Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Southpaws prefer C# and Deep Blue

- Is being left-handed a sign of mental impairment? For years, I have heard people claim that the average left-handed person is slightly smarter than the average right-handed person.  I never bought that notion.  I don't buy this one either:
http://io9.com/5809813/is-being-left+handed-actually-a-form-of-cognitive-impairment




- Tipping etiquette, per country:
http://dailyinfographic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/110302-MINT-TIPSa.png



- How free is the state you live in?
http://mercatus.org/freedom-50-states-2011




- Most popular programming languages.  My favorite is at #4:
http://www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci/index.html




- IBM turns 100 years old:
http://www.canada.com/business/computer+pioneer+turns/4956032/story.html




- 15 things you didn't know about outer-space:
http://www.onlineschools.org/blog/outer-space/




- An excellent biography of George Lucas:
http://flickeringmyth.blogspot.com/2011/06/hot-rods-droids-george-lucas-profile.html




- Keeping the synergy of the previous two posts, 10 things you didn't know about Star Wars:
http://io9.com/5813935/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-star-wars




- Yeah, yeah, I can't stand Slate either, but I stumbled upon this article and wanted to share it. Who is currently America's greatest humorist?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2011/06/17/america-s-greatest-living-humorists-parker-and-stone-or-larry-david.aspx

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Professor Chaos rides out the twister

- Make an avatar of yourself, South Park style.  Here's what I might look like in the South Park universe:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/avatar/




- Walking to work, if you pass by a homeless person playing music for hand-outs, do you listen to the music?  Do you pay attention at all?  What if the person was a WORLD-CLASS musician playing some of the most difficult music ever composed?  Do you think you would notice?  The Washington Post put this idea to the test.  Amazing article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html




- A teenager with a useless limb volunteers to have the limb hacked-off, and replaced with a bionic limb:
http://io9.com/5803399/voluntary-amputees-opt-for-bionic-hands-over-real-ones




- When traveling, why does the trip home always feel shorter?  Personally, I think it's because on the way home, we are full of new memories and experiences to think about:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/201105/how-long-will-it-take-get-home




- Why TV ads are louder than TV shows.  Quick spoiler...they aren't:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/st_loudtvads/




- Tornado myths debunked.  The two most reoccurring themes in my nightmares are tornadoes and spiders.  I am sure a Freudian psychiatrist would have a field-day with that knowledge:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110528/LIFE/105280302/0/CAROUSEL/?odyssey=nav




- A list of conservative film critics:
http://whatwouldtotowatch.com/2011/06/01/your-guide-to-conservative-film-critics/




- Internet usage in the U.S:
http://www.steverubel.me/post/6142641472/internet-adoption-chart