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Tim Harrison
Customer Development and Support at Formspring. Part-time punk. Pinball Enthusiast. Baseball Junkie.
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Answered
- Do you prefer to listen to full albums or random songs?Almost always full albums. I think the way an artist puts together an album is really important to appreciating the music fully. Virtually the only time I listen to music shuffled is when I'm working out.Asked by Formspring May 19, 12
- I've taken your coveted standing desk! What are you going up do about it?You're a brave woman to navigate the maze of empty soda cans I inevitably left there. Also, I would imagine Bobble Head Dwight will rise up against you at some point.Asked by Elina May 18, 12
- Who is one of your favorite authors?I'll never be able to choose an absolute favorite, but here are a few of my top authors and my favorite book they've written: Mikhail Bulgakov- The Master and Margarita AJP Taylor- The Origins of the Second World War Haruki Murakami- The Wind Up Bird Chronicle Franz Kafka- The Trial Cormac McCarthy- Blood Meridian Lots more!Asked by Formspring May 17, 12
- What is the best type of music on a summer day?I'm partial to really trashy garage rock like Nobunny on a hot summer day. Nothing beats sitting on the porch with tallboy and listening to this kinda stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhtrGCJWPoMAsked by thissongissick May 17, 12
- Expert s opinion on how to prevent your children from unexpected dogUNEXPECTED DOG . GIFAsked by horseebooks May 16, 12
- Just got this game today and it's going to hit my budget for a few weeks, What's the last thing you bought regardless of the consequences. :)Also Diablo III! I really wish I was able to play it, but the servers were down most of last night. For the very little I was able to play while the servers were up, it's phenomenal!Asked by Cj Bautista May 16, 12
- Do you have a favorite Hyperbole and a Half picture?I'm partial to this one because it reminds me of one of my favorite songs from High School, called Bike Rides and High Fives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasRbZQ7YRkAsked by Trish May 15, 12
- How do you like your eggs? I'm all about omelettes with mushrooms and onions.Basted! Think of it as Sunny Side Up + To baste an egg: 1. Fry up some bacon, leaving the grease in the pan. 2. Start to fry an egg in the pan, as if you were going to make it sunny side up. 3. As the egg starts to cook, ladle the hot grease over the top of the egg, which will make the white set. 4. Now, you have a perfectly fried egg, with a nicely set white, a still runny yolk for your toast, and a nice flavor from the bacon grease all over. Heaven.Asked by Serge Doubinski May 14, 12
- Simple to understand fool proof instructions make it the perfect expert solution for screaminginto the void: 1. Rip jaw from head. 2. Allow tongue to loll helplessly, eliminating all ability to form recognizable speech. 3. Begin to scream a nameless pain, high and terrible and glorious into the howling wind, forever. 4. Continue until the universe ends.Asked by horseebooks May 14, 12
- What are some of your favorite lyrics?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhop5VuLDIQ Lyrics: She went down last October in a pouring driving rain. The skipper, he'd been drinking and the Mate, he felt no pain. Too close to Three Mile Rock, and she was dealt her mortal blow, And the Mary Ellen Carter settled low. There were five of us aboard her when she finally was awash. We'd worked like hell to save her, all heedless of the cost. And the groan she gave as she went down, it caused us to proclaim That the Mary Ellen Carter would rise again. Well, the owners wrote her off; not a nickel would they spend. She gave twenty years of service, boys, then met her sorry end. But insurance paid the loss to them, they let her rest below. Then they laughed at us and said we had to go. But we talked of her all winter, some days around the clock, For she's worth a quarter million, afloat and at the dock. And with every jar that hit the bar, we swore we would remain And make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again. Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost To the knowledge of men. Those who loved her best and were with her till the end Will make the Mary Ellen Carter rise again. All spring, now, we've been with her on a barge lent by a friend. Three dives a day in hard hat suit and twice I've had the bends. Thank God it's only sixty feet and the currents here are slow Or I'd never have the strength to go below. But we've patched her rents, stopped her vents, dogged hatch and porthole down. Put cables to her, 'fore and aft and birded her around. Tomorrow, noon, we hit the air and then take up the strain. And watch the Mary Ellen Carter Rise Again. For we couldn't leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale. She'd saved our lives so many times, living through the gale And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave They won't be laughing in another day. . . And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again. Rise again, rise again - though your heart it be broken And life about to end No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend. Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.Asked by Formspring May 14, 12
- Are you afraid going to the dentist?Not afraid, but i have very sensitive teeth and it's super uncomfortable. This would not make it any better.Asked by Primrose (✿◠‿◠) May 13, 12
- Yesterday I saw a girl crying so I gave her a hug. She told me she was having a bad day and didn't understand why anyone would stop and talk to her. When was the last time you helped a stranger? (PS she knew what Formspring was!)Man, what an awesome thing to read at the start of my day :3 I make a kiva loan every paycheck, but I suppose that's not quite what you're after here. (Incidentally, if anyone wants a free $25 to donate, sign up using this link and your first donation/loan is free! http://www.kiva.org/invitedby/tim4470) As for the last time I helped someone in person, not counting the occasional dollar or two for homeless people I encounter on the street, I helped an old guy without any money pay for a bart ticket so he could get to the Children's Hospital in Oakland to visit his sick kid.Asked by Trish May 12, 12
- What's your favorite word? Why?Both in terms of meaning and aesthetically, Liberate.Asked by tim May 12, 12
- Do you play any instruments ?Yep! I play guitar well enough to strum along while I sing. Nothing too fancy, but it does the job. I also play a bit of mandolin, and I played violin all through school. I probably couldn't pick it up and play at this point, but I think I could probably get back up to speed pretty quickly since it's tuned exactly the same as a mando. Finally, I was teaching myself banjo a while ago, but I got too busy and haven't played in quite a while.Asked by Martin Cozzi May 11, 12
- How did you feel I was off the mark in the answer to your question about Kickstarter fundning for video games? http://4ms.me/JJd4jrAh, my bad. Totally forgot to get back to you. I can't think of many better examples of DIY than Kickstarter. DIY doesn't mean you cant solicit help from your friends or the people who are interested in your art. It means you aren't doing things solely to profit or (in music) signing to a major label to release your stuff, etc. Kickstarters I'm interested are ones that give me something that I want, and I wouldn't get to enjoy otherwise. For instance, I kickstarted a friend's LP. He's a great musician, and he recorded an album that he's been giving away as a pay what you want MP3 download. He really wanted to put out an LP, but he's not on a label, and there are minimum pressing requirements. He put up a kickstarter and got enough money to do a small (couple hundred, I think) run of LPs, and each donor got one. He ended up just breaking even. That's a rad as hell DIY project that gives something tangible that wouldn't exist otherwise to people who want it, which isn't done solely for profit. (Also, his music is awesome, and people should check it out! http://www.satellite-high.com/ ) Think about how much it takes to start your own "DIY" record label. Thousands of dollars! Most people who start a label or a distro take out loans to do so. I don't see how using a kickstarter makes projects any less DIY. (And of course, we're assuming that DIY is always a virtue, which may or may not be the case.) I think you could make the argument that kickstarters would be pandering if you didn't get something out of your donation in the end. I wouldn't donate to a game or an album if I was then expected to pay for it later. I see kickstarter as something of an extended preorder system, and I'm totally cool with that.Asked by Piers Andersen May 11, 12
- What are you doing this weekend ?Clearly not having as much fun as you.Asked by Martin Cozzi May 10, 12
- What was the last thing you copied? (Paste your Command + V keyboard shortcut!)returns to twitter screen, then when you hit next again, app crashes. "the application formspring (process me.formspring.app) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again. :(Asked by Trish May 09, 12
- Have you listened to Let it Be Naked? The 2nd cd *Fly on the wall* has some really good stuff on it.I have! I think it's a really interesting take on the album, but I'm so used to the original I don't know if it it's something I'm going to keep coming back to.Asked by Andrew H. May 09, 12
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Tweets
- My Top 3 #lastfm Artists: None More Black (39), Crossed Out (37) & Kungfu Rick (29) http://t.co/hi9F0E6J
- I can't think of anything where the phrase, "you get what you pay for," is more applicable.
- Cut to a week later when your idiot friend is complaining about his crappy tattoo, or worse, is super proud of it.
- Man, you should really go to a reputable artist. "But that's so expensive, and I know a guy who will do it for 20 bucks in his kitchen"
- Note that the wobbly blown-out lightsabers have 2k reblogs and that chestpiece has 70. People are dumb and shouldn't be trusted with tattoos
- Fuck Yeah Tattoos has such a crazy variation in quality, because right above that is this amazing chestpiece: http://t.co/Ouf7K9K2
- Ahahahahaahahahah, look at this garbage: http://t.co/3F4TeXgA
- Ugh, @danharmon got canned? What a bummer. :(
- Hahahahaha, holy shit what: http://t.co/8BmYbVbl
- If I had to use one word to describe Poison Idea it would have to be pummeling. Their rhythm section is just astounding.
- Also, they get bonus points for being known as "the fattest band in punk" because just look at these dudes: http://t.co/F6iIAIAO
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Info
- Customer Development Support Specialist at FormspringInternet | San Francisco Bay Area, USSummaryI'm a user specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area! I've handled many different duties all across the spectrum of support and safety in my relatively brief career. I've done everything from reviewing inappropriate videos, to working with law enforcement to track down criminals, to ensuring the very best user experience, among many other tasks.
I was unsure of my path after college, but fell into the tech/internet industry and I love it!Specialties: Policy and spam enforcement, law enforcement enquiries, abuse investigations, and user support.Experience- Jul 2011 - PresentCustomer Development Support Specialist / Formspring- Investigate user reports of harassment and abuse to maintain a safe environment for users. - Use Zen Desk to manage support tickets. - Work with law enforcement to help respond to serious threats and abuse. - Conduct user surveys to gauge satisfaction with the product and determine how we can improve user experience. - Rewrote Formspring's Help and Safety Center from the ground up. - QA Test new builds of the Formspring mobile apps.
- May 2010 - Nov 2011Volunteer / Pacific Pinball Museum- Staff the front desk for admission. - Monitor customers to ensure proper treatment of machines. - Clean and perform general maintenance on machines. - Perform basic repairs on malfunctioning machines. - Run occasional tournaments for customers.
- Jul 2010 - Jun 2011Enforcement Operations Associate / YouTube-Reviewed 1000+ videos per day to ensure they meet Youtube's Community Guidelines. -Investigated user-selected videos to identify policy violations. -Ensured partner videos comply with advertisement policies and copyright law. -Assessed team tools and recommended ways to improve effectiveness and efficiency. -Proactively investigated and removed spammers using proprietary tools.
- Aug 2007 - May 2010Bookstore Saturday Manager and Weekday Clerk / Reed College-Responsible for opening and closing store and reconciling receipts. -Utilized computer system to ring up sales. -Recommended alternate or additional products based on customers’ input. -Assisted customers in locating products. -Cleaned and refilled front-end stock.
Education-
2006 - 2010Reed CollegeB.A. in History
Activities: Fencing Team, Print Shop, Volunteer for Local Middle School.
Additional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:Eagle Scout, Boy Scouts of America
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Interests:Pinball, Record Collecting, Reading, Video Games, Sandwiches.
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Photos
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Recent Tracks
- Discontent by Poison Idea
- Feel the Darkness by Poison Idea
- Painkiller by Poison Idea
- Back Stab Gospel by Poison Idea
- Nation of Finks by Poison Idea
- Welcome to Krell by Poison Idea
- Alan's on fire by Poison Idea
- Taken by Surprise by Poison Idea
- Death of an Idiot Blues by Poison Idea
- Gone for Good by Poison Idea
Andrew Jackson JihadMischief BrewThe MenzingersOff With Their HeadsAgainst Me!The FalconThe ClashStrike AnywhereBlackbird RaumDillinger FourTeenage BottlerocketChumbawambaThe Fucking BuckaroosThe DecemberistsThe Lawrence ArmsThe Ergs!Bread and RosesWilliam Elliott WhitmoreFucked UpTed Leo and the PharmacistsBanner Pilot1905LattermanDead to MeBrutal KnightsThe Gaslight AnthemThe CopyrightsA Wilhelm ScreamGhost MiceThe BeatlesStreetlight ManifestoCobra SkullsTragedyDear LandlordThe Mountain GoatsNothingtonGood LuckTom WaitsLemuriaChuck RaganThe SteinwaysFrank TurnerThe Marked MenLeftöver CrackIron ChicAttack in BlackAFIHound Dog Taylor & the House RockersFlogging MollyThe Weakerthans- 166 plays
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Reading
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Queue Instant
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Posts
- Sarah Palin and Historical Ignorance
I had dinner with a former professor of mine last night, and we spent a decent amount of time talking about the whole fiasco surrounding Sarah Palin’s mangling of the Paul Revere story. Namely, her assertion that he rang bells to warn the British that they couldn’t take Americans’ guns, among other fallacies. The media was quick to call her out and say that this was incredibly incorrect for a host of reasons. But I thought it was fascinating the way many of the articles corrected her inaccuracies.
If you ask any American about Paul Revere’s ride, they’re almost certainly going to tell you he saw the light in the Old North Church and rode through the towns shouting “The British are coming.” In pointing out that Revere wasn’t warning the British, most news outlets also noted that Revere probably stated “The Regulars are coming out” since the colonists thought themselves British. Furthermore, news outlets often noted that the mission (carried out by many other riders) involved little to no shouting, as the goal was to quietly spread the word.
As I was driving home, I realized that this was probably the first time most Americans were seeing even a semi-accurate portrayal of Revere’s ride. I got to thinking about what would have happened if Palin had told the commonly-accepted Longfellow story of Revere’s ride. I’m fairly certain not a single news outlet would have bothered to say, “You know, Revere didn’t actually yell out ‘The British are coming!’” And that left me very disturbed.
What does it say about the importance of history in this country if the nation has a seizure when one person’s historical inaccuracies don’t mesh with the collective historical inaccuracy, instead of conflicting with the actual historical events? The state of historical knowledge in this country is in absolute shambles exactly because Longfellow-style mythologizing is the norm in American school rooms.
How many reading this were taught the Longfellow story of Paul Revere’s ride? How many were taught the Emancipation Proclamation was the end of slavery in the United States? How many of you taught in a HISTORY class that Washington chopped down a cherry tree? Because I was taught all these things as historical fact (among many, many others) at some point in my education. It wasn’t until I took it upon myself to read real history books, instead of the shoddily written myth-making textbooks students are given, that I was able to get a real grasp on the history of this country. Certainly, my AP history classes in high school did get a bit beyond the standard American folklore, but even then there were inaccuracies and inconsistencies.
And even more troubling is the lack of interest in learning this country’s history. The most clear and telling example of this is that Palin supporters went to wikipedia to change history to conform with her statements. If there was ever a more perfect picture of the disdain for historical knowledge in this country, I can’t think of it. It’s clear from this vandalism that many people don’t care about doing any actual historical examination and instead prefer simple and digestible fiction.
My favorite example of this lack of interest in history is the Old South’s infatuation with the “Confederate Flag.” First and foremost, the flag most often flown as the “Confederate Flag” was actually the battle flag. And in reality, it was square, not 3:5. (The navy jack was 3:5, but had markedly lighter blue). And it was never known as the stars and bars, that was the name of the first national flag, not the battle flag. But most importantly, it was rarely a symbol of “Southern Heritage” until it started flying at Southern state houses in the wake of Brown v. Board as a statement against integration. The confederate battle flag is almost exclusively a racist symbol of white supremacy. But few who fly the flag know any of this. They just accept the falsified and constructed folklore (of “southern pride”) behind the flag that’s been passed down for generations, and in their ignorance, perpetuate hatred. It does not take much work at all to learn about the real history of Confederate symbolism, but to take that step requires true interest in history, a trait that is sorely lacking in America.
It is time for people to own up to the fact that they don’t know the history of this country, instead of passing on their misconceptions. There’s no shame in it, because educators have been beating folklore into their heads as history for generations. But history is important. While the old adage “History repeats itself,” is an oversimplification, there are certainly trends we can notice. History has a lot to tell us about politics, economics, and human interaction among many other topics. But if we continue to accept folklore by rote, we’ll never learn any of those lessons.
History should never be about learning stories, or memorizing dates. History should be argumentative! It should be about the interpretation of events, the motive behind actions, the way two seemingly unconnected events may be intertwined! History is a dialogue. But even in the historical dialogue, there are some things that can’t be changed. We have a record from Revere himself about his actions on the night, and they match neither Palin’s story nor Longfellow’s. Likewise, we have the record of historical uses of the confederate flags, which bear little to no resemblance to the story of “southern heritage.”
We need to remember that we can argue the reason for an event for an eternity, but in the end, it is about reconciling different accounts to arrive at a reasoned opinion and interpretation of events. You can’t just create fact. Revere never shouted “The British are coming!” And therein lies the major problem with the mythologizing of American history. The people that create and subscribe to folklore as history, be it Revere or any other mangled historical tale, are changing the very facts of history itself. And as long as we keep accepting these distortions, we’ll never have a true grasp of history and what we stand to gain from it.
There has been an accomplishment, of sorts: Several invasions and many horrific torture revelations and “Camp X-Ray” and military tribunals and an entire decade of constant bombing of poor Muslims in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and probably a lot of other countries has created an entire generation of hundreds of millions of people, perhaps even billions, who hate America and will always hate America, because America is evil. And the most angry and desperate of these people will keep trying and occasionally succeed at bombing and otherwise murdering Americans in whatever possible way for rest of our lives.
-From the Wonkette
Happy Tuesday everyone!
- At Work
- Dickey: I really want to tea-bag Anwar Al-Awlaki.
- Me: What?
- Dickey: "GET A TASTE OF THE WEST, BITCH!"
Street Art of the Day: “Before I Die”: Candy Chang (previously) reclaims the side of an abandoned house on the corner of Marigny and Burgundy in her NOLA neighborhood for a giant chalkboard “where residents can fill in the blank and remember what is important to them in life.”
The collective project, she says, is “also about turning a neglected space into a constructive one where we can learn the hopes and aspirations of the people around us.”
[ignant.]
So I have a tumblr now. Not sure what I’m going to do with it, but here it is.
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Repositories
- 1 fork / 2 watchers / Pushed Feb 27, 12
- 1 fork / 2 watchers / Pushed Feb 27, 12
