Internet People! - The Meth Minute 39
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Friday, September 07, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Study Confirms: Water is wet!
Or in this case, Men want hot women.
Key Quote:
A sample size of 46 is not exactly compelling. So, basically, here is documented proof of Germany's misappropriation of research funds. Perhaps some actually interesting conclusions were drawn from this study.
Kind of interesting... but aren't their some diseases we should be curing or something?
Key Quote:
Their study involved 26 men and 20 women in Munich, Germany.
A sample size of 46 is not exactly compelling. So, basically, here is documented proof of Germany's misappropriation of research funds. Perhaps some actually interesting conclusions were drawn from this study.
Men's choices did not reflect their stated preferences, the researchers concluded. Instead, men appeared to base their decisions mostly on the women's physical attractiveness.
The men also appeared to be much less choosy. Men tended to select nearly every woman above a certain minimum attractiveness threshold, Todd said.
Women's actual choices, like men's, did not reflect their stated preferences, but they made more discriminating choices, the researchers found.
The scientists said women were aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men, and adjusted their expectations to select the more desirable guys.
"Women made offers to men who had overall qualities that were on a par with the women's self-rated attractiveness. They didn't greatly overshoot their attractiveness," Todd said, "because part of the goal for women is to choose men who would stay with them"
But, he added, "they didn't go lower. They knew what they could get and aimed for that level."
So, it turns out, the women's attractiveness influenced the choices of the men and the women.
Kind of interesting... but aren't their some diseases we should be curing or something?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Man made Global Warming
Chez linked me to this piece today refuting global warming data derived from surface measurements.
The assertion in this article is essentially that global warming is man made, not through emissions of greenhouse gasses, but through manipulation of data. He argues that:
1. The data is being collected poorly
2. The data is being altered by people in such a way as to augment their biases.
It is interesting, and I don't necessarily disagree that what he is saying is possible. I just think it is important to point out that the examples he uses in his article IN NO WAY PROVE either one of his criticisms of global warming science are true. Perhaps with further analysis he would be vindicated, but what is there does not prove anything.
I can't help but wonder who this author is. He mentions reviewing PhD theses twice, not in direct reference to himself, which I find amusing, but in a more general way. It leads the reader towards credibility without actually establishing any. (I wouldn't even think of this as part of any kind of scientific review, except he himself went out of the way to critique the use of the words "high quality" as being somehow misleading. I can't help but question this whole I'm gonna mention PhDs a lot as part of a similar tactic.)
His identity comes into question for the most part because there are a major flaws in his analysis as presented. It is possible he preformed a more detailed analysis of the data beyond what is presented here, and if so I would like to see the results of that. As it stands however, the analysis is extremely flawed.
For instance the first two charts charts he uses as data in his proof that global warming is "man made" are not comparable. The claim he is making with them is as follows:
Unfortunately the charts given, are at best questionable in proving this point. There is no clear statement of what the charts actually show, year over year change, change from average, overall temperature? But if we are simply comparing the charts, assuming they show the same thing we still run into problems.
The first chart he presents is satellite data, but it does not tell us exactly what the measure is. (Average temp by month, week, year day, etc.) Nor does it display the metric. All it tells us is that it is satellite data for the last 28 years. I would be interested to see this data, and possibly to examine the annual averages and a rolling average. The seasonal variation has not been removed from this chart, and while there do seem to be some apparent trends it is not entirely clear how large or small they are on an annual basis.
The second chart represents temperature measure X by year going back to 1880. So here we are comparing, what I think is a monthly data chart (possibly weekly) to an annual chart. And it is also important that one only look at the last 28 years or so, despite the amount of data displayed.
In addition to the issues of how the charts themselves vary, there is the issue of the areas being measured. The satellite data looks at Northern hemisphere v. Southern, the surface data looks at ocean versus land. This means that the segmented charts are not comparable for obvious reasons.
Interestingly, if one examines the "Global" satellite chart as compared to the "Land and Ocean chart" One will see an approximate overall increase of .5 degrees C in the Land and Ocean Chart and .4 degrees C (estimated due to lack of averages) in the Global chart, at or around the end of 2005. What this actually shows us is that the two measurements are fairly close. Without more information I cannot tell you if any of this is statistically significant.
On to more topics, he mentions the placement of temperature stations which I am inclined to completely agree with the writer, that needs to be closely monitored and maintained.
From there we move to data processing, and examining the chart provided one would be inclined to be outraged at how we are being bamboozled by USHCN. I do question somewhat the apparently exponential growth of the adjustments made to the data.
However, the latest adjustment made was in 2005, and it was an average increase of .55 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the annual chart in 2005 there was an increase of 1 degree Fahrenheit. That still leaves .45 degrees unaccounted for by the data adjustment.
Essentially this analysis leaves me with more questions:
1. Is there a true discrepancy between global surface monitoring temp data and global satellite temp data. (That is are we seeing patterns in one that are not visible in the other.)
2. How are the data adjustments being conducted, and what accounts for the exponentially increasing pace of adjustment.
3. What is up with the temperature monitors being by AC units. Is this a common occurrence or just a few outliers?
4. If global climate change is not indicated via temperature change, to what can we attribute weather changes, the reduction of the ice caps, and the gradually increasing sea levels. (Or are these more data issues.)
The assertion in this article is essentially that global warming is man made, not through emissions of greenhouse gasses, but through manipulation of data. He argues that:
1. The data is being collected poorly
2. The data is being altered by people in such a way as to augment their biases.
It is interesting, and I don't necessarily disagree that what he is saying is possible. I just think it is important to point out that the examples he uses in his article IN NO WAY PROVE either one of his criticisms of global warming science are true. Perhaps with further analysis he would be vindicated, but what is there does not prove anything.
I can't help but wonder who this author is. He mentions reviewing PhD theses twice, not in direct reference to himself, which I find amusing, but in a more general way. It leads the reader towards credibility without actually establishing any. (I wouldn't even think of this as part of any kind of scientific review, except he himself went out of the way to critique the use of the words "high quality" as being somehow misleading. I can't help but question this whole I'm gonna mention PhDs a lot as part of a similar tactic.)
His identity comes into question for the most part because there are a major flaws in his analysis as presented. It is possible he preformed a more detailed analysis of the data beyond what is presented here, and if so I would like to see the results of that. As it stands however, the analysis is extremely flawed.
For instance the first two charts charts he uses as data in his proof that global warming is "man made" are not comparable. The claim he is making with them is as follows:
The satellite record continues to show little or no change while the surface
record shows what s alleged to be a continued rising trend.
Unfortunately the charts given, are at best questionable in proving this point. There is no clear statement of what the charts actually show, year over year change, change from average, overall temperature? But if we are simply comparing the charts, assuming they show the same thing we still run into problems.
The first chart he presents is satellite data, but it does not tell us exactly what the measure is. (Average temp by month, week, year day, etc.) Nor does it display the metric. All it tells us is that it is satellite data for the last 28 years. I would be interested to see this data, and possibly to examine the annual averages and a rolling average. The seasonal variation has not been removed from this chart, and while there do seem to be some apparent trends it is not entirely clear how large or small they are on an annual basis.
The second chart represents temperature measure X by year going back to 1880. So here we are comparing, what I think is a monthly data chart (possibly weekly) to an annual chart. And it is also important that one only look at the last 28 years or so, despite the amount of data displayed.
In addition to the issues of how the charts themselves vary, there is the issue of the areas being measured. The satellite data looks at Northern hemisphere v. Southern, the surface data looks at ocean versus land. This means that the segmented charts are not comparable for obvious reasons.
Interestingly, if one examines the "Global" satellite chart as compared to the "Land and Ocean chart" One will see an approximate overall increase of .5 degrees C in the Land and Ocean Chart and .4 degrees C (estimated due to lack of averages) in the Global chart, at or around the end of 2005. What this actually shows us is that the two measurements are fairly close. Without more information I cannot tell you if any of this is statistically significant.
On to more topics, he mentions the placement of temperature stations which I am inclined to completely agree with the writer, that needs to be closely monitored and maintained.
From there we move to data processing, and examining the chart provided one would be inclined to be outraged at how we are being bamboozled by USHCN. I do question somewhat the apparently exponential growth of the adjustments made to the data.
However, the latest adjustment made was in 2005, and it was an average increase of .55 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the annual chart in 2005 there was an increase of 1 degree Fahrenheit. That still leaves .45 degrees unaccounted for by the data adjustment.
Essentially this analysis leaves me with more questions:
1. Is there a true discrepancy between global surface monitoring temp data and global satellite temp data. (That is are we seeing patterns in one that are not visible in the other.)
2. How are the data adjustments being conducted, and what accounts for the exponentially increasing pace of adjustment.
3. What is up with the temperature monitors being by AC units. Is this a common occurrence or just a few outliers?
4. If global climate change is not indicated via temperature change, to what can we attribute weather changes, the reduction of the ice caps, and the gradually increasing sea levels. (Or are these more data issues.)
Monday, July 30, 2007
Oh Reginald....I DISAGREE!!!
Instapundit linked this study asserting that nerdiness is actually a function of being "hyperwhite." As in nerds are people who do not adopt non white forms of speech, and dress. This may or may not be true. A follow up post from American Thinker says:
I disagree however, I think defining individuals who are "nerds" as only intellectuals who are involved in numerical or scientific occupations is extremely limiting.
The article does not mention the true common characteristic of nerds: they
are numerate, i.e. conversant in the language of mathematics - an odd omission
for a linguist. This omission can be explained by the fact that
Berkeley-style multi-culturalism is threatened by numeracy, the development of
which is the hallmark of Western Civilization and the historical wellspring of
western economic and military success. Consequently, it is incumbent on
multi-culturalists to discredit whenever and wherever possible those who are
numerate.
I disagree however, I think defining individuals who are "nerds" as only intellectuals who are involved in numerical or scientific occupations is extremely limiting.
I think the assertion that nerds are only individuals with strong mathmatic ability is just as biased as the assertion that nerds are only people who conform to what is traditionally viewed as a "white" culture.
Are Librarians, Historians, Archeologists, Spelling Bee Champions somehow not nerds because they are not necessarily numerate? Having seen some of those spelling be contestants I don't really see how that could be argued. One of my most stereotypically nerdy professors in college was in fact a history/political scienc professor.
Perhaps nerds like myself who are highly numerate have less exposure to the history nerds or the social science nerds, but that does not necessarily mean that these people are not also nerds.
I propose another definition of nerd, a nerd is someone who focuses on intellectual pursuits in lieu of attempting to conform to social norms. Do with that, what you will.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Dear Readers, (if you are still out there) I would like to take a moment and ask you to appreciate that I did apply my ninja skills to anyone after the appearance of the recent "Obesity is Contagious" bullshit.
Seriously, what? Is that like how Teh Gay is contagious? My incredulity knows no bounds.
I couldn't even post on it for at least two days because I was rendered speechless. Surely no one is this stupid? Surely the media would not publish a study that was:
I first read about the study at Shapely Prose, and she pointed me to this excellent article that covers most of the points I would like to make. (So if you want to know more besides that I think you should tell everyone you know what utter bullshit this story is you should go read those articles.)
What I find most interesting is a point that Kate Harding made:
Seriously, what? Is that like how Teh Gay is contagious? My incredulity knows no bounds.
I couldn't even post on it for at least two days because I was rendered speechless. Surely no one is this stupid? Surely the media would not publish a study that was:
- Based entirely on Correlative data (Correlation !=Causation)
- Drawing on conclusions that only affect men
- Based on a limited sample of people that were enrolled in a heart study and their emergency contacts
- Only valid for the Middle Class
- Completely Stupid
I first read about the study at Shapely Prose, and she pointed me to this excellent article that covers most of the points I would like to make. (So if you want to know more besides that I think you should tell everyone you know what utter bullshit this story is you should go read those articles.)
What I find most interesting is a point that Kate Harding made:
It’s well worth mentioning that that study demonstrated, among other things,
that there’s no clear link between longevity and BMI, that among non-smokers,
obesity was correlated with greater longevity, and that the largest single
determinant of longevity was… drumroll… genes.
And Genes don't have anything to do with our social networks either.
The thing that drives me crazy about this is that no one is going to contradict it. It fits so nicely in with society's desire to hate anyone that weighs more than 5lbs that most writers and readers wont even question it.
SHINOBI SMAAAASH.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Oh poor us
For a while now I have been participating in an online forum designed for female gamers. The general idea was to get together and talk about gaming, and about how we hate that all the female game characters are naked and that guys are jerks to women. They made this big deal about it being a "safe" space for "non priveledged" groups. So this means, no "victim-blaming" or using words like "retarded" or implying that there is anything wrong with anything else ever. (I would link to their whole policy but I don't want to start a feude, I just need to vent)
I think the idea behind the site was great, a safe place to talk about issues in gaming, of which there are a lot. However people would really jump on you for tiny things, like "retarded" it is is a word I use a lot in a negative way. I know it is wrong, but, y'know it would suck to be retarded. We also had a big conversation about the use of the word "crazy" because, y'know people with mental illnesses shouldn't be discriminated against. I'm still not really sure how saying that crazy is a bad thing is discrimination. But whatever.
So there was a new thread about the whole idea of "Wife aggro." This is a term that represents men whose wives are WoW widows complaining about their wives. "Aggro" for non gamers is slang for what happens when you attract the attention of an unfriendly computer based character in an online game. (generally resulting in that character attempting to cause your untimely death) The term "Wife aggro" (which as a term I find quite humorous) is generally referred to someone's wife or girlfriend actually expecting them to stop playing WoW and do something horrible like, the dishes, or take out the trash, or even, horror of horrors, get it on with her.
This totally sucks is the general consensus of the thread. It portrays the woman as the enemy just for trying to get some time in with her husband. And it sucks more that other men will encourage this behavior and encourage a given man to neglect his wife and family during his leisure time to kill things in a virtual world.
But I can't help but point out (In the thread) that there are things a woman ccan do to mitigate this. Even though socially something should change (in an ideal world) it is a good idea for wives and girlfriends everywhere to breifly become the nagging monsters their SO's see them as. I proposed a variety of ways to get men engaged in necessary houswork, try just giving him a list of stuff he has to do, and if that doesn't work try some other crap, even cancelling his subscription. I observed in my post that "You get what you put up with." By this I mean, if you don't do something about someone elses negative behavior, it isn't going to stop and you're going to have to keep dealing with it.
This, apparently, is victim blaming. I got some Moderater Aggro and got yelled at. By expecting someone in a crappy situation to take initiative to improve it I am actually, therefore, blaming them.
What?
It will not surprise you, dear reader, to know that this Shinobi will not be posting at that site ever again. I know it isn't horribly "nice" to tell people that they should get off their asses and fix a situation, but nice is not really a word I want to have applied to me. What it is, is right.
If you have a situation in your life, like your boyfriend ignoring you for a video game, or your boss being a jerk, or a job you hate, or a child who behaves badly, that makes you unhappy it is ridiculous to assume that anyone else in your life is going to fix it for you. *
You could sit around and wait for the Paladin in Crystalforge Rainment to tell your husband that he should get off his ass and do the laundry because you've been working all day too and deserve a break just as much as he does? You just have to wait for him to collect all of his armor (and who knows how many runs through various instances that will take) and get his elite flying mount (who has that much gold, really?). Seriously, this could take years.
I certainly don't blame women for the fact that their husbands are addicted to WoW. No blame here. But if they don't do anything about it the situation isn't going to get any better. At least if they try they have something good to tell the lawyer.
*I want to be very clear that I realize there are some situations in which the "victim" can do very little without serious repurcussions. I am not talking about these kinds of situations. This is not Saudi Arabia, women can do things to improve their lives here.
I think the idea behind the site was great, a safe place to talk about issues in gaming, of which there are a lot. However people would really jump on you for tiny things, like "retarded" it is is a word I use a lot in a negative way. I know it is wrong, but, y'know it would suck to be retarded. We also had a big conversation about the use of the word "crazy" because, y'know people with mental illnesses shouldn't be discriminated against. I'm still not really sure how saying that crazy is a bad thing is discrimination. But whatever.
So there was a new thread about the whole idea of "Wife aggro." This is a term that represents men whose wives are WoW widows complaining about their wives. "Aggro" for non gamers is slang for what happens when you attract the attention of an unfriendly computer based character in an online game. (generally resulting in that character attempting to cause your untimely death) The term "Wife aggro" (which as a term I find quite humorous) is generally referred to someone's wife or girlfriend actually expecting them to stop playing WoW and do something horrible like, the dishes, or take out the trash, or even, horror of horrors, get it on with her.
This totally sucks is the general consensus of the thread. It portrays the woman as the enemy just for trying to get some time in with her husband. And it sucks more that other men will encourage this behavior and encourage a given man to neglect his wife and family during his leisure time to kill things in a virtual world.
But I can't help but point out (In the thread) that there are things a woman ccan do to mitigate this. Even though socially something should change (in an ideal world) it is a good idea for wives and girlfriends everywhere to breifly become the nagging monsters their SO's see them as. I proposed a variety of ways to get men engaged in necessary houswork, try just giving him a list of stuff he has to do, and if that doesn't work try some other crap, even cancelling his subscription. I observed in my post that "You get what you put up with." By this I mean, if you don't do something about someone elses negative behavior, it isn't going to stop and you're going to have to keep dealing with it.
This, apparently, is victim blaming. I got some Moderater Aggro and got yelled at. By expecting someone in a crappy situation to take initiative to improve it I am actually, therefore, blaming them.
What?
It will not surprise you, dear reader, to know that this Shinobi will not be posting at that site ever again. I know it isn't horribly "nice" to tell people that they should get off their asses and fix a situation, but nice is not really a word I want to have applied to me. What it is, is right.
If you have a situation in your life, like your boyfriend ignoring you for a video game, or your boss being a jerk, or a job you hate, or a child who behaves badly, that makes you unhappy it is ridiculous to assume that anyone else in your life is going to fix it for you. *
You could sit around and wait for the Paladin in Crystalforge Rainment to tell your husband that he should get off his ass and do the laundry because you've been working all day too and deserve a break just as much as he does? You just have to wait for him to collect all of his armor (and who knows how many runs through various instances that will take) and get his elite flying mount (who has that much gold, really?). Seriously, this could take years.
I certainly don't blame women for the fact that their husbands are addicted to WoW. No blame here. But if they don't do anything about it the situation isn't going to get any better. At least if they try they have something good to tell the lawyer.
*I want to be very clear that I realize there are some situations in which the "victim" can do very little without serious repurcussions. I am not talking about these kinds of situations. This is not Saudi Arabia, women can do things to improve their lives here.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Entertainment
Two Videos this week.
The first expresses my Angst. (The video is lame, but I love this song.)
And this one is just funny:
The first expresses my Angst. (The video is lame, but I love this song.)
And this one is just funny:
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