AUG 10
 |
||
 |
"The universe is an illusion, albeit a persistant one "
Albert Einstein
This week's new patents
New US patents issued today . . .
Yes . . . but what are they ?
Click the image to view the full patent . . .
31 AUG 10 (late editon)
comments | permalink | back to the top
Isnotzoeeezy.
How can you accurately tell if someone is drunk or not - without the use of chemical methods to test their Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) ?
You can’t – according to a new study in Behavioral Sciences & the Law.
In which Steve Rubenzer Ph.D., ABPP explains that -
“ Assessing the sobriety of strangers in the low to moderate BAC ranges without resort to chemical tests remains a daunting task.”
As his website www.forensicsobrietyassessment.com sets out, common-sense ad-hoc judgements are often far from accurate. He tabulates the following error-prone clues.
• Unusually relaxed or ‘laid-back’
• Having to make a special effort to articulate
• Very friendly, particularly with strangers
• Suggestive language, mild profanity
• Red-faced, sweating, loosened clothing
• Giggling, ‘cutesy’ , self-satisfied
• Exaggerated gestures
• Red eyes
• Going off by oneself
• Miscalculating distance or depth
• Speaking loudly and dominating conversation
• Poor posture
• Standing ‘cheek-to-jowl’ when talking to someone
• Making physical contact when talking
• Low dexterity, poor co-ordination
• Slow, flustered, forgetful
• Clothing very rumpled, hair mussed
• Antisocial speech or behaviour
• Extreme lack of dexterity
• Slurred or incoherent speech
• Shouting at or cursing people
• Loss of balance
Pointing out that “ . . . some [drunken]
people do not show the expected clues.”
Really Magazine suggests the possibility of looking at the problem form the other direction though. Perhaps the diagnostic difficulties lie not in the fact that many people don’t reliably exhibit the symptoms when drunk - but that many people do even when they’re not.
؟ ؟ ؟
Other news
31 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Exclusive . . .
Mr.
Paul BentClip – previously thought to have been
in retirement - has announced his intention to sue Apple,
Google, BP, Kodak, Nike, Pizza Hut, BAE Systems, FarceBook and Hormel
Foods ( makers of Spam )
for alleged patent infringements.
During the late nineties, Mr. BentClip became almost a household name as the always-on ‘Out-of-the-Office Assistant’ for [deleted] [deleted][deleted][deleted]
[deleted][deleted] ( at the request of his legal advisors )
In an exclusive statement to Really Magazine, Mr. BentClip said
“ I intent 2 un-escape 2343&ff 11Fk53Jy58HsvSgs$Hhl82k444BcgsYY clear violation of &exception 404 as soon as possible.”
30 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Consolidating a Peter Pan theory
‘ Finding everland: Flight fantasies and the desire to transcend mortality ‘
- will be published in a future edition of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
It's one of the very few academic papers to describe the applicability of Terror Management Theory to ‘ Flight Fantasies ’ in students.
Example :
“ In Study 2, participants showed greater desire to fly, but not to engage in other supernatural acts, after contemplating death compared to a control topic.”
Also see, by one of the paper’s co-authors : A psychobiographical essay on J. M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan.
27 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Pedestrian Practices - Plymouth
New research from the Department of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Devon, UK, forms the basis of one of the first academic studies to empirically unpack the experiences of real-world urban walking.
The research centred around a series of in-depth interviews and walking photo-diaries made in the inner London boroughs of Islington and Hackney.
As the author points out -
“...many academic engagements with walking are highly abstract theorisations that lack any systematic empirical exploration of actual pedestrian practices.”
In this case though -
“ Walking is positioned and understood as a socio-technical assemblage that enables specific attention to be drawn to the embodied, material and technological relations and their significance for engaging with everyday urban movements on foot.”
See:
Sense and the city: exploring the embodied geographies of urban walking
In the latest issue of the journal Social & Cultural Geography.
26 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
A touch of toast
When Bacon and Egg Ice-cream was first introduced at the Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, UK, it wasn’t an immediate hit – for reasons which have now been clarified - and which perhaps could be described as Crossmodal dysfunctionalism.
The dish has come under the scrutiny of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford.
Professor Charles Spence explains the underlying psychology here in the Sept 2010 edition of the journal the psychologist.
“When bacon-and-egg ice-cream was first created, it was only moderately pleasant; the flavours did not appear to stand out from one another. The breakthrough came when a piece of crispy fried bread was added to the plate. While the bread does not, in-and-of-itself, impart much flavour to the dish, its addition brought the dish alive, seemingly helping to separate the bacon and egg flavours. It appears as though the bacon is ‘ventriloquised’ towards, and hence becomes perceptually localised within, the crispy bread, while the eggy flavour stays behind in the more texturally appropriate soft ice-cream.”
Correction. In an earlier version of this item we erroneously described the additional ingredient as 'toast'. We should of course have said 'fried bread' – which from the point of view of ventriloquism might be substantially different. Ed.
25 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Flea Market Theory
Many
people are fond of finding and re-using old objects. And Dr.
Paul Camic of the Department of Applied Psychology
at Canterbury University in the UK is one such person.
His recent publication -
From trashed to treasured: A grounded theory analysis of the found object.
- which appears in the may 2010 edition of the journal ‘ Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts ‘, points out that -
“. . . research and applied psychologists pay surprisingly little attention to the material objects encountered in day-to-day living, even though the significance of these objects in human development has been profound.”
“ Drawing on literature from the visual arts, consumer behavior, anthropology, psychology, art therapy, and museum studies, this is the first known article to examine the psychological, social, and aesthetic factors involved in found and second-hand object use.”
Note : For these purposes, secondhand and ‘found objects’ are defined as "... objects that are found in streets, alleys, garbage bins, or anywhere else OR are purchased as secondhand objects in curiosity, charity and secondhand shops, garage and boot sales, flea markets and estate sales. “
The article is ‘subscribers only’, but supporting
material can
be found, and read, online, here, for free.
؟ ؟ ؟
As yet under-represented in the academic literature: ‘ Towards a consolidated theory of beachcombing.’
23 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Curiosity of the Month
In her 80's, Coco Chanel ( creator of Chanel No. 5 ) lived at the Ritz in Paris. When she felt inclined to dine in the hotel's restaurant, the management always ensured that a table was exclusively resevable for her.
Or, to be precise, a set of tables. One table surrounded by several empty ones.
Thus the ' public ' was successfully, though not at all discreetly, kept at bay - she couldn't stand their smells.
Source: LRB , Vol. 32 No. 1 · 7 January 2010
19 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Paper of the week.
From the Lubin School of Business at Pace University New York City. ( “ ...among only 3% of the world's premier business schools.” ) [1]
“ Toward a Theory of Restaurant Décor: An Empirical Examination of Italian Restaurants in Manhattan ”
in the latest issue of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research.
18 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Owning Colours
Can an individual – personal or corporate – ‘own’ a colour?
A recent paper in the journal Colour: Design & Creativity takes an-in depth look at this concept. The history of colour 'ownership' goes back centuries. In ancient China, only the emperor and his family had rights to own anything bright yellow - even down to the roof-tiles of the imperial palaces. And the paper cites the modern-day examples of Yves Klein - who received a patent for his ‘ International Klein Blue (IKB) ’ , and Cadbury Ltd. - who tried to enforce their ‘ownership’ of a purplish variation in relation to chocolate bar wrappings.
It maybe too late, but Really Magazine is today registering ‘ Really Fawn ’ specified as :
194,189,181 (in RGB)
77,1,5 (in LAB)
24%, 21%, 26%, 0% (in CMYK)
#C2BDB5 (in hex)
We will actively pursue any body, entity or organisation using Really Fawn for any purpose without our express permission ( excluding naturally occurring phenomena such as decayed leaves, lentils, mud etc etc ).
In the meantime it's avalable for licence ( apply for rates ), or for outright sale ( substantial offers only - no timewasters ).
؟ ؟ ؟
Also see : www.international-klein-blue.com
11 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
The Virtual Pom-Poms of Normalcy
First
watch this
video. A presentation trailer for Nintendo’s Wii ™ game ‘ We
Cheer ’.
The producers ( Namco Bandai ) profile their product like this :
“ … get ready to show your team spirit while you kick, jump, flip, spin and dance to the rhythm of the hottest music from the past and present. Master your moves with precision and timing, and get ready to beat the other squads to claim the #1 spot in the championship. Bring it on! ”
But, could this be an oversimplistic description ?
For ‘ We Cheer ’ is the subject of a new and thoroughgoing academic analysis in the latest issue of the journal Television & New Media -
“ Located within a cultural space situated firmly in the political, technological, and historical context of the contemporary moment and predicated on the contention that all texts are dialogic, the author reads physical cultural technologies as constituents of the powerful techniques of self-regulation and self-surveillance of the young female body.”
The new article is ‘subscribers only’ – but fortunately, further info on the same subject, from the same author, is available via the University of Bath website in the UK. Here we learn that the game forms part of “ Public pedagogies of normalcy ”, and specifically, one which is -
“…a theoretical construct capable of expressing neoliberal tenets of self-surveillance, individualisation and the monitoring of the body towards those ends deemed normal by heteronormative rhetoric.”
Perhaps then, the game is more than just virtual pom-pom waving for fun and exercise ?
؟ ؟ ؟
Note : ‘ We Cheer ’ now has a new version ‘ We
Cheer2 ’ -
the official website is
here :
Reader Carmelita kindly draws our attention to possible perils associated with cheerleading : See: Risks of Cheerleading: Two-Thirds Of Severe Sports Injuries To Female Students Due To Cheerleading , from ScienceDaily (Aug. 12, 2008)
09 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Word of the week
Fanification ( n. The process, auto-induced or otherwise, by which a consumer becomes a fan. )
First use (?) ‘ The Intermedial Practises of Fandom ‘ by Kaarina Nikunen, in Nordicom Review, 28 (2007) 2, pp. 111-128
“ Fans have even been considered as the pioneers of future audiences, (Bailey 2002; Jenkins 2003; 2004) predicting transformation in audience practises – something that might be referred to as the fanification of audiences.”
07 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Responsive Chains in Toilets
Can meaningful civic discourse emerge from private spaces
within an organisation?
For inspiration, turn to the latest edition of the Journal of Management Inquiry to find the latest academic paper on toilet-wall graffiti.
And how it relates to the ' Emergence of Organizational Voices '.
Over a three year period, graffiti found on the walls of unisex bathrooms in a chain of US urban coffee-houses provided the basis of the investigation, as well as sets of interviews with the firm’s employees.
The graffiti themselves were manually recorded in a notebook, and were later taxonomically organized into a working catalogue of graffiti types.
• Inciting statements
• Tags/identity markers
• Debating/persuasive statements
• Expressive statements
• Playful statements
• Responsive chains
• etc etc
A full sociolinguistic analysis of these open-source sub-cultural backstage artefacts followed – and found that :
“ Implications of the graffiti included the decentralized production of organizational voices, the problematizing of the notions of public and private, and the possibilities of political expression within organizational spaces.”
A first draft of the full paper can be found here
* Note. The image above is an artist’s impression inspired by one of the graffiti which was discovered.
؟ ؟ ؟
Also see:
A previous Really Magazine article on UK-based toilet-wall graffiti. 'Analyzing Social Discourse in the Cubicles '.
06 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
Undergound Music
Florida-based inventor Jeff Dannenberg was granted two full US patents yesterday for his devices which provide : “…post-burial audio communications in a burial casket (e.g. coffin)…”
Built-in timers and audiovisual output devices inside the coffin can be pre-programmed so that at appropriate times after burial : “…a particular recorded message (e.g. 'Happy Birthday,' 'Merry Christmas,' 'Happy Anniversary,' etc.) is automatically generated as audio output via speaker…”
The caskets can also be made available with a USB port and on-board computer memory, and the advanced version (pat. 7,765,656) also comes with a built-in flat-screen to deliver video to the deceased as well.
“As should now be apparent, the present invention allows for surviving family and friends to communicate virtually any message to the deceased based in accordance with programmed scheduling thus providing survivors with a means of communicating messages and sounds to the deceased after burial.”
See: ' Apparatus and method for generating post-burial audio communications in a burial casket.' US patent 7,765,655 and US patent 7,765,656, both issued Aug 03 2010.
04 AUG 10
comments | permalink | back to the top
This page has intentionally not been left blank
“ Can nothing be knowledge ? ”
This question, or one very similar, has been a matter of philosophical concern since at least 1697, when Leibniz published his paper, “On the Ultimate Origination of Things”.
Nothing has now been brought right up to date by a new article in the latest edition of the journal Krtikos - the author is Camelia Elias, Associate Professor of American Studies, Department of Culture and Identity, Univeristy of Roskilde, Denmark.
The professor points out for example, that -
“When ‘nothing’ is represented, it is often represented through stylistic device as gap, ellipsis, blank page, or silence in the text. ‘Nothing’ thus leaves a trace, as it is itself traced by sight (or site).”
And asks –
“ How can ‘nothing’ be more reduced than it already is by and in itself ? ”
Read the professor’s article in full here ‘ The
Nothing That Is: Epistemologies of Creative Writing ‘
؟ ؟ ؟
Also see :
Really Magazine's continuing and expanding archive of online nothingness resources here.
02 AUG 10
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"
