I'm not really a tech person. I have this blog and stuff like that, but that's pretty much it. I do kind of like apps though. Enough said.
Most of these connect either to deduction, or general gain of knowledge. Plus, some are free.
Take note: I am not responsible for the content of these apps, nor am I responsible for what you do with them. Also, these are just my opinions.
1. Duolingo. A free language-learning app. So if I want to learn Turkish, Norwegian, Danish, Irish, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and Dutch at the same time, I can. Yes, these are all options. Pretty fun.
2. Memrise. So I just got this yesterday, but I'm already memorizing capitals of the world and body language skills. Also a ton of languages. Then there are a few courses on "Trees of Britain" and stuff like that. If you need a bunch of random facts for your deductions, here you go.
3. Any voice recorder. For recording conversations (legally, of course) and music. Sometimes comes free with your device under "Voice Memos."
4. Any note app. Also comes with device. Take notes on stuff you see and hear.
5. Blogger. Okay, a lot of you readers probably have this already, but it helps me run this blog, which in itself is blissful.
Too bad there's not an app that spontaneously creates red velvet cupcakes through a built-in 3D printer. That would be cool though. : )
Signing off,
SM
Sunday, August 30, 2015
List #8--Top 10 Books About Deduction/Persuasion
So I like to read. A lot. Yes, it is how I got to be so smart, in case you're wondering. Here are my 10 favorite books on the topics that this site covers. I haven't read every single word in all of them, but what I have read is good. (I often skip around out of boredom.)
Take note: I have not written these books, I am not in contact with the authors/illustrators/publishers, I am not selling them, I am not responsible for the content of these books. I also have not memorized all of the information in each one, and this site is not directly based on any of these books, so if something you read is incongruous with something I've said on this site, that doesn't really mean anything. Also, these aren't in order of importance, just the order that I think of them.
EDIT (3/23/26): I am now adding ratings based on the ones I came up with in List #14 that are also on the home screen, as these have a lot of different content!
1. The Deduction Guide by Louise Blackwood. This is one of the few books on the subject which actually talks about "deduction." It gives a lot of advice on specific deductions and memory techniques.
Rating: 1--There's nothing violent or inappropriate in this one.
2. Snoop by Sam Gosling, Ph.D. This is one of my favorites because it is a scientific book about deduction. It's all about deducing people's personalities through their stuff. There are graphs, charts, statistics, legitimate psychology...even a few case studies.
Rating: 2--I haven't read this in awhile, but I remember that it is at a high reading level and there may be some adult topics mentioned.
3. Split-Second Persuasion by Kevin Dutton, Ph.D. This book, although it talks about criminals, scams, and lies in the same way a normal book would talk about, say, gardening, is very readable. It talks about the science behind persuasion, as well as a bit of methodology.
Rating: 6--It's partially based on interviews with psychopaths, criminals, and con men. I believe that there are also at least several references to violent and sexual subjects.
4. Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World by Roger E. Astell. This is a guide to many different gestures that people make in different cultures, for you body language people. Good to know for when people make deliberate actions, rather than just scratching their neck absentmindedly.
Rating: 2--It's pretty much just a dictionary of normal gestures. Some gestures pictured may be offensive, derogatory, or sexual in nature.
5. Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion by Noah Goldstein This is a nearly 100% methodology book, plus some psychology to back it up. A ton of weird little persuasion tricks.
Rating: 1--A super easy, fun, lighthearted read.
6. Psychology for Kids by Jonni Kincher Actually a really good read, full of self-given psychological tests. Not really deductive in nature, but if you're into self-discovery, it's great.
Rating: 1--It's a kids' book.
7. Logically Fallacious by Bo Bennett. This book is about logical argument, sort of, which is linked to deduction and other logical stuff. It is HILARIOUS. This book shows just how many of the supposedly strong arguments we hear every day are just nonsensical garbage.
Rating: 5--Bennett's reasoning is very formal and upstanding, but his examples are not. They are amazing, funny examples, but often with controversial opinions, swearing, and sexual references throughout.
8. The Little Green Book of Getting What You Want by Jeffrey Gitomer. This book basically takes you through the process of making a sales presentation. While I'm not really in any position to be making any sales presentations at this time, it's a good skill to know. It talks a lot about storytelling in persuasion and sales, an essential concept.
Rating: 1--This one is pretty innocent.
9. I Spy by Walter Wick. A full course in observation. I will warn you, though, of the pain you will feel when you find everything in the picture...except that one letter of the alphabet mentioned in the middle that turns out to be hidden in the tree you already checked five times.
Rating: 1--Another kids' book.
10. Covert Persuasion by Kevin Hogan. I'm only halfway through this book, but it is pretty good so far. At least half of the techniques remind me of this timeshare presentation I was given. As in, some of them were kind of see-through, but considering the large number of other people buying the product, there had to some sort of persuasive gold in there.
Rating: 2--This one was fairly innocent, but given its mind-control approach I think it's safe to make this one a 2.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
Signing off,
SM
Take note: I have not written these books, I am not in contact with the authors/illustrators/publishers, I am not selling them, I am not responsible for the content of these books. I also have not memorized all of the information in each one, and this site is not directly based on any of these books, so if something you read is incongruous with something I've said on this site, that doesn't really mean anything. Also, these aren't in order of importance, just the order that I think of them.
EDIT (3/23/26): I am now adding ratings based on the ones I came up with in List #14 that are also on the home screen, as these have a lot of different content!
1. The Deduction Guide by Louise Blackwood. This is one of the few books on the subject which actually talks about "deduction." It gives a lot of advice on specific deductions and memory techniques.
Rating: 1--There's nothing violent or inappropriate in this one.
2. Snoop by Sam Gosling, Ph.D. This is one of my favorites because it is a scientific book about deduction. It's all about deducing people's personalities through their stuff. There are graphs, charts, statistics, legitimate psychology...even a few case studies.
Rating: 2--I haven't read this in awhile, but I remember that it is at a high reading level and there may be some adult topics mentioned.
3. Split-Second Persuasion by Kevin Dutton, Ph.D. This book, although it talks about criminals, scams, and lies in the same way a normal book would talk about, say, gardening, is very readable. It talks about the science behind persuasion, as well as a bit of methodology.
Rating: 6--It's partially based on interviews with psychopaths, criminals, and con men. I believe that there are also at least several references to violent and sexual subjects.
4. Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World by Roger E. Astell. This is a guide to many different gestures that people make in different cultures, for you body language people. Good to know for when people make deliberate actions, rather than just scratching their neck absentmindedly.
Rating: 2--It's pretty much just a dictionary of normal gestures. Some gestures pictured may be offensive, derogatory, or sexual in nature.
5. Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion by Noah Goldstein This is a nearly 100% methodology book, plus some psychology to back it up. A ton of weird little persuasion tricks.
Rating: 1--A super easy, fun, lighthearted read.
6. Psychology for Kids by Jonni Kincher Actually a really good read, full of self-given psychological tests. Not really deductive in nature, but if you're into self-discovery, it's great.
Rating: 1--It's a kids' book.
7. Logically Fallacious by Bo Bennett. This book is about logical argument, sort of, which is linked to deduction and other logical stuff. It is HILARIOUS. This book shows just how many of the supposedly strong arguments we hear every day are just nonsensical garbage.
Rating: 5--Bennett's reasoning is very formal and upstanding, but his examples are not. They are amazing, funny examples, but often with controversial opinions, swearing, and sexual references throughout.
8. The Little Green Book of Getting What You Want by Jeffrey Gitomer. This book basically takes you through the process of making a sales presentation. While I'm not really in any position to be making any sales presentations at this time, it's a good skill to know. It talks a lot about storytelling in persuasion and sales, an essential concept.
Rating: 1--This one is pretty innocent.
9. I Spy by Walter Wick. A full course in observation. I will warn you, though, of the pain you will feel when you find everything in the picture...except that one letter of the alphabet mentioned in the middle that turns out to be hidden in the tree you already checked five times.
Rating: 1--Another kids' book.
10. Covert Persuasion by Kevin Hogan. I'm only halfway through this book, but it is pretty good so far. At least half of the techniques remind me of this timeshare presentation I was given. As in, some of them were kind of see-through, but considering the large number of other people buying the product, there had to some sort of persuasive gold in there.
Rating: 2--This one was fairly innocent, but given its mind-control approach I think it's safe to make this one a 2.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know.
Signing off,
SM
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Deduction #6-- Devices and Social Media
Hello, devoted readers, and new readers, too! I've been checking my statistics and I have almost 200 views now. I must be doing something right here. Or maybe I'm doing it all wrong and the world is just laughing at me. But that's still getting views, which means, either as an informational blog or an unintentional humor blog, it's working.
Anyways, today I am talking about deductions you can make from looking at somebody's electronic devices. As always, do this at your own risk. (I'm thinking that should be the blog's motto--only in Latin or something.) Here goes.
What to Look For
- If their computer/phone/music player with a screen/tablet/etc. (henceforth referred to as "device") has a passcode, password, or swiping pattern, well...I'm going to be honest here. They don't want people like you looking through their device trying to intrude on their privacy in order to figure out things about their personality. This may be a great revelation to you. This may not. Proceed with caution.
- If they do have a passcode, find a time when it would be appropriate to ask them to look at the device. When that time is, depends on the person. Maybe if you want to "look at their photos" or something like that. I'd recommend guessing the password, but that's rather difficult.
- If they don't have a passcode, this might mean that they open up their phone often to take pictures, they like the convenience of instantly opening their device, they have a hard time remembering a passcode, they don't have any problems with people going through their device, and/or they do have problems with people going through their device, but are naive enough to think that nobody could possibly have any motive to do that. (No offense, but it's always an option. A rare one, but some people really don't have any idea, especially younger children.)
- Once you've gotten into the device, look at their apps. (I'm basing these on most common smartphone and touchscreen device applications that people are likely to have.)
- Check any "calendar/planner" app for appointments and such. What are they doing? When? With who?
- Check photos. Food? Selfies? Random street signs? Interpret these as you will.
- Check notes/reminders and the like for things like errands they have to run, diet reminders, appointment reminders, etc.
- Is the time on their phone different from the one in your time zone? Are there any additional clocks for other places that they could have been recently, or perhaps where they have family?
- Reading and news apps can tell you a bit about their interests.
- Exercise apps tell you about their workouts, workout goals, diet goals, etc.
- If the device has music, what do they listen to? Currently popular hits? Different genres like rap, hip-hop, rock, country, etc.? Instrumental? Don't jump to any conclusions, but take note that they may listen to music while doing different activities. Look for "workout" or "study" playlists especially.
- Music apps (like metronomes, music notes, anything like that) suggest that they play an instrument.
- Voice recorder apps...some devices come with "voice memo" things automatically, but if they have extras...come to your own conclusions. Maybe they sing or play an instrument and need to make good recordings, but they also may use it to record others' conversations.
- What kinds of games do they have? Do they have intellectual games, like language-learning, vocabulary, math, or something like that? Do they have fun games like Angry Birds, Flappy Bird, stuff like that? Do they have fun games with an intellectual edge, like 2048? This could tell you a lot about their personality.
- Also look at social media pages and applications.
- If you know them, do the things they post reflect their personality in real life? Do they make their life seem better or worse than it is? Consider why that could be.
- Do they use their real name? They probably communicate mostly with people they know, or they just aren't really concerned about their online privacy. They are probably fairly open about their lives. If they don't use their real name, if it's obviously made up, like FrogGirl or AngelDarkness, then they are trying to be more secretive, perhaps have a secret identity of sorts or maybe they just don't want the whole world knowing their name. If they use the name of a fictional character, like Harry Potter or Jeff the Killer, they are generally part of that fanbase, which, depending on the fanbase in question, can tell you a bit about them or maybe not much at all.
- Do they post their own content, or do they repost/reblog/repin/share other content? People who post their own content are generally artists, writers, opinionated people, and other creators, who are trying to share that and also enjoy the social aspect of the site. People who share other content are generally more interested in the social aspect of passing around posts and ideas.
- Are they open about things that they haven't told you in real life? You may have discovered something that they don't want their friends, family, or co-workers to know about, that they are sharing with the online community to get off their shoulders. Don't mention it to them. Or if you do...proceed with caution.
- Did they start using the social media, then stop? They probably either had important things to do, didn't like it, or were just not motivated enough to keep going. The last one is especially true if they have many other unfinished projects. If you plan to enlist them in one of your projects...I'm not saying you should abandon them for life, but, be hesitant.
- Who are their friends? Do they have hundreds, most of which probably aren't their actual friends? Or does it seem to be people they know in real life? Some people go online to keep in touch with people they know; some do it to meet new people. If somebody doesn't know or get along with many people in real life, they may go online to communicate with people since they aren't very comfortable face-to-face.
- When possible, instead of taking people's devices, look them up on various social network sites from your own devices. You'll see what they show the public and not be accused of unauthorized voyeurism.
- You can probably talk with people about their public social media pages, if it's something they're sharing with the public. You don't have to take as much caution with this as you would with, say, the contents of their medicine cabinet.
- You also may want to get your own social media page to communicate with people. It's optional, though, as you can generally look without signing up.
- There aren't necessarily a ton of deductions you can make from some of these things, but you should still be observant should the opportunity come up later.
SM
Thursday, August 20, 2015
List #7--Sherlie Moriarty's Top 10 Fave Fashion Finds for Fall
I've decided that my readers needed to know a bit about me, so I've decided to tell you all about my fashion sense. And, since at least for me, fall/autumn/that time before winter is coming up, I figured I'd focus on that. I also think that I could write a magazine for teenagers someday. Whether the latter is true, I don't know, but I might as well try. (I would've added links, but I can't find any good pictures. You can probably look these up and get a general idea.)
1. Cuddly scarves. I love scarves during fall and winter! They tie together any outfit quite well. (Get it? TIE together? Yes, I make too many puns.) Infinity scarves, short scarves, wool scarves, scarves that look like snakes...anything goes.
2. Black sweater dress. I only have one, but that's enough. Basically, my whole outfit is a cuddly sweater. But it's, like, elegant, and better suited for networking at parties than cuddling on the sofa while eating Nutella.
3. Long mysterious coat. I bet all of you have pictured me wearing this already. It goes especially well with a cuddly scarf, over a black sweater dress.
4. Colorful sneakers. As much as I like black, sapphire blue, emerald, and deep red, I like some color, too. Sneakers that are white or black with a bit of coral, blue, magenta, pink, and the like are perfect.
5. A crown. Okay, I don't get many chances to wear this, unless you count the flower crown I made from some fake flowers and a pipe cleaner when I was 7 that still fits. I do have an inexpensive necklace with a crown and some music notes on it though that is a perfect, less formal substitute.
6. Cuff bracelets. Especially metal ones, with designs that look kind of like Norse/Celtic mythological fantasy armor. And that's a look you can get fairly inexpensively, without actually raiding a dragon's lair.
7. Long-sleeved layering sweaters. Basically thin sweatshirts, I've found these at outdoorsy, sporty, retailers, and they are great. Even though I'm not particularly outdoorsy or sporty. Good for in the fall where I live, when it's extremely cold in the morning but rises to about 80 degrees in the afternoon, a mystery I haven't even tried to solve.
8. Long socks. I love fun-patterned socks, or even just fun-colored socks. I have penguins, argyle, apples, polka dots, and more. Oh, and I can always roll them down if necessary.
9. Deep blue anything. Deep, sapphire blue is my favorite color, mostly because it's a color of intelligence. (See my post on colors for more info on that.) This shade of blue goes well with black, white, silver, gray, gold, and bronze. I personally wouldn't recommend pairing it with yellow or bright green, but that's just me.
10. Pendant necklaces. I know, this sounds rather generic. But I just like pendant necklaces. You can get all sorts of pendant shapes, such as dragons, elephants, frogs, fish, and abstract shapes. Not to mention circular or rectangular pendants with quotes and/or pictures on them, like I mentioned in #5.
So, I'm officially a fashion blogger now. Maybe somebody from some company will find this and ask me to do reviews for them of face cream and stuff. I don't care about face cream but I could use the free products, especially if I graduate up to clothing and electronics. And if that does happen, don't worry, I'll be honest about my satisfaction levels. I don't want to be like that Magic Eraser person. I mean, I'm sure they really do like their Magic Eraser, but hiding their blog behind an infographic seems a little like false advertising to me.
Signing off,
SM
1. Cuddly scarves. I love scarves during fall and winter! They tie together any outfit quite well. (Get it? TIE together? Yes, I make too many puns.) Infinity scarves, short scarves, wool scarves, scarves that look like snakes...anything goes.
2. Black sweater dress. I only have one, but that's enough. Basically, my whole outfit is a cuddly sweater. But it's, like, elegant, and better suited for networking at parties than cuddling on the sofa while eating Nutella.
3. Long mysterious coat. I bet all of you have pictured me wearing this already. It goes especially well with a cuddly scarf, over a black sweater dress.
4. Colorful sneakers. As much as I like black, sapphire blue, emerald, and deep red, I like some color, too. Sneakers that are white or black with a bit of coral, blue, magenta, pink, and the like are perfect.
5. A crown. Okay, I don't get many chances to wear this, unless you count the flower crown I made from some fake flowers and a pipe cleaner when I was 7 that still fits. I do have an inexpensive necklace with a crown and some music notes on it though that is a perfect, less formal substitute.
6. Cuff bracelets. Especially metal ones, with designs that look kind of like Norse/Celtic mythological fantasy armor. And that's a look you can get fairly inexpensively, without actually raiding a dragon's lair.
7. Long-sleeved layering sweaters. Basically thin sweatshirts, I've found these at outdoorsy, sporty, retailers, and they are great. Even though I'm not particularly outdoorsy or sporty. Good for in the fall where I live, when it's extremely cold in the morning but rises to about 80 degrees in the afternoon, a mystery I haven't even tried to solve.
8. Long socks. I love fun-patterned socks, or even just fun-colored socks. I have penguins, argyle, apples, polka dots, and more. Oh, and I can always roll them down if necessary.
9. Deep blue anything. Deep, sapphire blue is my favorite color, mostly because it's a color of intelligence. (See my post on colors for more info on that.) This shade of blue goes well with black, white, silver, gray, gold, and bronze. I personally wouldn't recommend pairing it with yellow or bright green, but that's just me.
10. Pendant necklaces. I know, this sounds rather generic. But I just like pendant necklaces. You can get all sorts of pendant shapes, such as dragons, elephants, frogs, fish, and abstract shapes. Not to mention circular or rectangular pendants with quotes and/or pictures on them, like I mentioned in #5.
So, I'm officially a fashion blogger now. Maybe somebody from some company will find this and ask me to do reviews for them of face cream and stuff. I don't care about face cream but I could use the free products, especially if I graduate up to clothing and electronics. And if that does happen, don't worry, I'll be honest about my satisfaction levels. I don't want to be like that Magic Eraser person. I mean, I'm sure they really do like their Magic Eraser, but hiding their blog behind an infographic seems a little like false advertising to me.
Signing off,
SM
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Color Psychology In Persuasion
As well as posting information on specific deductions and making lists, I thought I'd share some other psychological stuff that could be useful along the way, especially in marketing and persuasion.
This is about color psychology, as in, how people interpret the meanings of colors consciously and subconsciously. This information is based on various online infographics, which are based mostly on the U.S. and Europe. However, there are some other interpretations, and I will add them as I find them. Most of these are meanings that people have assigned to colors over time, but they nonetheless react to them due to the prevalence of that interpretation.
I'm going in rainbow order, by the way.
Red: In the West, red represents things such as action, adventure, energy, anger, aggression, courage, danger, strength, power, violence, urgency, impulse, and passion. Deep reds suggest maturity and elegance, and warm brick reds suggest strength and sturdiness. However, red is also commonly associated with blood and sin for obvious reasons.
In China, red is a color of good luck and often used in weddings and other celebrations. In some religions, such as Christianity, it is a color of sacrifice. In South Africa, it is a color of mourning. Communism and the US Republican Party both use red to symbolize their parties. Other cultures, however, generally interpret it to represent success, life, purity, and other positive things, similar to in the West. Many countries use it to mean "stop." In the popular show "Star Trek," people in red shirts always die, or so I've heard. Whether this is connected to the "danger" interpretation, I don't know, but that is what I suspect.
Orange: In the West, as well as other places, orange has similar meanings to red. However, it also represents warmth and vitality, as well as friendliness, trustworthiness, and invitingness and is commonly used on sale items. It is commonly used on lifesaving devices and other things that are supposed to be easily visible. Perhaps because of the similarities with red, it is seen as fun and playful. It's like red, only with a calmer energy to it. Also the color of the royal family in the Netherlands.
Yellow: Virtually universally, yellow represents optimism, happiness, clarity, and sunlight. It is commonly associated with deities and enlightenment in various religions. Motivation and creativity are also suggested. As an attention-catching color, it is used in marketing to attract customers and in warning signs. However, despite its generally bright interpretation, it is also a color of cowardice in Europe, the color of mourning in Egypt, a color of courage in Japan, a color of royalty in China, a color of corruption in some religions, and a color of merchants in India. You will obviously need to know your audience when using yellow. In the Harry Potter books, it's the color of Hufflepuffs, one of the friendliest houses at the magical school of Hogwarts. And am I surprised? Not really.
Gold: Shiny, luxurious, divine, glowing, radiant, and valuable to many cultures. Represents God's presence in Christianity, glory and divinity in Judaism, wisdom in Buddhism, and, when combined with green, paradise in Islam.
Light Green: Green is commonly associated with nature, ecology, and the environment all over the world because it is the color of many plants due to chlorophyll which is created by chloroplasts and aids in the process of photosynthesis, which is the process that plants use to get energy from the Sun...okay, I'm rambling here. Anyway, since nature and plants grow, and in turn help the rest of us consumers, first level or otherwise, grow, green is in turn associated with rebirth, fertility, growth, hope, and the general state of being new. Balance and harmony add to this peaceful, circle-of-life ideology. Light green, specifically, is soothing, calm, and refreshing. In Ireland, it represents the whole country, as well as the prevalent Catholic religion. In China and Japan, it represents life and health (other presumably nature-based interpretations). In the US, it is commonly used around Christmas (a Christian gift-giving holiday that's actually rather commercialized here) and to represent money, because American money is green. (To those of you who haven't been to America, the fact that when Americans see green, they often think about money more than nature says a lot about the country as a whole.)
Dark Green: Basically like light greens, the nature connection perhaps greater. It's also woodsy, traditional, luxurious, and prosperous. It sometimes suggests greed because darker green=more money, in the American interpretation. In Harry Potter, green is the color of Slytherins, a Hogwarts house full of people who are widely considered to be evil. This is possibly because of the association with money and greed.
Teal/Turquoise Blue/Light Blue: Blue is commonly used in marketing, as it has a lot of positive interpretations in a lot of places. Some interpret it to represent trust, safety, security, and peace of mind. Some use it to represent intelligence, wisdom, and inspiration. (I like this one myself.) Blue is even a color of tranquility, calmness, and soothing. Like yellow, it often has religious interpretations, possibly because it is the color of the sky and heaven, as yellow is the color of the Sun, a prominent heavenly body. Christians consider it to be the color of Christ, Jews consider it a holy color, and Hindus consider it to be the color of Krishna, one of their many deities. In Iran, it is a color of heaven and spirituality, as well as mourning. One culture, however, that does not associate blue with positivity, is the Cherokee culture of North America. They consider blue to be a color of trouble and defeat. I'm sure that there are other cultures with different interpretations of it too, so do your research.
Dark Blue: Dark blue has most of the same meanings as light blue; I just put them there so I wouldn't have to repeat. Common in business as a "serious"color, often worn by Western professionals and an acceptable color to write important things in, probably due to readability. US Democrat color.
Purple: Due to the use of expensive purple dyes in Europe for the clothing of royalty, purple is commonly used in the West to signify nobility, wealth, and, by extension, arrogance. (I like this interpretation too...not only do I look okay in purple clothes, I also look rather good in a crown.) Purple is also an imaginative, creative, magical, mysterious, quirky kind of color, probably because it is not used very much in modern Western government and business, so it's very free and unaffiliated. It can be dramatic, enchanting, and expressive. Purple also has a spiritual, introspective connotation. However, in many countries, it is the color of mourning and/or death. In Judaism, it represents purification of sin. Another color where you really have to know your audience. Lighter shades are similar to pink, romantic and springy. (see below)
Pink: It isn't really on the rainbow spectrum, so I decided to place it after purple. In the West, it's often a girly, feminine, romantic, lovey-dovey, innocent, happy color. However, it sometimes broadcasts more general messages of gentleness, tranquility, compassion, and softness. More muted shades of pink are considered to be wistful, sentimental, and nostalgic, possibly due to the greater popularity of the color in earlier times, such as the Victorian Era in the West.
Brown: So, this color I'm writing in is actually a dark red, I think, but it looks like brown to me, and it's the color of red velvet cake anyway, so I don't care. If it's not readable, though, please let me know. (I highlighted that part in white/black/however it comes out on the blog [I hope] so you can in fact read whether it's readable or not...you know what I mean.) Anyways, brown is the color of the Earth, and, at least in the West, a color of stability, trustworthiness, credibility, simplicity, and general back-to-basics methodology. Also a color of comfort in some places, but a color of mourning in parts of Asia. I kind of see how those could go together, though.
White: I'm not at all sure how this will come out on the blog page, as it automatically turns black to white, but here goes. White is a color of purity, health, peace, and other such pure things in the West, and even other places, which kind of makes sense, as white is the absence of color. White absorbs no light. However, this led to the idea that having lighter hair and skin was better than having darker hair and skin, in many places actually, which made no sense and has led to years of discrimination and general irrationality. This is leading to a new idea that white is the color of mayonnaise, bureaucracy, American suburbia, and other things that lack color, culture or flavor. Sterility and simplicity describe this well. That's fine by me, because I always thought white to be rather boring myself, especially in comparison to black.
Cream/Ivory: Similar to white, only a little more substantial. Similar connotations of blandness.
Tan/Beige: Very conservative, very bland. Not necessarily at the same time though. A lot like white and cream/ivory.
Black: This will probably come out in white on the blog, but at least I can highlight it in black if it doesn't work out. Black is all the colors mixed together into one! Black is everything! (I might be slightly biased here as I wear a lot of black.) Black has had a lot of negative interpretations, such as death, evil, negativity, intimidation, and other undesirable things. This doesn't really make sense, and it has also led to the idea of dark hair and skin being negative, which is (still) irrational, and even makes people less likely to adopt darkly colored pets. However, in some cultures, black represents health, stability, mystery, and other positive aspects. The use of black to represent mystery is spreading more, which a deductionist like myself can certainly appreciate. Power and elegance are similar positive connotations, which I can definitely appreciate.
Gray: A color of moderation if there ever was one. Between black and white, absorbing color to some degree but not completely. Calm, middle-of-the-road, neutral messages all around.
This is what I have for now; adding more later.
Signing off,
SM
Oh, and here are my sources. Some of them I couldn't get good links for, so I couldn't include them, but most of the facts came from these ones:
-http://www.webpagefx.com/blog/web-design/psychology-of-color-infographic/
-something from this awfully confusing page (I found these through Pinterest): http://www.ucreative.com/inspiration/35-cool-infographics-for-web-and-graphic-designers/
-http://visual.ly/meaning-colour-marketing
-http://visual.ly/psychology-colour
-something supposedly from here: http://cheezburger.com/7941226496?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+graphjam+%28GraphJam%3A+Pop+culture+for+people+in+cubicles.%29
-another one for which the link lead to a blog post somebody wrote about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a ton of things you could do with it and not an actual infographic
This is about color psychology, as in, how people interpret the meanings of colors consciously and subconsciously. This information is based on various online infographics, which are based mostly on the U.S. and Europe. However, there are some other interpretations, and I will add them as I find them. Most of these are meanings that people have assigned to colors over time, but they nonetheless react to them due to the prevalence of that interpretation.
I'm going in rainbow order, by the way.
Red: In the West, red represents things such as action, adventure, energy, anger, aggression, courage, danger, strength, power, violence, urgency, impulse, and passion. Deep reds suggest maturity and elegance, and warm brick reds suggest strength and sturdiness. However, red is also commonly associated with blood and sin for obvious reasons.
In China, red is a color of good luck and often used in weddings and other celebrations. In some religions, such as Christianity, it is a color of sacrifice. In South Africa, it is a color of mourning. Communism and the US Republican Party both use red to symbolize their parties. Other cultures, however, generally interpret it to represent success, life, purity, and other positive things, similar to in the West. Many countries use it to mean "stop." In the popular show "Star Trek," people in red shirts always die, or so I've heard. Whether this is connected to the "danger" interpretation, I don't know, but that is what I suspect.
Orange: In the West, as well as other places, orange has similar meanings to red. However, it also represents warmth and vitality, as well as friendliness, trustworthiness, and invitingness and is commonly used on sale items. It is commonly used on lifesaving devices and other things that are supposed to be easily visible. Perhaps because of the similarities with red, it is seen as fun and playful. It's like red, only with a calmer energy to it. Also the color of the royal family in the Netherlands.
Yellow: Virtually universally, yellow represents optimism, happiness, clarity, and sunlight. It is commonly associated with deities and enlightenment in various religions. Motivation and creativity are also suggested. As an attention-catching color, it is used in marketing to attract customers and in warning signs. However, despite its generally bright interpretation, it is also a color of cowardice in Europe, the color of mourning in Egypt, a color of courage in Japan, a color of royalty in China, a color of corruption in some religions, and a color of merchants in India. You will obviously need to know your audience when using yellow. In the Harry Potter books, it's the color of Hufflepuffs, one of the friendliest houses at the magical school of Hogwarts. And am I surprised? Not really.
Gold: Shiny, luxurious, divine, glowing, radiant, and valuable to many cultures. Represents God's presence in Christianity, glory and divinity in Judaism, wisdom in Buddhism, and, when combined with green, paradise in Islam.
Light Green: Green is commonly associated with nature, ecology, and the environment all over the world because it is the color of many plants due to chlorophyll which is created by chloroplasts and aids in the process of photosynthesis, which is the process that plants use to get energy from the Sun...okay, I'm rambling here. Anyway, since nature and plants grow, and in turn help the rest of us consumers, first level or otherwise, grow, green is in turn associated with rebirth, fertility, growth, hope, and the general state of being new. Balance and harmony add to this peaceful, circle-of-life ideology. Light green, specifically, is soothing, calm, and refreshing. In Ireland, it represents the whole country, as well as the prevalent Catholic religion. In China and Japan, it represents life and health (other presumably nature-based interpretations). In the US, it is commonly used around Christmas (a Christian gift-giving holiday that's actually rather commercialized here) and to represent money, because American money is green. (To those of you who haven't been to America, the fact that when Americans see green, they often think about money more than nature says a lot about the country as a whole.)
Dark Green: Basically like light greens, the nature connection perhaps greater. It's also woodsy, traditional, luxurious, and prosperous. It sometimes suggests greed because darker green=more money, in the American interpretation. In Harry Potter, green is the color of Slytherins, a Hogwarts house full of people who are widely considered to be evil. This is possibly because of the association with money and greed.
Teal/Turquoise Blue/Light Blue: Blue is commonly used in marketing, as it has a lot of positive interpretations in a lot of places. Some interpret it to represent trust, safety, security, and peace of mind. Some use it to represent intelligence, wisdom, and inspiration. (I like this one myself.) Blue is even a color of tranquility, calmness, and soothing. Like yellow, it often has religious interpretations, possibly because it is the color of the sky and heaven, as yellow is the color of the Sun, a prominent heavenly body. Christians consider it to be the color of Christ, Jews consider it a holy color, and Hindus consider it to be the color of Krishna, one of their many deities. In Iran, it is a color of heaven and spirituality, as well as mourning. One culture, however, that does not associate blue with positivity, is the Cherokee culture of North America. They consider blue to be a color of trouble and defeat. I'm sure that there are other cultures with different interpretations of it too, so do your research.
Dark Blue: Dark blue has most of the same meanings as light blue; I just put them there so I wouldn't have to repeat. Common in business as a "serious"color, often worn by Western professionals and an acceptable color to write important things in, probably due to readability. US Democrat color.
Purple: Due to the use of expensive purple dyes in Europe for the clothing of royalty, purple is commonly used in the West to signify nobility, wealth, and, by extension, arrogance. (I like this interpretation too...not only do I look okay in purple clothes, I also look rather good in a crown.) Purple is also an imaginative, creative, magical, mysterious, quirky kind of color, probably because it is not used very much in modern Western government and business, so it's very free and unaffiliated. It can be dramatic, enchanting, and expressive. Purple also has a spiritual, introspective connotation. However, in many countries, it is the color of mourning and/or death. In Judaism, it represents purification of sin. Another color where you really have to know your audience. Lighter shades are similar to pink, romantic and springy. (see below)
Pink: It isn't really on the rainbow spectrum, so I decided to place it after purple. In the West, it's often a girly, feminine, romantic, lovey-dovey, innocent, happy color. However, it sometimes broadcasts more general messages of gentleness, tranquility, compassion, and softness. More muted shades of pink are considered to be wistful, sentimental, and nostalgic, possibly due to the greater popularity of the color in earlier times, such as the Victorian Era in the West.
Brown: So, this color I'm writing in is actually a dark red, I think, but it looks like brown to me, and it's the color of red velvet cake anyway, so I don't care. If it's not readable, though, please let me know. (I highlighted that part in white/black/however it comes out on the blog [I hope] so you can in fact read whether it's readable or not...you know what I mean.) Anyways, brown is the color of the Earth, and, at least in the West, a color of stability, trustworthiness, credibility, simplicity, and general back-to-basics methodology. Also a color of comfort in some places, but a color of mourning in parts of Asia. I kind of see how those could go together, though.
White: I'm not at all sure how this will come out on the blog page, as it automatically turns black to white, but here goes. White is a color of purity, health, peace, and other such pure things in the West, and even other places, which kind of makes sense, as white is the absence of color. White absorbs no light. However, this led to the idea that having lighter hair and skin was better than having darker hair and skin, in many places actually, which made no sense and has led to years of discrimination and general irrationality. This is leading to a new idea that white is the color of mayonnaise, bureaucracy, American suburbia, and other things that lack color, culture or flavor. Sterility and simplicity describe this well. That's fine by me, because I always thought white to be rather boring myself, especially in comparison to black.
Cream/Ivory: Similar to white, only a little more substantial. Similar connotations of blandness.
Tan/Beige: Very conservative, very bland. Not necessarily at the same time though. A lot like white and cream/ivory.
Black: This will probably come out in white on the blog, but at least I can highlight it in black if it doesn't work out. Black is all the colors mixed together into one! Black is everything! (I might be slightly biased here as I wear a lot of black.) Black has had a lot of negative interpretations, such as death, evil, negativity, intimidation, and other undesirable things. This doesn't really make sense, and it has also led to the idea of dark hair and skin being negative, which is (still) irrational, and even makes people less likely to adopt darkly colored pets. However, in some cultures, black represents health, stability, mystery, and other positive aspects. The use of black to represent mystery is spreading more, which a deductionist like myself can certainly appreciate. Power and elegance are similar positive connotations, which I can definitely appreciate.
Gray: A color of moderation if there ever was one. Between black and white, absorbing color to some degree but not completely. Calm, middle-of-the-road, neutral messages all around.
This is what I have for now; adding more later.
Signing off,
SM
Oh, and here are my sources. Some of them I couldn't get good links for, so I couldn't include them, but most of the facts came from these ones:
-http://www.webpagefx.com/blog/web-design/psychology-of-color-infographic/
-something from this awfully confusing page (I found these through Pinterest): http://www.ucreative.com/inspiration/35-cool-infographics-for-web-and-graphic-designers/
-http://visual.ly/meaning-colour-marketing
-http://visual.ly/psychology-colour
-something supposedly from here: http://cheezburger.com/7941226496?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+graphjam+%28GraphJam%3A+Pop+culture+for+people+in+cubicles.%29
-another one for which the link lead to a blog post somebody wrote about the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a ton of things you could do with it and not an actual infographic
Deduction #5--Clothing and Beauty
I'm back...I apologize for the 2nd long hiatus! I had even more work to do...this time involving bears, pyramids, a giant flaming metal praying mantis, and some rather suspicious mountain squirrels.
I'm going to do some deductions based on what one can find in a friend, co-worker, teacher, higher-up, or even an interviewer or therapist's home or office. As always, do this at your own risk. Don't break into people's houses or anything illegal like that.
Things to Look For
SM
I'm going to do some deductions based on what one can find in a friend, co-worker, teacher, higher-up, or even an interviewer or therapist's home or office. As always, do this at your own risk. Don't break into people's houses or anything illegal like that.
Things to Look For
- If you have access to a collection of somebody's clothes (such as a closet, suitcase, or other storage area), observe what sorts of clothes they have. Do they generally wear pastel, floral patterns in public, but have a lot of dark-colored outfits? Do they normally dress professionally but have a lot of rugged clothes designed for exercise or other outdoor activities? Your average subject should have a variety of outfits for different situations, and observing the different styles can tell you about their activities and interests. This is especially useful if you normally see them wearing a uniform or some other form of professional clothing.
- Less serious clothes with bright pictures, funny sayings, pop culture references, innovative shapes, and the like suggest a playful side to your subject's personality. Clothes that are specific to an interest or subculture (such as rock band t-shirts) suggest that they are interested in that. More serious clothes with solid colors, more traditional shapes, and the like suggest a more serious side to the personality.
- If you have access to a collection of somebody's beauty/self-care products (such as a bathroom, shaving kit, or makeup bag), take note of what they have. They will probably have the "regular" set of products--in my area, generally a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, hairbrush, and maybe dental floss. Of course, this varies by location and availability, as certain environments and cultures use different things.
- Shampoos and conditioners for "color protection" and the like suggest that they dye their hair. This may be obvious (for example, if their hair is neon blue and hot pink), or it may not be obvious (for example, if their hair is a very natural-looking shade of black).
- Scented products (soaps, bubble baths, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, etc.) suggest a desire to smell good as well as be clean. Unscented products suggest a more pragmatic desire for cleanliness. Perfumes are definitely used to smell good.
- Makeup products will vary based on skin tone and type. Special "sensitive skin," "breakout-free," or "oil-free" products are commonly used by people with acne or rash problems. Moisturizing products are commonly used by people with dry skin, especially in the fall and winter, when the weather dries out skin easily.
- Darker, brighter lipsticks/eyeshadows/eyeliners are generally used by people with darker skin tones or by people with lighter skin tones who want their makeup to stand out a lot. The same goes for metallic products. Assuming you are familiar with your subject's skin tone, you can deduce from there whether it is meant to be more or less noticeable.
- Foundations, powders, and other skin products that are in various shades of brown, black, or white are generally meant to even out the skin tone. If you do not already know their skin tone, this may give you a hint. However, people with very light or very dark skin may not have a perfectly matching color due to the fact that not all makeup companies make products for those tones.
- Hair products for especially thin, thick, straight, frizzy, wavy, or curly hair will tell you about your subject's hair texture. Also useful for when you are unfamiliar with their appearance.
- Vitamins, supplements, and medications suggest a concern for one's health. This is a rather sensitive subject for some people, so I would recommend that you do not ask any prying questions about it.
- Small samples of things suggest that your subject is an avid traveler, as airlines have limits on the amounts of things and it is helpful to pack lightly. They also may suggest a cautious personality, as some people like to try things in small amounts before they buy large packages.
- If you are concerned about anything personal, especially related to health, don't ask straight-out personal questions. Ask a person how they feel, how they're doing, or something else polite. If something is seriously wrong, they may tell you. If they say they're fine, figure they really are fine or just don't want to talk about it and change the subject.
- Skin or hair products incongruous with the person's skin or hair type suggest that the products are versatile, or perhaps that they belong to somebody else. If they know that you have access to these things, you can ask a general question like, "Hey, I noticed you have some of that new aloe lotion. Is it any good?" They'll tell you if it works for them, if it belongs to somebody else, or if they bought it but were dissatisfied. Keep this information for later, especially their reasons for why it works/doesn't work if the product is theirs. It may give you insight into other peoples' preferences if they have similar skin or hair types.
- Makeup is often used in the performing arts, such as dance and theatre, and professional quality products (such as special effects makeup) may suggest that career or hobby of theirs. It will also explain unnatural colors or unusual products.
- This is the perfect example of a deduction in which observation is key. You probably won't be able to make many precise deductions here, due to the fact that these things don't necessarily say much about personality, but it is good to observe in case an idea comes to you later.
SM
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