Obama Kids: Sing for Change (Pyongyang Remix)

The folks over at Reason put together a video of a kids choir chanting for Obama while showing clips of a similar use of propaganda being used in North Korea. While I do find the clip funny, I couldn't help shake an uneasiness about the whole thing. I don't like the idea of using kids to promote an issue or candidate on any point of political spectrum. The Kids for Obama site unabashedly states the kids are being used as a propaganda tool:

Do you feel like you want to get involved in the political process but you don’t know how? Do you feel like there’s something important coming up in the Presidential elections? Get involved in KIDS FOR OBAMA! Studies have shown that kids can affect their parents and their siblings’ opinions and even change the opinions of older family members . . . including those of voting age. Are you still with me? Great, Let’s get started!

Do these kids understand what they are promoting, good or bad? Probably not, that is what is so reckless and sad about the whole thing.

The Economists are for Obama

Well, I have to admit that this poll from The Economist (analysis) came as a surprise to me! The Economist emailed a survey to 683 members of National Bureau of Economic Research asking which presidential candidate, Obama or McCain, has a better understand of economics and who has a better economic plan. Of 142 people who replied, 46% identified themselves as Democrats (pdf), 10% being Republican (pdf) and 44% as Neither (pdf). The findings show that economists, on all sides, overwhelmingly say Obama has a better understanding of the economy and a better plan. To take a closer look at the overall data, click here (pdf).

The Money Meltdown

There is a new blog, The Money Meltdown, that aggregates information from different media sources to explain how the U.S. and global money markets fell into crisis. Topics range from background info to what you should do about your money.

Autumn Leaves

My preferred season, autumn, has just begun! With the temperature just right and the overall feeling more relaxed, I thought I'd post a clip to introduce the new season. Who better to do that then the "Chairman of the Board"?

For those of you interested in why the leaves turn color, here is the short science behind it.

Geography of Personality

The Wall Street Journal recently put out an article focusing on a study found in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science(pdf). The study, using 60,000 questionnaires, mapped the U.S. based on personality traits (extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness). Then the study overlays data about crime, poverty, and heath to see if there are any correlations. The findings are interesting. But as a psychologist in the article points out, this might only "reinforce stereotypes and tempt us to draw overly simplistic conclusions[,]" going on to say "we tend to reject information that doesn't agree with our stereotypes." Draw your own conclusions...

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

Have you ever wondered which countries have the most corrupt governments? Or which countries have the highest CO2 emissions? Or most liters of beer consumed? All this and whole plethora of other stats can be found at NationMaster.com. It is a collection of user made graphs based off numerical data found from various sources, mainly the CIA Factbook. Though the site looks pretty straight foward, I would caution those who look at these statistics to keep a critical eye on the sources of the data. Remember:

A statistical analysis, properly conducted, is a delicate dissection of uncertainties, a surgery of suppositions.
~M.J. Moroney

Eye of the Beholder

On the internet, there is a plethora of scenic photography ranging from European cites, African savannas, to South American rainforests. I thought I'd would scrounge the "inter-tubes" and show what I think are some of the most visual stunning pics.


More to come in the future

Mapping Patterns

The BBC recently put out a TV program that collected the GPS data of various networks to show the workings of telecommunications, maritime trade, and vehicular movement across London.

Being Critical

Logical errors are, I think, of greater practical importance than many people believe; they enable their perpetrators to hold the comfortable opinion on every subject in turn.

~Bertrand Russell

One of the more confusing concepts found in logic is deductive/inductive reasoning.

A good deductive argument is one whose premises being true would mean the conclusion must be true. For example:

Premise A: All birds can fly
Premise B: Penguins can't fly
Conclusion: Penguins are not birds.

The above argument is considered a valid deductive argument because if the premises were true, the conclusion must be true. But obviously the Premise A isn't true, penguins are considered birds. Nonetheless the deductive logic itself is still valid.

Here is a different example:

Premise A: Cats are mammals
Premise B: All mammals are warm blooded.
Conclusion: Cats are warm blooded.

The example above is a sound deductive argument because it is valid AND its premises ARE all true.

Now, an inductive argument supports rather than proves. In other words, if the premises of a strong inductive argument are true, the conclusion probably is true.

Example of a strong, inductive argument...

Premise A: There are 10 women in the room
Premise B: 9 of those women are brunette
Conclusion: Most likely all the women are brunette.

If Premise B had a lower sample number , the argument would become weaker. But what about this example?

Premise A: Most lights in the sky are UFOs.
Premise B: There are many lights in the sky.
Conclusion: The next light to be seen is probably a UFO.

Now, even though this is a strong inductive argument, premise A is not true. Thus, it is not considered a cogent inductive argument. I cogent inductive argument is a strong argument with the premises being true. So the Brunette Example previously would be considered a cogent inductive argument.

Lasers, Geography, and Radiohead

When I tell people about LiDAR their eyes glaze over and they begin drooling on themselves. Most of them don't grasp the concept of using lasers to geographically map out an area. But, then I tell them how the popular British band, Radiohead, used it to produce a music video. Afterward, I walk away without looking like a drip.