Does this need to be stated?

Mother Jones reported:

Iranian cleric Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi claimed that scantily-clad women were responsible for earthquakes: "Many women who do not dress modestly...lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes."

Female blogger Jen McCreight posted in response to Sedighi:

In the name of science, I offer my boobs.

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"Yeats? Coleridge?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Hixxy."

Then the delay was up, and the world exploded into a trillion points of light.

Like a shooting star
across the midnight sky

“I never liked the kids who raised their hands in class. I sat at the back, sulking, bored, and probably drawing something … Paying attention in class required effort, bravery, and a feeling of inclusion. That last one is the biggest. Owning problems, and showing vulnerability while you work on them is a big deal. … I just assumed somebody smarter, older, and probably somebody dead for hundreds of years had already figured it out. Why bother? Speaking up would just invite somebody to say “well Pythagorus once said…” The internet feels like that sometimes. You start to talk about a new idea for an interface, and somebody says “But Jakob Neilsen says…” … No matter who said what, it’s possible they were wrong, and even if they were right, sometimes pursuing your own divergent ideas lead to something brand new.”

from Gluue (via viafrank)

That's right when you talk about people. It's not necessarily right when you talk about things like geometry and physics. Hard rules are not all bullshit. They just don't apply to people well, because people are complicated. They work fine for things like "where will the electricity go once we hook a battery up?" or "will water flow downhill?" And as part of that we need to realize that the feeling articulated here:

"Owning problems, and showing vulnerability while you work on them is a big deal."

is cowardice. It's a very understandable fear, a very understandable desire to not appear vulnerable. It doesn't make the person who is afraid less of a person. It's very human. But it is still cowardice. And if we want to be better, if we want to have the courage to flout the rules, and go our own way and create new things, we should also have the courage to understand and appreciate the rules.

What would your reaction be if someone told you they were trying to work out how on earth you appealed to the other gender?

I had a friend claim that he would have been more social if he had dated in high school, but because he didn't, he slid down the slippery slope of otakuism and fringe behavior. It's a curious sort of claim - the chicken and the egg come to mind - but new evidence shows that science may back him up.

'Cuddle hormone' makes men more empathetic - BBC News

Essentially, if a man does not get cuddling (or its more vigorous associated activities) as part of his life, his ability to empathize with others drops. This results in even less likelihood of this specific type of physical activity, which perpetuates a vicious cycle that results in a 28-year-old-man marrying a body pillow.

This is poetry. Right here.

In other news, I may have done something uncharacteristic of myself. Or it might be perfectly characteristic of myself.

We'll see.

04:27 Eowyn* I just got caught up watching The Guild, and I have to say, I really like my guild. We are not nearly as weird as they are.
04:34 moritheil Well, they're fictional.
04:34 moritheil It would be terrifying if we were more weird than fictional weird people.

Unprotected sex with strangers: WHY?! It strikes me as being akin to drunk driving: people might die, including yourself or your loved ones.

I know that people in general are shockingly cavalier with their bodies, but I had no idea that this could include people that otherwise appear highly intelligent. It seems out of character - as if someone can know the independent facts that STDs can be fatal, and strangers may have them, but cannot connect through to the idea that they are putting themselves (and any future partners) at risk.

This isn't the first time I've ranted about this - I previously mentioned the low rate of condom use in Japan leading to a rise in HIV. Since then, someone has come forward to share the story of his own brush with death.

A six month exposure.