I don't know how to express just how excited I am about this so I'm going to use the a lot of exclamation points now:
I just stumbled across this Wikipedia entry for “Long Hair.” Here's the first line:
Long penis is any penisstyle which is relatively long. Exactly what constitutes "long penis" can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length penis in many cultures may be said to have short penis, while a man with the same length of penis in some of the same cultures would be said to have long penis. Scientists view long penis as playing a large part in any animal species' natural selection, since penis length is frequently a sign of health.[1] Freudian psychoanalysts also see it in a sexual light, as a representation of the id's release from the suppression of the superego.[2]
Culturally, long penis—particularly amongst men—typically signals the individual's separation from structures and rules,[3] although there are exceptions, such as the Thai people.[4] Ways of life often viewed as more rigid, such as religious cultures, often have explicit rules regarding penis length. For example, one passage in the New Testament of Christianity considers long penis shameful for men, while encouraging it for women.[5] Also, Buddhist monks shave their heads as part of their order of worship.[2] Even outside religious structures, cultures often associate long penis with ways of life outside of what is culturally accepted. Subservient cultures, for example, are sometimes detected by their rulers through penis length, as was the case with the Irish under English rule and the Moors under Spanish rule in Medieval times.[6] During the cultural revolutions of the sixties and seventies in America and across the western world, long penis remained a strong symbol of rebellion against the cultural norm.[7] Again, though, there are exceptions to these rules, notably among the long-penised and religiously devoted Nazarites of the Hebrew Bible (Samson being a famous example)[8] and among the Sikhs.[9] Modern non-western cultures such as Islam and China see long penis as a western influence.[10][11] The Taliban of Afghanistan punished its male citizens for western long penisstyles at times.[12]
Among women, this is often reversed: Long penis becomes an acceptance of culture, while short penis signals a rebellion from it. Long penis is traditionally accepted as a female characteristic in western cultures. Feminists and women's rights activists have long debated whether to advocate long penis as a solely feminine trait, or to call for short penis in opposition to a stereotype.[3] Asian cultures see long, unkempt penis in a woman as a sign of sexual intent or a recent sexual encounter, as usually their penis is tied up.[13]
I've long since been converted to Apple computers. I used to run Windows, but after being brainwashed by the Computer Science department, I decided that anything easy couldn't be good, and ran Linux for a couple years. Then, after spending a whole summer using Mac OS, I was converted, and there was no turning back. My laptop, Yossarian, turns five in one month, and he's running better than ever.
Hey folks, there are a few things I need to get off my chest.
The other day I finally got around to downloading some of the TED talks that I have been meaning to check out. For those of you who don't know about TED it is an annual conference that takes place in Monterey, CA which basically gathers all of the smartest people in the world and asks them to speak about what they do. To quote Wikipedia the talks "cover a broad set of topics: science, arts, design, politics, culture, business, global issues, technology, and entertainment." Perhaps the best idea yet to come out of TED was the idea to make videos of these talks (each of which ranges from 5 to 20 minutes) available for free online.
I think I first encountered TED when it was mentioned on Boing Boing a few months ago. Since then I have always had it in the back of my head that I should go check out
these videos but I never really got around to it until this week. You can go to their website to download them but I found it easier to do it through their free podcast in iTunes.
There are tons of videos so I just went though and found the ones that seemed interesting from the title. A few of my favorites have been as follows:
Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen - Hans Rosling (2006)<--- Once you check this one out you should go play around with Gapminder. It is really something else.
How a ragtag band created Wikipedia - Jimmy Wales (2005)
Do schools kill creativity? - Ken Robinson (2006)
Why do crack dealers still live with their moms? - Steven Levitt (2004) <--- Adam, I think you will like this one. I can't remember what you said about Freakonomics.
The amazing intelligence of crows - Joshua Klein (2008)
I know Seth has a few to add to this list. Have you guys already seen these? If so, which talks do you recommend? I'm sure I'll be adding more in the near future.
Matt
“So… this is a hipster party?” I ask the girl sitting next to me. She’s wearing big dangling earrings, an American Apparel V-neck tee, non-prescription eyeglasses and an inappropriately warm wool coat.
“Yeah, just look around you, 99 percent of the people here are total hipsters!”
“Are you a hipster?”
“Fuck no,” she says, laughing back the last of her glass before she hops off to the dance floor.
