Michael Blowhard writes:

Dear Blowhards --

* After scaring yourself to death reading FvB's recent posting about government accounting adventures, why not treat yourself to a visit to Malcolm Gladwell's blog? Gladwell has published a piece in The New Yorker semi / kinda defending Enron's Skilling and Lay. On his blog, readers explain to him why he's mistaken. Even in modern accounting, it seems that some things are still right or wrong. Gladwell's attempts to defend his point do seem pretty weak, at least to these completely unqualified-to-judge eyes. Steve Sailer thinks that Gladwell's New Yorker editor should do a better job of making sure the playful, enthusiastic (and, to be fair, very talented) Gladwell is on firmer ground when he comes out with pieces that court controversy.

* Visitors who got a kick out of taking and / or arguing with the BBC's "What Sex Is Your Brain?" test are in for a treat when they visit this site. EQSQ is an outfit that -- with the guidance of male-brain / female-brain / autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen -- has elaborated these tests much more extensively than the BBC has. Are you an girly empathizer or a macho-man systemizer? (Me, I am a love-air, not a fight-air.) EQSQ's Weekly Whims column offers much of substance, with a fun emphasis on female / male patterns and preferences. A funny few lines from Katrina Boydon:

Call me prejudiced, but I want the most qualified (education and aptitude) team of scientists and engineers to design and build, for example, my child's car seat so that it is as safe as it possibly could be. I don't care if the team comprises men or women, but I definitely want four systemizers. If that means 3 men and one woman, so be it.

But I want an empathizer to choose the upholstery.

And EQSQ's official blogger is the ever-excellent (and apparently very busy) Tim Worstall, who also blogs at his own place here.

Best,

Michael

Uh-oh...the more we take these tests...Based on the latest test, I am more empathic than most men, but slightly less so than a lot of women. However, I am far, far less systematic than EITHER gender. Like, way less. Like...what DID I do with my checkbook?? (But I can tell that losing my checkbook is irritating you!).

Posted by: annette on January 5, 2007 10:46 AM

You notice how many of the columnists were women with systematizing preferences?

Posted by: SFG on January 6, 2007 9:40 AM

Well, I come out much more the systemizer on this one, but I'm always leery of tests that rely solely on my opinion of my own behavior, particularly when I often would choose a neutral answer if it were offered.

Posted by: claire on January 6, 2007 5:26 PM

The Free Software Directory was started in September 1999 to catalog all useful free software that runs under free operating systems. The Directory contains over 4,000 entries. The license of each program in the Directory is checked to verify that it is free software.

Posted by: John Goorr on January 29, 2007 7:39 AM






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