Earth Rotation

I had this question from a listener: Does the earth rotate clockwise or counterclockwise?  I didn't know the answer.  Can you help? - Anonymous

 

Anon:  Here's the answer . . . The sun rises in the east, which means that the Earth rotates on its axis toward the east.  As seen from the North Pole, the direction is counterclockwise.  However, when seen from the South Pole, the direction is clockwise.  The correct answer depends on your point of view of the Earth.

 

Eastlan Surveys

To the dude who was concerned about the validity of Arbitron data:  If you’re at all concerned, I would look into the Eastlan Survey.  I have found that their methods are much more accurate, I too feel that Arbitron is inaccurate, especially in a small market like mine. - Anonymous

 

Anon:  I’m not going to comment on your response until you provide scientific evidence backing up your statement that, “…their methods are much more accurate.…”  In addition, in scientific research, a comment such as, “…I too feel that Arbitron is inaccurate” doesn’t mean anything.  You can “feel” all you want, but in science, that type of “feeling” does not hold water.

 

I need objective scientific evidence and your note provides none.  When you provide that, I will be happy to provide a comment or two.

 

Eastlan Surveys - 2

Hey doc, I have to chuckle at your skeptical nature, but I will offer you an example of why I feel that Arbitron is much less accurate in a small market than Eastlan.

 

In my market, in the evening 7-Mid slot, Arbitron gives the CHR station and the Classic Rock station a 2-way tie for first place with a 25 share in the 25-54 female demo.  Every other station (there are 13 more) ties for second with a zero.  In the 18-34 breakdown, the Country station gets a 14.2 and first place, while five stations, including mine tie, for second with a 7.1. - Anonymous

 

Anon:  I’m glad you chuckled with my skepticism about Arbitron being less accurate than Eastlan in a small market.  Although I chuckle at myself quite often, I don’t share your chuckling when it comes to research.  I take research very seriously and that means I need proof for such statements as “less accurate.”

 

I agree that the examples you provide seem a bit odd, but that doesn’t mean the numbers are wrong.  I don’t know if they’re wrong because I don’t know what the correct numbers are.  In addition, you say that these Arbitron numbers are “less accurate” than Eastlan numbers, but you don’t provide the data from Eastlan for the same demos and time periods so a comparison can be made.

 

Without having additional information, my guess is that the Arbitron examples you provide are a function of sample size, probably a very small sample.  If Eastlan uses a larger sample, they might not have stations with “0” ratings, but that’s only a guess.  It may be that the “0” ratings are correct.  I don’t know.

 

You say that you “feel” Arbitron is “much less accurate” than Eastlan in a small market.  First, when it comes to research, how you “feel” about something means nothing.  I might feel that the speed of sound measurement of approximately 1,088 feet per second is wrong, but that doesn’t make it wrong.  When it comes to debates, arguments, or comments about data, what means something is an objective, scientific analysis of the situation.

 

Secondly, the words “much less accurate” cause another problem.  What is your definition of the word “accurate”?  You provide Arbitron data as examples of “less accurate” data, but how do you know the data are less accurate?  Do you have “accurate” data you can compare to the “less accurate” Arbitron numbers?

 

Now, I do understand what you’re trying to say, specifically in reference to the examples you provide.  But from my perspective, you don’t really know if the CHR and Classic Rock tie for first place in 25-54 females is wrong.  You just think the data are wrong.  But that’s not good enough in scientific research.  There must be proof.

 

As a research person who follows the scientific method, I am completely open to new findings, new methodologies, and changes in long-held beliefs based on new scientific evidence (e.g. ulcers are caused by bacteria).  And I’m open to investigating your idea that Arbitron is less accurate than Eastlan in small markets.  But in order to support your feelings about Eastlan and Arbitron, I must see valid and reliable scientific information.  That’s all there is to it.

 

I don’t work for Arbitron and I’m not blindly supporting the company’s data.  However, when it comes to statements about Arbitron (or any other research) such as the data are “less accurate,” it’s necessary to have supporting data.  Personal opinions alone aren’t valid.

 

One more thing:  Never give up your curiosity (“Hmm, seems like Arbitron is less accurate than Eastlan.  I need to verify if that’s true.”) because that’s how you learn.  Thanks for writing.

 

EEO/FCC Compliance

I love being in compliance.  Being in compliance means never having to say you’re sorry, or pay the fines.  What that said, can you point me in the direction of a link that explains exactly what the FCC wants as far as EOE documentation?  Forms, expected contents, any and all help is welcome.  Assume we are starting from scratch (that's just hypothetical, of course) - Anonymous

 

Anon:  First, let me set something straight.  The correct term is Equal Employment Opportunity or EEO.  It’s not EOE.  Small point, but it means a lot when you’re searching for things on the Internet and filing out forms.

 

Anyway, for the FCC’s information about EEO (Section 73.2080), click here.  If you want more information about EEO, the FCC has a specific page for that…just click here.

 

If that’s not enough information, you can see the whole list of FCC rules and regulations for broadcasters by clicking here.


Election Policies

Can you post a link to a site where I can find the specifics on election policies for radio stations.  It’s getting to be that time and I haven’t worked in radio during an election in years...just curious as to what the specifics are.  I appreciate you. - Josh

 

Josh:  It’s nice to be appreciated.  Thanks.

 

Here are two Internet searches that will help you.  Not all of the sources are relevant, but there are many good ones:  Election Policies One and Election Policies Two.

 

Email - Admissible?

How does one prove that an email is legit? I have an email from my GM where he says he won't enforce a non-compete in my contract.  Is the email admissible in a legal case? - Anonymous

 

Anon:  First, I need to say that I’m not an attorney or judge, so don’t interpret my comments as a legal opinion.  OK, with that said, here are your answers…

 

1.  You can determine if an email is legitimate (to some extent) by right-clicking on the message in your in box.  When you do that, you’ll see several options to select.  One of them should be “Options.”  When you click on that, it will show you the technical aspects of the email, such as who sent it and when.

 

2.  If you look at several sources on the Internet, you’ll find that email may or may not be admissible evidence in a legal case.  It depends on the nature of the email, how it was obtained, and how it relates to the specific case.  My guess is that your email would be admissible, but you need to contact a lawyer before you purse the matter…if that’s you intent.

By the way, a few people have submitted questions about the correct spelling of email.  Is it e-mail or email?  When email first became a reality, most people used a hyphen, but the convention now is to delete the hyphen and just use email.

Email Money 

I received an email from a friend. It says this . . .

 

I'm an attorney, and I know the law. This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing an multimillion dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by Pepsico against General Electric not too long ago. I'll be damned if we're all going to help them out with their email beta test without getting a little something for our time.

 

My brother's girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I went to visit him for the Baylor/UT game she showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped "Paid In Full." Like I said before, I know the law, and this is for real.

 

The letter then says . . .

 

This is not a joke. I am forwarding this because the person who sent it to me is a good friend and does not send me junk. Intel and AOL are now discussing a merger which would make them the largest Internet company and in an effort make sure that AOL remains the most widely used program, Intel and AOL are running an email beta test. When you forward this email to friends, Intel can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this email to, Microsoft will pay you $203.15, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $156.29 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $17.65. Within two weeks, Intel will contact you for your address and then send you a check. I thought this was a scam myself, but a friend of my good friend's Aunt Patricia, who works at Intel actually got a check for $4,543.23 by forwarding this email.

 

My question is: Is this for real? - Jim

 

Jim: This is phony and a pile of garbage. However, so I don't have to reinvent the wheel, please go to: www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/xintelaol.html for more information.

 

Just keep in mind the old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it's a pile of Vulpes Fulva leavings." Or something like that.

 

Email - Microsoft

I use Outlook 2000 for my email and after I downloaded the recent patch, I can no longer send pictures in my email. I can attach them, but not insert them. I get an "Error 195: Undefined is null or not an object." Do you know what's going on? Thanks. - Anonymous

 

Anon: I have had this same problem and it's annoying. Here is what you need to do.

 

In your email program, go to Tools/Options/Security and in the "Secure Content" area in the middle of the box, change the "Zone Settings" to "Internet" from "Restricted Sites." You will be able to insert pictures. If you want to continue using the "Restricted" option, you'll need to go back and change back to the "Restricted Sites" option after you send your email with the inserted pictures.

 

Email Question

Sometimes I get an email from a person, especially people in radio, and I'm one of several dozen people who receive the letter. The problem is that all of the dozens of names are on the letter. If I send the same note to several people, is there a way for me to do it so the people on the list don't see all of the other names? - Anonymous

 

Anon: Yes, there is a very simple way. Send your letter to yourself and then put all of the other names on the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) line. None of the people on your list will see who received the note.

 

Email Sent

Doc:  Do you have any idea how many emails are sent each day? - Anonymous

 

Anon: You didn't mention where, such as the United States or the world, so I went with the world.

 

If you check the sources on the Internet, you'll find several estimates — all of which are fairly close to each other.  The estimates are: About 11 billion emails were sent each day worldwide in 2001, and about 36 billion per day in 2005.  One article predicts that in 2006, about 60 billion emails will be sent each day in the world.

 

Although you didn't ask, you may be interested to know that most estimates show that about 12 billion text messages are sent each day in the world.  That's a lot of messages.

 

Email Size

Doc:  I applied for a job yesterday where the ad said to keep all submittals under 2 MB.  To prove I can follow simple instructions, I made my air check 1.75 MB, my resume 100K (.1 MB) and my resume 65K (.065 MB), for a total of 1.915 MB.  Add in some text introducing myself to my potential employer, and the email size should easily fit into the "under 2MB" category, right?

 

I don't have any fancy letterhead or anything else to clutter it up.  When I sent the email though, it says that the size is 2.615 MB, or 36% LARGER than the email I intended to send and I cannot for the life of me figure out why.  Can you help?  I used MSN on my home computer, Hotmail and Gmail, and ended up with essentially (20K difference) the same results.  Thanks. - Email Extraordinaire

 

EE:  I have encountered this before, so I wasn't surprised when I read about your problem.  Here's the deal . . . When you send an email with attachments, most email software converts the attachments with "Base64 encoding" so the information can be sent faster and safer through the system.  In most situations, the Base64 encoding makes the email about 33% larger than original size (so your stuff was about average).

 

By the way, I was a bit confused with your note because you used the word "resume" twice.  Regardless, I assumed you had two unique attachments.

 

So, the problem is the Base64 encoding, and you'll have to consider that the next time you send an email where there are size limitations.  For more information about Base64 encoding, click here.

 

Email Sources

How do you go about finding demo specific email addresses? I would like to purchase a database for a direct email marketing campaign. Any suggestions or words of wisdom? - Moneen


Moneen: There are a few things you can do to start. First, go to a few sites like www.everythingemail.com and http://e-target.com If these aren't what you need, then you might consider doing a search.


For example, I entered "purchase+email+addresses" on Alta Vista and came up with several potential sites. I believe that you should be able to find the information you need.

 

Email Virus

I received an email from a friend that says, in part,

 

It was brought to my attention yesterday that a virus was on all of our computers here at work.  I do not know how long it has been on our computers, but Virus software cannot detect it.  It will not become active until June 1, 2001, at that point it will become active and will be to late.  It wipes out all files and folders on the hard drive.  This virus travels through E-mail and migrates to the ‘C\windows\command’ folder.  To find it and get rid of it, off your computer, do the following.  Go to the "START" button.  Go to "FIND" or "SEARCH."  Go to "FILES & FOLDER."  Make sure the find box is searching the "C:" drive.  Type in; SULFNBK.EXE.  Begin search.  If it finds it, highlight it.  Go to ‘File’ and delete it.  Close the find Dialog box, Open the Recycle Bin, Find the file, and delete it from the Recycle Bin.  You should be safe.

 

Do you know anything about this? - Anonymous

 

Anon: This is a complete and total hoax. For more information, click here.

 

Email Viruses

I am a new Internet user and I'm worried about email viruses.  What can I do to help protect from getting a virus on my computer?  Thanks. - Jennifer

 

Jennifer:  If you have been reading this column for a while, you'll know that I don't like to "reinvent the wheel" when it comes to answering questions.  I went to the McAfee Virus page located at http://dispatch.mcafee.com/virus_tips.asp?cid=1593 and found this information (I corrected a few grammatical errors):

 

Virus Detection and Prevention Tips

 

Email Viruses - Finding New Ones

Where's the best place to find information about new email viruses? - Anonymous

 

Anon:  Here are two suggestions: McAfee.  Click on “Newly Discovered Threats” on the left side of your screen, and Snopes.  Click on the “What’s New” icon at the upper left of the page.

 

Email Virus Hoax

It seems like every day I get email about a new virus, a missing child, or something stupid.  I think most of this stuff is garbage, but is there a way for me to check to see if the stuff I get is real?  - Anonymous

 

Anon:  Sure, there are several good websites to help you.  The problem with most of this garbage is that many people think the stuff is real and when they receive it, they simply forward it to all their friends without verifying the information.  In some cases, these people will include a line such as, “You HAVE to read this,” or “THIS is important,” but in most cases, they just forward the stuff, which oftentimes has several other “FWs” in the subject line.  It’s a perpetuation of ignorance.

 

Four sites for email hoax information are:

 

Symantec

McAfee

Hoax Busters

Stiller Research

 

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