The Unofficial Badmovies.org Random Thought Thread!

[LilCerberus]

RIH Ricky Jovan Gray

[AoTFan]

I just read Fred Reed's column about intelligence, in which he takes on the prevailing theories about what intelligence is and how it is proliferated. (Supposedly it is largely genetic.)

I think there are a lot of factors to intelligence, but heredity is only a part of the mystery. For instance, compared to my father I am downright sluggish between the ears, yet according to theory by this time I should be inventing a new atom. That's if high intelligence is always passed on.

I agree that there's way more to intelligence than just genetics.  (Although, I'm sure it does play a rather large part.)  But I think nurture is also a big deal.

I heard a story once (and granted, it could just be a feel good urban legend, but even if it was, I think the point is on target) about two groups of kids who were determined, through computer testing, to be dumb and smart, respectively.  Thing was, the "dumb" kids accidentally ended up being labeled "smart" by mistake and the "smart" kids "dumb."  Well they sent the supposedly "smart" kids off to class and the teachers found they had difficulty with the children actually learning anything.  Now, here's the kicker, they got together and said, "Wow, what is going on?  These are smart kids.  If they're not learning, then maybe we're teaching them the wrong way.  We'll have to find different ways of teaching."  And lo, behold, they changed their methods, and the kids started learning.

Again, the whole story could just be an allegory, but I personally know some people who've been told they were "dumb" and "stupid" and since they believed it, they never would try and thus, the whole thing became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Leah]

Let's see how long I can take calculus before I go crazy.

[ER]

Let's see how long I can take calculus before I go crazy.

Want me to see if my dad is available? ;-)

[lester1/2jr]

I'm following Pamela from Pamela's Prayer on twitter. She's not very interesting but I'll suffer through it to have a connection to that remarkable cinematic achievement

[ER]

Hmm, why did I randomly think of this scene about an hour ago?


! No longer available

[AoTFan]

I heard somewhere that the reason dogs (especially puppies) like squeaky toys is that the noise reminds them of a dying animal and it triggers a primal hunting instinct in them. 

Dunno if that's true, but wow, that sure adds a new dimension to "cute" play, huh? 

[Leah]

Limited Infinity is an oxymoron in English, but not in Calculus. Seems legit.

[Newt]

I heard somewhere that the reason dogs (especially puppies) like squeaky toys is that the noise reminds them of a dying animal and it triggers a primal hunting instinct in them. 

Dunno if that's true, but wow, that sure adds a new dimension to "cute" play, huh? 

In that case, be afraid.
http://youtu.be/PzZynoRPKkk

[ER]

Ever called Netflix customer service? They take informality to a new low. The person I talked to, a kid probably half my age asked, "And how are we feeling tonight, my sister?"

I kid you not: "How-are-we-feeling-tonight-my-sister."

I told him I couldn't be his sister, because my brothers died as babies, one of them in my mother's arms, and my father couldn't even come to the funeral because he was in Africa or God knows where, we still don't know, and no, I was not at peace with any of that, and thank you for stirring up trauma from my youth. If I developed a drinking problem at any point in the next twelve calendar months, I was going to attribute it to him.

Needless to say that shut him up long enough for me to ask that he transfer me to someone more professional. He said---again I quote---"Wait a sec." Then mentioned I was going to need to take a one question survey. I was going to NEED to. The one question was about whether I was satisfied with my service, so I smacked "2" for no. And I did it with my middle finger for emphasis.

Well a microsecond later this woman who sounded a lot like the pastor off King of the Hill, total northern Midwest whine like she's from above Milwaukee, south of Canadadada (yes, classic Gwar reference for you Rob---the Jonbenet bit that about made me throw up in high school? Yes, that one.), goes, "Aw, we're sorey to hear that, what can we do to make your experience better?"

I said (a little apologetically because I can only sustain pique for about a minute), "Not make me take surveys for one thing." (And I'm even someone who likes surveys, they stoke this mental disorder I have called parahyperthymesia. No one will EVER do a telethon for parahyperthymesia. Seriously, I am like neurotic. You wouldn't believe it. For instance it makes me furious when people drop names, like I told Anna Kendrick. But I love surveys. Whoever you are, send me one and odds are I will take it.)

So this Minnesota woman tried to talk to me more, like she was counseling me, I swear, but I said real nicely, "I just want to speak to someone about adding an extra account. My five-year-old is starting to clash over programs with my eight-year-old so we want to go up to four accounts."

I guess that was the right thing to say because she put me through to someone who had our debit card number in about thirty seconds, all good there, I guess, but I don't know, there is such a thing as being too unprofessionally personal. It smacks of fakeness. (If that's even a word, and if it's not it is now.)

Whatever happened to all those ultra-polite Indians from the '00s? Honestly, Steve in Mumbai never would've talked like that. I loved Steve. He made renewing our Smithsonian subscription pure pleasure, and got me off the phone "fahst."

But why did I come to this thread? Oh, yeah, I also have a random thought. It is that Indonesia has some really fine seamstresses. I would put a twelve dollar Indonesian-made children's t-shirt up against one from Pakistan or Honduras anytime, anywhere, God love 'em.

[indianasmith]

Ever called Netflix customer service? They take informality to a new low. The person I talked to, a kid probably half my age asked, "And how are we feeling tonight, my sister?"

I kid you not: "How-are-we-feeling-tonight-my-sister."

I told him I couldn't be his sister, because my brothers died as babies, one of them in my mother's arms, and my father couldn't even come to the funeral because he was in Africa or God knows where, we still don't know, and no, I was not at peace with any of that, and thank you for stirring up trauma from my youth. If I developed a drinking problem at any point in the next twelve calendar months, I was going to attribute it to him.

Needless to say that shut him up long enough for me to ask that he transfer me to someone more professional. He said---again I quote---"Wait a sec." Then mentioned I was going to need to take a one question survey. I was going to NEED to. The one question was about whether I was satisfied with my service, so I smacked "2" for no. And I did it with my middle finger for emphasis.

Well a microsecond later this woman who sounded a lot like the pastor off King of the Hill, total northern Midwest whine like she's from above Milwaukee, south of Canadadada (yes, classic Gwar reference for you Rob---the Jonbenet bit that about made me throw up in high school? Yes, that one.), goes, "Aw, we're sorey to hear that, what can we do to make your experience better?"

I said (a little apologetically because I can only sustain pique for about a minute), "Not make me take surveys for one thing." (And I'm even someone who likes surveys, they stoke this mental disorder I have called parahyperthymesia. No one will EVER do a telethon for parahyperthymesia. Seriously, I am like neurotic. You wouldn't believe it. For instance it makes me furious when people drop names, like I told Anna Kendrick. But I love surveys. Whoever you are, send me one and odds are I will take it.)

So this Minnesota woman tried to talk to me more, like she was counseling me, I swear, but I said real nicely, "I just want to speak to someone about adding an extra account. My five-year-old is starting to clash over programs with my eight-year-old so we want to go up to four accounts."

I guess that was the right thing to say because she put me through to someone who had our debit card number in about thirty seconds, all good there, I guess, but I don't know, there is such a thing as being too unprofessionally personal. It smacks of fakeness. (If that's even a word, and if it's not it is now.)

Whatever happened to all those ultra-polite Indians from the '00s? Honestly, Steve in Mumbai never would've talked like that. I loved Steve. He made renewing our Smithsonian subscription pure pleasure, and got me off the phone "fahst."

But why did I come to this thread? Oh, yeah, I also have a random thought. It is that Indonesia has some really fine seamstresses. I would put a twelve dollar Indonesian-made children's t-shirt up against one from Pakistan or Honduras anytime, anywhere, God love 'em.

If we had a BMDO Hall of Fame, this post would be in it!!!!!!!!!

[ER]

I would think the Mandela effect was better explained through Occam's Razor by saying people are confused or lying for attention, except I have had incidents kind of like that in my own life, unsettling changes to what I thought I knew, so it is at least a little intriguing.

Anyone ever experienced anything Mandela-worthy?

[Leah]

I believe no matter how much I have an argument with absolute values, it's entirely pointless.

[AoTFan]

I really need an autocorrect on my url that will automatically replace "yotube.com" with "youtube.com".  That'd save me a lot of time.

[Trevor]

Anyone ever experienced anything Mandela-worthy?

I almost met that man once.