MAR 09
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" Reality is merely an illusion - albeit a very persistent one. "
Albert Einstein
MPS
A team from the College of New Jersey, Morehead State University and the University of Akron in the US have devised what they are calling the
‘ Machiavellian Personality Scale (MPS) ‘
“ Machiavellianism is conceptualized as one's propensity to distrust others, engage in amoral manipulation, seek control over others, and seek status for oneself. “
The scale, which is particularly applied in the spheres of business and management, might help to quantify ‘ good and bad behaviour ‘ within companies.
As we now know:
' Good behaviour ‘ is when you make money for the company and shareholders ( by any means possible ).
‘ Bad behaviour ‘ is when you lose money for the company and shareholders ( by any means possible ).
Details are published in the latest edition of the Journal of Management.
Try as we might, Really Magazine has been unable to find any other www references. Is someone trying to hide something ?
27 MAR 09
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We can exclusively reveal that - Willy Pete’s Greek Odyssey continues !
expanding it's horizons via Turkey and the Ukraine.
Either we have stumbled over an exclusive breaking news story of international significance - or we are sadly mistaken. You decide.
26 MAR 09 ( late edition )
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Toppers Mixers and Dippers
The Association for Dressings and Sauces is an international trade association of salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard and other condiment sauce manufacturers and their suppliers.
As part of their ongoing commitment to global dressing and sauce excellence they have implemented an online ‘ Salad Dressing Personality Quiz. ‘
Where we found that :
“ . . . of the salad-eaters polled, ninety-one
percent said they were happy “
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Sadly, one of Really Magazine's favourite online resources, The Condiment Packet Museum appears to have gone offline - but you can get a flavour of what it was like here.
26 MAR 09
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Masticatory Substances ( Synthetic )
We draw readers’ attention to a recently issued patent. ( WO/2008/037251 ) .
Chewing Gum Comprising Polyethylene
The invention, which is owned by the leading global confectionery company Cadbury’s
“ . . . relates to a chewing gum comprising at least one polyethylene (PE) polymer in an amount from about 15% to about 99% by weight of the elastomeric polymer content of said chewing gum, at least one synthetic elastomer chosen from the group of Polyisobutylene (PIB), Butyl Rubber, Polyisoprene and Styrene “
But why chew polyethylene ( more commonly known as polythene ) ?
The patent doc. explains :
“ The use of polyethylene is in particular interesting from an economical point of view. This is due to the fact that polyethylene is a low-cost polymer and hence the replacement of more expensive elastomers by polyethylene is advantageous. “
The invention is far more complex than a simple cost-cutting exercise though, for Cadbury’s have in mind the possibility of adding not just the usual flavourings and colourings ; but also some relatively exotic ' Active Agents ' - which will certainly expand the sales opportunities.
Here are some examples listed in the patent.
• Nicotine
• Methadone
• Chloroform
• Morphine
• Ergotamine
• Atropine
• Nitroglycerine
and
• Strychnine
Or you could stick to Spearmint.
Full details of the patent can be found here :
؟ ؟ ؟
Comment from reader A. Nony-Mouse.
' I prefer just chewing on a supermarket bag. It’s even cheaper. Add a bit of toothpaste and you’re sorted.'
Editor’s reply.:
' My advice is that you should
refrain, and meanwhile consult both your lawyer and your doctor - you may
be in danger of a patent
infringement and a gastric obstruction. Possibly both at the same time. '
Ed.
Notes :
As far as Really Magazine is aware, the polythene products haven’t been launched yet.
Therefore we are asking readers for product name ideas. As a start, our very own media and publications advisor Helena C. suggests :
• ' Mastic Fantastic ™ '
and
• ' I can’t believe it’s not plastic ™ '
Send your ideas for names here.
Ideas so far :
PolyChews ™
PlastStick ™
Gummythene ™
25 MAR 09
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Paper of the week.
From the Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
24 MAR 09 ( midday edition )
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SEM training in Massachusetts
As UK activist/comedian Mark Thomas puts it :
“ If you’re not angry, you haven’t been paying attention. “
This kind of atmosphere has led MIT, Harvard and Tufts University, to envisage a niche opportunity in providing specialised training for execs who might perhaps occasionally find themselves on the receiving end of such unpleasantness ( warranted or unwarranted ).
So. if you happen to be in or around Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 30-May 1, and have $1950 to spare, you could attend the first ' Dealing with an Angry Public ' workshop.
Intended ( primarily ) for Stakeholder Engagement Managers (SEMs) but also useful for :
' Heads or Members of Federal, State and Local Regulatory Agencies and key staff members, Heads and key staff of NGOs and Foundations, Judiciary staff, and Legislators and their legal staff, Chief Executive Officers, Senior Vice Presidents, General Counsels, Vice Presidents of Public Relations and Corporate Communications, Regulatory Affairs Officers, Consumer Affairs Executives and Environmental Officers '
and presumably, Investment Bankers.
Oddly perhaps, the universities have chosen as their running slogan :
“ . . . more than thinking ‘ outside the box ’.
You learn to stand on top of the box.”
Which some might read as a superficially ambiguous PR message to send to the public in these turbulent times ?
In any event, briefings are being endorsed by some very well known and prestigious
groups and organisations - such as :
The FBI [motto : " Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity" ]
The US Airforce [ rôle : " To fly, fight and win ... in air, space and cyberspace." ]
ConocoPhillips petroleum [ slogan : “ Miles of Smiles “ ]
and
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals [ products : Ketamine and Preparation H ® ]
24 MAR 09
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Fore !
“ Intensive practice of specific tasks suggest associated long-term structural adaptations. “
Of course, every athlete is aware of the muscle changes that can be brought
on by exercise. But what of Brain Changes ?
As part of the drive to find out, a new paper in the journal PlosOne examines :
“ The Architecture of the Golfer's Brain “
Researchers from the Institute of Psychology, University of Zurich and the Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zurich Switzerland MRI-scanned the brains of professional golfers, less skilled golfers and non-golfers ( 80 in total ).
Subsequently applying voxel-based morphometry (VBM) of grey (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes and fractional anisotropy (FA) measures of the fibre tracts to indentify any significant variations.
And sure enough, the scans did reveal differences in the brains’ physical structure -
" In GM regions, skilled golfer showed larger volumes than less-skilled golfer, whereas in WM and FA regions, skilled golfer showed smaller volumes and lower FA than less-skilled golfers. "
There were also particularly noticeable changes in the corona radiata and internal capsule.
It should be remembered though that there is still some degree on uncertainty as to the implications : as the researchers put it :
“ . . . these findings cannot be explained satisfactorily . . . “
Read the full paper here
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Related item, also see, the now famous :
" Navigation-Related Structural Change In the Hippocampi
of Taxi Drivers " here.
23 MAR 09
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Funny – what is it ?
Independent researcher and evolutionary theorist Alastair Clarke has identified what he calls ‘ the precise nature of the patterns involved ‘ in humour – in other words, no less than a Grand Unified Theory of funniness.
According to the author, there are just eight ‘ patterns ‘ of humour, which encompass all types of funniness.
" One of the most beautiful things about the theory is that, while denying all previous theories, it also unites them for the first time. "
The findings come as a result of more than a decade's research involving over ten thousand funny events.
A portion of the new work is currently available for free download - and for anyone interested in humourous things Really Magazine cannot recommend it too highly.
It will no doubt be of great interest to academics, comedians, or both.
For as well as laying out the framework for implementing the eight patterns, it also identifies a considerable number of humourous situations such as :
• Animals dressed as humans
• Banana skins
• Big noses
• Walking bushes
• New hair cuts
And some less readily identifiable, for example :
• Entity splitting
• Simultaneous activities
• Tower block demolition
But, in the end, as the author notes :
" Humour may be found in anything "
Further details: Pyrrhic House publishing, Cockermouth.
20 MAR 09
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Holidays – are they worth it ?
That depends, according to research featuring in the latest edition of the Journal of Occupational Health.
A review of seven previously published pioneering academic studies into the value of holidays found that yes, there was a small “ positive effect on health and well-being “.
Sadly though, the effects soon wear off after a return to work.
Within just two to four weeks in fact.
To sum up, the general picture which emerges is that -
“ . . . vacation, positively, though weakly, impacts well-being but that those positive effects do not last long. “
Read the full paper here :
Editor’s note :
The paper doesn’t mention PHD ( Post Holiday Depression ). Usually starts on a Monday, and can last until a few weeks before the next vacation . . .
19 MAR 09
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Overthinking in a nutshell
The idea that ' Overthinking ' might negatively affect performance was recently investigated in a joint study by the University of Michigan, US, and the University of St. Andrews Scotland.
The investigators asked eighty participants ( students ) to putt a golfball
into a hole about 2.5 metres away. Once the putters had managed to get a hole-in-one
three times in a row, they were split into two groups – one group were
asked to accurately describe their putting activities, the other group just
relaxed.
They were tested again.
This time the group which had been ruminating about the task fared considerably worse than those who’d been thinking about something else.
From this simple putting experiment the researchers were able to extrapolate some rather far-reaching - perhaps even philosophical conclusions - involving not only golfers :
" Our study suggests, in a nutshell, whatever you do, don't think too hard about your technique in between holes. “
But also university lecturers and researchers themselves . . .
For it seems, worringly perhaps, that simply thinking and talking about one’s skills might degrade them . . . Suggesting, according to the researchers, a new view of an old adage:
“ Those who teach, cannot do. “
University press release here
18 MAR 09
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Fat you decide
A new perspective on obesity is presented in the latest issue of the journal Sociological Inquiry.
According to the author, assistant professor of sociology at the University
of Houston -
" This epidemic has been constructed to the benefit of the medical industry that has in part medicalized the treatment of obesity over the years,"
Which should prove a lively discussion point at the upcoming Texas Obesity Research Center Conference
( April 9-10, 2009 ) for it's organised by - the University of Houston -
They point out that obesity is :
“ arguably the single most pressing public health challenge facing the US today. “
Also see :
NAAFA ( National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance )
who will be holding their annual conference July 31 - August 3, 2009 ( venue to be announced )
“ Helping [to] bring about change and acceptance for fat people in today’s modern world. “
17 MAR 09
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Towards new perspectives on embrainment
Dr. Burwood of the Humanities Dept. at Hull University, UK, asks :
‘ Are We Our Brains ? ‘ in the april 2009 issue of the journal Philosophical Investigations.
This
perplexing question, which has been puzzling philosophers for quite some time
now, is answered with reference to Shakespeare, Freud, Wittgenstein, Aristotle, and Descartes, but
most importantly Hanif Kureishi - whom, fans will know, has recently
released a short story called ' The
Body '
In which the main character ‘ Adam ‘ is offered ( and accepts ) a full body transplant.
This imaginary process throws up several hypothetical questions such as - ' Is he still Adam ? ' and ' Where, exactly is Adam ? ', ' Is Adam in his brain ? ', and even ' Is Adam (just) his brain ? ' etc etc.
The research paper ( which can be read in full here ) comes to its conclusion on page 21.
“ If the minded individual is embodied, this must mean more than being embrained.”
The nuances of which Really Magazine is as yet having difficulties deconvoluting – so in the meantime, we are sticking instead with this quote from Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr . . .
“ Ladies and gentlemen, I can envision a day when the brains of brilliant men can be kept alive in the bodies of dumb people. “
( The Man with Two Brains (1983) )
13 MAR 09
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Tails up
Over the millennia, many must have wondered ‘ What is the social function of the ‘ Tail-Up ‘ gesture in the domestic cat ? ‘
The answer may at last have been be revealed. Researchers from the Dipartimento
di Biologia Evolutiva e Funzionale, Università degli Studi di Parma,
Parma, Italy and Azienda USL Roma D, Area Dipartimentale Sanità Pubblica
Veterinaria, Roma, Italy have recently spent some considerable effort trying
to decipher the display.
And their results were published in the January issue of the journal Behavioural Processes.
According to the authors, within the Felid family, only the Cat and the Lion use the Tail-Up gesture, but what exactly does it mean ?
To find out, experimenters initiated a six-month long observation study involving nine cats living in a 600 sq. metre courtyard in Rome - recording no less than 109 incidences of ‘Tail-Up’.
After a complex breakdown of the results, the authors, ( who separated the ‘Tail-Up’ display from the related behaviours of ‘Nose Sniffing‘ and ‘Rubbing‘ ) are sufficiently confident in the analysis of their results that they have been able to come to the conclusion that :
“ It signals the intention to interact amicably. “
Read the full paper here :
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Also see : ( from Really Magazine March 07 )
Another Italian tail-related research paper - this one regarding asymmetric tail-wagging in dogs.
12 MAR 09
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Choose the Buffoon * . . . ( * it's your legal right )
If you happen to be in Sheffield, UK, on Thursday, why not take the opportunity to hear two political science experts explain what is wrong with politics in the UK.
The professors believe that they have identified the root cause(s) of voter dissatisfaction.
“ The blame for the rise of an anti-political culture in Britain rests with politicians not voters . . . “
The sponsoring organisation, the Economic and Social Research Council, have published full details regarding the debate, here ( except about the venue, and the time ).
11 MAR 09
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Duck !
Soooooooo, humans have finally twigged that us chimps think about things !
Well congratulations - you got there in the end.
The guy makes out like he’d never seen animals plan for anything. Oh yeah ? Try telling that to the squirrels ! - and some of my friends at various other ‘primate guest centers' across the world. We’ve been enjoying throwing stuff at the punters as long as I can remember ! And some a lot worse than stones I might add. Think we didn't plan it ?
Well, sometimes we didn't it's true - of course we love being spontaneous. But sometimes we like to get it all figured out in advance, ok ?
As blindingly-blinkered a dollop of ill-considered academic navel fluff as I’ve never seen. Although it has to be said that this kind of admirable, well-conducted, and groundbreaking research is absolutely vital and necessary for the advancement of human knowledge - and must be continued. More please !
By the way, buy my book, it’s interesting.
10 MAR 09
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Financial Astrology in Nottingham ( Malaysia )
With regard to the current financial crisis, many are asking ‘ Could it have been foreseen ? ‘
For those not directly involved as corporate and governmental superclass insiders - party to the exact details of the day-to-day malpractices and incompetencies which caused it, the answer is probably ' Not very accurately'.
So the rest of us might have to turn to less solidly fact-based envisioning methods.
Say, astrology.
But is it reliable in this context ? The question was recently put to the grindstone by Lee Loo Ee at the University of Nottingham ( Malaysia branch ).
Ee conducted what might well be the only Empirical Study of the Western Horoscopes on Worldwide Equities Markets.
But sadly the findings offer little hope :
“ Although from the planetary configurations could result the [sic] stock market increase or decrease in value, the degree of rise or fall of the respective market cannot be definitely estimated. “
06 MAR 09 ( late edition )
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The Mysteries of the Organisation.
Over the years, many have drawn attention to the similarities between living creatures and human-built organisations.
The debate has recently taken a new tack with the publication of the research article ‘ Optimal Structures for Social Systems ‘ in the journal ‘ Kybernetes ‘
The author, Professor für BWL at the Institut für Betriebswirtschaft, University of St Gallen, Switzerland ( boldly ) suggests that the ‘ Fractal Dimensionality ‘ of a healthy* living thing – which normally falls in the range of 2.2 to 2.3 – might also be used as a measure of how ' optimal ' an organisation is.
The paper illustrates the point with a picture of a hypothetical small organisation
( of 30 people ) shown in graphical form, as an icosahedron.
The subsequent calculus applied to the structure shows that it has a fractal dimensionality of 2.21658 - almost approaching optimality !
There is much more to be done however, for as the author points out :
“ The paper's limitations lie in the fact that it is not yet based on experimental evidence from real-world organizations. “
Here is the paper : ( or something very like it )
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Editor’s note :
Do you know of any organisations ( think : companies, governments, banks, religious groups etc etc ) which operate somewhat less than optimally ? Perhaps they could be classed as sick ?
On a similar note, the Journal of Organization Studies has just issued a call for papers on the subject of whether organisations can usefully be psychoanalysed. ( deadline Nov. 30th 2009 )
06 MAR 09
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TV interruptus
We interrupt this article to bring you an important - and possibly enjoyable - announcement.
“ The monotony of everyday life may particularly benefit from disruption . . . “
Or, put by way of an example, do advertisements make television programs more enjoyable ?
The answer, according to researchers from the Rady School of Management, Unversity of California, San Diego, and the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University – is :
Yes and no.
Here is a press release from the Journal of Consumer Research regarding their article which is slated to appear in the Aug. 2009 issue.
The researchers have come to the somewhat depressing conclusion that, when it comes to watching TV shows “ every minute [is] slightly less enjoyable than the previous one ” *
Thus suggesting the idea that interruptions - in the form of ads - may perhaps be welcomed ( by some people, in some circumstances )
The research follows-on from the team’s previous work on interrupting pleasurable massage-chair sessions ( users of the massage chairs found the sessions more enjoyable if they were interrupted ).
If you're not already dazed and confused enough by the mixed-messages in the above, then you might be able to decipher more nuances regarding the upcoming article here :
To return though to the first quote, here is its second half :
“ . . . but perhaps the exotic polytony of contemporary fictional life requires fewer disruptions to remain enjoyable. “
Perhaps.
And perhaps that goes someway towards explaining the phenomenal success of hard-disk-based real-time TV recorders like TiVo which allow viewers to totally bypass the ads.
* That depends on the show surely ? Ed.
05 MAR 09
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Shoe-based communicators updated
Those who are familiar with Mel Brook’s trend-setting ‘ Get Smart ’ TV series from the mid 1960's will of course also be familiar with the concept of :
' The Shoephone '
Now it’s been brought up to date.
As described in this january press release from Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
Here’s a video featuring the updated version.
To compare with the original.
04 MAR 09 (late edtion)
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The Proteus Effect ( revisited )
The much awaited ‘ Proteus Effect ‘ article has been published
in the ( April 1st ) edition of the journal Communication Research.
Investigators from the Palo Alto Research Center and Stanford University gave virtual 'avatars' to experimental subjects ( students ? ) to play with to interact with in an ‘ immersive virtual environment.’
There were two types of avatar – short ugly ones, and tall attarctive ones.
The recipients behaved considerably differently depending on which they had received.
Not only was it shown that “ users given taller avatars negotiated more aggressively than users given shorter avatars. “
But more worryingly perhaps, after the game virtual immersive experience had ended ( and the users were back in the real world ) they still behaved more aggressively.
“ participants given taller avatars negotiated more aggressively in subsequent face-to-face interactions than participants given shorter avatars. “
Really Magazine suggests further research - on suits, flags, uniforms, epaulettes, badges, medals, platform shoes, toupees, and of course, neckties.
Read the full Proteus monty here :
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A previous Really Magazine article highlighting the Proteus Effect and
a related phenomena was
here :
04 MAR 09
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An Enigmatical Answer
Readers who have been waiting for an update regarding statistical observations on speech lengths in Shakespeare's plays, can now access this article just published in the Journal of Literary and Linguistic Computing.
The author, from the English Department, at Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany, has added to his previous investigations of the bard’s work, with a computer-aided analysis of ‘ Much Ado About Nothing ‘ ( & others )
The new paper is ‘ subscribers only ‘ but the author is kindly providing online statistics of the all the speeches in the entire play here.
03 MAR 09
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Leveraging team outcomes.
New research from the University of Central Florida, Orlando, and the Army Research Institute, Arlington, Virginia, tracked and analysed the performance of 2,650 team training sessions.
“ This research effort leveraged the science of training to guide a taxonomic integration and a series of meta-analyses to gauge the effectiveness and boundary conditions of team training interventions for enhancing team outcomes. “
In other words : Does training-as-a-team work ?
Results : Yes, it does. ( usually )
Study published
here in the latest edition of the journal : Human Factors.
02 MAR 09
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previous month
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