[7:13:15 PM] [icytoucan]: hi. who is this?
[7:30:27 PM] [bot]: hi
[7:34:22 PM] [icytoucan]: sup?
[7:35:06 PM] [bot]: hello to you too
[7:36:15 PM] [icytoucan]: are you someone i know? i've used the usernames [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted] in the past. if not, how did you find my skype username?
[7:36:40 PM] [bot]: hey! found ya on skype messenger directory i'm recently single and dating sites suck so i figured i'd give this a try so can i ask you something??
[7:37:37 PM] [icytoucan]: sure but IMO you're not passing the turing test so far.
[7:38:32 PM] [bot]: what do you look at more on a girl, her or her ? honestly???
[7:39:43 PM] [bot]: i just ask cause every guy has a preference, so i was curious what yours is :​) so are you the shy or freaky type?
[7:40:28 PM] [icytoucan]: at this point even if you're [not] a bot i don't think you're someone i want to associate with. if [you really aren't] a bot, [i wish you] luck [in] finding someone.
[7:40:29 PM] [icytoucan]: bye.
[7:40:48 PM] *** [icytoucan] blocked [bot] ***

Awarded Amount to Date: $919,917.00

The project is aimed at modeling the diffusion of information online and empirically discriminating among models of mechanisms driving the spread of memes. We explore why some ideas cause viral explosions while others are quickly forgotten. Our analysis goes beyond the traditional approach of applied epidemic diffusion processes and focuses on cascade size distributions and popularity time series in order to model the agents and processes driving the online diffusion of information, including: users and their topical interests, competition for user attention, and the chronological age of information. Completion of our project will result in a better understanding of information flow and could assist in elucidating the complex mechanisms that underlie a variety of human dynamics and organizations. The analysis will involve studying meme diffusion in large-scale social media by collecting and analyzing massive streams of public micro-blogging data.

The project stands to benefit both the research community and the public significantly. Our data will be made available via APIs and include information on meme propagation networks, statistical data, and relevant user and content features. The open-source platform we develop will be made publicly available and will be extensible to ever more research areas as a greater preponderance of human activities are replicated online. Additionally, we will create a web service open to the public for monitoring trends, bursts, and suspicious memes. This service could mitigate the diffusion of false and misleading ideas, detect hate speech and subversive propaganda, and assist in the preservation of open debate.

[Tony Miranda] saved a tiny kitten from certain death when he spotted the animal heading down a conveyor belt. [Another worker at the recycling plant] decided to adopt the kitten and named it Murphy.