers while on the bus because we can’t spare any time. To eat a sandwich because we can’t stop for lunch. To go home because it’s already night. To fall asleep in the bus because we are tired. To go to bed early and sleep heavily without having lived the day.

We get used to waiting the whole day only to hear over the phone: today i can’t make it. We get used to it, so that we don’t get scratched by harshness, to preserve ourselves. We get used to it to avoid wounds, bleedings, to spare the heart. We get used to it to spare life.

Then little by little we wear out and wear out so much getting used to it, that we lose ourselves.

anonymous