obvious when you think about it
2013-04-02
Despite an understanding of the perception and consequences of apologies for their recipients, little is known about the consequences of interpersonal apologies, or their denial, for the offending actor. In two empirical studies, we examined the unexplored psychological consequences that follow from a harm-doer’s explicit refusal to apologize. Results showed that the act of refusing to apologize resulted in greater self-esteem than not refusing to apologize. Moreover, apology refusal also resulted in increased feelings of power/control and value integrity, both of which mediated the effect of refusal on self-esteem. These findings point to potential barriers to victim–offender reconciliation after an interpersonal harm, highlighting the need to better understand the psychology of harm-doers and their defensive behavior for self-focused motives.
via Metafilter
oscar voting
2013-03-22
Procedures & Applications: Academy Awards Nominations and Single Transferable Vote
Candidate E is known as the Condorcet winner, as it defeats all other candidates in pairwise, head-to-head elections. The Condorcet winner, if one exists, is viewed as a compromise candidate that garners support from the entire electorate, because it can defeat every other candidate head-to-head. Hence, a more specific critique is that [Single Transferable Vote] may not elect the Condorcet winner, if one exists.
three days early
2013-02-25
soothing
2013-02-10
Movies 2012
2013-01-05
Some i watched after looking at a couple of best-of lists:
Killer Joe – extremely twisted and uniquely discomforting. i don’t think this specific shit goes on in America, but what does?
John Dies At The End – this (and the source novel, i assume) “deconstructs” the supernatural thriller brilliantly. Ain’t your parents’ Mulder and Scully.
Ruby Sparks – Manic Pixie Dream Girl, thoroughly turned inside out despite the protests of the screenwriter otherwise. Brilliant.
(Ebert rules, i have no other go-to film critic.)
this was part of my childhood…
2012-11-02
Welcome to OMNI Magazine Collection
OMNI was a science and science fiction magazine published in the US and the UK. It contained articles on science fact and short works of science fiction. The first issue was published in October 1978, the last in Winter 1995, with an internet version lasting until 1998.
(my childhood wasn’t like yours)
on the bright side
2012-10-31
Depressive realism is the proposition that people with depression actually have a more accurate perception of reality, specifically that they are less affected by positive illusions of illusory superiority, the locus of control and optimism bias.
Depressive Realism May Not Be Real
In the lyrics to the song “Dumb,” Kurt Cobain sang “I think I’m dumb, or maybe just happy.” Like many people battling serious depression, Cobain seems to have thought that being happy required being oblivious to the many depressing truths in the world. [i disagree with the article, i just like this paragraph.]
How does one convince a depressed person that “everything is all right” when her life really does suck? […] Counterintuitive as it sounds, it’s justified because what defines a mental disorder is not unreasonable or illogical thought, but abnormal behaviour that causes significant distress and impairs normal functioning in society.
A cartoonist talking about his character
2012-10-21
Love And Rockets’ Hernandez brothers on 30 years in comics
[Quote from Xaime:]
I know how she grew up emotionally—what her ups and downs were, basically, even if I don’t know the exact details. Like I said, every once in awhile, I do have to go back, but overall, it’s just this is my friend Maggie and I know she had a hard time at a time of her life and I know how she is going to react to a modern-day situation. Because I’ve known her, and I know she’s experienced in some ways because of what she’s learned in the past and stuff she’s never learned in the past. Some people learn, some people never learn and they’re sometimes the same person. So that’s basically how I do handle it. It’s not as hard as you’d think, but every once in a while, I go, “What did I do? Oh, OK. So I have to fix this.”
[So much love.]
“You are not entitled to your opinion.”
2012-10-12
“You are only entitled to what you can argue for.
“A bit harsh? Perhaps, but philosophy teachers owe it to our students to teach them how to construct and defend an argument – and to recognize when a belief has become indefensible.”
