Isotropic is …
... my personal blog.
Unless otherwise indicated, anything I write here is simply my personal, probably ill-formed, opinion and does not represent the views, beliefs, positions, or opinions of any other person or entity.
Monthly Archives: September 2008
30 Sep 2008
X-Ray Messages for the TSA
While I don’t think it’s a good idea to send messages to the TSA via metal plates in your luggage [MAKE Magazine], that’s not really what this post is about. Rather, it’s the reactions to the screening process itself, exemplified by the comments on the Make post. As perception of similarity is [...]
29 Sep 2008
It’s MY Laptop
It’s funny, but oh so true:
But yesterday, as a guest sat on my couch and — without asking permission — suddenly grabbed my laptop to check his email, I realized I had one major complex: I hate it when people use my computers without permission. – John Brownlee, My face goes white, …, Boing [...]
27 Sep 2008
Perception of Similarity
“A study by Psychology researchers at the University of Warwick has found a radical 50/50 split in how people decide ‘What makes two things seem similar?.” according to this report at ScienceDaily.
His first experiment using the word “similar” found that 31% of the people chose a physical feature based similarity (for instance cake and cookie) [...]
26 Sep 2008
Data is hard! Let’s make up something!
In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy. “It’s not based on any particular data point,” a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. “We just wanted to choose a really large number.” — Bad News For The Bailout (Forbes.com)
14 Sep 2008
Dangerous Pencil Sharpeners
As you can see from the image, the classic pencil sharpener blade is a dangerous weapon. A 10-year old South Carolina boy was suspended and interviewed by the police for possessing the blade of his broken pencil sharpener. He may face further disciplinary action.
I tend to agree with one of the Boing [...]
13 Sep 2008
The LHC doesn’t scare me …
… however, the people who are afraid of it do.
There are many more articles out there, with much weirder stuff; this one just happened to be handy when I decided to post. Google around and enjoy the circus.
In the BBC article “Q&A: The LHC experiment“, LHC scientist Brian Cox answers some questions from the [...]
13 Sep 2008
Walk This Way
According to ScienceDaily, a new study found that trained sexologists could infer a woman’s history of vaginal orgasm by observing the way she walks.
No, no, you’ve got it all wrong! I’m not stalking you, I’m doing research! By the way, would you mind filling out this form?
11 Sep 2008
Poor Kelly
Poor Kelly, her msn keeps stopping but she would like to chat with me. Actually, it looks like her email and online accounts keep getting stuck too, since every time I hear from her, she has a different email address and a different “always online” location.
Wow, she sure gets around alot! I suppose [...]
09 Sep 2008
Ambient Awareness
“This is the paradox of ambient awareness. Each little update — each individual bit of social information — is insignificant on its own, even supremely mundane. But taken together, over time, the little snippets coalesce into a surprisingly sophisticated portrait of your friends’ and family members’ lives, like thousands of dots making a pointillist painting. [...]
