The Most Depressing Discovery About the Brain, Ever
Nyan and his collaborators have been running experiments trying to answer this terrifying question about American voters: Do facts matter?
The answer, basically, is no. When people are misinformed, giving them facts to correct those errors only makes them cling to their beliefs more tenaciously.
Why Can’t Canada Win the Stanley Cup?
[…] there is almost certainly a shortage of N.H.L. teams in Canada relative to the demand for hockey there and the revenues that Canada contributes to the league. […] Had the distribution of N.H.L. teams more closely matched fan interest in the sport across the United States and Canada, Canada would have more teams in the league and – very probably – at least one Stanley Cup championship.
Finally, and related to the excess demand for hockey in Canada, Canadian teams routinely sell out their arenas at high ticket prices — whether or not they are any good. This may reduce their incentive to compete.
Don’t miss that fans vs. income plot.
A Personal Statement from Iain Banks
[…] I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour helps).
One of my favourite authors of recent years.
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
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.
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.)
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)
