![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/syndicated.gif){kind=small}
ABNT20 KNHC 060536
TWOAT
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
200 AM EDT SUN JUL 6 2008
FOR THE NORTH ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO...
THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON TROPICAL
STORM BERTHA...LOCATED ABOUT 1140 MILES WEST OF THE CAPE VERDE
ISLANDS.
ELSEWHERE...TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IS NOT EXPECTED DURING THE
NEXT 48 HOURS.
$$
FORECASTER KNABB
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
angry
depressed
confused
tired
hungry
annoyed
unmotivated
empty
and fed up
that is all
- Mood:
blank
What do you get when you cross scholarly research and dick jokes? Nothing to laugh at, normally. But science writer Jim Holt defies the Heisenberg principle of humor — you can't study it without killing it — in his book Stop Me If You've Heard This: A History and Philosophy of Jokes. We caught up with him walking into a bar.
Wired: One question you tackle is who invented the joke. Weren't we cracking wise back in the caves?
Holt: No, the classic joke form — setup with incongruity, punch line that resolves the incongruity —seems to have come out of Greece and Rome. There's this guy in Greek -mythology called Palamedes who invented practically everything — numbers, currency, lighthouses, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He also supposedly invented the joke. And, of course, he was stoned to death.
Wired: So where do new jokes come from?
Holt: It used to be that all the jokes I got came from Wall Street. Now, with the Internet, they're sort of everywhere and nowhere at once. But the ideas for jokes are cultural — concepts that keep reappearing in different guises over the centuries.
Wired: There are lots of theories about why we joke. Which do you find most plausible?
Holt: Well, there's the superiority theory, that jokes express scorn for your inferiors — cripples and cuckolds and foreigners and the like. Plato said we laugh at vice. Then there's the Freudian interpretation, that it's all about sexual repression. Finally, there's the seduction theory, based on the observation that men do most of the joking while women do most of the laughing. Christopher Hitchens wrote a piece in Vanity Fair arguing that the only way most guys can impress women is to make them laugh.
Wired: But your favorite explanation is a mashup of Kant and evolutionary biology, right?
Holt: V. S. Ramachandran, the brain researcher, has a theory about the origin of laughter — that when you're in the jungle and there's an apparent threat, the first member of the kinship group to notice that it's not a real threat emits this stereotyped vocalization. And it's contagious, so everyone starts laughing. That's also the basis of the relief theory of humor, that there's a release of the energy you had summoned up to solve some puzzle. Kant said that the essence of humor is a strained expectation dissolving into nothing.
Wired: Did you find any candidates for the perfect joke?
Holt: I did find what might be the shortest possible joke: "Pretentious? Moi?"
I'm debating crawling my arse out of bed to download it. It's one of those things.. If you know it's gonna hurt... Why do it? whimper
But I do wanna see the ending.. Oh the debate. TO watch something that's uniformly received boos from the fandom or to sit in bed listening to Jazz from NPR.org
My parents arrive in 12 hours. I can already hear the sound of the drums. I really gots nothin more to say on that.. Um *silent scream* .
But yeah.. I guess I'll wait till 1 and then go download me mah Dr. Who.
So what about you guys? What are your favourite interviews of Jon's? Let's have 'em!
The weeklong whirlwind of a tour to Israel is finally over. Waiting for my flight, I am wondering when I would get to sleep in my own bed. It is about 18 hours of flying time - London and Philadelphia are to stops on the way - with about six hours of layovers. Given that I am going to be flying on US Airways - an airline with patchy track record of timeliness and service - I am not sure if everything is going to work out. Never mind the fact that both Heathrow and Philadelphia Airports are shining examples of tardiness.
The nightmare ahead nothing withstanding, I have to say, the trip has been quite satisfying for I am always amazed by the tirelessness of Israeli people. Tel-Aviv is a unique place, almost matching the pervasiveness of technology (and tech start-ups). Twice I got pitched while waiting for cabs on the street, a scene right out of a random meeting in Palo Alto. (Check out TypeMock, one of the companies I got pitched on.)
One of the promises I made to myself on this trip was that I would keep computer time to bare minimum and almost entirely relying on my mobile device of the month, the Blackberry Curve. The reason for my computer-free diet was to get some downtime and enjoy the lovely beaches of this country. I also wanted to take some time and write longer form report from Israel.
Well, the downtime didn’t quite happen for I ended up meeting tons of companies - about 40 in all. Those meetings consumed a lot of cycles, not to mention the pages in my trusted MoleSkin notebook. I am going to use the long flight home to type out the notes about some of the more promising start-ups.
One of the highlights of this trip has been an informal meeting with Yari Goldfinger, co-founder of ICQ at the TWS 2008 conference in Tel-Aviv. Our chat was long, expansive and rambling, but enjoyable nevertheless, despite my jet lag.
Before I take off, one last word about the deplorable state of commercial WiFi. The GoBoingo continues to fail the review, for Tel-Aviv Airport is yet another location where Boingo via its new client, GoBoingo refuses to work.
The network shows up but error messages abound. You guys are aware of my troubles with Boingo thus far and how the service failed to work in some of the major airports. The company’s spokespeople emailed and did some major verbal gymnastics but proof is in the pudding. Next stop will be Heathrow and then Philly. Maybe … just maybe Boingo can redeem itself, but I am not holding my breath.
See you next week!
- Mood:
awake
Anyway, are any of you fine folks IT consultants? How did you get your start? What obstacles did you have to overcome (or have you still not overcome yet)? Where should I do more research? There are so many resources out there and it's hard to weed out what's not reputable.
Finally, the most important question: Do you like what you do?
1- Mood:
calm
Thanks in advance!
I really loved Pixar’s new movie, “Wall-E,” and I was really happy to hear the voice that screams “humanity,” sing to us during the end credits. Peter Gabriel wrote the lyrics to the very cool song “Down to the Earth“
I just bought a My Book because I was downloading so many movies my laptop was about to crash. So, I take this thing out of the box and hook it up using a USB, and nothing happens. NOTHING. Usually an External Hard Drive will show up next to the C drive under the My Computer file, just like a regular USB file. But theres nothing for this thing and I can't figure it out. Is there anyone who knows what I could do?
Alright, so I've recently gotten into using hydrogen peroxide on whites and lightly coloured clothes that need to be disinfected and/or bleached, but my problem is that the majority of my clothes are either black or coloured, and I'm not sure if hydrogen peroxide is safe for use on them. Is it safe to use it on coloured clothes, and if so, how much? if not, what are the alternatives?
Also, is it alright to use just baking soda and vinegar in place of laundry soap, or does it have to be combined with something else? lately I've been really sensitive to our detergent and I'm slowly phasing it out. Also, when is the best time to add them, because some times my darker clothes come out with white spots on them.
PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.
-----Email Message-----
Sent: Sunday, July 06, 2008 12:07 AM
Subject: i'm ready to lose everything
It's interesting - though you tagged this photograph as "I'm ready to love everything" and to me it looks like "I'm ready to lose everything," I wonder if in fact these vastly different phrases would still translate to the same meaning...
-----Email Message-----
To: Frank Warren
I was reading PostSecret today and I happened to scroll down to the end of the page, and saw a photo of Kristin - a childhood friend that lived around the block from me in Florida. I did hear when she died, but I was very surprised to see the suicide hotline with Kristin's picture on it.
After researching how the Kristin Brooks Hope Center was founded I had to pass along to Kristin's husband, Reese, that the love he has for her is overwhelming. His devotion to her memory is remarkable, and I just wanted him to know that a friend who knew Kristin a long time ago was proud that she married someone like him. Their child is blessed to have parents like Kristin and Reese.
Thank you for all you do to help people in dark places find their light.
-----Email Message-----
From: Reese Butler [Founder, Kristin Brooks Hope Center]
The ability and opportunity to connect with one of Kristin's childhood friends was a miracle and a gift from the PostSecret community.
After Kristin's death I desperately tried to reach out to all the people she grew up with. It was important to me that people who did know her learned what happened to her and how they can prevent others from falling to the same fate.
For over 3 years the PostSecret community has helped people learn that they share some of the deepest and darkest secrets and are not alone
Thanks for this miracle.
-----Email Message-----
From: Frank Warren
Subject: Struggling to meet a July 9th deadline
The Kristin Brooks Hope Center needs your help today.
Become a member of the 99 CLUB. Call Reese directly to arrange for a larger donation 202-669-8500 (yes, that is Reese's direct phone number, please be respectful). You can also make a quick and easy PayPal donation. All donations are fully tax deductible.
Help please!
Oh, and I want non bread ideas please (wheat sensitive).