Diego G

Exposing the Limits of IQ

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:45:56 -0500

In an incredible intersection of digital connection and modern neuroscience, over 100,000 people recently took part in the largest test of intelligence and cognitive ability ever undertaken. The results might disprove that there’s any one measure, like IQ, that truly captures the broad range of mental talent seen in the world’s population.

Instead of “IQ” or any one component, it took at least three components to rate someone’s mental performance: Short-term memory, reasoning and verbal acuity.

To make things even more interesting, these three components all seem to map out to separate brain “circuits”. You may excel in one and not in the other two, or be balanced among all three. To put it another way, intelligent people are still intelligent, but now we can appreciate our place on that spectrum with greater depth and color. They even peeled back another layer, using their huge sample size to link performance to certain behaviors. Smokers did poorly on memory and verbal components, while computer gamers did well on memory and reasoning.

Anyone who’s looking knows that there’s variation in people’s cognitive abilities and individual “intelligences”, and trying to score that with one number doesn’t seem to do anyone much good. What sort of talents have we accidentally suppressed by failing to stamp people officially “intelligent”? Who have we discouraged by failing to include their intelligence in the “score”?

On the surface, it comes as no surprise. That in a world full of incredible individuals and unique combinations of passions, knowledge and curiosity… all of them powered by a tangled neural web of unparalleled cognitive complexity, that our “intelligence” would not be well quantified by a single measure. It is difficult to distill a rainbow and still appreciate its colors.

Check out more here, including interviews with the researchers.

Well stated

rappcats: Donuts cover animated, via source clips from the...

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 13:17:07 -0400

rappcats:

Donuts cover animated, via source clips from the M.E.D. video “Push”. Album cover by Jeff Jank, video by Andrew Gura. Thanks to sebnewall for the gif.

Walking for 30 minutes 4-5 times per week can increase a person's lifespan by 20 percent.

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:43:21 -0400

Walking for 30 minutes 4-5 times per week can increase a person's lifespan by 20 percent.:

nprfunfacts:

Tripling that — running for 90 minutes, 4-5 times per week — improves that number by only 4 percent.

theclearlydope: Guy’s night.

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:02:46 -0400

theclearlydope:

Guy’s night.

npr: Happy Birthday Tito Puente! — Tanya “Morning” - HD.avi (by...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:55:19 -0400

npr:

Happy Birthday Tito Puente! — Tanya

“Morning” - HD.avi (by Elsondejuan)

Yes!

theclearlydope: My favorite part of a Cubs game. Word

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:52:48 -0400

theclearlydope:

My favorite part of a Cubs game.

Word

Why Millennials Want To Be Rich

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 22:50:52 -0400

Why Millennials Want To Be Rich:

youmightfindyourself:

A new study on different generations’ priorities does not make Millenials look good. The report from the American Psychological Association [PDF] claims we are selfish, fame-seeking, politically disengaged, anddon’t give a shit about the environment. We also want to be rich. A stunning 75 percent of Millennials said that being wealthy was very important to them, compared to 45 percent of baby boomers and 70 percent of Generation X.

Contrary to middle-aged pundits’ rants, Millennials are not inherently more selfish or materialistic than previous generations. It’s just that we are seeing the middle class vanish before our eyes. Even before the recession, we heard the message loud and clear: If you don’t want to be poor, you have to be rich.

Read on.

occupyallstreets: Female Senator Introduces Ohio Bill That...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:35:56 -0400

occupyallstreets:

Female Senator Introduces Ohio Bill That Would Require Men To Prove Erectile Dysfunction By A Sex Partner Before Receiving Viagra To Prove A Point

An Ohio State Senator is turning the tables on men seeking to regulate women’s access to reproductive health. Sen. Nina Turner (D-Cleveland) has introduced legislation regulating men’s access to erectile dysfunction drugs. The Dayton Daily News has the details:

Before getting a prescription for Viagra or other erectile dysfunction drugs, men would have to see a sex therapist, receive a cardiac stress test and get a notarized affidavit signed by a sexual partner affirming impotency, if state Sen. Nina Turner has her way.

The Cleveland Democrat introduced Senate Bill 307 this week.

A critic of efforts to restrict abortion and contraception for women, Turner says she is concerned about men’s reproductive health… Turner said if state policymakers want to legislate women’s health choices through measures such as House Bill 125, known as the ‘Heartbeat bill,’ they should also be able to legislate men’s reproductive health.

Turner’s bill tracks FDA guidelines which recommends doctors determine whether the root cause of men’s sexual disfunction is physical or psychological. She describes her bill as an effort to “legislate it the same way mostly men say they want to legislate a woman’s womb.”

There have been similar efforts in other states. An Illinois bill would require men to watch a “horrific video” on the side effects of Viagra.

In Virginia, Sen. Janet Howell (D) submitted a bill requiring men to undergo a digital rectal exam before recieving a prescription for erectile disfunction drugs.

Conservative commentators such as Sean Hannity have dismissed the comparison, claiming that Viagra — unlike birth control — treats a “medical problem.” Most women, however, use birth control for medical purposes other than family planning.

Source

Response: While I disagree with the ‘War On Women’ that has become a debate topic this year, this response by female politicians is just as wrong and should have been handled differently. Two wrongs don’t make a right and all of this is really childish.

What do you think?

egotripland: Rich (With Pots of Gold at the End of the Rainbow)...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:34:02 -0400

egotripland:

Rich (With Pots of Gold at the End of the Rainbow) Forever.

Because Every Rap Album Cover Is Irish… On St. Patrick’s Day.

egotripland: Back By Popular Demand: More St. Patrick’s Day...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:33:37 -0400

egotripland:

Back By Popular Demand: More St. Patrick’s Day Themed Rap Album Covers, Laddie!

Top of the mornin’ to ya, N#%@$!!!

skymightfall: The Paradise Tour is over however Rocky decided...

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:30:11 -0400

skymightfall:

The Paradise Tour is over however Rocky decided to keep the collaborative work coming witht this verse over Lights Out off Drake’s Thank Me Later.

- NickTheFiasco

youmightfindyourself: Lady Pink Ouch!

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:51:36 -0500

youmightfindyourself:

Lady Pink

Ouch!

architizer: The Bookbike combines a vertical bike storage with...

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:51:02 -0500

architizer:

The Bookbike combines a vertical bike storage with shelving units in a minimalist, versatile design.

Want!

YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF: Louis CK's Shameful Dirty Comedy

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:52:28 -0500

YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF: Louis CK's Shameful Dirty Comedy:

youmightfindyourself:

viafrank:

I’ve been thinking about Louis CK lately. I’m a fan of his show on FX, and I’m so happy his recent adventure in distributing his newest comedy special himself has been a rousing success. But my thoughts are going elsewhere to wonder why he has blown up in popularity in the…

Thank You!

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:04:38 -0500

Thank You!

climateadaptation: “Planning Cities for People ClimateWorks is...

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:13:43 -0500

climateadaptation:

“Planning Cities for People

ClimateWorks is a San Francisco based foundation whose mission is to support public policies that prevent dangerous climate change and promote global prosperity. This document, Planning Cities for People, was prepared for the Chinese government and contains 8 research-based recommendations that lead to prosperous, low-carbon urban areas. The document uses richly illustrated maps and diagrams to present examples of street-grids that promote walking, prioritize bicycle networks, create mixed-use neighborhoods and support high-quality transit”

Via SunFoundation

What’s the 411, hun? :)

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:30:41 -0400

What’s the 411, hun? :)

utnereader: These last weeks, there have been two “occupations”...

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:04:37 -0400

utnereader:

These last weeks, there have been two “occupations” in lower Manhattan, one of which has been getting almost all the coverage—that of the demonstrators camping out in Zuccotti Park. The other, in the shadows, has been hardly less massive, sustained, or in its own way impressive—the police occupation of the Wall Street area.

Keep reading …

inothernews: OVER / UNDER An aerial view of a highway just...

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 07:03:05 -0400

inothernews:

OVER / UNDER An aerial view of a highway just outside of Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday, Oct. 20. Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra acknowledged Thursday that efforts to block floodwaters from entering the capital are failing and authorities will instead risk potential overflow with a controlled release of water through the city’s canals. (Photo: AP via MSNBC.com)

One news organization, which one I can’t recall at the moment, summed up best what’s going on in Thailand right now: “a slow-motion tsunami.” It’s at once heartbreaking and terrifying and our hearts go out to the people of this beautiful city, and to those in the more than 60 provinces who’ve found their lives — and livelihoods — all but washed away.

Fuck yes! Good job Devildog utnereader: Video: 1 Marine vs. 30...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:55:34 -0400

Fuck yes! Good job Devildog

utnereader:

Video: 1 Marine vs. 30 cops (and the Marine Wins) at Occupy Wall Street

(H/T Reason)