Genocide Awareness Project

The Genocide Awarenes Project has a set of poster displays they travel around the country with arguing that abortion is simply another form of genocide in which the powerful erase the less powerful. Regardless of your take or stand on the issue of abortion, the pictures really make you think. The poster entitled "The Insanity of Choice" particularly struck me as one of our children was born prematurely and was very close to the age suppossedly shown in the poster. It is easy to have an opinion on the issue of abortion when it is an abstract concept or issue; it takes on much more importance and salience when your stance on the issue has real world consequences. WARNING: These images are very graphic and quite difficult to look at. You have been warned.

Talk about your marketing genius.  

OpinionJournal - Extra

Link to Wall Street Journal editoral that examines failure of local leaders (not federal) to act to save lives in wake of Katrina.

Suicide Smock

Ferguson Safety Products: Safe clothes & blankets for suicidal inmates in jails and prisons Here is a link to a website that sells "suicide smocks" for use with suicidal inmates in a jail setting. These are used regularly in many jail settings in Kentucky. Kentucky is acutally in the forefront of addressing the mental health needs of inmates. For example, every inmate entering either the Mason and Lewis County jails are screened for mental health and substance abuse issues which may put them at risk for any number of difficulties ranging from substance abuse withdrawal to suicide.

The Interdictor - Survival of New Orleans Blog

The Interdictor Check out this amazing blog that is based in the middle of all the chaos in New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina Potential Health Problems Analysis

Here is link to a forwarded email that outlines many of the potential health concerns that could arise as secondary effects of Hurricane Katrina.

Sociology of the MLB Player: 1952

Link Certainly won't intrigue everyone as it did me, but here is a nice snapshot of the average major league baseball player in 1952.

Pareidolia Data

Ever look at a cloud and see a dog or look at a piece of toast and see the face of Elvis? This curious phenomena is acutally known as pareidolia. Check out this link to read more about it.
http://thefolklorist.com/Pareidolia%20Project/index.htm

How Long Will I Live? - Life Expectancy Calculator

How Long Will I Live? - Life Expectancy Calculator If you dare, use this calculator to determine you expected life expectancy. For those of you holding out hope of my early demise, I must unfortunately report that I am expected to live to a ripe old age of 84.

Current Reading List

I was having a discussion the other day with co-workers of what books we were each reading. I found the question hard to answer quickly or coherently as I tend to read on four or five books at a time. I also tend to go in spurts with respect to reading activity. Here is what I'm currently reading:

Backstabber by Tim Cockey
Guilty Pleasures by Laurel K Hamilton
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Come Thirsty by Max Lucado
Mental Health Administration (edited book)
Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry by Harry Stack Sullivan
Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Religion by James Jones

I've been working on Gravity's Rainbow for some time now. I'm told it is one of the hardest books in the English language to finish. I take some solace in the fact that a PhD English Literature candidate recently told me that neither he nor many of his professors have ever finished the book.

The Influence of Al Gore's Internet

Al Gore's invention has placed us beyond the pale in our understanding of business, entertainment, information exchange, and even interpersonal interaction. Previous models of knowledge in each of these areas have been found to be inadequate with respect to the internet. As a psychologist, I take particular interest in what for lack of a better term can be called the "Psychology of Cyberspace".

I believe that near instantaneous access to information (especailly as broadband service becomes more widely available) is the most significant change the internet has made to society and culture. What used to take a trip to the library, bookstore, or consultation with an expert can now be accessed online (and the information is up to date, not limited by whenever the book was published or by the expert's limitations). Let's take a the area of sports. As a kid, if the Reds played on the West Coast and you couldn't stay up late to see/hear the game, you would have to wait two days for the score to show up in the paper, as it wouldn't even make the next day's paper due to missing the submission deadline for the paper. Now, I can see/hear the game in real time over the internet with statisitics updated pitch by pitch.

In the past, holders of information have held significant power over those needing or requiring that information. To some degree, the balance of power has tilted to everyman (or at least everyman who has a computer and internet access). Keep in mind that it is still primarily white, affluent, males who spend the most time roaming the waves of the internet. In the past month I have done the following things via access to the internet: kept in touch with family/friends hundreds of miles away; made hotel reservations for a trip to Florida; bought multiple items including several hard to find items I could not have found within 100 miles of my home; shared photos of children with others who would otherwise never get to see them; researched multiple projects for work; applied for a loan repayment program; tracked my 401K; checked the weather forecast; keep up with the news; and find others who share some of the esoteric interests that I have. Just ten years ago I would have needed to visit a travel agent, a stockbroker, the post office, the library, and government office to complete all of these tasks. While this is empowering at the individual level, what costs are associated with this instantaneous access to information?

Is the information reliable and valid?
If not, is anyone liable when others rely upon that information to their detriment?
How does intstantaneous access to information on the world wide web affect our expectations for access in other spheres of our lives?
How do we assure (or should we even be concerned about) equitable access to this information for all?
Who is in control of the information?
Should you have to pay for access to the information?
Can you get sued for information you share (or don't share) on the internet? For example, there was a recent suicide attempt in an online chatroom and several people encouraged the young man to kill himself. Are they liable?



Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit. - Oscar Wilde

Darwin Awards

Darwin Awards: Darwin Awards One of my favorite websites documenting those individuals who do the rest of us a favor by cleaning out the gene pool.

List of Texas Inmates' Last Meals

List of Texas Inmates' Last Meals Fascinating look at the last meals of inmates on death row in Texas. What would your last meal request be?

Check out this image of the new Play Station 3. The following link has more detailed pics and some pics of previous mock ups. http://www.ps3land.com/ps3-pictures/ps3-pictures.php  

Virtual Street Reality

This is rather freaky. Apparently it is just paint on the sidewalk, but some of them sure look like they are really three dimensional. Virtual Street Reality

Online Generators

Just about everybody should be able to find an online generator for their tastes at this site. Online Generators

America's Least Wanted

This is a really cool but also really odd photo collection. I've always been fascinated by how people choose to pose for mug shots and what their mug shots appear to say about them. Least Wanted's photosets on Flickr

The Orgasmic Brain

I always knew that that scene in When Harry Met Sally was true. Check out this interview disucssing brain imaging studies of the orgasmic response. All in the Mind: 9 July 2005 - The Orgasmic Brain

And They Say Freud is Dead

Leave it to Parents Against Bad Books in Schools to prove that psychoanalytic concepts are alive and well. Controversial and challenged books in schools--PABBIS

Why are Most Auditory Hallucinations a Male Voice?

Check out this article for a possible answer. News Releases 2005

Blast from the Past - Handheld Electronic Games

Check out this Flickr photoset of old handheld electronic games. They seem to be making a resurgence in recent years, but these are the orignals. Me and my brother had a number of these shown here. Electronic Games - a photoset on Flickr

Venus or Mars

Not the kind of article you would expect to find in Playstation magazine, but an interesting article nonetheless. Would love to see a feminst theorist get a hold of this and offer their perspective.Venus or Mars? from 1UP.COM

Don't Yawn Game

Try not to yawn. It's not as easy as you think it might be. Emilie's Don't Yawn Game

Researchers Map The Sexual Network Of An Entire High School

Amazing linkage map of the romantic/sexual relationships in a high school.

Link

Tall or Not

Link

Ever wanted to know how you stack up heightwise with your favorite celebrity. Well here is your chance. See how you compare to Abraham Lincoln, our tallest president, or Al Pacino.

I've been playing Mr. Mom all weekend as Cathie is out of town for a few days. The kids are fine, don't worry. We've played and watched movies and even played in the snow as we have gotten about 5-6 inches of snow over the last few days.  

Perhaps it isn't just a tension headache after all.  

Did you catch this one? 

Insurance Claims Hall of Fame

If you ever think you are having a bad day, check out these characters who made the insurance claims hall of fame.

LINK

Lying Makes Brain Work Harder

Interesting article from Wired magazine that summarizes use of functional MRI to study the brains of individuals telling and not telling the truth.

Link

With More Depressive Episodes Comes More Dementia Risk

According to this news report, Denmark has a national healthcare registry which researchers can access for long-term studies. In a fascinating use of the registry, it appears that the risk for dementia increases in relation to the number of depressive episodes an individual experiences. Check out the article via the link below.

Link