Hmm.. Today's horoscope says that I should treat myself today! Looks like it's Thai food for din din tonight! (Like you have to twist my arm). I deserve it, anyway, after ACIM dropped a community notification in my lap 15 minutes before it was supposed to go out. I'm just lucky that the network was running, and codeRED proceeded without a hitch... just as well a 5pm notification for a 6:30 meeting can't go out late.
Frankie came by a moment ago wanting to talk, but I'm having none of it. He wheedled a bit, until I told him to please leave through the door. Ugh. So, I call the Landlord up and let him know that the stupid-liar-mooch-crackhead-cluetard Frankie is getting on my nerves, and "Just what is the eviction timeline, anyway?" LL claimed that he intended to take him out tonight, but it was getting late... so he'll relocate him tomorrow night "For sure." Well, it's only what, 20 days+ overdue, but I do know that I'll breathe a good deal easier when he's relocated to anywhere but two doors down.
Thais are adept at performing no less than 13 situational-specific smiles in their everyday lives.
Thai Smiles – Good, Bad, Ugly, and the 10 in between - Daniel Fraser
Scenario: A frustrated westerner is trying desperately to retrieve an international money transfer at a Thai bank. Unsure of the system employed to do such a transaction at the bank, the westerner asks multiple questions to a variety of people hoping to find a sympathetic ear and some common sense assistance. After being passed through nearly a dozen people and departments with no reasonable explanation of how to actually do the transaction, the exacerbated visitor displays a look of complete frustration and anger. The result: all 20 staff members smile peacefully amongst themselves and continue about their business.
How can this cultural phenomenon – a daily occurrence in every corner of the Kingdom – be logically explained?
Thailand has long been referred to as ‘The Land of Smiles’ by visitors from the west. Usually referring to Thais’ general sense of happiness and glee, Thais, perhaps more than any other people, have an uncanny knack for smiling in such instances as being in the face of adversity, tension or even danger. In addition, as many westerners point out, Thais seem to smile at unusual times during conversations and business dealings as well, such as the example cited above.
In Thailand smiling is a form of subtle interpersonal-messaging which runs deeper and perhaps more accurately than language or syntax. Investigation into this phenomena reveals that Thais are adept at performing no less than 13 situational-specific smiles in their everyday lives. In fact, most Thais can perform each smile upon request with flawless accuracy based solely on the commonly used name of each. In addition, Thais are experts at identifying the specific smiles they encounter, and are well aware of the inherent message behind each. 13 specific kinds of smiles? How could one possibly know the difference and know how to interpret each one? Many of the smiles that Thais perform are used to relieve tension, calm nerves, seek forgiveness or omission from distressing situations. The name of one particular smile, yim soo, translates as the “smiling in the face of an impossible struggle” smile.
The Chinese have said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Indeed, the Thai translation of the anecdote may very well be “a smile can have a thousand meanings”.
Not listed by order of appearance or frequency, the ‘top 13’ identified Thai smiles are:
Source: Working With The Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand by Henry Holmes and Suchada Tangtongtavy.
One amazing story of the influence of smiling in Thai culture runs back to the political turmoil of the 1980’s. The Thai Prime Minister at the time, Gen. Prem Tinsulanond, was confronted by a swarm of buzzing journalists demanding answers on the government’s handling of domestic issues. However, rather than actually answering any of the questions directly, Mr. Prem merely spent the entire interview displaying a series of smiles for the perplexed media.
Indeed, Thailand lives up to its namesake as ‘The Land of Smiles’. In the end, the culture of smiling does allow for a more easy-going society. Like when a Bangkok cabbie bumps into the car ahead of him at a traffic light and all parties discuss the situation with cheeky grins – something probably never seen in the west.
Next time you step on a Thai’s foot in a crowded mall and the victim responds gleefully, or the next time you make a group of locals smile with your newfound Thai words, or even the next time you are confronted by a roomful of smiling workers in a busy bank, remember that a smile may often not be what it seems. As Thais and longtime Ex-pats can tell you, a smile may have a thousand meanings. The smile may even be on you! Ok.. so I think I'm chalking my energy level up to the coffee and the workout. My next workout period is at 4pm, and then another at 8.
Ah, it's nice to get letters like this (Edited for privacy) -
Lord of the Rings Barbie and Ken!
1172 Old Testament in Hebrew 'Because of the Jewish prohibition on the depiction of religious images, the original text uses its letter forms which are molded into shapes, to produce a decorative effect.' (larger image)
DR. John Gray - the best-selling author of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" - isn't really a doctor. In fact, there's scant evidence he ever went to college at all.
CultNews.com, the Web site operated by nationally known cult expert Rick Ross, is reporting that the one-man marketing machine has been exaggerating his credentials for years.
Gray, whose "Men Are From Mars . . ." led to several spinoff titles, has turned himself into a brand name, with a syndicated national column, appearances on TV talk shows and the lecture circuit, a chain of licensed counseling centers, a roster of accredited counselors and psychologists who have trained under him, and an enormous cult following.
On his Web site, Gray touts himself as a certified family therapist with a Ph.D., a necessary degree for both the American Counseling Assn. and the International Assn. of Marriage and Family Counselors, to which he holds memberships.
But recent investigations into Gray's credentials reveal that his Ph.D. is an honorary one at best. Gray's assistant, Rosalinda Lynch, first told CultNews that her boss received his degree from Columbia Pacific University. The problem? CPU was a non-accredited correspondence university.
Lynch then said that Gray earned a second doctorate from Illinois' Governor's State University. A university spokesperson corrected the claim, explaining that an honorary degree was bestowed upon Gray when he delivered this year's commencement address. What's more, GSU doesn't have a doctorate program.
There are discrepancies about Gray's other educational claims as well. He had previously boasted of Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland. His assistant explained to CultNews that his degrees came from the American branch of the university, which is located in Iowa.
A call to both the school's registrar and its alumni association yielded no proof he ever attended. Gray's office in Marin County, Calif., had no response yesterday to repeated calls.
Scientists have found a sub-atomic particle they cannot explain using current theories of energy and matter.
The discovery was made by researchers based at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization in Tsukuba.
Classified as X(3872), the particle was seen fleetingly in an atom smasher and has been dubbed the "mystery meson".
The Japanese team says understanding its existence may require a change to the Standard Model, the accepted theory of the way the Universe is constructed.
An eternity
X(3872) was found among the decay products of so-called beauty mesons - sub-atomic particles that are produced in large numbers at the Tsukuba "meson factory".
It weighs about the same as a single atom of helium and exists for only about one billionth of a trillionth of a second before it decays into other longer-lived, more familiar particles.
Although this is extremely short-lived by human standards, scientists say that a billionth of a trillionth of a second is nearly an eternity for a sub-atomic particle this heavy.
Particles smaller than the atom are grouped into families depending upon their mass, spin and electric charge.
But X(3872) is peculiar in that it does not fit easily into any known particle scheme and, as a result, has attracted a considerable amount of attention from the world's physics community.
New pairs
Its discovery was recently confirmed by researchers at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, US, home of the Tevatron, the world's largest atom smasher. It was the US outfit that gave X(3872) its mystery tag.
A normal meson is comprised of a quark and an antiquark held together by the "colour" force, also called the "strong" force because it is the most powerful known in nature.
The large variety of meson particles that have been found to date reflect the many different ways that these combinations can be achieved.
However, again, X(3872) does not match theoretical expectations for any conceivable quark-antiquark arrangement.
To explain it, theoretical physicists may have to modify their theory of the colour force; or make X(3872) the first example of a new type of meson, one that is made from four quarks (two quarks and two antiquarks).
Some online geographic visualization goodies (I've linked to a few before)-
Powers of 10: a redo of the classic zoom-in-from-the-universe-to-an-electron photo essay, this time in Java so you can control the action and with oak DNA as a stop along the way.
Money Maps: See which parts of the country are giving money to Democrats vs. Republicans or to particular Democratic candidates, by state, 3-digit zip code or county.
The Living Earth: this oldie but goodie simulates views of the earth sliced and diced more ways than you can think of. Select views by angle, altitude, date, from satellites or the moon, centered on cities, and with various models of earth topography and weather.
Here is the earth from over My House, Rio, Vienna, and Delhi. There's also a moon viewer.
You are Where You Live: a demo of several segmentation systems used by marketers.
Enter your zip code and learn the main market "segments" in your neighborhood. For instance, according to the PRIZM NE system, the most common segments in 33301 (Local Fort Lauderdale) are "Urban Achievers", "Bohemian Mix", "Upper Crust", "Money & Brains" and "American Dreams". If you do a search and click the link for a particular type, you'll see a description, a cute little icon, some demographics, and examples of their consumer habits.
City Size Comparisons: a tool to generate side-by-side maps of cities at the same scale. Works mostly for American cities but also for Baghdad. I'd love to see this idea expanded to include more international cities and also cities in history -- say colonial New York or Chaucer's London or ancient Rome.
Scorecard: environmental maps, with links to custom reports by zip code for key environmental issues.
It's interesting to see the Fort Lauderdale's statistics.
-many thanks to Prentiss RiddleAfter PT this morning, I picked up some Cafe con Leche at the little Cuban place up the street.
VRRRRRRRRRROOOOOM! VRRRRROOOOOMMM!!!!
Wow, this stuff should be prescription-only. It is delicious, though. I think that I might have another *before* the next workout, though.
The new exercises look to be pretty positive, I'll be doing them three times a day at home and three pt visits a week,as well. I've got a few minor errands to run this morning, but I'll return shortly. Have some links, until I get back.
Seeya Later, Dear Journal!
Oh, man, I'm such a dork for actually wanting this... but the price tag is more than a little nutty.
Awesome photography of ghost towns
Grunt Growl and Tear is a fast-paced game of paper monster combat for 2 to 4 players where you can rip limbs off of your opponents and attach them to yourself. It looks to be an awfully cathartic thing to do after a hard day at work or school.
Miami Herald Camera (east) - This is a view from The Miami Herald's fifth floor facing east overlooking Biscayne Bay. To the right is the MacArthur Causeway.
Miami Herald Camera (west) - In the foreground is a Metromover track and Herald employee parking lots. Beyond that is construction on the new Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami.
And Locally, The Sun-Sentinel cam - The edge of a new condo under construction; the Travel Guard building, which is one of the oldest buildings in downtown; Las Olas Boulevard, which is the curving road, and the Museum of Art, the structure on the far right. In the background, you see the Las Olas Riverfront area and the white building in the far distance at the center is the Museum of Discovery and Science. In the immediate foreground is the sales center for the condominium tower under construction.
Zombie survival guide
Where Legos come from
Another World, from Escher’s work, 1947 - quicktime VR.. very nicely done.
current mood:
current music: VRrrroooom!! Vrrrroooom!!
Frankie came by a moment ago wanting to talk, but I'm having none of it. He wheedled a bit, until I told him to please leave through the door. Ugh. So, I call the Landlord up and let him know that the stupid-liar-mooch-crackhead-cluetard Frankie is getting on my nerves, and "Just what is the eviction timeline, anyway?" LL claimed that he intended to take him out tonight, but it was getting late... so he'll relocate him tomorrow night "For sure." Well, it's only what, 20 days+ overdue, but I do know that I'll breathe a good deal easier when he's relocated to anywhere but two doors down.
Thais are adept at performing no less than 13 situational-specific smiles in their everyday lives.
Thai Smiles – Good, Bad, Ugly, and the 10 in between - Daniel Fraser
Scenario: A frustrated westerner is trying desperately to retrieve an international money transfer at a Thai bank. Unsure of the system employed to do such a transaction at the bank, the westerner asks multiple questions to a variety of people hoping to find a sympathetic ear and some common sense assistance. After being passed through nearly a dozen people and departments with no reasonable explanation of how to actually do the transaction, the exacerbated visitor displays a look of complete frustration and anger. The result: all 20 staff members smile peacefully amongst themselves and continue about their business.
How can this cultural phenomenon – a daily occurrence in every corner of the Kingdom – be logically explained?
Thailand has long been referred to as ‘The Land of Smiles’ by visitors from the west. Usually referring to Thais’ general sense of happiness and glee, Thais, perhaps more than any other people, have an uncanny knack for smiling in such instances as being in the face of adversity, tension or even danger. In addition, as many westerners point out, Thais seem to smile at unusual times during conversations and business dealings as well, such as the example cited above.
In Thailand smiling is a form of subtle interpersonal-messaging which runs deeper and perhaps more accurately than language or syntax. Investigation into this phenomena reveals that Thais are adept at performing no less than 13 situational-specific smiles in their everyday lives. In fact, most Thais can perform each smile upon request with flawless accuracy based solely on the commonly used name of each. In addition, Thais are experts at identifying the specific smiles they encounter, and are well aware of the inherent message behind each. 13 specific kinds of smiles? How could one possibly know the difference and know how to interpret each one? Many of the smiles that Thais perform are used to relieve tension, calm nerves, seek forgiveness or omission from distressing situations. The name of one particular smile, yim soo, translates as the “smiling in the face of an impossible struggle” smile.
The Chinese have said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Indeed, the Thai translation of the anecdote may very well be “a smile can have a thousand meanings”.
Not listed by order of appearance or frequency, the ‘top 13’ identified Thai smiles are:
- Yim thang nam taa: The “I’m so happy I’m crying” smile.
- Yim thak thaai: The “polite” smile for someone you barely know.
- Yim cheun chom: The “I admire you” smile.
- Fuen Yim: The stiff smile, also known as the “I should laugh at the joke though it’s not funny” Smile.
- Yim mee lessanai: The smile which masks something wicked in your mind.
- Yim yaw: The teasing, or “I told you so” smile.
- Yim yae-yae: The “I know things look pretty bad but there’s no point in crying over spilt milk” smile.
- Yim sao: The sad smile.
- Yim haeng: The dry smile, also known as the “I know I owe you the money but I don’t have it” smile.
- Yim thak thaan: The “I disagree with you” smile, also known as the “You can go ahead and propose it but your idea’s no good” smile.
- Yim cheua-cheuan: The “I am the winner” smile, the smile given to a losing competitor.
- Yim soo: “smiling in the face of an impossible struggle” smile.
- Yim mai awk: The “I’m trying to smile but can’t” smile.
- Yim som tam: The “Waiter, there’s a dead crab in my salad!” smile. (ok, this one was completely made up. But I’m sure I’ve given it myself a few times…).
Source: Working With The Thais: A Guide to Managing in Thailand by Henry Holmes and Suchada Tangtongtavy.
One amazing story of the influence of smiling in Thai culture runs back to the political turmoil of the 1980’s. The Thai Prime Minister at the time, Gen. Prem Tinsulanond, was confronted by a swarm of buzzing journalists demanding answers on the government’s handling of domestic issues. However, rather than actually answering any of the questions directly, Mr. Prem merely spent the entire interview displaying a series of smiles for the perplexed media.
Indeed, Thailand lives up to its namesake as ‘The Land of Smiles’. In the end, the culture of smiling does allow for a more easy-going society. Like when a Bangkok cabbie bumps into the car ahead of him at a traffic light and all parties discuss the situation with cheeky grins – something probably never seen in the west.
Next time you step on a Thai’s foot in a crowded mall and the victim responds gleefully, or the next time you make a group of locals smile with your newfound Thai words, or even the next time you are confronted by a roomful of smiling workers in a busy bank, remember that a smile may often not be what it seems. As Thais and longtime Ex-pats can tell you, a smile may have a thousand meanings. The smile may even be on you!
Ah, it's nice to get letters like this (Edited for privacy) -
Scott, I would like to say thank you for your help with a case on Nov 16. We requested an alert after it was reported to us that a 32 yr old female with mental problems was reported missing.
We received two calls as a result of the alerts that provided us with solid information in this case.
Ultimately the female [...] was located safely, 20 miles from her home.
Thanks again
Wayne County Sheriffs Office
Lord of the Rings Barbie and Ken!
1172 Old Testament in Hebrew 'Because of the Jewish prohibition on the depiction of religious images, the original text uses its letter forms which are molded into shapes, to produce a decorative effect.' (larger image)
DR. John Gray - the best-selling author of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" - isn't really a doctor. In fact, there's scant evidence he ever went to college at all.
CultNews.com, the Web site operated by nationally known cult expert Rick Ross, is reporting that the one-man marketing machine has been exaggerating his credentials for years.
Gray, whose "Men Are From Mars . . ." led to several spinoff titles, has turned himself into a brand name, with a syndicated national column, appearances on TV talk shows and the lecture circuit, a chain of licensed counseling centers, a roster of accredited counselors and psychologists who have trained under him, and an enormous cult following.
On his Web site, Gray touts himself as a certified family therapist with a Ph.D., a necessary degree for both the American Counseling Assn. and the International Assn. of Marriage and Family Counselors, to which he holds memberships.
But recent investigations into Gray's credentials reveal that his Ph.D. is an honorary one at best. Gray's assistant, Rosalinda Lynch, first told CultNews that her boss received his degree from Columbia Pacific University. The problem? CPU was a non-accredited correspondence university.
Lynch then said that Gray earned a second doctorate from Illinois' Governor's State University. A university spokesperson corrected the claim, explaining that an honorary degree was bestowed upon Gray when he delivered this year's commencement address. What's more, GSU doesn't have a doctorate program.
There are discrepancies about Gray's other educational claims as well. He had previously boasted of Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Maharishi European Research University in Switzerland. His assistant explained to CultNews that his degrees came from the American branch of the university, which is located in Iowa.
A call to both the school's registrar and its alumni association yielded no proof he ever attended. Gray's office in Marin County, Calif., had no response yesterday to repeated calls.
Scientists have found a sub-atomic particle they cannot explain using current theories of energy and matter.
The discovery was made by researchers based at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization in Tsukuba.
Classified as X(3872), the particle was seen fleetingly in an atom smasher and has been dubbed the "mystery meson".
The Japanese team says understanding its existence may require a change to the Standard Model, the accepted theory of the way the Universe is constructed.
An eternity
X(3872) was found among the decay products of so-called beauty mesons - sub-atomic particles that are produced in large numbers at the Tsukuba "meson factory".
It weighs about the same as a single atom of helium and exists for only about one billionth of a trillionth of a second before it decays into other longer-lived, more familiar particles.
Although this is extremely short-lived by human standards, scientists say that a billionth of a trillionth of a second is nearly an eternity for a sub-atomic particle this heavy.
Particles smaller than the atom are grouped into families depending upon their mass, spin and electric charge.
But X(3872) is peculiar in that it does not fit easily into any known particle scheme and, as a result, has attracted a considerable amount of attention from the world's physics community.
New pairs
Its discovery was recently confirmed by researchers at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, US, home of the Tevatron, the world's largest atom smasher. It was the US outfit that gave X(3872) its mystery tag.
A normal meson is comprised of a quark and an antiquark held together by the "colour" force, also called the "strong" force because it is the most powerful known in nature.
The large variety of meson particles that have been found to date reflect the many different ways that these combinations can be achieved.
However, again, X(3872) does not match theoretical expectations for any conceivable quark-antiquark arrangement.
To explain it, theoretical physicists may have to modify their theory of the colour force; or make X(3872) the first example of a new type of meson, one that is made from four quarks (two quarks and two antiquarks).
Some online geographic visualization goodies (I've linked to a few before)-
Powers of 10: a redo of the classic zoom-in-from-the-universe-to-an-electron photo essay, this time in Java so you can control the action and with oak DNA as a stop along the way.
Money Maps: See which parts of the country are giving money to Democrats vs. Republicans or to particular Democratic candidates, by state, 3-digit zip code or county.
The Living Earth: this oldie but goodie simulates views of the earth sliced and diced more ways than you can think of. Select views by angle, altitude, date, from satellites or the moon, centered on cities, and with various models of earth topography and weather.
Here is the earth from over My House, Rio, Vienna, and Delhi. There's also a moon viewer.
You are Where You Live: a demo of several segmentation systems used by marketers.
Enter your zip code and learn the main market "segments" in your neighborhood. For instance, according to the PRIZM NE system, the most common segments in 33301 (Local Fort Lauderdale) are "Urban Achievers", "Bohemian Mix", "Upper Crust", "Money & Brains" and "American Dreams". If you do a search and click the link for a particular type, you'll see a description, a cute little icon, some demographics, and examples of their consumer habits.
City Size Comparisons: a tool to generate side-by-side maps of cities at the same scale. Works mostly for American cities but also for Baghdad. I'd love to see this idea expanded to include more international cities and also cities in history -- say colonial New York or Chaucer's London or ancient Rome.
Scorecard: environmental maps, with links to custom reports by zip code for key environmental issues.
It's interesting to see the Fort Lauderdale's statistics.
-many thanks to Prentiss RiddleAfter PT this morning, I picked up some Cafe con Leche at the little Cuban place up the street.
VRRRRRRRRRROOOOOM! VRRRRROOOOOMMM!!!!
Wow, this stuff should be prescription-only. It is delicious, though. I think that I might have another *before* the next workout, though.
The new exercises look to be pretty positive, I'll be doing them three times a day at home and three pt visits a week,as well. I've got a few minor errands to run this morning, but I'll return shortly. Have some links, until I get back.
Seeya Later, Dear Journal!
Oh, man, I'm such a dork for actually wanting this... but the price tag is more than a little nutty.
Awesome photography of ghost towns
Grunt Growl and Tear is a fast-paced game of paper monster combat for 2 to 4 players where you can rip limbs off of your opponents and attach them to yourself. It looks to be an awfully cathartic thing to do after a hard day at work or school.
Miami Herald Camera (east) - This is a view from The Miami Herald's fifth floor facing east overlooking Biscayne Bay. To the right is the MacArthur Causeway.
Miami Herald Camera (west) - In the foreground is a Metromover track and Herald employee parking lots. Beyond that is construction on the new Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami.
And Locally, The Sun-Sentinel cam - The edge of a new condo under construction; the Travel Guard building, which is one of the oldest buildings in downtown; Las Olas Boulevard, which is the curving road, and the Museum of Art, the structure on the far right. In the background, you see the Las Olas Riverfront area and the white building in the far distance at the center is the Museum of Discovery and Science. In the immediate foreground is the sales center for the condominium tower under construction.
Zombie survival guide
Where Legos come from
Another World, from Escher’s work, 1947 - quicktime VR.. very nicely done.
current mood:
current music: VRrrroooom!! Vrrrroooom!!
posted by Scottobear at
11:22:00 PM
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