Monthly Archives: May 2012

Overthinking the Chrono Trigger bassline

Admit it, you’re turned on by that. Here’s the bass tab, by auriplane: Chrono Trigger – Battle BASS TABSong by Yasunori Mitsuda Tabbed by auriplane (crystal@panix.com) I think this is the easiest way to play it. If it seems like … Continue reading

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Attack of the psychic transdimensional octopus!

Spoiler alert. Bonus points if you know what I’m spoiling. Anyway, it’s no secret that a common enemy can bring people together. In fact, that’s the plot of The Avengers (which you should watch if you haven’t already). But can … Continue reading

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Picking losers

I like this idea, especially because it can be generalized to all the risk-based decisions we make in everyday life. It also draws on our critical functions, rather than the same optimistic functions that we use to post facto rationalize … Continue reading

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Consider the implications

I just tried accessing Athol Kay’s blog in a chain-brand coffee shop, and I got this message: Dear {user}, This is a message from the IT Department. The web site you are trying to access: {url}is listed as a site … Continue reading

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Movie pitch: Krishna attacks America

So I’m weathering an exciting Midwestern thunderstorm in a little coffee shop, and a huge roll of thunder gets my attention. I look out the window and see a huge tree that I mistake, in a frightening moment, for a … Continue reading

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Logical vs. intuitive or (expressibility)

That’s one way of distinguishing between the logical or (and/or) and xor (either or/er), because xor is much more intuitive to those of us who have to make value judgments on a regular basis. “Do I want X or Y?” … Continue reading

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Francis Galton and wine snobs

So I had this unsubstantiated thought, right? Back in the day, Sir Francis Galton had a conjecture that general intelligence had something to do with increased sensory sensitivity. The basic idea kind of makes sense, actually, because more input means … Continue reading

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Should have thought of that

Retread, A better English prefix for the internet We need one because the existing prefixes are stupid: e-, i-, cyber-, info-, techno- and net-. The prefix has to be short and inoffensive to the ears, while forming words that aren’t … Continue reading

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Repost: Planning for civil war

Why yes, I am following that old advice for defeating writer’s block; Lower your standards and keep going. I’ve been pretty clear about where I stand in the antebellum (the path of least resistance), but I like playing armchair general … Continue reading

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Gender analysis

Man, lotsa dust on this keyboard. Gotta start with something easy to warm up the ol’ thinker. Steve Sailer has an old, but still very interesting article tabulating the differences between gay men and lesbians. It’s very easy to draw … Continue reading

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