Friday, November 08, 2002

When Intrinsic Motivation Goes Bad

Wired News reports on the British and Dutch enthusiasts being tried for espionage in Greece in Plane Spotters: Hobbyist or Spy? Their crime? They were caught copying down the tailfin numbers of jets at a Greek airport. Were they going to pass their info on to Turks or terrorists? No... it's just a hobby like birdwatching in which the goal is to see as many individual planes as you can. The hobby is deeply popular in parts of Europe. It would be interesting to analyze this from the perspective of the ARCS model or Lepper & Malone's categories of fun. What's the appeal behind this obsession?

See the Plane Spotting Home Page and Obsession - PLANESPOTTING for more info about the hobby.

And stay the hell out of Greece.

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