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	<title>notion parallax</title>
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	<description>what happens when ideas slide past each other</description>
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		<title>Humility collection</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/12/humility-collection/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/12/humility-collection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:47:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[over confidence]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=806</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been ranting about humility for a while. Whilst I still think that it is too rare; I have been seeing a few examples of it. I thought that it might be worth making a place to store them. Each top-level comment will be a link to an article, and a quick description of its contents; everything [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve been ranting about humility <a title="Major study – for those with a lot of patience" href="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/01/major-study-for-those-with-a-lot-of-patience/">for a while</a>. Whilst I still think that it is too rare; I have been seeing a few examples of it. I thought that it might be worth making a place to store them.</p>
<p>Each top-level comment will be a link to an article, and a quick description of its contents; everything else will thread off those top-level comments.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>a weekend on wheels</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/10/a-weekend-on-wheels/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/10/a-weekend-on-wheels/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:45:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BFF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cycling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sydney]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=802</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a bit of mixed weekend of cycling. Friday night was the BFF Goldsprints, and after doing OK in last years event I felt that I ought to give it a go. I was first up and was drawn against Royce. I went back into the zone and did a time that stood unbeaten [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had a bit of mixed weekend of cycling. Friday night was the <acronym title="Bicycle film festival">BFF</acronym> Goldsprints, and after doing OK in last years event I felt that I ought to give it a go.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nE4pqE0JKtg" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p><span id="more-802"></span></p>
<p>I was first up and was drawn against Royce. I went back into the zone and did a time that stood unbeaten for a few hours; until all the serious riders got back from the opera house. Somehow I got through the quarters and then got beaten in the semis by Nathan, who then went on to win the whole thing. (Which sounds grander than it should as on times I&#8217;m certain that I  didn&#8217;t do the second fastest time!)</p>
<p>Sunday was the Spring Cycle, and the first 10km or so were great, an amazing city course, but then I had 2 flats simultaneously, and then a broken chain ended it for me at Rhodes. Cue lots of sleeping!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>emotionality&#8230;0</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/09/emotionality-0/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/09/emotionality-0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:36:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psychology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[testing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=796</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A lot of the psych papers that have been referenced by Robin Hanson over at Overcoming Bias recently have segregated their results according to the Five Factor Model particularly Openness to experience. In my mental model of my personality I hold myself to be very open to experience, but the test (administered here by the Personality Test [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A lot of the psych papers that have been referenced by Robin Hanson over at Overcoming Bias recently have segregated their results according to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits">Five Factor Model</a> particularly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Openness_to_experience">Openness to experience</a>. In my mental model of my personality I hold myself to be very open to experience, but the test (administered <a href="http://www.personalitytest.net/ipip/ipipneo120.htm">here</a> by the <a href="http://www.personalitytest.net/">Personality Test Centre</a>) said the opposite.</p>
<p>&#8216;Emotionality&#8217; is one of the factors in &#8216;Openness&#8217;, for which I scored 0 (so surprise there sadly), I also got 0 for Anxiety &amp; Dutifulness.</p>
<p>If you are interested in the full results, look below the fold</p>
<p><span id="more-796"></span></p>
<div style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 0.8em;">
<p>This report compares Ben from the country Australia to other men between 21 and 40 years of age. (The name used in this report is either a nickname chosen by the person taking the test, or, if a valid nickname was not chosen, a random nickname generated by the program.)</p>
<p>This report estimates the individual&#8217;s level on each of the five broad personality domains of the Five-Factor Model. The description of each one of the five broad domains is followed by a more detailed description of personality according to the six subdomains that comprise each domain.</p>
<p><em>A note on terminology</em>. Personality traits describe, relative to other people, the frequency or intensity of a person&#8217;s feelings, thoughts, or behaviors. Possession of a trait is therefore a matter of degree. We might describe two individuals as <em>extraverts</em>, but still see one as more extraverted than the other. This report uses expressions such as &#8220;extravert&#8221; or &#8220;high in extraversion&#8221; to describe someone who is likely to be seen by others as relatively extraverted. The computer program that generates this report classifies you as low, average, or high in a trait according to whether your score is approximately in the lowest 30%, middle 40%, or highest 30% of scores obtained by people of your sex and roughly your age. Your numerical scores are reported and graphed as <em>percentile estimates</em>. For example, a score of &#8220;60&#8243; means that your level on that trait is estimated to be higher than 60% of persons of your sex and age.</p>
<p>Please keep in mind that &#8220;low,&#8221; &#8220;average,&#8221; and &#8220;high&#8221; scores on a personality test are neither absolutely good nor bad. A particular level on any trait will probably be neutral or irrelevant for a great many activites, be helpful for accomplishing some things, and detrimental for accomplishing other things. As with any personality inventory, scores and descriptions can only approximate an individual&#8217;s actual personality. High and low score descriptions are usually accurate, but average scores close to the low or high boundaries might misclassify you as only average. On each set of six subdomain scales it is somewhat uncommon but certainly possible to score high in some of the subdomains and low in the others. In such cases more attention should be paid to the subdomain scores than to the broad domain score. Questions about the accuracy of your results are best resolved by showing your report to people who know you well.</p>
<p>John A. Johnson wrote descriptions of the five domains and thirty subdomains. These descriptions are based on an extensive reading of the scientific literature on personality measurement.</p>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 0.8em;">
<h2>Extraversion</h2>
<p>Extraversion is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy being with people, are full of energy, and often experience positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented, individuals who are likely to say &#8220;Yes!&#8221; or &#8220;Let&#8217;s go!&#8221; to opportunities for excitement. In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves.</p>
<p>Introverts lack the exuberance, energy, and activity levels of extraverts. They tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and disengaged from the social world. Their lack of social involvement should <span style="text-decoration: underline;">not</span> be interpreted as shyness or depression; the introvert simply needs less stimulation than an extravert and prefers to be alone. The independence and reserve of the introvert is sometimes mistaken as unfriendliness or arrogance. In reality, an introvert who scores high on the agreeableness dimension will not seek others out but will be quite pleasant when approached.</p>
<ul>
<li><tt>Domain/Facet............ Score </tt></li>
<li><tt>Extraversion.............87 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Friendliness.............74 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Gregariousness...........80 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Assertiveness............63 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Activity Level...........94 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Excitement-Seeking.......84 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Cheerfulness.............66 </tt></li>
</ul>
<p>Your score on Extraversion is high, indicating you are sociable, outgoing, energetic, and lively. You prefer to be around people much of the time.</p>
<h4>Extraversion Facets</h4>
<ul>
<li><em>Friendliness</em>. Friendly people genuinely like other people and openly demonstrate positive feelings toward others. They make friends quickly and it is easy for them to form close, intimate relationships. Low scorers on Friendliness are not necessarily cold and hostile, but they do not reach out to others and are perceived as distant and reserved. Your level of friendliness is high.</li>
<li><em>Gregariousness</em>. Gregarious people find the company of others pleasantly stimulating and rewarding. They enjoy the excitement of crowds. Low scorers tend to feel overwhelmed by, and therefore actively avoid, large crowds. They do not necessarily dislike being with people sometimes, but their need for privacy and time to themselves is much greater than for individuals who score high on this scale. Your level of gregariousness is high.</li>
<li><em>Assertiveness</em>. High scorers Assertiveness like to speak out, take charge, and direct the activities of others. They tend to be leaders in groups. Low scorers tend not to talk much and let others control the activities of groups. Your level of assertiveness is average.</li>
<li><em>Activity Level</em>. Active individuals lead fast-paced, busy lives. They move about quickly, energetically, and vigorously, and they are involved in many activities. People who score low on this scale follow a slower and more leisurely, relaxed pace. Your activity level is high.</li>
<li><em>Excitement-Seeking</em>. High scorers on this scale are easily bored without high levels of stimulation. They love bright lights and hustle and bustle. They are likely to take risks and seek thrills. Low scorers are overwhelmed by noise and commotion and are adverse to thrill-seeking. Your level of excitement-seeking is high.</li>
<li><em>Cheerfulness</em>. This scale measures positive mood and feelings, not negative emotions (which are a part of the Neuroticism domain). Persons who score high on this scale typically experience a range of positive feelings, including happiness, enthusiasm, optimism, and joy. Low scorers are not as prone to such energetic, high spirits. Your level of positive emotions is average.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Agreeableness</h3>
<p>Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others. They are therefore considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others&#8217;. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically honest, decent, and trustworthy.</p>
<p>Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. They are generally unconcerned with others&#8217; well-being, and therefore are unlikely to extend themselves for other people. Sometimes their skepticism about others&#8217; motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and uncooperative.</p>
<p>Agreeableness is obviously advantageous for attaining and maintaining popularity. Agreeable people are better liked than disagreeable people. On the other hand, agreeableness is not useful in situations that require tough or absolute objective decisions. Disagreeable people can make excellent scientists, critics, or soldiers.</p>
<ul>
<li><tt>Domain/Facet............ Score </tt></li>
<li><tt>Agreeableness............28 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Trust....................70 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Morality.................11 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Altruism.................45 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Cooperation..............54 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Modesty..................18 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Sympathy.................21 </tt></li>
</ul>
<p>Your score on Agreeableness is low, indicating less concern with others&#8217; needs Than with your own. People see you as tough, critical, and uncompromising.</p>
<h4>Agreeableness Facets</h4>
<ul>
<li><em>Trust</em>. A person with high trust assumes that most people are fair, honest, and have good intentions. Persons low in trust see others as selfish, devious, and potentially dangerous. Your level of trust is high.</li>
<li><em>Morality</em>. High scorers on this scale see no need for pretense or manipulation when dealing with others and are therefore candid, frank, and sincere. Low scorers believe that a certain amount of deception in social relationships is necessary. People find it relatively easy to relate to the straightforward high-scorers on this scale. They generally find it more difficult to relate to the unstraightforward low-scorers on this scale. It should be made clear that low scorers are <span style="text-decoration: underline;">not</span> unprincipled or immoral; they are simply more guarded and less willing to openly reveal the whole truth. Your level of morality is low.</li>
<li><em>Altruism</em>. Altruistic people find helping other people genuinely rewarding. Consequently, they are generally willing to assist those who are in need. Altruistic people find that doing things for others is a form of self-fulfillment rather than self-sacrifice. Low scorers on this scale do not particularly like helping those in need. Requests for help feel like an imposition rather than an opportunity for self-fulfillment. Your level of altruism is average.</li>
<li><em>Cooperation</em>. Individuals who score high on this scale dislike confrontations. They are perfectly willing to compromise or to deny their own needs in order to get along with others. Those who score low on this scale are more likely to intimidate others to get their way. Your level of compliance is average.</li>
<li><em>Modesty</em>. High scorers on this scale do not like to claim that they are better than other people. In some cases this attitude may derive from low self-confidence or self-esteem. Nonetheless, some people with high self-esteem find immodesty unseemly. Those who <span style="text-decoration: underline;">are</span> willing to describe themselves as superior tend to be seen as disagreeably arrogant by other people. Your level of modesty is low.</li>
<li><em>Sympathy</em>. People who score high on this scale are tenderhearted and compassionate. They feel the pain of others vicariously and are easily moved to pity. Low scorers are not affected strongly by human suffering. They pride themselves on making objective judgments based on reason. They are more concerned with truth and impartial justice than with mercy. Your level of tender-mindedness is low.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Conscientiousness</h3>
<p>Conscientiousness concerns the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Impulses are not inherently bad; occasionally time constraints require a snap decision, and acting on our first impulse can be an effective response. Also, in times of play rather than work, acting spontaneously and impulsively can be fun. Impulsive individuals can be seen by others as colorful, fun-to-be-with, and zany.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, acting on impulse can lead to trouble in a number of ways. Some impulses are antisocial. Uncontrolled antisocial acts not only harm other members of society, but also can result in retribution toward the perpetrator of such impulsive acts. Another problem with impulsive acts is that they often produce immediate rewards but undesirable, long-term consequences. Examples include excessive socializing that leads to being fired from one&#8217;s job, hurling an insult that causes the breakup of an important relationship, or using pleasure-inducing drugs that eventually destroy one&#8217;s health.</p>
<p>Impulsive behavior, even when not seriously destructive, diminishes a person&#8217;s effectiveness in significant ways. Acting impulsively disallows contemplating alternative courses of action, some of which would have been wiser than the impulsive choice. Impulsivity also sidetracks people during projects that require organized sequences of steps or stages. Accomplishments of an impulsive person are therefore small, scattered, and inconsistent.</p>
<p>A hallmark of intelligence, what potentially separates human beings from earlier life forms, is the ability to think about future consequences before acting on an impulse. Intelligent activity involves contemplation of long-range goals, organizing and planning routes to these goals, and persisting toward one&#8217;s goals in the face of short-lived impulses to the contrary. The idea that intelligence involves impulse control is nicely captured by the term prudence, an alternative label for the Conscientiousness domain. Prudent means both wise and cautious. Persons who score high on the Conscientiousness scale are, in fact, perceived by others as intelligent.</p>
<p>The benefits of high conscientiousness are obvious. Conscientious individuals avoid trouble and achieve high levels of success through purposeful planning and persistence. They are also positively regarded by others as intelligent and reliable. On the negative side, they can be compulsive perfectionists and workaholics. Furthermore, extremely conscientious individuals might be regarded as stuffy and boring. Unconscientious people may be criticized for their unreliability, lack of ambition, and failure to stay within the lines, but they will experience many short-lived pleasures and they will never be called stuffy.</p>
<ul>
<li><tt>Domain/Facet............ Score </tt></li>
<li><tt>Conscientiousness.........3 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Self-Efficacy............38 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Orderliness...............1 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Dutifulness...............0 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Achievement-Striving.....56 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Cautiousness..............9 </tt></li>
</ul>
<p>Your score on Conscientiousness is low, indicating you like to live for the moment and do what feels good now. Your work tends to be careless and disorganized.</p>
<h4>Conscientiousness Facets</h4>
<ul>
<li><em>Self-Efficacy</em>. Self-Efficacy describes confidence in one&#8217;s ability to accomplish things. High scorers believe they have the intelligence (common sense), drive, and self-control necessary for achieving success. Low scorers do not feel effective, and may have a sense that they are not in control of their lives. Your level of self-efficacy is average.</li>
<li><em>Orderliness</em>. Persons with high scores on orderliness are well-organized. They like to live according to routines and schedules. They keep lists and make plans. Low scorers tend to be disorganized and scattered. Your level of orderliness is low.</li>
<li><em>Dutifulness</em>. This scale reflects the strength of a person&#8217;s sense of duty and obligation. Those who score high on this scale have a strong sense of moral obligation. Low scorers find contracts, rules, and regulations overly confining. They are likely to be seen as unreliable or even irresponsible. Your level of dutifulness is low.</li>
<li><em>Achievement-Striving</em>. Individuals who score high on this scale strive hard to achieve excellence. Their drive to be recognized as successful keeps them on track toward their lofty goals. They often have a strong sense of direction in life, but extremely high scores may be too single-minded and obsessed with their work. Low scorers are content to get by with a minimal amount of work, and might be seen by others as lazy. Your level of achievement striving is average.</li>
<li><em>Self-Discipline</em>. Self-discipline-what many people call will-power-refers to the ability to persist at difficult or unpleasant tasks until they are completed. People who possess high self-discipline are able to overcome reluctance to begin tasks and stay on track despite distractions. Those with low self-discipline procrastinate and show poor follow-through, often failing to complete tasks-even tasks they want very much to complete. Your level of self-discipline is low.</li>
<li><em>Cautiousness</em>. Cautiousness describes the disposition to think through possibilities before acting. High scorers on the Cautiousness scale take their time when making decisions. Low scorers often say or do first thing that comes to mind without deliberating alternatives and the probable consequences of those alternatives. Your level of cautiousness is low.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Neuroticism</h3>
<p>Freud originally used the term <em>neurosis</em> to describe a condition marked by mental distress, emotional suffering, and an inability to cope effectively with the normal demands of life. He suggested that everyone shows some signs of neurosis, but that we differ in our degree of suffering and our specific symptoms of distress. Today neuroticism refers to the tendency to experience negative feelings. Those who score high on Neuroticism may experience primarily one specific negative feeling such as anxiety, anger, or depression, but are likely to experience several of these emotions. People high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive. They respond emotionally to events that would not affect most people, and their reactions tend to be more intense than normal. They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish a neurotic&#8217;s ability to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress.</p>
<p>At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings; frequency of positive emotions is a component of the Extraversion domain.</p>
<ul>
<li><tt>Domain/Facet............ Score </tt></li>
<li><tt>Neuroticism..............27 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Anxiety...................0 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Anger....................14 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Depression...............22 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Self-Consciousness.......58 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Immoderation.............99 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Vulnerability............19 </tt></li>
</ul>
<p>Your score on Neuroticism is low, indicating that you are exceptionally calm, composed and unflappable. You do not react with intense emotions, even to situations that most people would describe as stressful.</p>
<h4>Neuroticism Facets</h4>
<ul>
<li><em>Anxiety</em>. The &#8220;fight-or-flight&#8221; system of the brain of anxious individuals is too easily and too often engaged. Therefore, people who are high in anxiety often feel like something dangerous is about to happen. They may be afraid of specific situations or be just generally fearful. They feel tense, jittery, and nervous. Persons low in Anxiety are generally calm and fearless. Your level of anxiety is low.</li>
<li><em>Anger</em>. Persons who score high in Anger feel enraged when things do not go their way. They are sensitive about being treated fairly and feel resentful and bitter when they feel they are being cheated. This scale measures the tendency to <em>feel</em> angry; whether or not the person <em>expresses</em> annoyance and hostility depends on the individual&#8217;s level on Agreeableness. Low scorers do not get angry often or easily. Your level of anger is low.</li>
<li><em>Depression</em>. This scale measures the tendency to feel sad, dejected, and discouraged. High scorers lack energy and have difficult initiating activities. Low scorers tend to be free from these depressive feelings. Your level of depression is low.</li>
<li><em>Self-Consciousness</em>. Self-conscious individuals are sensitive about what others think of them. Their concern about rejection and ridicule cause them to feel shy and uncomfortable abound others. They are easily embarrassed and often feel ashamed. Their fears that others will criticize or make fun of them are exaggerated and unrealistic, but their awkwardness and discomfort may make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy. Low scorers, in contrast, do not suffer from the mistaken impression that everyone is watching and judging them. They do not feel nervous in social situations. Your level or self-consciousness is average.</li>
<li><em>Immoderation</em>. Immoderate individuals feel strong cravings and urges that they have difficulty resisting. They tend to be oriented toward short-term pleasures and rewards rather than long- term consequences. Low scorers do not experience strong, irresistible cravings and consequently do not find themselves tempted to overindulge. Your level of immoderation is high.</li>
<li><em>Vulnerability</em>. High scorers on Vulnerability experience panic, confusion, and helplessness when under pressure or stress. Low scorers feel more poised, confident, and clear-thinking when stressed. Your level of vulnerability is low.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Openness to Experience</h3>
<p>Openness to Experience describes a dimension of cognitive style that distinguishes imaginative, creative people from down-to-earth, conventional people. Open people are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, compared to closed people, more aware of their feelings. They tend to think and act in individualistic and nonconforming ways. Intellectuals typically score high on Openness to Experience; consequently, this factor has also been called <em>Culture</em> or <em>Intellect</em>. Nonetheless, Intellect is probably best regarded as one aspect of openness to experience. Scores on Openness to Experience are only modestly related to years of education and scores on standard intelligent tests.</p>
<p>Another characteristic of the open cognitive style is a facility for thinking in symbols and abstractions far removed from concrete experience. Depending on the individual&#8217;s specific intellectual abilities, this symbolic cognition may take the form of mathematical, logical, or geometric thinking, artistic and metaphorical use of language, music composition or performance, or one of the many visual or performing arts. People with low scores on openness to experience tend to have narrow, common interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. They may regard the arts and sciences with suspicion, regarding these endeavors as abstruse or of no practical use. Closed people prefer familiarity over novelty; they are conservative and resistant to change.</p>
<p>Openness is often presented as healthier or more mature by psychologists, who are often themselves open to experience. However, open and closed styles of thinking are useful in different environments. The intellectual style of the open person may serve a professor well, but research has shown that closed thinking is related to superior job performance in police work, sales, and a number of service occupations.</p>
<ul>
<li><tt>Domain/Facet............ Score </tt></li>
<li><tt>Openess to experience....37 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Imagination..............19 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Artistic Interests.......22 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Emotionality..............0 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Adventurousness..........78 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Intellect................48 </tt></li>
<li><tt>Liberalism...............93 </tt></li>
</ul>
<p>Your score on Openness to Experience is average, indicating you enjoy tradition but are willing to try new things. Your thinking is neither simple nor complex. To others you appear to be a well-educated person but not an intellectual.</p>
<h4>Openess Facets</h4>
<ul>
<li><em>Imagination</em>. To imaginative individuals, the real world is often too plain and ordinary. High scorers on this scale use fantasy as a way of creating a richer, more interesting world. Low scorers are on this scale are more oriented to facts than fantasy. Your level of imagination is low.</li>
<li><em>Artistic Interests</em>. High scorers on this scale love beauty, both in art and in nature. They become easily involved and absorbed in artistic and natural events. They are not necessarily artistically trained nor talented, although many will be. The defining features of this scale are <em>interest in</em>, and <em>appreciation of</em> natural and artificial beauty. Low scorers lack aesthetic sensitivity and interest in the arts. Your level of artistic interests is low.</li>
<li><em>Emotionality</em>. Persons high on Emotionality have good access to and awareness of their own feelings. Low scorers are less aware of their feelings and tend not to express their emotions openly. Your level of emotionality is low.</li>
<li><em>Adventurousness</em>. High scorers on adventurousness are eager to try new activities, travel to foreign lands, and experience different things. They find familiarity and routine boring, and will take a new route home just because it is different. Low scorers tend to feel uncomfortable with change and prefer familiar routines. Your level of adventurousness is high.</li>
<li><em>Intellect</em>. Intellect and artistic interests are the two most important, central aspects of openness to experience. High scorers on Intellect love to play with ideas. They are open-minded to new and unusual ideas, and like to debate intellectual issues. They enjoy riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers. Low scorers on Intellect prefer dealing with either people or things rather than ideas. They regard intellectual exercises as a waste of time. Intellect should <span style="text-decoration: underline;">not</span> be equated with intelligence. Intellect is an intellectual style, not an intellectual ability, although high scorers on Intellect score <span style="text-decoration: underline;">slightly</span> higher than low-Intellect individuals on standardized intelligence tests. Your level of intellect is average.</li>
<li><em>Liberalism</em>. Psychological liberalism refers to a readiness to challenge authority, convention, and traditional values. In its most extreme form, psychological liberalism can even represent outright hostility toward rules, sympathy for law-breakers, and love of ambiguity, chaos, and disorder. Psychological conservatives prefer the security and stability brought by conformity to tradition. Psychological liberalism and conservatism are not identical to political affiliation, but certainly incline individuals toward certain political parties. Your level of liberalism is high.</li>
</ul>
</div>
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		<title>graphing legend status</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/09/graphing-legend-status/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/09/graphing-legend-status/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2011 04:18:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maths]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yoga]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=780</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve just finished doing a 31 day challenge of doing 31 Bikram yoga classes in August. It was pretty hard going, especially about 3/4 of the way through when I was just feeling tired all the time, but in the last week it seemed to get a lot easier as I could feel it coming [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve just finished doing a 31 day challenge of doing 31 <a title="At the Darlinghurst studio" href="http://bikramyoga.net.au/Home.htm">Bikram yoga</a> classes in August. It was pretty hard going, especially about 3/4 of the way through when I was just feeling tired all the time, but in the last week it seemed to get a lot easier as I could feel it coming to an end. I liked the arbitrary nature of the challenge, no good reason for doing it other than because it was there.</p>
<p><img title="DB" src="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/DB.png" alt="" width="100%" /><span id="more-780"></span></p>
<p>I got a nice little certificate with a gold star (the first gold star that I&#8217;ve got since I was about 7 I think), and a feeling of &#8220;Ah, no need to go to yoga tomorrow!&#8221;. The certificate claims that I&#8217;m now a &#8220;total legend&#8221;, yay! I tracked what I was eating and how much work I was doing on Daily Burn, and it was pretty fun watching the graph. (The spiky bit at the end is me doing doubles every other day for a week.) I&#8217;m pretty sceptical of the accuracy, but the trends were useful. There was something really motivating about watching the graph, and I think that it might well be a generally useful thing to do.</p>
<p>Which Leads me to my next arbitrary challenge. I&#8217;m going to ease off the yoga this month, and work on my maths with the <a href="http://www.khanacademy.org/">Khan academy</a>.</p>
<p><img title="kahn" src="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/kahn.png" alt="" width="100%" /></p>
<p>I&#8217;ll pick some other random target next month, or maybe even sooner.</p>
<p>Other than sore shoulders, doing that much yoga has left me feeling pretty positive in general; oddly not in a &#8220;woo isn&#8217;t everything awesome&#8221; kind of way. but in a &#8220;shit happens&#8221; kind of way. Upon accepting that shit happens I can now work on letting the bad shit fly past me, and hold on tight to the good shit. My memory is pretty terrible so I&#8217;m going to try and fill it with maths and good memories, there isn&#8217;t space for the bad ones.</p>
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		<title>Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/public-perceptions-of-energy-consumption-and-savings/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/public-perceptions-of-energy-consumption-and-savings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:07:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accuaracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bias]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[confidence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[study]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=772</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve just read Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings (Attari et al. 2010), and apart from from being a pretty good paper, it&#8217;s quite well aligned with the results of my dip study, and Hanson&#8217;s Homo Hypocritus theory. Gardner and Stern (6) also speculated that people harbor misconceptions about the effectiveness of their actions. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve just read <a href="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Attari-et-al.-2010-Public-perceptions-of-energy-consumption-and-savings.pdf">Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings</a> (Attari et al. 2010), and apart from from being a pretty good paper, it&#8217;s quite well aligned with the results of <a title="Major study – for those with a lot of patience" href="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/01/major-study-for-those-with-a-lot-of-patience/">my dip study</a>, and Hanson&#8217;s <a href="http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/03/homo-hipocritus.html"><em>Homo Hypocritus</em></a> theory.</p>
<blockquote><p>Gardner and Stern (6) also speculated that people harbor misconceptions about the effectiveness of their actions. For example, “turning out lights when leaving the room” is often suggested as a way to save energy, but it actually saves very little … Larrick and Soll (11) reported that people in the United States mistakenly believe that gasoline consumption decreases linearly rather than nonlinearly as an automobile’s gas mileage (in miles per gallon) increases. Describing vehicles’ fuel efficiency in terms of “gallons per 100 miles” corrected this misperception and led to more fuel efficient choices. … For example, participants estimated that line-drying clothes saves more energy than changing the washer’s settings (the reverse is true)</p></blockquote>
<p>The part that I found most interesting was:</p>
<blockquote><p>The coefficient for numeracy (23) was positive in all five tests and significant in four, indicating that participants with a better understanding of numerical concepts had more accurate perceptions of energy consumption and savings. The coefficient for the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) score (24) was positive and significant in four of the five tests, indicating that participants with more proenvironmental attitudes had more accurate perceptions. These two effects were substantial.</p></blockquote>
<p>but</p>
<blockquote><p>Surprisingly, participants’ self-reported environmental behaviors scale always had a negative coefficient and was significant in three of the five tests, indicating that participants who reported engaging in a greater number of proenvironmental energy-related behaviors had less accurate perceptions.</p></blockquote>
<p>So it would seem that knowing how to quantitatively address the world is a good thing, and that if you make a noise about how much you care about the world then you are probably doing more work signalling that to others that you care than actually doing anything useful!</p>
<p>Interestingly, the curves that the authors developed from their responses match the curves that turn up in everything that I&#8217;ve seen on confidence. People in this study over estimate the effects of the small things that they do (unplugging phone chargers) and under estimate the effects of things that actually have a big effect (transporting goods by train rather than truck).</p>
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		<title>Protected: Rio 2016 Olympic park competition results</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/rio-2016-olympic-park-competition-results/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/rio-2016-olympic-park-competition-results/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:26:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[architecture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BVN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[competition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rio]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[video]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[work]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=759</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.]]></description>
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		<title>Interview CSS</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/interview-css/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/interview-css/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:34:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trick]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=743</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you were looking for some wise words about Brazilian electro then I&#8217;m terribly sorry I&#8217;m typing up some interviews at the moment, and while I was doing my dip thesis (a long time ago) I read an a list apart article about lists and styling lists. At the same time I was using a javascript library [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you were looking for some wise words about Brazilian electro then I&#8217;m terribly sorry <img src='http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/cssUL.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-757" title="This is a grab, but you can see it for real after the jump" src="http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/cssUL.jpg" alt="" width="265" height="146" /></a>I&#8217;m typing up some interviews at the moment, and while I was doing my dip thesis (a long time ago) I read an <a href="http://www.alistapart.com/articles/taminglists/">a list apart</a> article about lists and styling lists. At the same time I was using a javascript library to do the verification on my forms written by <a href="http://tetlaw.id.au/">Andrew Tetlaw</a>. By a stroke of such enormous coincidence that I was really very surprised by it, Andrew is now the web guy for BVN.<span id="more-743"></span></p>
<p>We talked through some stuff today and thought that you could make a CSS selector that would do the normal interview typesetting without too much effort.</p>
<ul class="interview">
<li>Can we do this with CSS?</li>
<li>yes, it&#8217;s easy</li>
<li>I&#8217;m too stupid, show me how</li>
<li>here you go:</li>
</ul>
<pre>/*style applied to the whole interview*/
ul.interview{
  list-style: none;
  margin-bottom: 0.8em;
  list-style-position: outside;
}
/*interviewer bullet*/
ul.interview li:nth-child(odd)::before {
  content: 'BD ';
  color: rgb(0, 200, 0);
}
/*interviewer text*/
ul.interview li:nth-child(odd) {
  color: rgb(0, 100, 0);
}
/*interviewee bullet*/
ul.interview li:nth-child(even)::before {
  content: 'JA ';
  color: rgb(200, 0, 0);
}
/*interviewee text*/
ul.interview li:nth-child(even) {
  color: rgb(100, 0, 0);
}
/*each line in the interview*/
ul.interview li{
  margin-bottom: 0.8em;
}</pre>
<p>There&#8217;s a load more tidying up that you could do with hanging indents and stuff, but that&#8217;s the basics of it.<br />
Here&#8217;s something that Andrew wrote about <a href="http://reference.sitepoint.com/css/pseudoclass-nthchild">nth child CSS selectors</a> [Actually he says he was <em>just</em> the technical editor]</p>
<p>The really flare thing to do would be to have first and second lines showing the full name, and then 3<sup>rd</sup> onwards showing initials.</p>
<p>P.S. The CSS in this post is made possible by using the <a href="http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/scripts-n-styles/">scripts n styles</a> plugin for wordpress.</p>
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		<title>What else isn&#8217;t a con?</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/what-else-isnt-a-con/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/08/what-else-isnt-a-con/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:31:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[con]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[optimise]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A few weeks ago I got sick of being constantly sore after exercise and I bought some protein powder from some nice french chaps in Kings Cross. I&#8217;d always thought of it as a massive con, but miraculously I felt fine the next day after an epic gym session, so I kept going, and I&#8217;ve felt great [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A few weeks ago I got sick of being constantly sore after exercise and I bought some <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/Platinum-Hydrowhey-p-271.html">protein powder</a> from some <a title="Health nuts" href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=health+nuts+kings+cross&amp;ll=-33.875324,151.222748&amp;spn=0.002044,0.003962&amp;fb=1&amp;gl=au&amp;cid=0,0,11995746981336015269&amp;t=h&amp;z=19&amp;vpsrc=6">nice french chaps</a> in Kings Cross. I&#8217;d always thought of it as a massive con, but miraculously I felt fine the next day after an epic gym session, so I kept going, and I&#8217;ve felt great after everything I&#8217;ve done since.</p>
<p><img class="alignright" title="Protein from Wikipedia" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Protein_ARF1_PDB_1hur.png" alt="" width="200" />Whilst this sounds like a ringing endorsement of the wonders of nutritional supplements, really it is a combined shriek of frustration and an a big ah-ha moment. It all leaves me thinking &#8220;well if this isn&#8217;t a con, then what else isn&#8217;t a con too?&#8221; I&#8217;ve had a few suggestions, with &#8220;Jesus&#8221; being the most worrying <img src='http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif' alt=';)' class='wp-smiley' />  (If that&#8217;s all real then I&#8217;m stuffed!)</p>
<p>We talked about this recently at the Sydney <a href="http://lesswrong.com/lw/6sl/meetup_a_new_sydney_meet_up/">Less Wrong meetup</a>, and one guy admitted to discovering that he&#8217;d been tying his shoelaces wrong all his life. We didn&#8217;t manage to work out a way to find out how to tell if your brain is lying to you about non-cons and things that you are telling yourself that you are doing right, but are really doing wrong. I&#8217;m starting to <em>really</em> distrust my brain.</p>
<p>What else isn&#8217;t a con? Any suggestions? I don&#8217;t want to miss out any more on the good stuff.</p>
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		<title>compDesGrp Brisbane</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/compdesgrp-brisbane/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/06/compdesgrp-brisbane/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:15:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brisbane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compDesGrp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[talks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=728</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m presenting tomorrow at the Brisbane compDesGrp session. This&#8217;ll be the first time I&#8217;ve been up to Brisbane in about 2 years, and the first time I&#8217;ve ever been to one of their cdg sessions. If you happen to be in Brisbane then come along!]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m presenting tomorrow at the Brisbane compDesGrp session. This&#8217;ll be the first time I&#8217;ve been up to Brisbane in about 2 years, and the first time I&#8217;ve <em>ever</em> been to one of their cdg sessions. If you happen to be in Brisbane then come along!<br />
<img src="http://compdesgrp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/flyer11-731x1024.jpg" style="width:100%;" alt="" /></p>
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		<title>Blackberry Motorist</title>
		<link>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/05/blackberry-motorist/</link>
		<comments>http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/index.php/2011/05/blackberry-motorist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 May 2011 13:33:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ben</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cybernetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paul coates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sam joyce]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.notionparallax.co.uk/blog/?p=721</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Paul sent me this today, and I thought that it would be nice to share it: The blackberry vines grew all around and climbed like green dragon tails the sides of some old abandoned warehouses in an industrial area that had seen its day. The vines were so huge that people laid planks across them [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Paul sent me this today, and I thought that it would be nice to share it:</p>
<blockquote><p>The blackberry vines grew all around and climbed like green dragon tails the sides of some old abandoned warehouses in an industrial area that had seen its day. The vines were so huge that people laid planks across them like bridges to get at the good berries in the center of them.</p>
<p>There were many bridges reaching into the vines. Some of them were five or six planks long and it took careful balancing to get back in there because if you fell off, there were nothing but blackberry vines for fifteen feet or so beneath you, and you could really hurt yourself on their thorns.</p>
<p>This was not a place you went casually to gather a few blackberries for a pie or to eat with some milk and sugar on them. You went there because you were getting blackberries for the winter&#8217;s jam or to sell them because you needed more money than the price of a movie.</p>
<p>There were so many blackberries back in there that it was hard to believe. They were huge like black diamonds but it took a lot of medieval blackberry engineering, chopping entrances and laying bridges, to be successful like the siege of a castle.<br />
&#8220;The castle has fallen!&#8221;<br />
Sometimes when I got bored with picking blackberries I used to look into the deep shadowy dungeon-like places way down in the vines. You could see things that you couldn&#8217;t make out down there and shapes that seemed to change like phantoms.<br />
Once I was so curious that I crouched down on the fifth plank of a bridge that I had put together way out there in the vines and stared hard into the depths where thorns were like the spikes on a wicked mace until my eyes got used to the darkness and I saw a Model A sedan directly underneath me.<br />
I crouched on that plank for a long time staring down at the car until I noticed that my legs were cramped. It took me about two hours to tunnel my way with ripped clothes and many bleeding scratches into the front seat of that car with my hands on the steering wheel, a foot on the gas pedal, a foot on the brake, surrounded by the smell of castle-like upholstery and staring from twilight darkness through the windshield up into green sunny shadows.<br />
Some other blackberry pickers came along and started picking blackberries on the planks above me. They were very excited. I think it was the first time they had ever been there and seen blackberries like that. I sat there in the car underneath them and listened to them talk.</p>
<p>&#8220;Hey, look at this blackberry!&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p><img class="alignright" src="http://pics.livejournal.com/enthusemarc/pic/000hkr97" alt="" width="200" height="184" />Richard Brautigan</p>
<p>Revenge of the Lawn: Stories 1962-1970</p>
<p>Brautigan wrote a book of poetry called &#8220;All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace&#8221;. Wikipedia says &#8220;<em>The title poem envisions a world where cybernetics has advanced to a stage where it allows a return to the balance of nature and an elimination of the need for human labor.</em>&#8220;, so I&#8217;d imagine that Sam would love it! (He actually recommended that I watch the Adam Curtis documentary of the same name last week, and if anyone has a copy then I&#8217;d love to add it to my stable of Curtis docos!)</p>
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