Sharing the burden of my boredom

[hot_pastrami]

Sometimes, I think I have brain damage. For instance, just the other day, I was walking down the road-- everything seemed normal-- but suddenly I thought to myself, "Whoa! I think I have brain damage!"

Sometimes I think people in general are dumb. I look at the average person's intellect, and I am forced to ackowledge the fact that due to the rules governing mathematical averages, about half of the human race is DUMBER than that average person. As a side note or side effect (I'm not sure which), almost every person one might ask would consider themselves above average in the intelligence department. I think I'm above average, but am I? Maybe we'll never know. MAYBE we'll never care.

Why is it that when you take a picture of a mirror, a person doesn't see their own reflection when they look at the photo? Why isn't "phonetic" spelled like it sounds? Why do the voices in my head all sound like a Speak-and-Spell? These are the questions that keep me up at night, plaguing me. When I finally have the answers, I know that it will be the answers that keep me up at night, plaguing me.

Ok, I'm less bored now. Thank you for your attention.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Smoke and try it again. The answers will come.

[elSicomoro]

Hmmm...the voices in my head sound much like my own. It's hard to figure out which ones to listen to though...what a pain!

[SteveDallas]

Originally posted by hot_pastrami

Why is it that when you take a picture of a mirror, a person doesn't see their own reflection when they look at the photo?

What are you talking about? I see my reflection in photographs of mirrors all the time. I mean, think about it, why WOULDN'T you? If you don't, I suggest seeing an ophtalmologist. Or a neurologist.

[xoxoxoBruce]

They only see what they wanted the picture of. Their mind disregards everything else including the reflection. Except of course, when they're particularly vain.

[SteveDallas]

hahaha

nice comeback... I may have some character flaws, but vanity is not one of them.

[e unibus plurum]

Originally posted by SteveDallas
If you don't, I suggest seeing an ophtalmologist. Or a neurologist.

or maybe a vampirologist?

[tw]

Originally posted by hot_pastrami
Sometimes I think people in general are dumb. I look at the average person's intellect, and I am forced to ackowledge the fact that due to the rules governing mathematical averages, about half of the human race is DUMBER than that average person.

You are thinking one dimensionally. Michael Jordan is a genius when it comes to manuevering the human body. Tiger Woods a genius when predicting trajectories. Fermi, who with Sklar, created the first nuclear reaction, would walk out of his house maybe 14 times because he kept forgetting why he was going out. Forest Gump - well is that (fictional character) a dumb person?

Unfortunately you are trying to think too much like a neo-classical economist - who kept saying all through the early 90s that computers were not resulting in increased productivity. The world is multi-dimensional. Use more than one metric to measure it. Its called perspective - which is also why there is no good and evil - just many different perspectives.

[hot_pastrami]

Well, you assume that my meaning of "dumb" is not multi-dimensional. All of the people you list would be considered above average by my scale, as evidenced by their successes. You also appear to be assuming that I was serious, where really I was not. Entirely. I do harbor the hope that humankind is deserving of more credit than I give it. I tend toward thinking that all people are generally good, honest, and bright unless they prove me otherwise, but that happens a little more frequently than I'd like.

Ok, I'm still kidding. Knowledge, problem-solving skills, and adaptability are all equally important in triangulating a person's intellect, and most people have healthy doses of at least one. Those who don't use words like "triangulating" and and "evidenced" to compensate.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Well this must have relieved the boredom a little.:p

[jaguar]

What amuses me is *everyone considers themselves above average. Average itself becomes a dirty word. An 'average' film is not worth seeing and if something is 'very average' don't give it another thought.... All we end up doing is swapping words.

Here's something fun to relieve the boredom (copied from a slightly wacky utterly brilliant coder friend of mine). Set up a stand on a kinda busy city corner, get a stack of chocolate bars. Get a stack of 20c coins. Put up a sign setting the price for the chocolate bars at -20c. Maximum one per person. Insist that people take both a chocolate bar AND the 20c. It's hilarious, people get confused by the concept of a negative price, and walk away without anything, even though they wanted a chocolate bar. Crowds are bad as one person grasps it and passes it on, it works best on one or two people at a time.

[Jakeline]

Originally posted by hot_pastrami
...almost every person one might ask would consider themselves above average in the intelligence department....

Why is it that when you take a picture of a mirror, a person doesn't see their own reflection when they look at the photo?

First off, truer words have never been spoken. It's a general human condition, though. I saw a quote someplace that something like 80% of all people feel that they're an above average driver. (I might be totally making that up though. You know, considering that 58.9% of all stats are made up.) I thought, "Hehe.. that's hilarious.. but you know, it doesn't apply to me, because I AM an above average driver.. uh oh... "

Second off, if you're seriously asking why what you see in the mirror and in a picture are different, that's easy. It's because we have binocular vision. It's the same reason people seem heavier in pictures: because normally we can slightly see around people, and a picture doesn't allow that, so perceive them as being larger than they are.

See, now I have an excuse for why I look so round in all my pictures.. yeah, that's the ticket!

[elSicomoro]

The camera adds 10 pounds.

[Tobiasly]

I'm not sure if I'm an above average driver, but I do know that if everyone drove like I do, we'd be much better off.

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by Tobiasly
I'm not sure if I'm an above average driver, but I do know that if everyone drove like I do, we'd be much better off.

And now that you've said that, we know better.