March 31, 2006
Juggling to Music
Someone sent me a Google Video link to Chris Bliss' Juggling Finale, saying "isn't this amazing." When I went to it, Google Video included a playlist along with the link, and on the playlist was this Chris Bliss Juggling Parody (which makes sense if you've seen the first video). The parody illustrates well how people have difficulty judging what is and what isn't impressive (and they tend to be more impressived than they should be) with things like juggling with which they're not as familiar.
Posted by Lonne at 09:47 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
March 16, 2006
Google Pontiac
I was just half-watching TV, and a Pontiac commercial, I thought said, "Don't take our word for it, Google Pontiac." I was sure I misheard or invented that, so I just googled the phrase "Google pontiac" and found out that this is indeed the commercial. TV commercials telling us to Google a phrase, I can't believe it! (This almost makes me want to Googlebomg Pontiac...).
Posted by Morgan at 10:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)
March 14, 2006
Say it ain't so, Isaac Hayes!
When I saw the Scientology Southpark episode recently I didn't realize how current it was. Isaac Hayes is an active Scientologist! So he quit the show! (Ah, so that's why Chef was not around to talk sense into them about the issue.) And Hayes made a BS excuse about "growing insensitivity" to religious beliefs in society. And he had the idiocy to adduce the mobombhead issue, a demonstration of Islamofascist intimidation of free society,as an example of this purported new insensitivity to religious beliefs. But then if what he's saying is that Scientology deserves as much sympathy as the cartoon jihadists do, it's hard to resist arguing in his favor.
The last part of this article, summarizing southpark offenses over the years, is funny. I will have to track down the Muhammed as Muslim superhero episode. No global rioting then. But have they shown Muhammed lately? And is there an undeserving-of-parody community who finds the Saddam-Satan brokeback relationship offensive? I like how the editor lets them get away with the last line of this article: "According to South Park, the Japanese people and redheads do not have souls".
Posted by Matt at 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
March 08, 2006
Sleeping patterns and personality: Science or not?
So this article has been making the rounds on the blog world -- a scientific study, reported by the BBC, shows that there's a correlation on the position people sleep in and their personality.
I read about my sleeping position--and it corresponded my personality!
The yearner (13%): People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.
Wow, my anecdotal evidence confirms this--that's how I am and how I sleep!
Then, I made the mistake: I decided to read the other sleeping positions and corresponding personalities, such:
# Soldier (8%): Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.
# Freefall (7%): Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.
Funny--these sound like me, too--other sides of my personality! But I don't sleep in those positions at all.
This study, then, seems to me to be more like astrology and horoscopes than anything else: describing people's personalities in a way that they think relates directly to them personally, but really relates to everyone.
Posted by Morgan at 11:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
March 02, 2006
What would happen if Iraq attacked Iran today?
There has been scaattered discussion of Shiite Arab terrorism aginst the regime inside Iran. The context is that Iran is actually a Persian country and the Arabs want to rejoin their Shiite brothers as part of Iraq.
Now, we have Iraqi Officials officially looking to blame Iran for the recent Golden mosque bombing (e.g. here).
When Saddam attacked Iran in 1979, Iran's Arabs stayed loyal because being Shiite in Iraq sucked worse than being Arab under the Ayatollahs. Now it looks like life is better in Iraq.
And then the remaining question is whose army is better. The US trained and equipped army of Iraq or the religious army of Iran.
I would bet on Iraq's (especially with US support).
If Iran escalates to nukes, then it becomes international open season on them....
If Iran loses its Arabs and the Shaat Al Arab waterway in their territory, its regime is also probably finished.
Perhaps that is the coming end-game? Soon?
Posted by Alex at 03:55 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (6)
Red/Blue Demographics: Is intelligence helpful?
Dan sent me this piece discussing the fertility problems of modern first worlders. In particular e.g. red states have fertility rates 12% higher than blues.
I described this fact to a left/lib friend last night, and the response was: But they are stupider.
Ignoring the utter vacuity of that statement, the obvious response (thought of later) is: Perhaps the reason why convervativism is "old" and leftism is "new" even though left ideas are "obvious" to leftists is because everytime a population comes up with left ideas, it proceeds to die off. Maybe convervative ideology is the shark/roach of ideas. Maybe leftism is like algae-blooms.
Posted by Alex at 03:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (1)
