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Via the inimitable Clive Thompson: Seems you only hurt (or at least, wrongly gift) the ones you love.
A study says that…
…familiarity harms the prediction process, especially when diagnostic attitude information is provided. In a series of experiments, we show that the extensive knowledge base that people posses about a familiar other actually obstructs predictors to use more diagnostic prediction cues.
You can find a link to the study at Collision Detection.
I’m wondering, however, why the researchers only tested subjects on their furniture preferences. Furniture?
Oh, and Clive (he reads this blog regularly, of course… where do you think he gets all his great ideas. Ahem.) I hope you don’t mind that I copied this delicious quote of yours…
Mind you, maybe these sorts of errors are propping up the world economy. Think of it this way: What you really want is a new pair of jeans … but instead, your partner thoughfully buys you a bunch of CDs of bands that he likes and you loathe. So you go out after the holidays and buy the jeans yourself. Essentially, there have been two rounds of gift-buying: Your partner’s addled, narcissistic purchase of crap you don’t want, and your own purchase of things you’d actually like. Double the spending — double the boost to the economy! And double the landfill!
Splendid. Well, must fly. I’m off to do some more shopping.
Furniture?
Technorati tags: collision detection, gifts i hate
Is there a universal moral grammar? Are you familiar with it?
If we all were more focused on consequences and trying to make the world a better place, and less beholden to our intuitive emotional responses, we might all be better off.
Malcolm Gladwell might disagree, and I’m not too sure I agree, come to think of it.
Anyway, see if you make any moral sense. Take the moral sense test. Make sure you read the details about participation first.
Technorati tags: moral sense test
Randy got this from a stream of people. I got it from him. It’s a meme, you know what to do.
1) How old do you wish you were? 41. Which is my current age.
2) Where were you when 9-11 happened? In a staff meeting at a large Presbyterian Church where I worked.
3) What do you do when vending machines steal your money? I try not to use vending machines.
4) Do you consider yourself kind? No. But you’d better.
5) If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? I wouldn’t
6) If you could be fluent in any other language what would it be? Latin.
7) Do you know your neighbors? A couple of them I know very well, the rest I don’t know at all. 😦
8.) What do you consider a vacation? Every day is a vacation when you work for the postal service!
9) Do you follow your horoscope? Yeah. Right.
10) Would you move for the person you loved? From the sofa to the floor? Sure.
11) Are you touchy feely? Depends on who is the touchee feelee.
12) Do you believe that opposites attract? Yes.
13) Dream job? Writer.
14) Favorite channel(s)? Court TV and The Travel Channel.
15) Favorite place to go on the weekend? The living room.
16) Showers or Baths? Showers, baby.
17) Do you paint your nails? No, but I do bite them once in a while.
18) Do you trust people easily? Yes.
19) What are your phobias? I’m afraid to say.
20) Do you want kids? I have two and I love them. That’s it.
21) Do you keep a handwritten journal? No.
22) Where would you rather be right now? Nowhere. I’m happy here in the coffeehouse with my latest article all finished and emailed to the publisher.
23) What makes you feel warm and safe? Being at home.
24) Heavy or light sleeper? Light.
25) Are you paranoid? No. Did someone say that I was?
26) Are you impatient? Can we get on with the questions please?
27) Who can you relate to? My wife, my friend and fellow barista Erica, my pal Will.
28) How do you feel about interracial couples? I like Randy’s answer: No problem at all, as long as we keeping it in the human race. Outside of that, race is only a perception. Ask me this question if my daughter shows up with a boyfriend of another race.
29) Have you been burned by love? Who hasn’t?
30) What’s your life motto? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. (Philippians 2:3)
31) What’s your main ringtone on your mobile? A (low volume) beep and a vibration.
32) What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping.
33) Who was your last text message from? What’s a text message? An email?
34) Whose bed did you sleep in last night? The one I share with the love of my life.
35) What color shirt are you wearing? Dark Olive green long sleeve T.
36) What are you listening to right now? Hark The Herald Angels Sing sung by a choir on a CD in the coffee shop player.
37) Name three things you have on you at all times? Three things? I can only think of one.
38) What color are your bed sheets? I have no idea. Lots of colors on those buggers.
39) How much cash do you have on you right now? I’d check my wallet but I’m too lazy. At least twenty five dollars, probalby not much more.
40) What is your favorite part of the chicken? I’m a breast man.
41) What’s your fav city/place? It’s a toss up between Yellowstone National Park, WY and Rocky Mountain Nat’l Park/Estes Park, CO
42) I can’t wait till . . . I get these other projects finished.
43) Who got you to set up a blog? I guess it was Will, although he didn’t try to convince me, just told he he had one.
44) What did you have for dinner last night? Dang! Randy had Chipotle! And now I can’t remember what I had.
45) is missing. Good thing, one less question to answer.
46) Have you ever smoked? Nope.
47) Do you own a gun? Nope.
48) Tea or Coffee? Tea sucks.
49) What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? It’s no secret, bub. I’m a babe magnet.
50) Do you have A.D.D.? Don’t know.
51) What time did you wake up today? 6:30 — I slept way in.
52) Current worry? How can I get myself a car that won’t have problems every stinkin’ week, yet will handle repeated mail delievery.
53) Current want? See 52.
54) Favorite place to be? Too many to list.
55) Where would you like to travel in the future? Back to the Grand Canyon with my family. That was awesome. Oh, and to Big Bend National Park in Texas.
56) Where do you think you’ll be in 10 yrs? I really have no idea. Depends on what God wants.
57) Last thing you ate? Bacon and eggs at the Sunflower Cafe here in Pottstown.
58) What songs do you sing in the shower? I don’t
59) Last person that made you laugh? Tanna, the owner of the coffee shop I’m sitting in.
60) Worst injury you’ve ever had? Hmmm… I’ve never been injured too badly.
61) Does someone have a crush on you? They all do.
62) What is your favorite candy? Reese’s Nutrageous is pretty good as an occaisonal post route treat, but the serious money’s on Cafe Tasse.
63) What song do you want played at your funeral? Haven’t thought about it. I know I want this on my tombstone, though.
So, in honor of this new personal best, a meme (what else). This one has 5 items in it and comes from Jeff and assorted unnamed others.
Christmas Song Meme:
1. A favorite ‘secular’ Christmas song. Happy Christmas/War Is Over by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band. I walk around singing it for a month.
2. Christmas song that chokes you up. O Holy Night, especially the second verse: “Truly he taught us to love one another/His law is love and his gospel is peace/Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother…”
3. Christmas song that makes you want to stuff your ears with chestnuts roasted on an open fire. Santa Baby by Madonna. Shut the hell up already!
4. The Twelve Days of Christmas: is there *any* redeeming value to that song? Discuss. No, but sung in Norwegian by Garrison Keillor (see #5 below) with sound cues by Tom Keith replacing the names of each of the true love’s gifts, it’s pretty darn funny.
5. A favorite Christmas album Jeff picked Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas and it is definitely up there for me as well, but I have to go with Now It Is Christmas Again by Garrison Keillor and company. Picked it up on a whim and was hooked from the fade in. It’s funny, touching, sweet, and dark and includes a beautiful version of Still, Still, Still and what may be the only listenable version of The 12 Days of Christmas ever recorded. And, of course, The Sons of Knute Christmas Dance and Dinner.
Technorati tags: christmas songs, sons of knute, garrison keillor
Hey, being a left handed introvert (with a blue brain) just absolutely rocks my face off!
Thanks for listening.
Thanks to Octane
Technorati tags: left handed, introvert
I’m…
| What Color is Your Brain? |
 BLUE: At work or in school: I like to be with people, sharing with them, inspiring them, and helping them. I work and learn best when I can take into consideration people and the human element. I flourish in an atmosphere of cooperation. With friends: I always look for perfect love. I am very romantic, and I enjoy doing thoughtful things for others. I am affectionate, supportive and a good listener. With family: I like to be happy and loving. I am very sensitive to rejection from my family and to family conflicts. I really like to be well thought of and need frequent reassurance. I love intimate talks and warm feelings. Take this quiz!
| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code |
Just like Beth (or, just like Beth’s self description anyway).
Patti at White Pebble is a mid grade nerd; at least she knows where she fits. I however, am “not nerdy, but definitely not hip.”
Just great.
Great, just great.
| What type of person do you attract?
Your Result: You attract geeks!
Your stunning intellect and love of sci-fi and video games allures the geeks like nothing else. Maybe it is the sparkle in your eye that makes them want to text you, who knows. Geeks make good partners, but tend to be arguementative. If you are a TRUE geek magnet, you will know if that was spelled correctly, and actually care. If it is a bad-boy/bad-girl you are seeking, you are barking up the wrong tree, unless they are just ‘bad’ behind a PS2 console. |
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| You attract Yuppies! |
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| You attract artsy people! |
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| You attract models! |
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| You attract unstable people! |
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| You attract rednecks! |
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| What type of person do you attract? Quizzes for MySpace |
|
Thanks to Patti at White Pebble
(And no, I don’t know how to get the stinkin’ HTML to work right. I attract geeks, that doesn’t mean I am one.)
Jeff just posted this so I thought I’d steal it.
1. FIRST NAME? Jim
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Dad.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Yesterday during worship when everyone stood to sing and put their hearts into it for a change. It was cool.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No and neither does anyone else.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Liverwurst, which gives you an idea of how much I like lunchmeat in general.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? What?
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yep. It’s called serotoninrain and you’re reading it.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No, they were removed when I was 4 or 5.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Grape Nuts. Always and forever.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Sometimes, when I don’t feel like being a maverick.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically? Not espeically. But I’m stronger than I look.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate, especially if it has chocolate chips in it. Especially especially if it has chocolate sauce on it. Especially especially especially if it’s in a chocolate dipped waffle cone.
14. SHOE SIZE? Not telling. Big! Okay?
15. RED OR PINK? Pink. What’s it to ya?
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My big feet.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Scott Schwinkendorf but I’m not saying any more.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, but they can do it themselves if they want.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans a yellow J Peterman vinatage tee and brown leather shoes.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? Bagel breakfast sandwich with egg cheese and bacon plus coffee. Always coffee.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? I don’t know but it’s not very good. I think it’s Natalie Merchant.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Raw Umber… how the heck should I know?
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Napalm in the morning… no, just kidding… Spring.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? The guy who’s working on my car. He told me that the parts won’t be in today after all and so I’ll have to beg the post office not to call me again tomorrow. I’m feeling just great right now, too, thanks for asking.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Face. And sometimes, but only rarely, callipygousness.
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Well, Jeff didn’t actually send it to me, I sort of appropriated it, you know? Furthermore, I don’t really know Jeff so I can’t comment on whether I like him or not, but he sure has a nice blog and he seems like a swell guy, virtually speaking of course. I’m sure he’s way nicer than me.
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Hello? I guess that’s not obvious enough. Who writes this stuff?
28. FAVORITE SPORT? None.
29. EYE COLOR? Brown
30. HAT SIZE? 7 1/2
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No contacts no glasses. can read the side of a ceral box from eight feet away.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Steak. Medium rare.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Both.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Tough choice, but I’ll say summer.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses from my wife, though she can hug me as much as she wants. Hugs from most other people. Polite handshakes for the rest of you until we know each other better.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Tiramisu. Oh yeah!
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I’m not asking for a response, but I’m betting on Gwynne. Just to make it more interesting, I’m not going to link her either. Though it isn’t the middle of the night so she’s probably not reading blogs right now. Are you Gwynne?
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Jeff, since he already did this.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Garbage Land by Elizabeth Royte and a book of short stories by Tobais Wolff called In the Garden of the North American Martyrs.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Nothing.
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? The sounds Phil Keaggy makes when he picks up a guitar.
44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Rolling who?
45. THE FURTHEST YOU’VE BEEN FROM HOME? Thousands of miles… France.
46. WHAT’S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I don’t have one.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Trenton, NJ (pronounced Trettin by those who live there).
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Well, Jeff didn’t send it but he posted it and since I was lamenting the fact that I don’t really exist and therefore can’t post anything of my own, I stole his. Make sense? Me neither.
Alright, back to unreality.
Officially, I don’t exist.
| HowManyOfMe.com | ||
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I knew I had no life, I just didn’t think it was that serious. Well, I’ll be seein ya… or maybe not.
H/T Randy. At least my friends aren’t imaginary, just virtual.
serotoninrain 
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