Explanation of “Resting Bitch Face” (RBF) here. It’s simply subconcious mirroring of fashion model stoicism. If that’s what a woman exposes herself to enough, it could be at least a partial explanation, even if there’s no desire to model (heh) the model’s success, beauty, attention, etc. The mirroring may also be a modern hijack of … Theory on the “Resting Bitch Face” Phenomenon
Interesting idea from Meinl Coffee, if you can write and like coffee (the two usually go hand in hand): On March 21st, World Poetry Day, we let our imagination wonder. We dream of a place where money is replaced by emotions. A better world. For one day, we’re changing the currency in coffeehouses around the … Buying Coffee Without Money
From Neil Gaiman’s American Gods: A sad cockroach lay on its back in the middle of the tiled floor. Shadow took a towel and cleaned off the inside of the tub with it, then ran the water. Besides being in the same paragraph, there’s nothing syntactically linking the cockroach to the “it” in the second … Bug Cleaning
Pitt Students Completely Melt Down After Visit From Conservative Writer – Behold, the next generation of industry leaders and politicians. There’s lots of stories like these, but this is in my own backyard—I can see the Cathedral of Learning if I look behind me at work. Phobialist doesn’t list “an irrational fear of a different … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 12
I usually like Aaron’s thoughts, especially on economic stuff, but he’s off here. UX (user experience) isn’t testing, though it involves that (and, by the way, application testing is a dedicated position). The biggest task for UX designers is logically organizing information, the user action path, and general interface, particularly on large-scale applications and websites. … You Keep Saying “User Experience” But I Don’t Think You Know What It Means
As always, I don’t bother much with the political aspect (although at times it’s entertaining), but Scott Adams has some interesting “duh” insight in “Let’s Talk About Hitler”: As I have explained in this blog before, analogies are not part of reason. Sometimes things just remind you of other things. That’s the beginning and end … Analogies Are Not Arguments
I deleted my Facebook account. I remembered I had a GitHub account that I did little with—deleted that one, too. I had planned on doing that some time ago when they started getting infested with SJWs, but it fell off my radar. So, an informal poll. I have the Links of Possible Relevance posts that … Facebook Deleted, and a Poll
There was a survey-type of form at work I was filling out, and one of the questions was if I “needed” resource X. The few questions preceding this one had to do with resource X, and it was something I already had. Depending on how I regarded the question, it could require two different answers. … The Meaning of “Need”
There’s a pilot ordered for a Nancy Drew series on CBS: Described as a contemporary take on the character from the iconic Nancy Drew book series, the CBS project will center around a diverse, 30-something title character. A more mature version than the classic story, Nancy is now detective for the NYPD where she investigates … At What Point Does Nancy Drew Become Not Nancy Drew?
I made a drive-by comment on a recent Stefan Molyneux video, which caused an avalanche of responses, most of which I didn’t read. I did make one more comment that clarified/reworded the original. I don’t know if it helped. It probably didn’t. In reading the video’s description, the philosophical assumptions are apparent: Question: “I consider … God and Evidence
If you didn’t hear, scientists discovered some unusual gravitational waves emanating from two black holes. It’s a big deal since it strongly bolsters Einstein’s space-time theories. Mike Duran quoted astrophysicist Hugh Ross on Facebook: “The existence of gravity waves is an important prediction of Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Einstein’s theory of general relativity is … God’s Nose Wiggles
RIP, Eco. I haven’t read The Name of the Rose, his most well-known book, but it’s currently in the “to read” stack. I did see the movie version, with Sean Connery and Christian Slater, but I was too young to really appreciate it. I’ve only read Foucault’s Pendulum (free PDF here). I liked it so … Umberto Eco Just Died
Please excuse the lack of substantive posts lately. I’ve been busy doing clean up work in the aftermath of Pale Blue Scratch’s release. Things will be back to normal soon…whatever that means. My friend Ben Smith did a series of talks/lectures on philosophy and basic apologetics. I haven’t listened these all the way through, but … Three Apologetics Videos
A quick note. If you hadn’t noticed the new navigation link or the book cover images on the sidebar, Pale Blue Scratch is now available. Go here for all the buying options.
So, something new. My friend Seth W and I recorded our semi-structured conversation the other day, and we decided to publish it. Seth talks about Offscreen Magazine I possibly misuse an economics term I forgot the name of the Metal Made Flesh graphic novel Kickstarter Seth talks about the Star Wars book Death Star I … I Didn’t Record a Podcast But I Might As Well Have
How did I miss this? I ignore the news, but every now and then a breastfeeding story comes up, usually because of some uppity Victorian-types making lots of noise. If the Victorian-type is a politician, all the lefty sites will be all over it. Why wouldn’t they? It’s outrage red meat. New Hampshire State Rep. … A Politician Says Stuff About Boobs
When Philosophy Lost Its Way – “Philosophy should never have been purified.” The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on What We Set Out to Do (And What to Do About It) – Throw away your clothes. No food is healthy. Not even kale. – AKA: Everything causes cancer, everything prevents cancer. How the … Links of Possible Relevance, Part 11
While doing research for Pale Blue Scratch, on ballet and dancing in general, I came upon this video while following rabbit trails on Google. It’s the intro for a series I had watched a few years ago on Netflix, before one of their anime purges. I have no reason for posting it, other than I … Dancing Mechas
Perceived object X can be distorted to n degree, such that recognition is impossible. Or X can be entirely replaced with another object Y, that mimics the n degree, but also the way it’s distorted m. The effect is the same, though a bit of knowledge can be gleaned from the former case. If distortion … Distortion, Replacement, and Identification
One of the best songs, lyrically, on dealing with a tragedy. Most popular music lyrics that tackle depressing a subject focus on three certain kinds: unrequited love, death, or whatever the mental pathology du jour is popular. I don’t think I’ve heard a song deal with vocational or occupational tragedy before. Contrast this with the … Lyrics: Rush’s Losing It