Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you’re interested in any of the following:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Professional Wrestling

Love & Sexuality

America/Politics

Thanks Again! — THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on nerdiness You scored higher than 99% on geekosity You scored higher than 99% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

]]> http://iblis.wordpress.com/2007/02/25/nerd-geek-dork-test/feed/ 5 iblis http://iblis.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/brain-and-mental-disorders/ http://iblis.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/brain-and-mental-disorders/#comments Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:04:12 +0000 Iblis http://iblis.wordpress.com/2007/02/21/brain-and-mental-disorders/ ]]> These days I was sprawled on the couch, flipping through channels in the hope to find the History Channel – TV system at my house just turned digital and wreaked havoc on the remote control – and ended up on TV5, the French channel. First I thought it was some kind of quiz show, since a man was asked to calculate the 13th root of a string that had 30 numbers in less than a minute. He answered it in 10 sec. When the host asked him how he managed to calculate it, he simply answered: “I did not calculate anything. I just memorised all the possible results up to three numbers to the 20th power”, or something to that effect. Then appeared the ‘real hosts’ (in fact, they were those virtual reality models) on spaceships that flew among the guests, talking about the wonders the brain can do. Eventually the subject drifted to the marriage of the brain and the machine, cyborgs and the whole Borg thing and it ended up with ‘Ghost in the Shell’ opening scene. I thought, “What kind of serious TV documentary shows things like this?!?”, and bookmarked the channel.

Talking about the brain, I was listening to an interview about how ‘Autism is not a disease, just like being gay is not’. What they meant by this ‘unfortunate’ comparison was that Autism should not be treated as a mental disorder, just like a different way of perception, since people with have got high sensory sensitivity and hence try to avoid certain situations. Therefore, they wanted to take Autism out of the DSM. You can listen to it here: Interview on Autism. Personally, I believe they were talking about highly functional Autism, what some call ‘afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome’. Of course, there are those who claim this syndrome does not exist.

Following links related to what should and what should not be in the infamous DSM, I came across… caffeine. Please read the article below:

CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL RECOGNIZED AS A DISORDER

If you missed your morning coffee and now you have a headache and difficulty concentrating, you might be able to blame it on caffeine withdrawal. In general, the more caffeine consumed, the more severe withdrawal symptoms are likely to be, but as little as one standard cup of coffee a day can produce caffeine addiction, according to a Johns Hopkins study that reviewed over 170 years of caffeine withdrawal research.

Results of the Johns Hopkins study should result in caffeine withdrawal being included in the next edition of the DSM or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, considered the bible of mental disorders, and the diagnosis should be updated in the World Health Organization’s ICD, or The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

“Caffeine is the world’s most commonly used stimulant, and it’s cheap and readily available so people can maintain their use of caffeine quite easily,” says Roland Griffiths, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins. “The latest research demonstrates, however, that when people don’t get their usual dose they can suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue, difficulty concentrating. They may even feel like they have the flu with nausea and muscle pain.”

(…)

The researchers identified five clusters of common withdrawal symptoms: headache; fatigue or drowsiness; dysphoric mood including depression and irritability; difficulty concentrating; and flu-like symptoms of nausea, vomiting and muscle pain or stiffness. In experimental studies, 50 percent of people experienced headache and 13 percent had clinically significant distress or functional impairment — for example, severe headache and other symptoms incompatible with working. Typically, onset of symptoms occurred 12 to 24 hours after stopping caffeine, with peak intensity between one and two days, and for a duration of two to nine days. In general, the incidence or severity of symptoms increased with increases in daily dose, but abstinence from doses as low as 100 milligrams per day, or about one small cup of coffee, also produced symptoms.

The research also showed that avoidance of caffeine withdrawal symptoms motivates regular use of caffeine. For example, the satisfying feelings and perceived benefits that many coffee users experience from their morning coffee appear to be a simple reversal of the negative effects of caffeine withdrawal after overnight abstinence.

(…)

According to the report, caffeine is the most widely used behaviorally active drug in the world. In North America, 80 percent to 90 percent of adults report regular use of caffeine. Average daily intake of caffeine among caffeine consumers in the United States is about 280 milligrams, or about one to two mugs of coffee or three to five bottles of soft drink, with higher intakes estimated in some European countries. In the United States, coffee and soft drinks are the most common sources of caffeine, with almost half of caffeine consumers ingesting caffeine from multiple sources, including tea.

However, take a look of the benefits of caffeine concerning ADD.

Can caffeine be used as a natural alternative to ADHD medication?

The active part of caffeine is methylxanthine is a mild stimulant that activates noradrenaline neurons and seems to affect the local release of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter. Dopamine plays a part in motor control and a low dopamine level is believed to be the cause of Parkinson’s disease which effect patients ability to control their movement. Another notable effect of caffeine is that it reduces the blood flow in the brain. This is similar to the effect of ADHD medications, such as Ritalin, that are stimulants, effect dopamine levels and cerebral blood flow. The cognitive effects of caffeine are also similar to ADD / ADHD medication. It makes users better a rapidly processing information and paying attention.

Studies on non-ADHD school children and caffeine are mixed. A 1987 study on Kindergarden children found no noticeable effect where as a 1994 on prepubertal children found that it did improve attention and manual dexterity. On children with ADD / ADHD the results are bit more promising. A 1973 pilot study used two cups of coffee a day as an alternative for medications and the results were promising. In 1981 caffeine was used as an alternative and as a supplement to medication. It found that caffeine in low dosage had the same effect as 10 mg of methylphenidate.

So coffee withdrawal is a mental disorder and yet its intake can help in another mental disorder.

CONCLUSION: NEVER STOP DRINKING COFFEE!

ETERNAL FLAME

I was taught assembler
in my second year of school.
It’s kinda like construction work –
with a toothpick for a tool.
So when I made my senior year,
I threw my code away,
And learned the way to program
that I still prefer today.

Now, some folks on the Internet
put their faith in C++.
They swear that it’s so powerful,
it’s what God used for us.
And maybe it lets mortals dredge
their objects from the C.
But I think that explains
why only God can make a tree.

For God wrote in Lisp code
When he filled the leaves with green.
The fractal flowers and recursive roots:
The most lovely hack I’ve seen.
And when I ponder snowflakes,
never finding two the same,
I know God likes a language
with its own four-letter name.

Now, I’ve used a SUN under Unix,
so I’ve seen what C can hold.
I’ve surfed for Perls, found what Fortran’s for,
Got that Java stuff down cold.
Though the chance that I’d write COBOL code
is a SNOBOL’s chance in Hell.
And I basically hate hieroglyphs,
so I won’t use APL.

Now, God must know all these languages,
and a few I haven’t named.
But the Lord made sure, when each sparrow falls,
that its flesh will be reclaimed.
And the Lord could not count grains of sand
with a 32-bit word.
Who knows where we would go to
if Lisp weren’t what he preferred?

And God wrote in Lisp code
Every creature great and small.
Don’t search the disk drive for man.c,
When the listing’s on the wall.
And when I watch the lightning burn
Unbelievers to a crisp,
I know God had six days to work,
So he wrote it all in Lisp.

Yes, God had a deadline.
So he wrote it all in Lisp.

Listen to it at Prometheus Music.

How Pilot Scuttled Hijack Attempt

17.02.2007 - The Nigerian Tribune

A fast-thinking pilot, with the help of passengers, fooled a gunman who had hijacked a jetliner flying from Africa to the Canary Islands, braking hard upon landing then quickly accelerating to knock the man down so travellers could pounce on him, Spanish officials said Friday.

A lone gunman brandishing two pistols hijacked the Air Mauritania Boeing 737, carrying 71 passengers and a crew of eight, Thursday evening shortly after it took off from the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott for Gran Canaria, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, with a planned stopover in Nouadhibou in northern Mauritania.

Speaking to the gunman during the hijacking, the pilot realized the man did not speak French. So he used the plane’s public address system to warn the passengers in French of the ploy he was going to try: brake hard upon landing, then speed up abruptly. The idea was to catch the hijacker off balance, and have crew members and men sitting in the front rows of the plane jump on him, the Spanish official said.

The pilot also warned women and children to move to the back of the plane in preparation for the subterfuge, the official said.

It worked. The man was standing in the middle aisle when the pilot carried out his maneuver, and he fell to the floor, dropping one of his two 7mm pistols. Flight attendants then threw boiling water from a coffee machine in his face and at his chest, and some 10 people jumped on the man and beat him, the Spanish official said.

The advantages of being a polyglot… And they say that knowing many languages is of no practical use at all!

Another interesting thing, this time from VirtuSphere:

VirtuSphere advantages:

Users can move in any direction; walk, jump, roll, crawl, run over virtually unlimited distances.

Exactly what people need for stress relief: human-sized hamster balls!

I know the feeling…

Comic strip taken from xkcd

Take Free Advanced Big 45 Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

INTP

(You scored 80% introversion, 92% intuition, 92% thinking, and 35% judging!)

ABOUT THE TEST

This personality test is heavily based on the Kiersey Sorter. In essence, it measures your personality across four variables: Introversion-Extraversion, Intuition-Sensing, Thinking-Feeling and Judging-Perceiving. There are both positive and negative attributes to each of the traits.
Introversion-Extroversion: Generally, people who score high on “introversion” are reserved, quiet people who keep to themselves whereas people who score low on “introversion” are outgoing, friendly people who are extroverts.
Intuition-Sensing: People who score high on “intuition” are guided by gut instinct, they go on intuition as opposed to people who score low on this trait, who prefer to rely on established fact and their senses, rather than their own belief.
Thinking-Feeling: People with high scores on “thinking” rely more on their head to make decisions, whereas people who score low on “thinking” rely more on their heart to guide them. (Note: this has no bearing on a person’s intelligence level; it merely refers to the way in which they make desicions.)
Judging-Percieving: People who score high “judging” are firm, decisisive people, whereas people who score low on this trait are flexible, accomodating people.

YOUR RESULTS

Stats: Approximately 4% of population.
DN characters with this type: L.
In a nutshell: “A love of problem-solving.”

Description: Logical, original, creative thinkers. Can become very excited about theories and ideas. Exceptionally capable and driven to turn theories into clear understandings. Highly value knowledge, competence and logic. Quiet and reserved, hard to get to know well. Individualistic, having no interest in leading or following others.

The category write-ups displayed here are not entirely my own; some of this info has been taken from personalitypage.com and some from changingminds.org, both of which are excellent sources of information about personality types. The test questions came in part from Please Understand Me II, another excellent source of information about personality types. Finally, if you’d like an incredibly detailed essay on your personality type, try typelogic.com who have a serious level of detail for anyone wanting to know more about this subject.

The Deathnote pics were made by me using scans by TOWNL and from deathgod.org. Thanks to LateNiteSlacker and Uchiha_Shadow for helping me categorize the various characters.

Link: The Jung Type Death Note Test

The link to my full result, since the code isn’t working.

Interesting how I got L and not Light in this test. I guess the other test’s option, ‘Would you use the Death Note?’, was decisive then. Oh well, but it seems I cannot escape INTP scope.

But L doesn’t seem a good choice after reading this and this. Why not get Near?!?

You’re 60% sociopathic!

Personally, I scored 53% on this test and I’m surprised how many people are scoring much higher than that.If you think other people should take this test, give it some kind of rating below, so it shows up in the popular lists.As you can see, many of the traits of sociopaths are fairly common in society, either in you or in people you know. A sociopath doesn’t have to be in the form of another world leader like Hitler or an evil Enron CEO, or even someone who buys a lot of shares of Walmart stock. They can easily be a parent exerting influence over children or a noisy neighbor, too.Also remember that they might not have a rotten intention, they might intend to create a beneficial result, where they just don’t care how much suffering has to happen along the way.If the statistic is accurate that 4% of people are socio, that’s 1 out of every 25 people. The next time you’re riding public transportation or sitting in a class, look around and think about that. Maybe they’re sitting right behind you, or maybe it’s the driver or the teacher.If there’s any advice to give, it’s to be suspicious of flattery and also be suspicious of people who try to evoke your pity. But, I’m not taking that advice. Life’s too short to be worrying all the time. Now then, rate this crap a 1, get on with your life, and don’t fuck up your kids too much if you have any.(Pic copied from marriedtothesea.com)

That’s lovely. So my mother’s a psycho (she got right that question – and she didn’t even pause to think before answering! well, that test is false anyway) and I’m a sociopath. Damn, these quizmakers are always putting me down.

Dr. Gregory House45% Eccentricity, 85% Confidence, 15% Kindness

Congratulations, you’re the man himself, Dr. Gregory House! You’re quite strange, and usually do your own thing regardless of what anyone else thinks. This is partially because a person with an ego as large as yours could not care less what anyone else thinks or feels about anything. Unless, of course, they’re your patient and they’re dying–but only if they’re dying of something interesting! You’re a definite asshole to most other people, but at least you know how to be one in style, with an awesome wit, comfortable sneakers, and a never ending variety of facial expressions.

Yeaks, all the bad results….

SolitaireYou scored 52% strategy, 32% right-minded, and 10% friendliness!

You’re smart and probably enjoy using your brain, even for entertainment. Unfortunately, others get bored while you’re thinking about your next move. Why don’t you just play alone today. If you’ve had it with solitaire then try a crossword puzzle.

And people wonder why I like crosswords so much… And what right-minded has got to do with it all?

Right… I don’t want worshippers! My religion is very exclusive.^^

Images taken from haha.nu.

Architecture is the science and art of destroying cities and country.

“Architects are a driving force in Architectury.”~ Oscar Wilde on Architect

"If I was himself, I'd hope that we never met again." ~ Neo on Architect

"Oh, c'mon! They just draw buildings, for Christ sake!" ~ Oscar Wilde on Architects

Architect is a cult founded in 847 AD by Winona Ryder in an attempt to further her then dying acting career, though the cult was originally designed as a scam (much like Mormonism), it’s original purpose has been forgotten, and it has since became one of the leading religions in the world.

Structure

The Church of Architect has a complex heirarchy which makes the Vatican seem like Chutes and Ladders, a simple and greatly abridged explanation is given below.

The Customer

At the bottom of the church hierarchy are the Customers, the Customer is the ones who mindlessly give money to the higher ups in the church in exchange for services which are never properly delivered, however, the Customer seems to insist upon the honesty and integrity of the higher ups and constantly insist that there must be a good reason for all the delays.

The Hired Hand

The Hired Hands put everything together, they do most of the grunt work involved, they, much like the Customers are forbidden to question the every whim of the upper hierarchy for fear of an unknown divine retribution.

The Contractor

The Contractor is the one the Customer for the most part directly deals with, the Contractor is the one who calls the shots on the field, they are the go between the Customer and the Architect.

The Engineer

The Engineer is the only person more boring than the Architect. Rumour has it that they are the one who interpret the designs of the Architect and make them understandable/safe. These rumours have never been confirmed however, as they could result in terrifying divine retribution for those who dare question the Architects Perfectness.

The Architect

The Architect is the man who designs it all, the man at the top, no one argues with him, at all, arguing with the Architect could lead to divine retribution unimaginable by mortals, few ever have direct contact with the Architect, though none ever doubt his existence.

Source: Uncyclopedia