This reminds me of Dolan's Lumber that used to be in Dublin.

I got a forward a few days back. This one claimed that 98% would choose a specific set of answers to two questions at the end. the other 2% are "special". The email started with half a dozen simple arithmetic problems and then asked you to pick a color and a tool. It then predicted that you had selected Red and Hammer and if you didn't your unique in some way. For the record I picked green and hammer, but the notion that I'm mentally a bit sideways isn't news. The sender asked if anyone could explain how it works (i presume she answered red hammer). That got me thinking.

There is a thing in Artificial intelligence called prototyping. I think the same effect is working here. The idea is that some things are more prototypical members of a set than others. For example If I asked you to name birds you might say blackbird, crow, seagull, parakeet, hawk, dove, or eagle long before you got to less "bird like" animals such as emus, dodos or penguins. When your mind takes up a subject without prior thought its more apt to pick a prototypical element in a set. The calculations clear your mind of colors and the scrolling hides the question. When your then asked to name a color you'll then be unlikely to pick puce, tope or melon-whip and much more apt to pick a color of the rainbow. The same goes for hammer. Hammer is much more the prototypical tool than say a slide rule, sawsall, or combo-square.

Lets attack it another way. (The following with apologies to Dr. Edward De Bono, whose work I will now bastardize.) Imagine your brain is a deep pan of Jello you let setup in the fridge last night. If you put it out on the table and look at it it's surface is smooth. If you do noting to it it remains smooth. However imagine putting a drop of water on the surface. It makes a little pit. This is like an experience. It alters the contours of your consciousness. If you place another drop in the same place the pit gets deep. Just like water on Jell-O, repeated experiences serve to reinforce a pattern. Now imagine placing another drop on the Jell-O but this time just at the edge of the pit made by the first. It widens the pit at that point a little but most of the drop serves to reinforce the existing pit. This is like when a similar experience happens, one will seek to group it into larger existing pattern. Now place a tablespoon of water on the Jell-O. IT makes a big hole. If it encounters an existing pit its will likely obliterate it, this is like a profound experience. You might have a number of pleasant encounters with dogs, but you'll be quite shy of them forever should one maul you. When one is first taught colors they are taught the primary colors, secondary colors, along with white and black first. From then on when we encounter a new color we characterize by those colors. So when you see Teal for the first time your might say it's green-bluish. Imagine the contrary; try to describe the color blue in terms of how teak it is. A bit tougher, i should think. So when we are asked to extemporaneously name a color we are apt to pick one from the rainbow. But why red? Well red is blood, blood is danger, and danger is profound. Perhaps only the symbolism of black carries the same emotional weight as red. The same more or less applies to hammer. It was likely one of the first tools you've every encountered, its one of the most simple, and most useful of tools. Perhaps only the screwdriver beats it out.

Something far more insidious is also at work; social engineering. Buy claiming that you will be either in the 98% (gasp! how could I be so pigeon holed? Could such an outrageous claim be true?) or flattering you by placing you in a 2% (I just knew I was special!) they are encouraging you to resend this email. But since your unlikely to get a proper scientific data set you'll never be able to fully debunk the claim. Even if you did, the piss in the pool because the forward has already gone out.

Labels: image, internet, social engeering

I've had a few comments on the hair. Allow me to summarize:

• Good God where did it go?
• You look fine but when does the hair return?
• I hated it at first but now I'm kinda feeling it.
• You shouldn't cut on yourself.
• Where you drunk?
• Well, I guess its easy to keep.
• Stressed?
• You've inspired me to butch my own.
• Is it ok if I don't tell you what I think?
• Where did you get that scar?
• The great thing is that it will grow back.
• Did you lose a bet?
• Did you join some kind of brotherhood? And is that brotherhood OK with us still being friends?
• That's such an unnatural look for you.
• Oh my God! Are you sick? How long do you have?
• Can I put an Astros hat on you and push you around in a wheelchair so that I can get into sporting events for free?
• Did you change something?
• You look like the crazy dude from Full Metal Jacket and or Slingblade.

For the record: I'm not married to the bald. The hair will be short for the winter as it makes the hat wearing less of a disaster. After that it's hard to say. Not having bedhead, hat hair, or cowlicks is awfully appealing.

Like I'm all mysterious or something.

Labels: hair, image, Max

A Phone? A PDA? Nope! It is effectively neither.

I bought a fancy pants PDA phone. I figured, hey, why carry a PDA and a cell phone when I could carry just one device. Why not? I'm worth it. I could use more synergy, I'm a good person. People like me. And whats more I know someone who swears by theirs.

So I went and paid through the nose for an Audiovox 6600. Its got the same kinda PDA setup I was use to with my IPaq. This allows me to do nifty stuff, like sync my PDA with Outlook, listen to Mp3s, take notes while on the phone, use my contacts from the computer to call people and so on.

Well it sucks. It sucks in that special way Microsoft Windows and Office suck. Plenty enough to be bothersome, not quite enough to make you switch to something else.

Firstly there is no way to carry the damn thing in its carrying case without mashing a button and hence turning it on. And once its on you'll inevitably end up mashing a bunch of other stuff. So when you go use it again you've written a note that says "sa3r f923" and taken a picture of the inside of your pocket. Speaking of the camera, at 1.3 megapixels its more like a tile mosaic than a photograph, and heaven forbid you try to take a picture in anything other that perfect conditions. And what is it about Pocket PC? Why won't they let you end programs, The X in the corner of the program doesn't end the running of the app. The only way is to go into the settings and do a hard kill of the programs. The head phone/speaker situation leaves something to be desired. The built in speaker is just above the screen. When you put your ear on it your naturally going to get your skin oil all over the screen. Which isn't a problem the first few days but after that your cleaning the screen all the time. Getting a Bluetooth solution headset is cool until you realize that you cant leave the PDA in your pocket and get a strong enough signal. Also if you stray more than 4 feet from your phone your headset and PDA will lose contact and you'll have to reestablish the connection.

Most of the problems revolve around the phone. Example: battery is low, you get a call, the phone rings, it presents you with caller id info. All good except the answer/send button goes dead. A phone call also uses a heavy amount of resources. Meaning that its not uncommon for a phone call to crash the device. One sweet thing about an old fashioned land line is they don't crash. Fortunately a reset takes only about 20 seconds and doesn't erase all the data.

So why did I buy such a piece? Well I had a 2-week trial all set up, but it only took Rocky 2 hours to have a moment and put some bite marks in it. Needless to say they didn't want it back.

Truth be told I like my fancy phone, and quite enjoy not carrying two devices anymore. But if you were debating a PDA phone I'd steer clear of the Audiovox 6600 and any other Pocket PC phone. I give them a year to 18 months before they get all the kinks worked out. Perhaps by then Google will have given the nation free WIFI and we can all have bitchen VOIP PDA videophone watches. But then pigs would fly from my butt, and that might smart.

Labels: consumer goods, image

A Church for 2nd marriages?

And low, on the tenth day of the eleventh month this year of our lord two thousand and five, Silver Bow Properties, LLC. has purchased a pink church. Actually the historic placard suggests it was a boarding house for a dozen miners. It will make for a nifty three-plex. It is tucked in a small community between the Stewart and Original mineyards.

Labels: Butte, image, Montana, Silver Bow Properties

I've been listing to some podcasts. For those unfamiliar, a podcast is a like a radio show in mp3 format. If you have an mp3 player like an IPod or something for your computer like Windows Media or WinAmp you can download and listen to these shows at your leisure. Podcasts can often be downloaded from a website directly but that’s a big pain, the best way is to use "feed reader" to automatically download the shows you subscribe too, as they become available. I use Feed Demon. Which is free for a week (or month, I forget) and then is around $20.

On the Links page is a listing. I'm trying some of these out so I don't endorse all of these. Further not all will be for everyone. A feed reader will need the URL for the RSS feed. I have made links to each RRS Feed so click the link and then copy the URL into the feed reader.

Just though I'd share.

Labels: internet, recomendation

Our buddy Mr. York took us hunting this morning. We saw a mule deer buck with some does and I somehow ended up being the only one with the correct tag. So I shot at it and (in my retardation) blew a chunk out of its lower leg. Its clear that I'll need to purchase my own equipment. If only to have something to be familiar with.

Robert and I chased it about 5 miles. Near the end when it was clear that it was long gone I happened to stumble onto a little house in a ravine. It was such an odd place for a house that I didn't see it until I was almost in it. Of course I riled up the dog and drew out the owner. I think he had more feet than teeth, but its hard to say as I was more concerned with the revolver (357 perhaps) he had tucked in the waist band of his sweats. He was not happy that I was trespassing. Considering how far I had gone its quite possible that I was. We agreed that it was best I leave, quickly.

York suggested that the buck will likely heal up and then regaled us with tales of giant three legged bucks. Robert suggests that their great healing is owed to there refusal to eat cheezy popcorn. Which sounds like crap to me. I didn't partake in his cheezy popcorn and I still have a wheeze from traipsing around after the damn thing.

Labels: culture, hunting, mood, opinion

I've opened the block. As some of you are aware I had it password protected. Which might have been fine but I never did get around to disseminating that password to the correct people. The point was to provide a terse news feed to those out in california. Though it became clear that the blog was avialable by searching blogger.com. Hence i've just unleased to the world.

Labels: Blog, mikeablexray.com

I have an anecdote:

A nice older lady was checking me out at Wal-Mart. And by that I mean she was ringing up my purchases not as in she was scoping my goods. Near the end her lazy manager, draped over a cash register, spoke. "Doris" (or whatever her name was) "turn off your light for lunch.". Doris was delighted and promptly turned out her number light, indicating her lane was closed. She grumbled a bit about how late her lunch was coming. "Those great Wal-Mart labor practices..." I said. Doris chuckled, "Well its better than when i was worked at Safeway. They never gave me a lunch at all.".

I'm a firm believer that anecdotal evidence is the weakest kind, but it is amusing none the less. Perchance those boycotting Wal-Mart should instead not shop at Safeway.

Labels: culture, economics, opinion, politics

Yes winter is cold. But the ramifications are different than one might think. For me one of the more annoying things is the need to were a warm hat. Since I don't have heat in my office I tend to wear one all day. When I were a hat my hair goes all crazy. Only a shower can get it back in line. I'm a bit sick of it, so....

Problem Solved

Do I look good? I'm getting a mixed response. What I can say is: it may not look good but it wont ever look bad.

Labels: hair, image, Max