Are Movie Rental Trends Social Indicators?

A colleague of mine sent this NY Times story which I found very interesting.  As a GIS user/developer and land surveyor, I studied the maps and discovered what I think are social trends within certain neighborhoods.  Take for example the postal zip code 92835 as shown above in North Orange County, Ca.  This neighbor hood zip code is very conservative despite being surrounded by numerous liberal arts colleges and universities within a mile.

Compare the list shown above to zip code 90095 shown at right, which is for West Hollywood -an outspoken gay and lesbian community.  Half the movies on the 90095 list are several years old and were embraced by the Hollywood crowd as artistic and expressive while the movies listed in the 92835 zip code tend to be characterized as season blockbusters. 

I'm not sure exactly what inferences can be made by these lists but I think it is quite evident that communities differ widely even when separated by just a few miles. 

You see the same separation in movie titles in the San Francisco Bay area.  Metro SF Bay sees Milk as the most popular rental while just northwest across the bay Milk isn't even in the top 10 list!  Use the link in the title to visit the Times and see if you find some interesting trends.  Report back; I'm curious what you might be able to guess about a neighborhood or community based simply on movie titles rented.

To Drink Or Not To Drink - The City of Fullerton, This Economy, and The Future

Parks and Recreation: What we use to do as teens -park and recreate! 

The Orange County Register's Barbara Giasone reported yesterday that the Fullerton Parks and Recreation Commission was to hold discussions on allowing beer and wine sales at the Fullerton Sports Complex during the Summer Concert Series. Why this hasn't come up before is surprising.

Fullerton is well known for being a cultural Mecca of college partying with the vast number of bars just in the downtown area alone and the numerous institutions of higher learning. However, since the drinkers all pack up and go home for the summer, the City is loosing tax revenue from the loss of alcohol-related sales. Add to that the poor economy and you have a City struggling to continue to provide concerts and other social events. Selling beer and wine is one way to make a lot of money quickly and create a mess or two as we have seen in the downtown area for several years. At a glance, it would seem that since the concerts in the Sports Complex are family events, there will be few people actually getting drunk, vomiting, and passing out. However, something to consider is the fact that the suppressed economy has spurred an increase in alcohol consumption.

Since the Great Depression of the 1920's, 30's, and 40's alcohol producers have seen increases in demand for liquor and beer. When times get tough, consumers tend to opt for cheaper brands, choosing to spend less and drink more. Consumers are also choosing to drink at home over costly nights at the local pub.

So, if everyone is staying home to drink, how will the City of Fullerton make money? Perhaps residents will choose the concert series as their one family night out each week. Perhaps the unemployed/under-employed ±20% of Fullerton Residents will find work by then, maybe even in the alcohol sales business. The reality is that we will likely see an increase in barbeque sales, propane sales, hotdogs, hamburger patties/buns, and some backyard basics. I don't think we will see too many of the $2,000 barbeques but probably more of the $200 variety. This will allow many to feel that they are living better without spending more. They will drink by their burners and backyard fire pits. They will invite their neighbors and share their angst over education, politics, and the economy.

You will also see an increase in the birthrate. With less money to go out drinking, couples will be feeling the effects of cheap booze in the comfort of their private abode. Expect a higher demand for OB/GYN and pediatricians. Expect to see more home additions to accommodate expanding families and with that a boom in minor construction, architecture, engineering, and land surveying.

Of course I'm not much of a prophet nor am I a good fortune teller. Just look around to see that this trend started about 3 years ago. Coincidently, I have a 4-year-old and a 4-month-old as a testament to this dip and a twelve-year-old from the last big dip I felt in the 90’s. Since I regard my children as the best thing that ever happened to me, I think recessions may not be so bad.

Aint life grand!

"Professional" Only In Flori-DUH!

An article appeared in the January 2010 issue of Professional Surveyor wherein the author, David W. Gibson, applies a Florida Supreme Court ruling to ALL professions as a status qualifier.  In his article Gibson asserts that the Florida Supreme Court defined a profession as “…we hold that a ‘profession’ is any vocation requiring at a minimum a four-year college degree before licensing is possible in Florida.  There can be no equivalency exception.”  Gibson goes on to quote the Court saying because Florida surveyors were not at some point required to have a four-year degree that “…land surveyors thus are not professionals for purposes of the statute of limitations.”  There are a few key words I need to point out.