(no subject)

[moon_custafer]

Cracked actually runs some pretty good commentary these days. Here's one about the problematic portrayal of geniuses on tv; and yes, I've heard of the "CSI Effect" on juries.

Comments

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

their super-geniuses do a *lot* of work to out-smart the opposing team of super-geniuses

Probably because Smith actually *did* work in a lab and knew how involved these things are.

Chinese culture, on the other hand, has a handy slot ready for eerie mental powers

One of the things in handful_ofdust's Hexslinger universe is that while most of the Western world burns hexes at the stake, and several others go "ooh, a shaman," the Chinese have apparently been studying their powers since the 9th century or earlier, and selectively breeding them as weapons (although it looks as though the Opium Wars still happened, so the presence of generals with super-powers evidently wasn't enough to counter the decadence of the imperial government.)

One of my new co-workers seemed unduly impressed yesterday when, after seeing him check a website with sports news, then exclaim "I've made $170!" I asked, "oh, did you win a bet on a baseball game?"

I mean, it was no "I see, Watson, you have decided not to invest in South African stocks after all;" and the co-worker was by no means dim -- I'd seen him at work on the phone.

[donald hutton (from livejournal.com)]

Well really, that's hardly even on par with the time that you, arriving late at a party, immediately upon entering the room thanked me for having supplied the sushi platter: having scanned the occupants and determined that I was the only one with non-take-out chopsticks and therefore the only one with advance knowledge of the sushi.

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

Funny thing is, you recall that but I barely do - I'm not even sure it was a conscious process for me - and, knowing the Diners as I do now, might just as easily have been wrong: a lot of us travel with our own chopsticks.

[donald hutton (from livejournal.com)]

But it was only about 11 years ago! ;-) It was at some anniversary at Lloyd & Yvonne's so there were a lot of non-Diners but your point is well taken as SF fans in general are like that as well.

As for it not being a conscious process - well, as another Master Detective put it "...I knew you came from Afghanistan. From long habit the train of thoughts ran so swiftly through my mind that I arrived at the conclusion without being conscious of intermediate steps. There were such steps however." which you had to stop and think about when questioned.

Of course I remember it. We Boswells are bound to remember many such things of no interest to you lot. We pick them out for their dramatic effect whereas to you they are but simple exercises of not even passing technical interest.