Patrick Moberg

Emotional Turk

I used Mechanical Turk to ask the “crowdworkers” questions about their lives.

Please describe what would make you happy.

  • A nice house with lots of windows located on Malibu Beach. I could watch the waves roll in all day long and be at peace.
    —WorkerId A1VSU8AMV3QFI1

  • Video games, insurance, a stable home.
    —WorkerId AONWUHDAH9MA1

  • I would buy a vacation home along the southeastern coastal united states. This would allow me to spend the cold northern winters somewhere warm but still be able to return to my home state in the summer when the weather is nice.
    —WorkerId A13T61GJTR2Y9B

  • I would buy several houses near a beach. Live in one and use the rental income off the others to live off of.
    —WorkerId A18TCR555RWUZV

  • I would buy a brand new Honda Shadow motorcycle so that I could finally be mobile and have my own vehicle to maintain and take care of. I want to feel like I can go at my own leisure to wherever I desire and be out in the open air and road. A feeling of independence from not needing to rely on others for rides or public transportation.
    —WorkerId A16TESTJICU76L

  • In order to achieve happiness, I would probably buy a new gaming computer or at least new parts for one so that I can start streaming easier.
    —WorkerId A1JCFCPGEYT1L4

  • To achieve happiness I would buy a house of my own. Living in a place that I own would really make me happy.
    —WorkerId A8OE2E20OZYKI

  • I would buy a home somewhere warm and sunny. We had to move from the beach in Florida recently, and I miss it very much. I long for the hot days and warm nights. I hate the cold and it is making me sad and miserable. Looking at this amazing beach and beautiful, crystal blue ocean, makes me realize more what a very long, hard, cold winter we have had in the Northeast. I think every day, every New Englander's mind has been in a place just like this. To feel the warmth and sun, to be in a carefree zone, where time doesn't matter and your biggest choice is what to pack for a picnic lunch. The lazy rolling waves soothe the soul and ease the mind of all worries. It brings you back to a simple time, like during childhood, when you were carefree and everything was a sense of wonder. What a wonderful place to bring yourself, your family, and your friends. A place for all to enjoy and let your troubles disappear, like the New England cold. Buying this home would make me very happy.
    —WorkerId AYCHPTQRYDT7G

  • If I could, I would buy a very large house. That is my dream goal, and it would make me incredibly happy to achieve that.
    —WorkerId A248TO3PTV0K5P

  • I would buy Recell, a innovate type of epidermal skin grafting.  A few years ago I had a accident which burned my face and left some scarring.  The scarring is not that bad, but it has destroyed my self-esteem and confidence.  So I would buy what I believe is the one treatment that could significantly improve my scarring to the point of being unnoticeable.  This would make me incredibly happy.
    —WorkerId A8FUMDQFBKMXR

Please describe a happy memory.

  • A memory of when I was a toddler or a child going to a nearby city with my parents to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant and them being happy to see me enjoy food with them.
    —WorkerId A16TESTJICU76L

  • A happy memory I have is when I brought my fiancee to one of her favorite spots- a really pretty fountain outside of a tall building, and proposed to her. We talked for about two hours and I wound up just popping the question out of nowhere.
    —WorkerId A1JCFCPGEYT1L4

  • I got to witness the birth of my first nephew. I had just graduated from high school and had been looking forward to being an aunt. My sister allowed me in the room with her when she gave birth. The moment I first saw my nephew and heard his cry, my heart felt like it would burst with joy and happiness. I knew that he would be one of the most important people in my life. I felt overwhelmed with the beauty of the world. I cried with happiness. I was so proud and knew I would love him for as long as I lived.
    —WorkerId ANVAFB99K5RKP

  • My children being born.  When I was able to see them and hold them for the first time.
    —WorkerId A2APPZDU0VS9LN

  • Meeting my son for the first time.  He is adopted from Russia; my wife and I had to go through a huge number of hoops to get him--coming to grips with being unable to have kids on our own, jumping through the numerous hoops, raising the substantial funds, and taking a leap of faith into a foreign, not overly friendly land.  All of it--all the sadness, all the doubt--was erased the second that little boy was brought to us in the orphanage in Moscow.  I have never been happier and never expect to be.
    —WorkerId ADAGUJNWMEPT6

  • I had a favourite show that I was very involved in fandom for.  It turns out the writers were silently reading everything we were writing and doing, and found me particularly impressive, and gave me a shoutout in the show.  My fan friends noticed before I did, and it wasn't a popular enough show for this to ever be widely noted, but that makes it super special to me, a true little nod to what we were doing and particularly what I was doing and how much the show helped me through a rough patch.
    —WorkerId A13VIJ7G997ZCY

  • When my father was in the hospital dying from cancer, he accepted Jesus as his Savior. This is my happiest memory ever, because I know he is in Heaven waiting for me!
    —WorkerId ACVEFRSUAPSEQ

  • The first time I "met" my now husband was a very happy memory. We had been talking online for awhile and decided to try dating. We lived a state over from each other so it wasn't too bad of a drive to see him. Seeing him in person for the first time was one of the happiest days of my life.
    —WorkerId A2QH1BQA6GR48O

  • The birth of our children.  They come up, squalling into the world, needed love, attention, milk....and well constant attention.  Its a ton of work, but I wouldn't trade my children for a billion bucks.
    —WorkerId A1DZIWTTQRJFVY

  • When I was standing at the altar and watching my best friend walk down the aisle to me. When she agreed to be my wife, for better or worse. When she gave me that first kiss as my wife. Everything about our wedding is a happy memory for me.
    —WorkerId A3D9L5CQXK1YJL

Please describe a sad memory.

  • Obvious choice is getting divorced, my wife chose to throw me out of the house one night and that was pretty much the end of it. Life's better now but it's still pretty painful to look back on.
    —WorkerId ARYGQ46IMW8AU

  • The saddest memory of my life which surpasses all others is the death of my mother when I was in grades school. Experiencing such an early tragedy puts all other memories in perspective.
    —WorkerId A3KOVCQYR8K3HY

  • When I found out that my sister had died, I had a lot of regret because we were not close. I felt extremely sad knowing that I would never have the chance to make things right with her.
    —WorkerId A3D9L5CQXK1YJL

  • The day my wife died. Need I say more ?
    —WorkerId A3VGZ0GXXNJIY8

  • My mom died of cane 3 years ago.  About 3 months before she died and the cancer was in her brain, she thought the doctor had told her she was cured.  She emailed all her friends and told them this.  It was not true. The next day she had to be told it was not the case.  Very painful.
    —WorkerId A1GKEEI844CEKI

  • When my husband and I were divorcing and I was moving out, I had accepted another job in another state. It was a pretty amicable breakup, and he said he would help the mover to get my things packed up while I went to the new state early for training. I was going to be living in an extended stay hotel room until my furniture and stuff arrived by the mover. So I trusted him and went to the city. I ended up getting really nostalgic though, which turned into really intense sadness and longing for what we had. I missed my old life and my parents, and it was so sad that I could never go back to what it was. I cried a lot, and didn't feel like making any new friends or doing anything but going to my job training and work. I holed up in my apartment and didn't even want to unpack. I tried to talk to him on the phone a lot. I think these were way too many changes in my life all at once, and I really had a huge amount of regret for moving the way I did. I felt that I would never come out of the sadness and despair for what I had had.
    —WorkerId AYCHPTQRYDT7G

  • A memory that makes me sad is when I think about the day that I took my dog to the vet for the last time. She was really weak and had trouble walking. I had to help her get in the car and she was just exhausted. She barely made it in to the vet's office. I was crying when the lady at the desk asked me why I was there because I knew that something was really really wrong. They kept her overnight and the next morning we had her put down just to get her out of pain.
    —WorkerId A1RDQFNF6LD25Z

  • When I think about how great my marriage/relationship used to be, and the state that it is in now.
    —WorkerId A34EHWCN00PHGG

  • One of my friends recently passed away and it makes me sad to think about the moments we had in the past.
    —WorkerId AUQ79MANVDU9B

  • Finding my husband of 20 years laying on the floor not breathing. Did cpr until ems came and they worked on him for 45 mins but he did not survive. Actually it was 9 days before our 20th anniversary and he was so looking forward to it and I never found out what his plans were for that special day.
    —WorkerId AFIIFNK4FM7MZ

  • The saddest memory I have is when I learned about 9/11 I still remember how terrorized everyone felt and how for months after my immigrant family faced heightened scrutiny in out community
    —WorkerId A21R62CIBPAHCG