So... tired...

This entry was composed on the train returning to Toronto.

First, a few brief points of note:

( (re)inventing myself; language crossovers; who needs sleep? )

And now onto something a little more significant: the reason I came into Montreal, my grandfather's bar mitzvah.

( My impressions of the ceremony and other moving stuff behind this cut )

Right. As I said, this was composed on the train, so that I can just copy/paste it when I get back to my room. It's 11:10, I'm already tired, and suspect I won't get any less tired between now and the time I go to bed. I'm posting this and collapsing. So... g'night all!

And now for something completely logistical

Okay, this is probably going to be utterly boring to everyone reading, but I need somewhere to put down into words what I'm going to be doing for the next two weeks. My homecoming to Montreal will be April 23 or 24. Here's what I'm planning between now and then:

( Schedule stuff. If you want to get together with me, it might be worth your while. If not, feel free to skip. )

So... it looks like my life will be very, very busy until Wednesday, moderately busy until next Monday, and after that taper off quite nicely. I can live with this.

And now, off to shower and do laundry, and then do lots of reading and paper editing. TTFN!

Market profiling taken to the extreme

First, the boring "my day in a nutshell" stuff: I'm actually quite pleased with the amount of work I was able to get done today. I've edited all but 5 pages of paper #2 (though I'll need to do some library work for the rest of it), and did practically all my reading for the upcoming week. Paper #1 is printed and ready to hand in, and I even managed to get the Latin exercise done for tomorrow.

Now, on to the more interesting stuff. In my readings today, I discovered a disturbing phenomenon. We all know that, in this consumer culture, we are classified into market segments. But I bet you didn't know how narrowly you're profiled. A company called Claritas has essentially divided the entirety of the US market population into 66 "Prizm" segments, and categorises neighbourhoods by predominant segments. The segments are surprisingly precise and often quite accurate. A company called Environics, working with Claritas, has completed a similar profile set for Canada.

( Links and more information behind the cut )

I'd be interested in hearing what my more politically-minded readers think about this. I know you're out there, and (for once) I'm actually asking for your opinion. Am I off my rocker for thinking this is dangerous stuff, or is it just a product of the times? Feel free to rant, either at me or with me.