Any grown-up would be surprised to see SpongeBob Squarepants show up in a Batman movie. Clearly, these characters inhabit two different fantasy worlds: one lives in a fabulous mansion near bustling Gotham City, while the other inhabits an underwater pineapple. Grown-ups divide fantasy worlds into non-intersecting sets: If Batman has even heard of SpongeBob, he would believe him to be a fictional character.
But what about children? Do they have the same understanding of the distinction between separate fictional worlds? Kids do understand the difference between reality and make-believe from a very young age, but this doesn’t discount the possibility that for children, there are only two worlds: fantasy and reality. Deena Skolnick and Paul Bloom have created a simple pair of studies to find out if kids view fantasy worlds the same way grown-ups do.
It doesn’t really reveal anything explosive; if the kids are under 5 then they’ll predictably have a difficulty taking other perspectives and frequently answer that a character would be regarded as fictional, whether it be a between- or within-worlds comparison. But it’s definitely a neat application of theory of mind, and any study that uses Spongebob and Blue’s Clues is okay by me.
If you’re cooking No Name Parmesan Pesto, boil up an additional batch of pasta (I recommend Conchigle, otherwise known as shell pasta) to mix in with it. Not only does it stretch the pasta and make a giant batch, but it also tames the flavour (which is incredibly salty, in my opinion). Every half package contains 820mg of sodium, so combining it with extra low-sodium pasta means that for the same amount, you can cut that down to 400mg. Which is still crazy, but it’s on the right track. This time I made about as much extra pasta as there was no name pasta, but I think next time I’ll be making twice as much. That dips it down to around 300mg, and there’s still plenty of pesto to cover everything.
Oh my goodness, I just ate a small bowlful and I need to lie down. Boof! That was a lot of pesto. See what I mean?
Here are some fun things I’ve found in the last few months but never had the time to post a grand missive about them. I haven’t been very entertaining for the last few weeks/months, and I apologize; I almost never, NEVER feel stressed out about school, but I’m actually starting to let it get to me. I was on the verge of a fit, yesterday, so I knit a little bit and that made me feel more relaxed. Still lots of work left to do, so I shall have to construct this post entirely out of cut/paste. No time to think for blogging! My background processes are entirely devoted to backpropagation algorithms in LISP and fretting about how on earth I’m going to get my grad school applications in on time.
But first, brainbar. It is literally the coolest application of EEG in the whole wide world. There is too much I want to write and explore about this. “Brainbar is a mechanical bar that mixes drinks according to the visitor’s brainwaves. The bar reads the brain frequencies (EEG or electroencephalogram) in the alpha and beta wavelength. These wavelengths are generally considered to be synonymous with the states of relaxation and activity in the mind. Thus the BrainBar serves the drink most suited for you, at the moment of measurement. BrainBar can be seen as a mediator or manipulator designed to give a party its perfect state of enhanced socialising, carefully adjusting the drinks served so that every guest stays within acceptable parameters for a “good” behaviour or, if the settings allow, a “bad” behaviour. By the use of alcohol and medical herb essences, the bar can emotionally equalize or polarize the group of guests. This can be seen as a sociological experiment exploring how much a person is prepared to submit to external forces and how far the person can allow a machine to intrude on the body.”
So I ended up getting stuck with an early date for the GRE test, which means I have to start studying immediately, and extensively. Here are a few links to worthwhile prep sites I’ve found:
Number2.com does GRE prep and vocabulary expansion. It also teaches you strategies for answering ambiguous questions and in general looks immensely helpful.
There’s a Test Prep Podcast to listen to on your bike, on the way to class, while knitting (*ahem*), etc.
Also, here is The Story of Kogepan. He is a red bean bun who was accidentally burnt; an uplifting story of tragedy and renewal, with cute pictures of course.
With some colour and length adjustments, of course. It is 23,800 yen, which I believe to be a steal in this case. Liz looked at it and immediately exclaimed that we should both move to Japan and become Elegant Goth Lolitas. I agrizzle, my rococo nizzle.
More cute dresses, all from Mary Magdalene: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
What’s even more ridiculous is what the American Psychiatric Association describes as a hyperactive child: “One who exhibits behavior such as fidgeting, squirming, answering questions before being called on, difficulty playing quietly, engaging in physically dangerous activities such as running into the street without looking, or one who has difficulty following instructions.”
What?! I don’t know a single child who doesn’t exhibit at least one of these behaviors! That’s called being a child. In fact, I’m thankful that they were not passing out Ritalin shots when I was a kid. My Dad’s leather belt was the only ADHD treatment I needed.
Here are some fun things I’ve found in the last few months but never had the time to post a grand missive about them. I haven’t been very entertaining for the last few weeks/months, and I apologize; I almost never, NEVER feel stressed out about school, but I’m actually starting to let it get to me. I was on the verge of a fit, yesterday, so I knit a little bit and that made me feel more relaxed. Still lots of work left to do, so I shall have to construct this post entirely out of cut/paste. No time to think for blogging! My background processes are entirely devoted to backpropagation algorithms in LISP and fretting about how on earth I’m going to get my grad school applications in on time.
