JAN 10
 |
|
|
 |
“ Doing what little one can to increase the general stock of knowledge is as respectable an object of life as one can in any likelihood pursue ”
Charles Darwin
A word from our patronisers . . .
29 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
i-p*d
As many pundits had predicted, the new Apple gizmo has been dubbed the ' i-pad '
A farsighted ( and apparently anonymous ) person had the idea to register the domain i-pad.com as long as eight years ago, and it's now offered for sale - to interested parties with available funds scaled around several thousands of dollars . . . but what of the other ‘ i-p*d ‘ domains ?
i-pad i-ped i-pid i-pod i-pud .com are all registered.
As are some unfortunate double-vowel’d variations.
But there is one i-p*d.com still available ( at the time of writing )
Using the pseudo-vowel 'y'
Rush now to register i-pyd.com
Caution: The perceived the value of future-sensitive investments can go down as well as up.
28 JAN 10 (late)
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Crows : Grudges : Update
Crows can bear grudges against people who mistreat them – for years.
The new research, published in the journal Animal Behaviour ,
is covered in New Scientist here :
More supporting material here :
Comment from reader NonyMoose (again)
' I was once targeted by a pigeon.'
28 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Brain Chemistry for Lovers
If you happen to be in or around Portland, Oregon on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, why not drop in at the Science Pub-Baghdad Theatre for a special performance of :
Brain Chemistry for Lovers: Where the Art of Song Meets the Science of Love -
‘ Brain Chemistry for Lovers considers the stages of a relationship (Lust, Attraction, Attachment, and Rejection), connects them to the brain chemicals occurring in each stage (Dopamine, Seratonin, and Oxytocyn, among others)—and then expresses each through familiar selections of American popular song. ‘
( tickets $15 )
For a flavour of the event : video here
26 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Pre-apocalyptic environmentally problematic scenario avoidance
“ I may as well run this one into the ground – I’ll be getting a new one soon. ”
Not an uncommon or perhaps even unwise strategy for someone about to acquire a new automobile. But could or should the same idea be applied to a Whole Planet ?
Probably not, according to a newly published research article emanating from the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at King's College London.
“ This article assesses the environmental implications of the hope of a new heaven/s and new earth as we find it expressed in 2 Peter 3.5-13 and Revelation 21.1-22.5. Both texts present the environmentally problematic scenario in which the present creation is dissolved prior to the establishment of the new created order. “
Problematic in the sense that some current inhabitants of Earth might feel, since an apocalypse is in the pipeline, they no longer really need to bother about looking-after the environment. But, as the author points out :
“ ‘Waiting for’ the new heaven/s and earth does not mean abdicating moral responsibility and is not incompaible [sic] with pro-environmental action.“
The article is published in the latest edition of The Expository
Times
22 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Word of the day . . .
' Phpects '
Noun :
Similar to, or possibly indistinguishable from
' Aspects '
Meaning :
' A way of thinking about, or particular feature of something, esp. something complicated '
Usage :
2,500 or so examples here
Update Feb 26
The enigma was rapidly explained by readers of New Scientist's ' Feedback ' column . . . the answer is revealed here.
21 JAN 10 (late)
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The Embodiment of Importance
“ Weight is a metaphor for importance in many languages, including English, Dutch, Spanish, and Chinese. “
Therefore, researchers wondered if the simple act of being required to hold a heavy object ( a clipboard weighing 1.039 kg ) might encourage people to think that a given subject was ‘ important ‘.
And, amazingly perhaps, in each of a series of four studies - it did.
Leading the authors to conclude :
“ Gravitational pull not only shapes people’s bodies and behavior, but even influences their very thoughts. “
As yet though, it's not clear if there are any practical applications
of this discovery – Really
Magazine encourages readers’ suggestions . . .
The study was published in the August 2009 edition of the journal Psychological Science
read the full paper here
Comment from reader NonyMoose
' Could this explain the extreme lack of peer reviewed scientific research papers about experiments carried out on board the International Space Station ? '
21 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Limitations of the Mozart Effect
Descriptions of the ‘ Mozart Effect ‘ could now need the addition of a coda.
For new research conducted at the Royal Holloway University of London finds that the Mozart Effect may not work very well with a specific subset of human subjects :
Musicians.
At least not when it comes to spatial cognition tasks.
Although listening to Mozart helped non-musicians with a mental rotation task, musicians were not affected on the same scale.
The work has just been published in the journal Psychology of Music
Notes :
It’s hypothesised that musicians do not extract much benefit from Mozart’s wake-up call to their right cerebral hemisphere ( utilised in spatial cognition tasks ) – since it’s already well exercised by melodic processing.
19 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Begging : the rhetorical question
As researchers from Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran point out in a new article in the latest issue of the journal Discourse & Society :
“ Beggars are a group of people for whom making a successful speech is of paramount importance. “
Noting that -
“ . . . social and linguistic analysis of their speech seems to be a new and much needed line of inquiry that has not yet been elucidated. “
The team applied Labov’s model of personal narrative to analyse the speech of five Iranian beggars – finding that :
“ . . . participants took advantage of narrative as a powerful cultural discourse through which they denied their identity while assuming and negotiating different positions. “
؟ ؟ ؟
The much needed line of enquiry seems to be expanding rapidly though, for another recent analysis of beggars’ speech can be found here [ page 115 ]
This study also relied on Labov’s model of narrative, and also focussed on the speech of five beggars. It was also carried out in Iran.
But, oddly perhaps, it's credited to different authors . . .
18 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Are we there yet ?
Few would disagree with the maxim : ‘ Time flies when you’re having fun ‘ – but what of the reverse ? If time appears to be flying, could that induce fun-like feelings ?
According to a new study, just published in the journal Psychological Science, the answer is yes.
Researchers performed a series of five experiments to test the theory that –
“. . . perceived time distortion operates as a metacognitive cue and that people implicitly attribute it to their enjoyment of an experience “
“ i.e., time flew, so it must have been fun “
In each trial, experimental subjects ( students ) who were suitably engaged with a mundane task, were tricked persuaded by various means that time had passed quicker than it actually had.
In all the studies the subjects reported more enjoyment ( or less irritation ) when the time had apparently flown.
Leading to the proposal that it may be possible to create pleasureable feelings simply by manipulating the perceived time an experience has taken.
Read You’re
Having Fun When Time Flies in full here
comment from reader Peter K
' I must remember to set my watch back half an hour next time I visit the bank manager. '
15 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Impression management in Zurich . . .
Name dropping : does really it work ?
As the European Institute for Brand Management points out in a recent press-release -
“ Impression management is a process which should not be ignored when discussing personal branding. “
Postulating that namedropping might be counterproductive, experimenters at the Department of Social and Business Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland, sent two flavours of e-mails to student-recipients . . .
In one version the sender claimed he was a ‘ massive fan ‘ of tennis star Roger Federer.
In the other that he was a ‘ personal friend ‘ of Roger’s . . .
The results ?
“ This study confirmed that name dropping is indeed counterproductive as part of self-representation “
The research was published in the journal : Social Influence early
last year
14 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Bildungsroman (dis)enchantment at Hogwarts
A new paper, just published in the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, assesses, possibly for the first time, the impact of Harry Potter as seen from a psychoanalytic perspective.
“ Three developmental issues provide central themes: the necessity for partial disenchantment and increasing attunement to reality, while retaining a capacity for wonder; repudiation or endorsement of the narcissistic solution to life’s difficulties; and aggression and castration fantasies while growing into adult power.”
Sadly, the paper is for subscribers only, but the University of Arizona is providing an online video of the author’s presentation on the same subject.
[Caution: contains spoilers ]
Available here in Windows ™ format
or here in RealPlayer ™ format
؟ ؟ ؟
Also see, from the same author -
‘ The Name of the Helper: A New Look at ‘Rumpelstiltskin ’
13 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Patent of the week
Issued today, US D607,714 S
12 JAN 10 (late)
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Towards consolidating a Theory of Petness.
The question has been asked before ‘ What is a pet ? ‘
The answer, or rather, a new answer, has just been provided by a research paper in the Canadian Journal of Sociology.
The author explains :
“ I take the position that there is no essential ‘ petness ‘ to anything and that it is a social construction. I will argue that petness, which can generally be defined as the state, quality, or conditions under which a pet is constituted, arises from social relations and the treatment of objects. “
And
leading to an even more fundamental question in the process
:
“ Can or should we develop a theory of petness ? “
To the author, the answer is clear.
“ This is an imperative undertaking for the sociological discipline in general, and particularly for those working toward a more open field that pays attention to an array of both living as well as nonliving creatures. “
Read the full
paper here :
12 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Ichthyological grooming
Many agree that a well performed third-party grooming session ( manicure, pedicure, haircut etc ) is a pleasantly relaxing experience.
But what of fish ?
Does, say, a Chromis dimidiata ( Black & White Chromis fish ) really appreciate the attentions of the Cleaning Wrasse ( L. dimidiatus ) or the Cleaner Shrimp ( Periclimenes longicarpus ) ?
Are their stress levels reduced by the services ?
To find out, a series of experiments were performed at the Mersa Bareika, Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt.
And the answer is here, in the what is possibly the only research paper on the subject :
Do cleaning organisms reduce the stress response of client reef fish?
Published in the Oct 2007 issue of the journal Frontiers in Zoology .
Note : No fish or shrimps were harmed during these experiments - the National Park wouldn't allow it.
11 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The way forward is up ?
Anyone with a passing interest in the www will have come across CAPTCHA ™ images – used as an attempt to sort legitimate human users from SpamBots, CommentBots, AdBots and other malign entities.
But any set of letters which can be read by a human being will, sooner or later, be cracked by an automated character-recognition system.
Various new approaches have been suggested - for example ‘ Animated ink-blots ‘ ( see New Scientist 03 November 2009 )
But, in general, the more complicated a system is, the more human errors ( and delays ) there will be . . .
A new simple solution has been suggested by Dr. Gossweiler, research scientist at Google.
A technique called, alarmingly perhaps, ‘ Social Correction ‘.
It centres around the simplest of concepts ( for a human ) – which
way up is the right way ?
Sets of carefully selected pictures are presented to the web-user – and his or her task is to simply rotate them ( with the mouse ) until they’re ‘ the right way up ‘. A correctly orientated set unlocks the page.
Although fair progress has been made with automated image-recognition systems, ( a Holy Grail for surveillance groups and internet search engines ) they are still considered ‘ high-end ‘ software - and adding another layer of complexity ( which way is up ? ) puts such systems well out of reach for would-be spammers.
For the time being.
Read the full research paper here :
08 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
My-life-in-cake
The latest edition of the peer-reviewed journal Media & Culture publishes an article which explores -
“. . . a current cultural relationship between food, confession and autobiography through the lens of performance. “
Taking as inspiration the ‘ infotainment ’ programmes of celebrity TV chef Nigella Lawson. (official promo photo here)
Pointing out that :
“ Nigella gets her hands dirty and heightens moments when her body comes into contact with food. In her ‘ Comfort Food ’ episode from Nigella Bites, she aggressively pierces the insides of the lemon declaring, “ I quite like this ritual disembowelling of the lemon.” Her fingertips often disappear into her mouth as she licks and tastes the food that she ‘ disembowels ‘. “
Author Jenny Lawson [ no relation (?) Ed. ] , doctorial researcher at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries , the University of Leeds, UK, goes on to describe how she ‘ bakes her autobiography ‘ - as part of a two-year research project ' addressing the cultural and social ramifications of popular cultural performances of food. '
As part of the research, she undertook a ten-week cake decorating course, which led to the creation of a
“ . . . cake sculpture [which] became a living autobiography. “
Reminding us in the process that as Elspeth Probyn pointed out in her book Carnal Appetites (2000)
“ The mouth machine is central to the articulation of different orders that go beyond the division of public and private: the tongue sticks out, draws in food, objects and people. In eating we constantly take in and spit out things, people, selves. “
And culminating with the observation :
“ I started out baking myself, but I ended up baking you, and then together we ate each other. “
Here is the full version of
Food Confessions: Disclosing the Self through the Performance of
Food
07 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Positive pop
“ On average, those who had heard songs like Michael Jackson's Heal the World responded more quickly and picked up almost five times as many pencils as people in the other group. “
Similar results were obtained with Help from the Beatles.
06 JAN 10 ( late edition )
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Pinpointing fiscal rationality deviation
The ‘Money
Illusion ‘ was
first described In the early part of the last century by
none other than Maynard Keynes himself. It can be described
as ‘ the
tendency to think of currency in nominal, rather than real
terms ‘.
As an example, think of a group of workers who would reject a 2% pay cut – but who would happily accept a 2% pay rise even though inflation was running at 5%.
In essence then, a lack of focus on the real value of money.
As a recent research paper from the University of Bonn, Gemany and Caltech, in the US, points out :
“ The existence of money illusion is a highly controversial issue in economics and next to nothing is known about why individuals might engage in this irrational behavior. “
To address this issue, the team used fMRI techniques to scan the brains of 24 experimental subjects ( students ? ) while they were examining pre-prepared consumer catalogues – half of which had a built-in 50% price hike.
Analysis of the fMRI scans with a technique known as Statistical Parametric Mapping 5 clearly pinpointed a small area in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC) . . .
“ We found that areas of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which have been previously associated with the processing of anticipatory and experienced rewards, exhibited money illusion. We also found that the amount of money illusion exhibited by the mPFC was correlated with the amount of money illusion exhibited in the evaluation of real economic transactions. “
Bearing in mind the topicality and severity of several very high-profile cases of fiscal rationality deviation, it’s perhaps surprising that these results have not yet ( as far as Really Magazine is aware ) resulted in any practical applications.
For now that that the Money Illusion Center has been pinpointed, maybe investment bankers ( some of whom are now, in effect, the most highly-paid Civil Servants in history ) should be required to undertake regular fMRI scans - to quantify their susceptibility to fiscal rationality deviation ?
Read the full study here :
06 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Lactic metasolid rheology in New Zealand
Back in 2006 ( or so ) the Dept. of Physics at the University of Auckland, NZ, initiated a series of experimental studies investigating the elastic failure of soft solids – specifically butter ( and similar spreads )
Pointing out that :
“ The texture of lipid-based food materials is an important topic for investigation. “
The results of the programme have recently been published.
“
. . . force-displacement measurements were converted to stress–strain
by assuming incompressibility of edible fat food materials in a linear
viscoelastic region (LVR). “
In particular with reference to temperature.
Although the relationship between butter's rheological properties and temperature is a complex one, it can broadly be summarised . . .
It spreads considerably more easily when heated.
The effect of temperature on the rheology of butter, a spreadable blend and spreads can be found in a recent issue of Journal of Texture Studies.
04 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Bingy bingy bingy bing . . .
You may be able to turn to a future issue of the British journal of Psychology for an unusual article : ‘ Towards a natural history of intrusive thoughts ‘.
To focus on the intrusive thoughts problem, researchers from the University of Reading , UK, opted to study so-called ‘ Earworms ‘ – irritating segments of music which get ‘ stuck in one’s brain. '
The team asked more than 100 subjects ( students ? ) if they ever suffered from earworms – and :
“Survey data show that the experience is widespread but earworms are not generally considered problematic . . .“
Sadly though, no common denominator was identified, and it's not clear if this new research has really furthered understanding of the disturbing earworm phenomenon – first formally described back in 2001 – by ‘ Dr. Earworm ‘ himself : Prof. Kellaris from the University of Cincinnati - who has constructed a bespoke website entirely dedicated to the problem.
Important note : the website hosts live examples of earworms - proceed with caution.
02 JAN 10
comments | permalink | back
to the top
“ I said it’s out of order for $£%&s sake “
To set the scenario :
You are a computer. You interact via a telephone call with a human customer. Can you tell if they’re angry or not ?
Call centre designers and managers are very keen to find reliable automating anger detection algorithms – for example so that the system can play ‘ just the right ’ on-hold music, or in extreme cases the calls could be routed to a specialist human soother. ( see note [1] below )
Progress was reported at the 2009 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing, as outlined in the paper :
‘ Detecting anger in real life ‘
“ The database consists of 21 hours recordings from a German voice portal where customers report problems with their phone connection and get preselected by an automated voice dialog before being connected to an agent. “
But how much anger was there ? And could a suitably programmed computer spot it ?
To find out, three human ‘ labelers ‘ categorised the recorded segments as ‘ Not angry ‘ ‘ Unsure ‘ ‘ Angry ‘ and ‘ Garbage ‘.
And sadly, they found no less than 1.8 hours of unmistakable anger in the database.
Two methods of computer analysis were then applied to the recordings in order to see how they compared with the human anger-spotters - an SVM classifier and a Gaussian Mixture Model . . .
How did they perform ?
Having read and re-read the paper, Really Magazine is still not sure – but our guess is that if the programmes had scored well, the authors probably might have said so.
Perhaps informed readers can help us out ?
؟ ؟ ؟
Notes :
[1] Caution : see previous Really Magazine article.
[2] the Geman Voice Portal was not indentified in the report.
[3] the research was undertaken with the assistance of Deutsche Telekom.
30 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The Irony Centre
Researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University
of Hokkaido, Sapporo, Japan, may have located the brain’s Irony
Centre – or rather a set of brain areas which may be activated
in the presence of an ironic stimulus.
Experimental subjects undergoing an fMRI scan read a story consisting of five sentences. The fifth sentence either contained - or did not contain - irony.
The results were clearcut – precisely pinpointing for the first time where irony is processed.
“ In the ironical sentence condition, the bilateral Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG: BA44/45/46/47), Inferior Parietal Lobule (IPL: BA 40), Superior Frontal Gyrus (SFG: BA 8), Medial Frontal Gyrus (MPFG: BA 9/10), the left Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG: BA 22), and Parahippocampal Gyrus were activated. “
Although, of course, the exact nature of irony comprehension still remains mysterious -
“ Our results suggest that irony comprehension is strongly related to mentalizing processes with an emotion and higher cognitive operations [sic]. “
؟ ؟ ؟
Note :
For readers who have access to an fMRI machine, and who would like to conduct their own investigations, here are two 2009 news items which may be used as test stimuli – one has a high irony content, the other is a control.
29 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Precisely(ish)
A new research article, scheduled to appear in a forthcoming edition* of the journal Synthese examines Vagueness, uncertainty and degrees of clarity
The authors take advantage of Signal Detection Theory ( SDT) to show that the use of a ‘ Variable Margin of Error ‘ scheme can be employed to develop what they call a ‘ Likelihood Model ‘ – which may be of help in clarifying the concept of clarity.
In short, they -
“ . . . propose a semantics of degrees of clarity, inspired from the signal detection theory model, and outline a view of higher-order vagueness in which the notions of subjective clarity and unclarity are handled asymmetrically at higher orders, namely such that the clarity of clarity is compatible with the unclarity of unclarity. “
؟ ؟ ؟
* In the meantime, you can read
the full 38 page paper here
28 DEC 09 ( late edition )
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Closed loop eigenvalues in Bombus terrestris
Back in 2005,
a mathematical research project at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics,
at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics came
to the disturbing conclusion that the flight of the bumblebee
is inherently unstable.
And yet, in the real world, we observe that bumblebees can indeed fly and hover remarkably well.
Thankfully, the conundrum has been resolved - in a new study from the same team.
Modal Analysis and a suite of Navier-Stokes simulations have shown that if ‘ feedbacking ‘ of the vertical and horizontal velocities, pitching rate and pitch angle are taken into consideration :
“ . . . the flight is controllable. This may explain why the bumblebees can fly stably, even if they do not have passive stability. “
[ our italics ]
There may well be further work to do however, for the team proposes an ambitious move off the page and into the laboratory - or possibly even the field -
“ In the future, it would be of great
interest to conduct some free-flight experiments and measure the
variations of wing kinematics
wingbeat by wingbeat for relatively long period. “
28 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
I * therefore I am
Writer, philosopher, composer, vinophile, public commentator, fox hunter and resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Professor Roger Scruton draws attention to the phrase :
“ The wine is intoxicated with me, not me with the wine “
His new book ‘ I drink therefore I am ‘ is in the shops now.
“ While wine is an excellent accompaniment to food, it is even better with philosophy. By thinking with wine, you can learn to drink in thoughts and think in draughts. “
says his publisher.
Caution : Should be enjoyed in moderation. May cause drowsiness.
؟ ؟ ؟
Really Magazine's suggestions for possible future works ( in no particular order )
• I shrink therefore I am ( the philosophy of psychiatry )
• I link therefore I am ( the philosophy of the www )
• I sink therefore I am ( the philosophy of the abysmal )
• I oink therefore I am ( the philosophy of Sus domestica )
؟ ؟ ؟
Happy xmas to all our reader. Ed.
23 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Navel research in Helsinki
Have the medical and psychological significances of the Umbilicus ( Belly Button ) been largely overlooked ?
Aki Sinkkonen, Post Doc Researcher at the University of Helsinki Department of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, believes the answer maybe yes.
His comparative study, recently published in the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) found that -
“ . . . symmetrical t-shaped and oval-shaped umbilici of fertile females were considered the most attractive. “
Lending
weight to the
theory that perhaps aesthetically pleasing umbilici may not
only be used as a predictor of fertility - but also as a
reliable indicator of health in general.
“ The novel hypothesis explains why umbilicus has aesthetic value, and why umbilicus has had a distinctive role in different cultures. “
read <
Umbilicus as a fitness signal in humans
> here.
22 DEC 09 (late edition)
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The lowdown
If you are a lawyer, and you want to win the most cases for your clients ( and yourself of course ) what’s the best strategy ? Should you be nasty, aggressive and dishonest or pleasant, passive, honest etc ?
A new study from the European University Institute Department of Law, has, almost certainly for the first time, mathematically investigated this question, and the disturbing results have recently been published in the Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Law.
A theoretical game-framework was developed ( using some spreadsheets ) and analysis of all possible behaviour strategies clearly showed the most successful legal posture – look away now if you don’t want to know the result :
“ . . . the most successful posture for a lawyer is to be non-honest and nonaggressive, followed by being honest and aggressive, then by being honest and non-aggressive, and finally by being non-honest and aggressive. “
Thus dishonesty - with a smile - pays dividends ( allegedly ).
Read the full paper
‘ Why lawyers are nice (or nasty): a game-theoretical argumentation exercise ‘
؟ ؟ ؟
It should be note however, that the paper overlooked one other possible reason for the nasty behaviour of (some) lawyers : and that is the subject of another troubling research paper, just published in the journal Economic Letters.
‘ The pleasure of being nasty ‘
A team from the Faculty of Economics and Business University of Amsterdam, and the Faculty of Economics and Management University of Magdeburg University, have developed what they call a ‘ joy-of-destruction game. ‘
“ Two players each receive an endowment and simultaneously decide on how much of the other player's endowment to destroy. “
One of the most important aspects of the game's rules was that destruction of an opponent’s fortune did not in any way affect a player's own horde.
In other words, the only possible motivation for undermining one’s opponent was the sheer pleasure of it . . .
“ In a treatment without fear of retaliation, money is destroyed in almost 40% of all decisions. We attribute this behavior to a visceral pleasure of being nasty. “
And, as if that was not enough, the game also revealed frequent examples of the euphemistically named ‘ Pre-emptive retaliation ‘ - already all too familliar in legal, corporate, and governmental departments at the highest of levels ( as well as in the school playground ).
Read the full paper here :
22 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Doxastic fallibilisms and beyond
A new ( yet to be published ) study originating from the Dept. of Philosophy at Pomona College, Claremont, California , asks ( and answers ) two questions :
• Is it possible to imagine impossible situations ?
and, going a step further -
• Is it possible to imagine an impossible situation even after we learn it ’s impossible ?
The 21 page research paper analyses the questions in substantial detail, citing as examples :
• Mark Twain punching Sam Clemens on the chin.
• Water that’s not made of H2O
• A wooden table not made of molecules
• And whether King’s College is on fire ( or is it a replica ? )
Even taking into account the complexities introduced by the possibilities ( or impossibilities ) of Back to the Future ( viz. Time Travel ), the answer, to both questions, is, it seems, a likely :
Yes.
Read the full paper here
Comment from reader Peter K.
' What about impossible dreams ? I dreamt I was a whelk, and I'm not. I think. If I was I couldn't be posting this comment. Or could I ? '
Editor's reply :
' An excellent suggestion for further research '
21 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Applying the MIC
How best to scientifically analyse the true ' essence ' of corporate advertising without personal opinions and biases clouding the picture ?
Previous investigations have taken a ‘ Grounded Theory ‘ (GT) approach – but, according to new research just published in the journal Visual Communication -
“ . . . GT allows for explicit, rather than implicit, processes of conceptualization. “
Clearly a new method is needed – and might be provided by examining the fractal content of the ads - taking the form of a ‘ Multidimensional Integrative Concepts ‘ (MIC) generator.
“ MIC is a four-fold Guttman scale fractal generator based on the conceptual essence of the four kingdoms “
The ' kingdoms ' being :
• object or static concepts (mineral kingdom),
• dynamic concepts (for the growth processes in the plant kingdom),
• sentient, evaluative or affect concepts (for the sentient awareness and
feelings of the animal kingdom), and
• identity concepts (for the presence of “difference” or individual
identity in the human kingdom)
The keynote here is that the MIC generator can analyse not only the advertising images themselves - but also the copy text that goes with it.
In a test run, the MIC generator was applied to magazine ads for Gore-Tex , Akvavit, and Range Rover.
As the authors point out, none of the three companies is ‘ given to outlandish claims or hyperbole ‘ - nevertheless the fractal analysis provided by the MIC generator showed that :
“ . . . the ads of all three companies included intentional distortions of the truth, and that such distortions were not merely up to the subjective opinion of the viewer but could be verified with second-iterations of the MIC generator. “
It's hoped that further development of this holistic ontological framework ( the MIC ) will lead to a deeper understanding of the essence of ads - in other words -
“ Since nothing about the fluidity or abstract nature of concepts necessarily nullifies their status as real (the postmodern critique) we suggest that the nihilistic versions of interpretivism can be overcome with good conceptual analysis, without falling into the trappings of naïve realism characteristic of positivistic methods.“
Read an early version of the paper in full here
- ( scroll to the end to view the example ads )
؟ ؟ ؟
Previous Really Magazine articles on the Fractal content of :
18 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
Highbrow highnotes
A new study from the Cognitive and Systematic Musicology Laboratory, at Ohio State University, and the Department of Media Technology, at Aalborg University Copenhagen has, perhaps for the first time (?) scientifically investigated possible links between the pitch of a human singer’s vocal note – and the relative height of their eyebrows.
Researchers asked 44 volunteers* to sing a vowel-sound of their choice at a comfortable pitch. Then they were asked to raise and lower the note. They were photographed at each stage.
In a subsequent analysis of the photos, a clear pattern emerged. Higher notes were generally accompanied by higher eyebrows – and the converse with low notes.
But why ?
The research team has a theory that higher eyebrows – which are routinely read as a gesture of friendliness or appeasement – are linked in some way with higher pitched voices, which often signal the same thing.
But Really Magazine prefers the alternative explanations which the team also offer.
• For example, the link -
“ . . . may be a culturally-mediated exaggeration of a weak (though ubiquitous) size-sound symbolism. “
(viz. highpitched - lowpitched )
• or, could there be -
“ . . . an as yet undocumented anatomical or physiological link between the muscles of the face and the muscles of the laryngeal cavity. “
( the eyebrows connected to the voice box )
And noting, of course, that :
“ Such speculations suggest possible avenues for future research. “
The study is published in the latest
edition of the journal
Empirical Musicology Review
Or, if you’re not an EMR subscriber, you can read the full paper here :
Editor’s comment :
If any readers doubt the robustness of this curious syndrome, try singing progressively lower notes in front a mirror . . . go as low as you can – and see if you can avoid frowning . . .
Comment from reader Vez
' Anyone who sings regularly knows that all singing
teachers tell you to raise your eyebrows to sing high notes.
It works! '
(* attracted by the offer of a free ice cream. )
17 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
EIBCs
More than ever perhaps :
• Space is at a premium.
• Time is at a premium.
• Cash is at a premium.
Hence the need for the -
‘ Easy Inter Burial Container ‘
For which a new US patent was granted yesterday.
‘ This invention relates to conserving land area and easy
to install burial containers which can be pressed, agitated, screwed,
self bored or by other means set into earth or other receiving
materials
and do not require a large amount of land area or a large
pre-dug rectangular hole with subsequent refilling after the placement
of
the burial container. ‘
The screw-into-the-ground casket will use only one third
of the normal space required – and ' bores
its own final hole ' with assitance either by hand :
or, even more rapidly, with a specially adapted tractor backhoe.
• Full details of US pat. 7,631,404 here
• Previous patent app. with drawings here
note :
The EIBC will normally be made of metal - but will also be available in clear plastic : " A clear plastic Easy Inter Burial Container, where the body is additionally encased in clear resin and is standing erect for all to view during installation, creates a very impressive image. "
16 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
The Doubting Doubt Paradox
For most people, doubt is often associated with negative consequences - but are there perhaps conditions where doubting can actually increase one’s confidence, or enhance efficiency ?
Say, for example when one ‘ doubts one’s doubt ‘ ?
The answer may be yes, according to the results of two experiments recently conducted at Ohio State University.
“ . . . participants were first primed with doubt or certainty and then exposed to a manipulation associated with either confidence (e.g., head nodding) or doubt (head shaking). Supporting the idea that people can either trust or doubt their own doubts, head nodding (vs. shaking) accentuated (vs. attenuated) the impact of the initial doubt versus certainty manipulation. “
Or, to clarify :
“ . . . a doubtful person exposed to an uncertainty induction paradoxically might feel less uncertain than a person with the same level of initial doubt who received no additional uncertainty activation. “
The results of the two studies allow the researchers to advise that :
“ Instead of arguing that confidence is always good, our meta-cognitive perspective suggests that in some cases, instilling momentary doubt might lead to more desirable outcomes than confidence. “
and going further still :
“ . . . the difference between certainty that one is going to fail and concern that one might fail could be the difference between hopelessness and careful preparation for success. “
The research is to be published in a forthcoming edition the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , in the meantime, you can read :
‘ Doubting
One’s Doubt: A Formula for Confidence ? ‘ here :
Comment from reader Peter K
' I used the 'doubting my doubt' technique and it worked - for a while - but then I started 'doubting my doubt doubting' and now I'm back to square one. '
15 DEC 09
comments | permalink | back
to the top
advertising
|
The Best of . . .View a random article from our editor's list of absolute favourites
click the refresh button for a new selection
|
|
|
 |
LRS
"the world's leader in language removal services"
The Big Tie Shop
"the world's best Big Ties"
De Cecco
"the world's best commercially produced pasta"
! Ltd.
"the world's best
! company"
New Scientist
"the world's best weekly science magazine"
OFFER CLOSED
Crooke's Radiometer (virtual)
Duvel
"the world's best beer"
"the world's best Sciencebase"
The "DoDo"
( Cassina )
"the world's best chair"
Firefox
"the world's best web-browser"
Bösendorfer
"the world's best pianos"
! Ltd.
"the world's best
! company"
