Random Thoughts
Dear TV and Movie Producer Person,
I realize that you receive letters all the time complaining about the gratuitous sex and violence on television and in movies. This is not one of those letters. In a sense, I want more sex and violence. Let me explain.
It is worth reminding ourselves why we watch TV and movies. First and foremost, we watch to be entertained. And, secondly, we watch because we get to watch. That is, we watch TV and movies because the visual modality of the experience brings an evocativeness of its own, one that we seem to like. Sure, we like the dialog and the plot twists,…
Having myself thought I was going insane at one point, I should be very careful in using the word "kook" about anybody. But have no fear; I'm libeling an entire state: California, of course.
I don't know when I first realized that Californians harbored a greater array of strange beliefs then most places. Being a rational humanist and atheist, I was, at the time I moved to San Francisco over fifteen years ago, somewhat dismissive of "weird" beliefs. But at least I was equal opportunity: to me, the established religions, the supernatural, the Loch Ness monster, flying saucers, astrology, the…
Propaganda is normally associated with governments that are attempting to persuade or influence people for a particular political objective. More formally it is defined as "the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist"1.
While there are certainly similarities with many forms of persuasive communication, propaganda by itself doesn't necessarily denote a positive or negative activity. Such a jugement is always made from the perspective of the viewer.
We…
antunes |
As a freelance scientist, I find my Friday to-do lists are particularly eclectic. A little backstory: I work as a freelance a) science writer and b) programmer in order to support A) my family and B) my hobbies.
As long as, from a cash perspective, $a+$b > $A+$Band, from a time perspective, dt(a)+dt(b) dt(A)+dt(B)... then I'm happy.
Oh, I could complicate this-- some of my hobbies pay, and I suppose I could sell the kids on eBay to reverse the equations. And it is very hard to figure out on which side ScientificBlogging falls. It pays…
So my friend's setting up her wireless network and asks me about names, and I randomly spout off the phrase "unicorn tentacles". Cause that's a great name for a wireless network.
Then I started wondering if it might be a googlewhack. Of course, knowing the internet, that possibility shouldn't have even crossed my mind. Netfolk are way too obsessed with these kinds of things. (Links go to unicorn stuff, but you can find your own tentacles.)
The best discovery of my googling adventure: Elder Unicorn II! Yes, it is a misbegotten cross between Cthulhu and a kelpie, and it is, quite frankly,…
Political scientists from the University of Missouri say that the general public knows very little about foreign policy, and what they do know is based primarily on "rhetoric" from whatever president occupies the White House.
They also suggest that plainly stated, easy-to-understand foreign policy explanations from presidential administrations are likely to receive public support, while complicated, convoluted policy explanations are likely to face greater public skepticism. The findings are published in Political Research Quarterly.
"Many analyses have shown that the public pays little…
According to one historian, the anti-government rallies that made their way across the country last summer, known as tea parties, may explain more about Americans than their views on high taxes and gun control.
Ohio State University historian Randolph Roth claims that the distrust of government on display at the tea parties earlier this year has appeared sporadically throughout America's history and may be linked to homicide rates. In short, when Americans begin routinely complaining about how they hate their government and don't trust their leaders, they commit more murders.
Although…
Today, I learned from the Wall Street Journal that "frying cuttlefish" is Cantonese slang for being fired. As a result, cuttlefish fishing trips are deliberately misnamed squid fishing trips, to avoid the negative associations of losing one's job. Fabulous!
This might beat "flat out like a lizard drinking" as my favorite zoological slang.
On that note, happy turkey day! I'm thankful for the Internet, and yes, I said that at the dinner table.
The recent financial meltdown was perhaps the biggest economic crisis since the great depression, and a team of economists says that current macroeconomic models used to diagnose and treat the causes of the ongoing recession are woefully inadequate.
Their study, appearing in the November issue of Strategic Organization, argues that macroeconomics is not equipped to offer full solutions to this crisis. Its basic assumption is that factors of production, firms, and industries in the economy are homogeneous and interchangeable. Research in strategic management has consistently shown that the…
Ignoring all of the likely reasons why Africa may see more civil wars in the future, a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that global warming could increase the likelihood of civil war in sub-Saharan Africa by over 50 percent within the next two decades.
The study, conducted by researchers at UC Berkeley as well as at Stanford University, New York University and Harvard University, provides the first "quantitative" evidence linking climate change and the risk of civil conflict, the authors claim. They conclude by urging accelerated…