Over at Friendly Atheist, Mike Clawson made a post discussing the relationship between personality and belief. The discussion stems from an article in the Journal of Parapsychology - Personality and motivations to believe, misbelieve, and disbelieve in paranormal phenomena. Since Mike did a decent job discussing the article, I am going to be lazy and not do it here.

Mike touches on the excerpts of the article dealing with the Myers-Briggs personality test. For those of you who pay any attention to what I write around here (all two or three of you), you may recall that I actually posted my results for this test awhile back. I decided to take the same test again today to see if my results were consistent...... and yes they were. I apparently am an INTJ personality with the following percentages of expression:

Introverted - 89%
iNtuitive - 50%
Thinking - 62%
Judging - 56%

I don't recall my exact numbers when I took the test previously, but I know they were in the same ranges. Also, I have taken other tests online, although I can't be bothered to find them right now, and I have always come up as an INTJ. As I said before, these results seem pretty accurate for me. Well, at least all of the interweb-based descriptions of INTJs seem to describe me quite accurately (to a disturbing degree at times). I have posted links to some of these below, so you can learn all about Your's Truly.

Good Old Wikipedia
The Personality Page - General
The Personality Page - Relationships
The Personality Page - Career
Type Logic
INTJ List
INTJ Central - Probably my favourite one

And here is a little something for a certain someone (you know who you are) which discusses the relationship between INTJs and psychopaths.

Apparently there is quite the lively debate regarding the validity of the Myers-Briggs test and apparently it doesn't always provide consistent results (although it appears to be consistent for me). I am curious about what some of my friends who study psychology think about the Myers-Briggs test (*cough*Ashley*cough*).

So to everyone - What are your results for the Myers-Briggs test? If you took the test before, are your current results consistent with your previous results? What are your thoughts on the validity of the test? Do you think I have an INTJ personality? Do you like people with INTJ personalities? Should I stop asking questions?

Cheers,
Me

Well folks, today marks the end of my 28th year on the planet earth and the beginning of the 29th. Yup, Happy Birthday to me!!

Also, this marks the two year anniversary of the first blog I ever posted. You see, my first ever blog was posted around 6AM on my birthday in 2006. I had returned from drunken strip club adventures and finally decided to set up a MySpace account from which to blog (although I obviously migrated over here later). I don't know if you've ever tried to do that while drunk..... not particularly easy. About a month later, I finally decided to put some effort into producing blogs on a regular basis and I put out a sort of blogging mission statement as a jumping off point.

Now, I realize I haven't been posting much lately, and for that I apologize. Apparently working on a Ph.D. is a lot of work. On top of that, my personal time has been chock full of things to do that preclude blogging. And as much as I like you fine people, my new lady friend is far more entertaining than writing stuff for you.

I don't foresee being able to write anything significant in the near future, so I figured I would take this two year anniversary as an opportunity to do a little something to keep you occupied. I have gone through my blogs and found some classics that I either like, or that I think provide some insight into yours truly. This is an opportunity for those of you who only recently found my amazing site to get better acquainted with it. So without further ado.......

One of the early blog series I wrote was about my name. I decided to explore the intricacies of where my name came from and what it means:

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV

Next we have one of the long running series here, my viewing suggestions. Basically, I inform everyone that they should be watching some movie or TV show. Some of my favourites are listed below:

I - Coupling
III - Free Enterprise
VI - Thank You for Smoking
XI - Orwell Rolls in His Grave
XVI - The Mythbusters
XXII - Way of the Gun
XXVI - Sicko
XXVIII - Californication

Next we have the collection of procrastination blogs, designed to help you waste some time on a Friday afternoon. Because we all know, working on Friday afternoon is ten shades of suck!

I - Ultimate Showdown & Kitten Cannon
IV - Geography, Monkey Cliff Diving and Stick Men
VIII - Boneless Girl, Bullet Time Fighting and Self-Defense
XVI - Some xkcd Favourites
XVIII - Stephen Lynch
XX - Particles
XXIII - Attraction
XXX - Adult-Oriented Games

Yet another regular series involves me telling you folks about some scientific item that I find particularly interesting. It's basically a chance for me to nerd-out a little and not feel like I'm doing it alone.

I - Dark Matter
IV - Wireless Energy Systems
V - Hubble Deep Field
X - Super Chimp Memory
XII - Dextre the Robot

On the fun side of things, I have also participated in a few of those memes that have been floating around the blogosphere:

Nearest Book Meme
Nearest Book Meme - Home Edition
Make Your Own Band
Google #1

I have made several posts about a movie game where you mix up titles to movies starring the same actor. I had loads-o-fun with it, so you may too.

First
Second
Third

Finally, I have made several interesting (at least I think they are interesting) posts on a variety of subjects including life, science, politics and religion. Rather than break things into categories, I have listed some of my favourites all together below. The ones with an asterisk I thought were particularly good.

*Surgery Gobots and Hercules..... Oh My!
A is for Atheist
On the Art of Giving a Decent Technical Presentation
An Open Letter to the Drivers of El Paso
Hookt on Foniks Wurked for Me
*A Dr. Phil Blog? WTF?
*The Four Big Bangs? WTF?
The Chase
*Anti-Intellectualism and the Value of Education
My Car, uh, doesn't exist
*Harvey the Wonder Hamster
I'm in Love with Mary Jane
Double Standard
Chad Gets Political
Answers in the Face of Death
*Grandma O's Jam
Why You Should Quit Smoking

So people, I now say unto you...... Go forth and read anything that you find interesting from above. Leave comments and they shall be replied to. I will try to write something new in the near future.

Cheers,
Me

Enjoy.

Cheers,
Me



via toomanytribbles

For your viewing pleasure:



This video is, IMNSHO, pure genius.

via toomanytribbles

Cheers,
Me

So, I was sitting in the library merrily working away on some dynamics and spending time with a certain lady-friend, when some douchebag frat boys sat at a nearby table.

Among their myriad of conversation topics (which included smoking, the Power Rangers, Golf, some guy they know named Chad, an injured knee, Oregon Trail and the one guy's annoying and apparently text-message-crazy girlfriend) they briefly touched on religion. While I didn't catch the entire theological debate, one of them did let loose with this little gem:

Who do you pray to, bitch?!?

I don't know about you, but I find that ridiculously funny and ironic.

Just thought I would pass that along..... that is all.

Cheers,
Me

Here is a recent comic from PhD Comics:



Bandwagon..... Nyquil Frequency..... Aliening..... Furrier Transform.....

If you've done some basic digital signal processing you know that none of those words are correct. And for those who haven't studied DSP, they should be:

Bandwidth..... Nyquist Frequency..... Aliasing..... Fourier Transform.....

But even worse than getting the words wrong is the fact that the Nyquist frequency is supposed to be twice the maximum frequency component of your original signal. Therefore, in this case, 4Hz.

Sadly, based on my experience with some undergrads, this is not too far from reality.

Cheers,
Me

Greetings Folks, long time no blogging......

I just saw an RFI (Request for Information) from NASA for proposals on educational MMOs (Massively Muliplayer Online Games). It seems that the NASA Learning Technologies project over at the Goddard Space Flight Center are looking into developing an MMO that would help teach students about STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Would you like to know more?

Here's a excerpt from the above site:

Virtual worlds with scientifically accurate simulations could permit learners to tinker with chemical reactions in living cells, practice operating and repairing expensive equipment, and experience microgravity, making it easier to grasp complex concepts and transfer this understanding quickly to practical problems. MMOs help players develop and exercise a skill set closely matching the thinking, planning, learning, and technical skills increasingly in demand by employers. These skills include strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, team-building and cooperation, and adaptation to rapid change.

This is an idea I can totally get behind. It involves NASA, science, education and video games...... How could I not support such a plan? If they can successfully develop a scientifically accurate environment for the game, I think it could end up being a pretty decent game.

Cheers,
Me

I just received my first-ever Where's George? dollar bill. If you don't know about these bills head on over to www.wheresgeorge.com. Basically, you enter the serial number to see where the bill has been previously.

The bill I just checked doesn't have a big history on the site. However, one of the past recipients received this bill on stage as a stripper. So, it's nice to know that this particular George helped some guy get a pair of breasts rubbed in his face.

I myself received this bill at a Diamond Shamrock convenience store near my place. There also happens to be a strip club near that Diamond Shamrock. I'm not sure where I'll spend this dollar yet.... Maybe I should pass it along at one of the airports I'll be passing through on my way to Winnipeg for Christmas.

Cheers,
Me

Sorry for the lack of posts lately folks. Here is a little something to tide you over, courtesy of Goats.


Cheers,
Me

Thanks to BGH and JCE over at The Information Paradox, I am more frightened about the state of things in the world these days. They have posted some videos about Jeremy Scahill, the author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. While the implications of the hiring of Blackwater frighten me, I am not entirely surprised by the connections with the Christian Right and the Bush Whitehouse. My not being surprised is probably the most disturbing thing for me.

I'd tell you to sit back, relax and enjoy..... but that's not really going to happen.

Cheers,
Me

First a short video - Blackwater: The Shadow War


Second, a five video series of Jeremy Scahill discussing Blackwater.

Part I:


Part II:


Part III:


Part IV:


Part V:

In the comments for my previous post on 1000 Years of Achievements, I said:

The suppression of progress, be it social or scientific, is one of my main issues with religion. I often wonder where we would be as a society if we didn't have scientific progress stifled by accusations of heresy and the like.

Well, last week toomanytribbles brought this posting to my attention. It contains the following graph:


Here are a couple of interesting quotes from the article:

I don't know about you but when I search for a doctor to cure me, I don't want one who believes in superstitions, miracles, or divine intervention (for how could I ever know if he resorts to his faith rather than his medical training?). I want a doctor who uses the best scientific medical knowledge and that means a doctor who doesn't hold Christian or any religious beliefs. When I want to understand how nature and the universe works, I read from scientific literature, not holy scripture. Scientists reveal the workings of nature, not priests, ministers or shamans.

The Christian Dark Ages represents the only time in the history of Europe where scientific advancement not only halted but went backwards. The hole left by the Dark Ages bears the imprint of scientific intolerance. Imagine where scientific advancement would stand today if not for the scars left by Christianity.

Cheers,
Me

My MySpace friend Uncle Chad (man I love that name), brought a video about evolution to my attention. This video explains the concept of evolution in simple terms and presents the results of an evolution simulation. It still amazes me that someone has to make a video like this to explain evolution to some people....



Cheers,
Me

Well, thanks to toomanytribbles, I have taken another nerd test. Here are the results:





I guess my official title is now "Kinda Dorky Nerd King." As for the actual numbers, the order from highest to lowest appears about right. I'm an engineer and researcher, so the first two being high makes sense. I don't do the comic thing, but I'm all over the sci-fi, so that number seems reasonable. I also am quite a history buff, so I'm not surprised that that is the second highest. Finally, for the last number, I would have guessed about 50% myself, but the result doesn't appear unreasonable...... Does over-analyzing my result mean anything in terms of nerditude (I don't care if that isn't a word)?

Cheers,
Me

One of my MySpace friends, Fluffer Butter... Eater of Souls, brought to my attention an article regarding atheists and anger. For those who don't know, many religious folks constantly ask atheists why they are so angry..... Well, Greta has written an excellent article addressing this question. It is a lengthy read and it may occasionally be a little tough for my theistic friends to read, but I highly recommend that everyone take the time to read it.

Apart from her being a homosexual female and me being a heterosexual male, pretty much everything she says captures my opinions on why religion angers atheists. Now, some of my closer friends may be wondering..... "But Chad, you are such a laid-back and mellow guy, I didn't think you ever got angry about things." Well, there isn't a whole lot that truly makes me angry.... and I try not to go around ranting and raving about the things that do. However, when it comes to the horrible things that are done in the name of theistic belief, I sometimes can't help myself. This is particularly true of the deliberate ignorance of the "God of the Gaps" approach to understanding the universe and the constant attempts to introduce Creationism and Intelligent design into the classroom. Being a scientist and educator, these attempts to undermine scientific inquiry and education go against everything I stand for in both my personal and professional life.

Cheers,
Me

Ben found the following video from Beyond Belief '06 of Ann Druyan laying down some dignified pwnage of Darrin Screiber.



I missed this exchange when I was first viewing videos from the conference, and I had never previously listened to or read anything from Ann Druyan. Her comments in this video eloquently summarize my thoughts on the nature of science versus the nature of religion. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more from her. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Here are a few clips of her talk from Beyond Belief '06:







Cheers,
Me