Baxil [bakh-HEEL'], n.

[Recent Entries][Archive][Friends][User Info]

My Sites [Tomorrowlands] [The TTU Wiki] [Photos]
View My LJ [By Tag]

Below are the 4 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Baxil" journal:

June 24th, 2008
12:32 am [Link]	Perspective on atheist believers I've seen the statistic cited a few times today that 21 percent of (American) atheists believe in a higher power, which is roughly as absurd as saying that 21 percent of vegetarians eat meat. It's pretty easy to make more out of a statement like that than the data really implies, and people have been rightly skeptical. But in chipuni's discussion thread (friends-locked), symposiarch links to the original study [PDF], and so we have the opportunity to unpack it a bit. Is it statistical trickery? ( No ) Is it linguistic trickery? ( Maybe ) Does it show that atheists are stupid, crazy and/or hypocritical? ( No ) * * * * * Also, apropos of nothing: props to hafoc for utterly out-Frosting me in the tech support poetry thread. -- * The PDF has four pages of cover, credits and index; I'm following the numbering scheme of the document itself. In order to immediately locate any reference, jump to (page number + 4) in the PDF you download. Current Location: ~/brainstorm Current Music: The Wingless, "Super Metroid: All The World In One Girl" OC Remix Tags: geekery, polls (16 comments \| Leave a comment)
January 30th, 2008
09:32 pm [Link]	Settling the question Blame baronlaw, who posted an entry cut-tagged with "Fire and Ice Meme", which really should have been something like the below: Poll #1130417 "Ice and Fire Meme" Open to: All, results viewable to: All How do you say the world will end?* View Answers I hold with those who favor fire. 25 (67.6%) Ice is great and will suffice. 12 (32.4%) -- * If you don't get the reference. Current Location: ~spiral Current Mood: curious Current Music: "Miracles Do Happen," La Pucelle Tactics OST Tags: polls (15 comments \| Leave a comment)
December 11th, 2007
12:52 am [Link]	An exercise in (non-)human psychology Two coworkers of mine -- who I will leave nameless to protect the innocent -- cannot settle a raging debate, and they have turned to me for an impartial third-party opinion. In turn, I turn to you, people of the Internets. Can you take a few seconds and help me put this to rest for them? Poll #1104182 A bitter sweets debate Open to: All, results viewable to: All 1. You see an open box of assorted filled chocolates in a public area at work. They were left by one of your coworkers and are meant to be shared. The chocolates are unlabeled; there is no key indicating what's inside them. View Answers I take a chocolate. 60 (75.9%) I don't take a chocolate. 19 (24.1%) 2. All of the conditions of question #1, PLUS: Someone has smashed open all of the chocolates. The damage is very prominent. However, the pieces have all stayed separate; the mess factor is negligible; and you can now see what they're filled with. View Answers I take a chocolate. 34 (43.0%) I don't take a chocolate. 45 (57.0%) 3. All of the conditions of question #2, PLUS: Written on the box in large letters are the words "SAFE TO EAT. YUM YUM!" View Answers I take a chocolate. 18 (22.8%) I don't take a chocolate. 61 (77.2%) 4. All of the conditions of question #3, PLUS: A trustworthy coworker says the chocolates were smashed open in a sanitary fashion, without being touched by human hands. View Answers I take a chocolate. 56 (70.9%) I don't take a chocolate. 23 (29.1%) 5. All of the conditions of question #4, PLUS: You can see that at least one of the chocolates has a filling you really like. View Answers I take a chocolate. 61 (77.2%) I don't take a chocolate. 18 (22.8%) 6. If the box from question #4 (all damaged but ID'd; breakage was sanitary) and the box from question #1 (pristine mystery chocolates) were on the table side by side, which would you choose? View Answers A pristine chocolate with an unknown, random filling. 44 (61.1%) A smashed-up chocolate with a known filling. 28 (38.9%) Explain yourself in comments, if you'd like -- especially if your reasons for the decision are unexpected. For example, I only went for them once they were broken -- but for the undoubtedly strange reason that I expected nobody else would, and I didn't want them to go to waste! Current Location: ~/brainstorm Current Music: Tom Lehrer, "National Brotherhood Week" Tags: polls, work (43 comments \| Leave a comment)
July 15th, 2007
03:57 pm [Link]	Friends list vs. American public: ROUND 1, FIGHT! Poll #1022009 Economics hypotheticals Open to: All, results viewable to: All Which job would you prefer? View Answers My current job 17 (33.3%) The same job, but with a 10% pay cut and 10% more leisure time 25 (49.0%) The same job, but with a 10% raise and 10% less leisure time 9 (17.6%) All other things being equal, where would you rather live? View Answers You have a 3,000-square-foot house and everyone else has a 2,000-square-foot house 6 (12.0%) You have a 4,000-square-foot house and everyone else has a 6,000-square-foot house 44 (88.0%) Once you're done, see how other Americans answer these questions. All I can conclude is that something is wrong with somebody, somewhere. (Incidentally, the article's an insightful look at why the United States is the only -- only -- advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid vacation. That alone makes it worth a full read.) Current Location: ~/brainstorm Current Mood: meh Tags: politics, polls, work (45 comments \| Leave a comment)

Tomorrowlands