Interesting Links for 05-07-2012

[andrewducker]

• What Is Intelligence? (A fascinating look at IQ, intelligence, and abstract thinking)
  (tags: intelligence iq FlynnEffect )
• Apparently we're now labelling incredibly fit women athletes as fat.
  (tags: women uk wtf fitness health fat )
• Why the US elections don't offer a real choice
  (tags: politics elections usa )
• Young Boy Banned From Swimming Pool Because He Has Two Dads
  (tags: usa bigotry lgbt viaSupergee )
• When oceans collide! An awesome photo.
  (tags: water photo ocean border )
• One reason not to be excited about the Higgs boson
  (tags: physics )

Comments

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

Apparently the most valuable advertising space on the planet is now Jessica Ennis's lower torso.

[andrewducker]

I'd say so!

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

As picky as I am about prejudice about fat, I don't think your second link says much-- it's a second-hand report of one person saying something obnoxious, and it's presented as obnoxious. This isn't what "we" are doing, though it might be sketchy evidence of how extreme the location of the Overton window is.

Thanks for the link about IQ-- it covers a lot of important dubiousness. One more point-- why so much emphasis on what's hypothetically unchangeable about people's capacity to think?

[andrewducker]

The "we" in that title was largely meant ironically, and in a societal sense, rather than about my flist, who are altogether more sensible than that.

I can't recall all of the IQ article - which bit was the hypothetically unchangeable focus bit?

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

So far as fat prejudice is concerned, I don't think that quote is even representative of the culture.

What might have been going on is Ennis is very muscular and lean, but I don't think she's going for "hard-bodied" display appearance. She might have less tension and more freedom of movement than most people who exercise that much-- but a fool could think she looks fat.

The bit about IQ tests looking for unchangeable features is my idea-- your link reminded me of it. What does it say about a culture that it puts such a large focus on what can't be improved?

[andrewducker]

I'm not convinced it does. I think it looks to see what can be improved and what can't be. Differentiating the two is the important bit, because then you can focus on what you can change.

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

Shouldn't we get excited about the Higgs Boson though? I mean Mythbusters.

[andrewducker]

I find it interesting, but not as exciting as if something unexpected had been found, or we'd just found a use for it :->

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

To be honest, all they've done is found a particle at around 125 GeV. Its properties are yet to be defined. It could still lead to a minor rewrite of (or at least additions to) the Standard Model.

The exciting bit will be whether its turns out to be a fairly plain Higgs boson (possibly an oxymoron given it's been 50 years in the finding, I admit) and not something supersymmetric, thus putting more pressure on Supersymmetry as a theory since the LHC was hoping it might find the lightest supersymmetric particles by now. If it is a Higgs in its least exotic form, we're suddenly stuck for a viable working theory for dark matter, etc. and that could lead to a whole new raft of propositions!

[andrewducker]

Exactly!

I was hoping, at the least, for a Higgs Boson inscribed in tiny letters with "We apologise for the inconvenience".

[bracknellexile.livejournal.com]

They should have built the LHC in the Quentulus Quasgar Mountains then, instead of the Alps.

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Spotted further down the page on the Young Boy Banned From Swimming Pool etc article, the followup:

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/success-young-boy-with-two-gay-dads-will-be-allowed-in-swimming-pool/discrimination/2012/07/05/42919

[andrewducker]

That's fantastic!