I second that big head bit.. but I'm guessing that the godless of the present is also probably a shaggy-haired, scruff-bearded iconoclast who looks absolutely nothing like his inner child (hic)

:-)

My wife had a bunch of problems with Dell tech support over her new laptop too. I guess the consensus on Dells is: decent product, totally sucky customer service.

Not to mention that 9/11 has provided many within the south asian community with a ready-made mantle of oppression-becau-we-be-arab-like.

Nice article, razib.

I was left-handed as a kid, and I'm told, anxious parents, doctors and well-wishers worked hard to encourage right-handedness. The part about cultural conditioning is right. If you have to wipe your ass with the left hand and a bucket of water, handedness becomes critical to civilized conduct. :-) I think, the conditioning might also account for that stubborn streak in me..:-)

I'm still reflexively left-handed though. I reach for things with my left, and then transfer to my right.

Unadorned, Hinduism has few universal canons, and there is really no such thing as Hindu Law that is applicable across the country. And as far as sex selection goes, short-sighted "pragmatism" is the norm. Boys today, worry about society tomorrow.

I remember this issue being brought up several months ago. http://www.palit.com/2002_12_01_tkl_archive.asp#90011372

Allowing a societal implosion in Punjab and Haryana might be the only solution. I don't think there is a chance in hell that either government intervention or NGO hectoring will work.

I agree, I tend to think guns are crime-neutral (or rather, crime rates are neutral when it comes to gun ownership. There is a great deal more going on than either the pro or anti-gun folks would like to admit. Doing so would muddy their otherwise pristine debating waters

heh. talk about muddying metaphors.. (cackle)

Re: redheaded chicks, probably explains the image of red-haired fierce woman warriors in popular myth.

Razib just has these visions of Scandanavia as almost exclusively populated by 6 foot blonde stewardesses romping around him.. I understand perfectly (and approve :-) )

I think the underlying argument (if you could call it that by the remotest thinning of the term) was that since it is easy to introduce a gambling element into *any* game, all gaming was to be banned.. and they call Americans puritanical.. sheesh..!

Cloning, Randall, think cloning :-) seriosuly though, putting smart kids in accelerated programs is unlikely to improve their reproductive success. They are far more likely to be thrust into the world as social misfits.

You want smart kids to reproduce - how about encouraging sperm banks to hold drives during math olympiads?

It must be the fumes from the polyurethane floor finish i've been laying down all day - I'm usually a very serious poster on GNXP, seriously..!

Hmm, and here I was continuing to draw lessons on east asian self-hatred from those huge purple-eyed, Caucasoid Japanese anime characters. Silly me.

Would reflexive moaning over razib's bad puns be called "razism"...?

"..And if there's one thing I oppose with a passion, it is barriers between me & women of northern European heritage on account of "sensitivity" (though true, "sensitivity" can be turned to one's advantage....).."

Ah razib, a case of jungle fever, eh..? On the other hand, look who's talking :-)

Any Advanced Placement curriulum is intended to serve a larger end - that of identifying and training those both capable and willing to endure the kind of mental calisthenics required to solve complex engineering problems. It is not intended to be a psychological pick-me-up for anyone.

I think those who are not "vowed by the technique" fail to grasp the simple fact that it is repeated practice of this sort of technique and algorithmic problem solving that allows geeks to be so creative in the first place. This is a genuine case of the journey being more important than the destination.

"..computers that shut down or perform unpredictably for a week or more each month..." Ouch, ouch.. I'm getting cramped up as I read it..:-)

Also, I think the person quoted in the article doesnt have the faintest clue what a "logarithm" or an "algorithm" was except that its an example of a male-dominated math thing that must be cut down to size. For the good of society, of course

Frankenstein, with reference to your statement:

..the average genetic intelligence endowment is declining as a result of immigration of low intelligence groups into many Western nations combined with a higher rate of reproduction among dummies than among smarties. This is driving up crime (looked at the crime stats for London lately?), taxes, and various social pathologies... How would you explain the evolution of Australia from a penal colony comprised of the dregs of European society, to a highly advanced technological country we know today?

Yes, intelligence is important, and I would argue that the current generation of immigrants from "low-intelligence" groups demonstrate through their efforts that they are on the right hand side of the bell-curve of their respective groups.

Also, IQ measurements of groups in Third World countries is notoriously unreliable. Anecdotal evidence follows: I remember sitting through an IQ test in high school back in India. Now this was a private Catholic shool with stringent entrance qualifications. I know for a fact that many of my otherwise brilliant classmates (kids who liked to solve statistical theorems over lunch break) scored in the high 90s and low 100s simply because they did not understand the subtle nuances in test questions because of a poor grasp of English.

they would find well-preserved remains of missile silos deep in the desert, no doubt. Maybe even the spent nuclear fuel dump in the Yucca mountains

Actually that would be "Four be-Head-ings and a Camel", right ?