Jan 22 2009
Looking Closer – 6
Look familiar? I like the weave appearance to the “flesh.” I wonder what the specks are. Identity below the fold.
Archive for January, 2009
Jan 21 2009
Data Matters
What do men really think? Don’t ask them in when in the company of other men, for their responses may be influenced by the social context.
Does size matter? It definitely does to scientists. And by size I mean “quantity of data.”
In the news article, Men Defy Stereotypes In Defining Masculinity, released last August, I read -
Contrary to stereotypes about sexual performance and masculinity, men interviewed in a large international study reported that being seen as honorable, self-reliant and respected was more important to their idea of masculinity than being seen as attractive, sexually active or successful with women.
Dude! If size doesn’t matter that much, why all the penis-size jokes and spam for “male enhancement” circulating in the culture-o-sphere?
Because men, like all humans, can be many-faced creatures. Ask them one question in one setting and their answer will be X. Ask them another question in another setting and they will answer Y.
The study in question gets bonus points for including -
more than 27,000 randomly selected men from eight countries (Germany, U.S., U.K., Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Italy and France).
However, I feel obligated to point out that a person’s beliefs and their behavior can be separate things. If, for example, you interviewed thousands of people you might discover that the thinnest of thin people do not consider “dieting” to be important, at least relative to those struggling with their weight.
What could you conclude from that finding? Good question.
Jan 21 2009
Don’t Forget the Asterisks
The Humanist Symposium #31: Presidential Inauguration Edition has been posted.
I guess I qualify as a humanist. I frequently walk and squawk like one. But I am probably a humanist in the same way I am an introvert. It’s a rough categorization of my habitual behavior.
Yes, I strongly prefer to work alone, and I do enjoy spending free time alone. I like to go on solo birdwatching hikes. The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, as photographed above, is one of my favorite spots. But I am also a teacher and public speaker. When in these roles, I really enjoy the question and answer periods. I am happily married and like to go out socially and meet new people. And my family is very dear to me. I love spending time with them. Does that make me an introvert with an asterisk?
People seem to prefer the simplicity of yes-no questions and answers: Are you an introvert, yes or no? Are you a humanist, yes or no? But there are whole ranges of behavior and philosophies. Each one of us is an individual, capable of being labeled one way or another. But we mustn’t forget those asterisks.
Jan 21 2009
To Sleep, Perchance to Kill Some Bugs
I’ve long viewed sleep as a rather odd affair, at least experientially. One moment I’m awake, the next I’m yawning, and so I go to bed. And in the blink of an eye it’s morning again.
Imagine viewing Earth from afar. As it rotates, areas that were in darkness enter the light. Some time later the bright area sweeps into the dark again. Also imagine that each human brain is a bulb that burns during waking consciousness. In the wake of that curved line of advancing darkness we would see bulb after bulb after bulb blink off.
Light-dark cycle after cycle after cycle, human brains predictably lose the “light” of their waking consciousness. And they sleep. Some time before or after the curved line of sunshine sweeps over their home anew, the light of consciousness comes on again.
Why this robust biorythm that causes us to repose and close our eyes?
Jan 21 2009
Looking Closer – 5
Jan 20 2009
The Trouble With Pets
My wife and I have dogs, and we enjoy having them. For a number of years we had cats and I greatly enjoyed watching and interacting with them as well. For a nature lover, however, there is a major drawback to having pets: they kill and chase away the non-domesticated life.
I’m sure, for example, I’d see many more snakes around the place if we didn’t have dogs. As it was, I photographed this green garter in the evening outside the confines of the backyard fence — where the dogs lurk.
Those cuddly housemates are predators. Because we are so far beyond their menu, we don’t care. But it is an issue for mice, lizards, snakes, frogs, birds, grasshoppers, and anything of suitable size that moves.
Damn those loveable pets.
Jan 20 2009
The Ivory-Billed Monsters of Loch Ness
There is hope for birdwatchers yet! And not that we will soon get over our penchant for peeping at creatures with feathered wings. Mathematicians have determined that the possibility one or a number of ivory-billed woodpeckers still exists is significantly better than zero.
A new study conducted by University of Georgia researchers reveals that the ivory-billed woodpecker could have persisted if as few as five mated pairs survived the extensive habitat loss during the early 1900’s.
From the above could one conclude that in order for there to be a monster in Loch Ness, a number of mating pairs would have had to reside there over the years? I would think so. Unless Nessy has a lifespan of thousands, or is actually an underwater alien spaceship. Which seems about as likely as the other alternatives.
—
Here is a photo of a species closely related to the ivory-billed:
The above pileated woodpecker was photographed in some woods near our house.
Jan 20 2009
Advocacy, Objectivity and Violent Video Games
A new study got me thinking about violent video games and their potential influence on behavior. Researchers looked at what attracts people to video games and found that the pleasure in playing the games -
likely stems from the healthy pleasure of mastering a challenge rather than from a disturbing craving for carnage.
And -
“Violent content was only preferred by a small subgroup of people that generally report being more aggressive,” added Przybylski, however, even these hostile players did not report increased pleasure when playing more gruesome games.
Does this one piece of research settle anything? No. But it does add another piece to the puzzle. And there are many pieces.
A number of weeks ago I made this post: Correlation, Causation and Media Violence. I discussed a problem with a study finding and was pleased to have one of the authors comment on my post. From that I exchange I was motivated to do more digging. And my digging raised more questions than it answered. The two most important questions reflect important elements of doing science: replication and objectivity.
Jan 20 2009
Looking Closer – 4
Jan 19 2009
Apropos Nothing
Apropos nothing (nothing I am consciously aware of, anyway), my favorite restaurant is in Cuba. Not Cuba the nation, but a small town in northern New Mexico. “El Bruno.” I’ve eaten there just three times in my life. I hope to get there at least another three times during the years I walk the earth (no, I don’t plan on walking the sky post-death). The restaurant serves excellent New Mexican food and the location is superb: a dry and dusty small town on the edge of Navajo land.
Must be time for lunch.
