…and memories of my youth. Let’s see if we can top the comments over there.
Category Archives: Social Commentary
Do You Have To Be Mad To Be A Scientist?
No, but it helps.
Libertarian Morality
Some interesting new research. I found this particularly salient:
Libertarians scored lower than both liberals and (especially) conservatives on sensitivity to disgust. The authors suggest this tendency “could help explain why they disagree with conservatives on so many social issues, particularly those related to sexuality. Libertarians may not experience the flash of revulsion that drives moral condemnation in many cases of victimless offenses.”
I’m not sure what they mean by “sensitivity to disgust.” If they mean that we don’t get disgusted, it doesn’t apply to me. But if they mean that, unlike some people, we don’t use it as the basis for morality, and especially for lawmaking, I think that’s right. I am quite repulsed by male homosex, but that doesn’t mean that I think that makes it immoral or subject to criminal sanctions, because I recognize that my reaction is a natural one for a heterosexual, and that many people are disgusted by different things. The fact that some are disgusted by the thought of eating bugs doesn’t make it immoral, and shouldn’t be, even to them.
Old Dogs, New Tricks
I plead guilty to putting two spaces after a period. I learned it when I was in high school (not that I took typing in high school, but that’s when I taught myself from a book on a Selectric) and have been dong it for forty years. Of course, WordPress ignores them, so my blog posts come out single space anyway. But it makes a difference in Open Office or Word.
Politically Incorrect
An article that the WaPo spiked because it describes the difference between Christianity and Islam. Hiding or ignoring the truth doesn’t make it go away.
Before Or After They Get Hammered?
Mosquito fish do as well as college students at a basic math test.
I think, but am not sure, that this is part of the academic bubble.
And on a related question, why do we study math and the Brits study maths? And what do the mosquito fish call it?
A Much-Discussed Paula Deen Recipe
It’s not for beginners, though. Don’t try it unless you know how to use a can opener.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Be sure to read the comments, which overfloweth with snark.
I Don’t Love Lucy
And I’m gratified to see that Lileks shares my opinion:
It’s not funny. I’m sorry to Lucy fans, but it’s not. When Lucy and Ethel start to wail, when Reeky gets an idea and decides to foool Loocy, and Fred pitches in – gawd, it’s contrived and strained.
I laughed at it when I was a kid, but I got over it by the time I was eight or so. One can only watch shallow, star-worshipping empty-head ditzes so much. She made me embarrassed for womankind.
Deferred Gratification
What’s the present value of a future marshmallow? Even five minutes into the future?
It’s made all the harder of course, not just by the fact that kids have lower impulse control, but by the fact that a minute lasts forever when you’re a kid.
I also think that this is a parable for our current economic straits.
If Aliens Exist
…they probably want to destroy us. As Glenn notes, it’s not a new thought. And it’s why we shouldn’t shout.