whispers

New Yorker article on Language and Thought

George — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:54:27 +0000

I read this article my senior year of college as I carried out my first psychology experiments (on lateralized color processing effects), and it may have influenced my career choices…anyhow, a fascinating piece.

To Read: Joint Winners of the Hugo and Nebula Awards (SciFi)

George — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:07:15 +0000

~~1966/1965 Novel: Dune by Frank Herbert~~
~~1970/1969 Novel: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin~~
~~1971/1970 Novel: Ringworld by Larry Niven~~
1973/1972 Novel: The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
~~1974/1973 Novel: Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke~~
1975/1974 Novel: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
1976/1975 Novel: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
1978/1977 Novel: Gateway by Frederik Pohl
1979/1978 Novel: Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre
1980/1979 Novel: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
1984/1983 Novel: Startide Rising by David Brin
1985/1984 Novel: Neuromancer by William Gibson
1986/1985 Novel: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
1987/1986 Novel: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
1993/1992 Novel: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
1998 Novel: Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
2002 Novel: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
2004 Novel: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
2008/2007 Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon

Delicious Recipes

George — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 18:11:08 +0000

I made baked beans from scratch for a lab picnic (on a pontoon boat at Lake Monroe…which was awesome). Somebody else made these mouthwatering Brazilian cheese rolls, which I hope to make soon. Transitioning from om to yum.

Longevity

George — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:25:16 +0000

Resveratrol looks promising. Same effects as caloric restriction, but more studies needed in mammals. Biotivia has the best supplements. We will see.

triplemonkeys teaser

George — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:15:39 +0000

Finally, the link.

Banana Bread

George — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:51:14 +0000

I made some. It was tasty. I added walnuts. Yum.

Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

www.hideout.com.br/images/sitemap4.html”>mp3s

BBC Psych Surveys

George — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:28 +0000

Here are the tests. Some of my results:

I correctly identified 16 out of 20 people as either genuinely smiling or faking a smile.

80% of the time I prefer extroverted female faces over introverted female faces (confirming their hypothesis that extroverts prefer extroverted mates).

Eyes
	This task tested your ability to judge people’s emotions.Your score: 8 out of 10 Average score for men: 6.6 out of 10 Average score for women: 6.6 out of 10

This task looked at whether you prefer to empathise or systemise.

Your empathy score is: 13 out of 20
Average score for men: 7.9 out of 20
Average score for women: 10.6 out of 20

Your systemising score is: 17 out of 20
Average score for men: 12.5 out of 20
Average score for women: 8.0 out of 20

Angles
	This task tested your ability to identify the angle of a line by matching it with its twin. This is a spatial task, which looks at how you picture space.Your score: 18 out of 20 Average score for men: 15.1 out of 20 Average score for women: 13.3 out of 20

Spot the difference
	This task tested your ability to identify which objects changed position. You lost points, if you incorrectly identified objects.

(I could’ve done better; got 7 right and 0 wrong.)

Left thumb on top: This suggests the right half of your brain is dominant. Some studies theorise that as a right brain dominant person, you may excel in visual, spatial and intuitive processes.

Fingers
	We asked you to measure your ring and index fingers. Your ratios came to:Right Hand: 0.95 Left Hand: 0.94Average ratio for men: 0.982 Average ratio for women: 0.991

(Lower ratio = Higher testosterone)

Faces

This task looked at how you rate the attractiveness of a series of faces. The images you looked at were digitally altered to create slight differences in masculinity.

Your choices suggest you prefer more masculine female faces.

3D shapes
	This task tested your ability to mentally rotate 3D shapes. Your score: 11 out of 12 Average score for men: 8.2 out of 12 Average score for women: 7.1 out of 12If you scored 10 - 12: Are you an engineer or do you have a science background?

Writing Better Code

George — Wed, 30 May 2007 23:25:19 +0000

article
and a reminder: sodium benzoate = bad news for mitochondrial DNA -> avoid soda

Fruit Fly Finding: Free Will!

George — Thu, 17 May 2007 03:05:41 +0000

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18684016/

Too bad humans don’t have any…

Future - Information

George — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:42:51 +0000

Really enjoying The Cryptonomicon at the moment.

Interesting article.