December 2010
106 posts
7 tags
Gaslighting →
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented to the victim with the intent of making them doubt their own memory and perception. It may simply be the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, or it could be the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim. (via Caroline)
7 tags
Gaslighting →
Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse in which false information is presented to the victim with the intent of making them doubt their own memory and perception. It may simply be the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, or it could be the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim. (via Caroline)
7 tags
God of the gaps →
God of the gaps refers to a view of God as existing in the “gaps” or aspects of reality that are currently unexplained by scientific knowledge, or that otherwise lack a plausible natural explanation. According to John Habgood in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology, the phrase is generally derogatory, and is inherently a direct criticism of a tendency to postulate acts of...
7 tags
God of the gaps →
God of the gaps refers to a view of God as existing in the “gaps” or aspects of reality that are currently unexplained by scientific knowledge, or that otherwise lack a plausible natural explanation. According to John Habgood in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology, the phrase is generally derogatory, and is inherently a direct criticism of a tendency to postulate acts of...
5 tags
Chindōgu →
Chindo-gu is the Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that, on the face of it, seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem. However, chindo-gu has a distinctive feature: anyone actually attempting to use one of these inventions would find that it causes so many new problems, or such significant social embarrassment, that effectively it has no utility whatsoever. (via ...
5 tags
Chindōgu →
Chindo-gu is the Japanese art of inventing ingenious everyday gadgets that, on the face of it, seem like an ideal solution to a particular problem. However, chindo-gu has a distinctive feature: anyone actually attempting to use one of these inventions would find that it causes so many new problems, or such significant social embarrassment, that effectively it has no utility whatsoever. (via ...
7 tags
U-Haul lesbian →
U-haul Lesbian or U-haul syndrome is a slang term of LGBT culture used to describe a stereotype of lesbian relationships. The term originated from the punch line of a joke that lesbians tended to move in together on the second date. It suggests an extreme inclination toward monogamy or committed relationships. It is considered both complimentary and pejorative. (via DCurtain)
7 tags
U-Haul lesbian →
U-haul Lesbian or U-haul syndrome is a slang term of LGBT culture used to describe a stereotype of lesbian relationships. The term originated from the punch line of a joke that lesbians tended to move in together on the second date. It suggests an extreme inclination toward monogamy or committed relationships. It is considered both complimentary and pejorative. (via DCurtain)
7 tags
Tombstone tourist →
Tombstone tourist (otherwise known as a “taphophile”, “cemetery enthusiast” or “grave hunter” or “graver”) describes an individual who travels to visit cemeteries for the enjoyment of looking at old and unusual stones or to find the graves of famous people. (via sleevia)
7 tags
Tombstone tourist →
Tombstone tourist (otherwise known as a “taphophile”, “cemetery enthusiast” or “grave hunter” or “graver”) describes an individual who travels to visit cemeteries for the enjoyment of looking at old and unusual stones or to find the graves of famous people. (via sleevia)
7 tags
Calque →
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word (Latin: “verbum pro verbo”) or root-for-root translation. For example, the common English phrase “flea market” is a phrase calque that literally translates the French “marché aux puces” (“market where one acquires fleas”) (via...
7 tags
Calque →
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word (Latin: “verbum pro verbo”) or root-for-root translation. For example, the common English phrase “flea market” is a phrase calque that literally translates the French “marché aux puces” (“market where one acquires fleas”) (via...
5 tags
Bir Tawil →
Bir Tawil or Bi’r Tawi-l is a small – 2,060 km2 (795 sq mi) – area along the border between Egypt and Sudan which is claimed by neither country. (via @werttrew)
5 tags
Bir Tawil →
Bir Tawil or Bi’r Tawi-l is a small – 2,060 km2 (795 sq mi) – area along the border between Egypt and Sudan which is claimed by neither country. (via @werttrew)
7 tags
Swardspeak →
Swardspeak (or “gay lingo”) is a vernacular language derived from Englog (a Tagalog-English pidgin) and used by a number of homosexuals in the Philippines. It uses elements from Tagalog, English, and Spanish, and some from Japanese, as well as celebrities’ names and trademark brands, giving them new meanings in the context of this unique language. (via Ry-Guy)
7 tags
Swardspeak →
Swardspeak (or “gay lingo”) is a vernacular language derived from Englog (a Tagalog-English pidgin) and used by a number of homosexuals in the Philippines. It uses elements from Tagalog, English, and Spanish, and some from Japanese, as well as celebrities’ names and trademark brands, giving them new meanings in the context of this unique language. (via Ry-Guy)
6 tags
Biological immortality →
Biological immortality refers to a stable rate of mortality as a function of chronological age. Some individual cells and entire organisms in some species achieve this state either throughout their existence or after living long enough. This requires that death occur from injury or disease rather than deterioration, i.e., the absence of cellular senescence. (via Larson)
6 tags
Biological immortality →
Biological immortality refers to a stable rate of mortality as a function of chronological age. Some individual cells and entire organisms in some species achieve this state either throughout their existence or after living long enough. This requires that death occur from injury or disease rather than deterioration, i.e., the absence of cellular senescence. (via Larson)
5 tags
Small Penis Rule →
The “small penis rule” is an informal strategy used by authors to evade libel lawsuits. It was described in a New York Times article in 1998: “…For a fictional portrait to be actionable, it must be so accurate that a reader of the book would have no problem linking the two,” … One way authors can protect themselves from libel suits is to say that a character has...
5 tags
Small Penis Rule →
The “small penis rule” is an informal strategy used by authors to evade libel lawsuits. It was described in a New York Times article in 1998: “…For a fictional portrait to be actionable, it must be so accurate that a reader of the book would have no problem linking the two,” … One way authors can protect themselves from libel suits is to say that a character has...
8 tags
Cupertino effect →
The Cupertino effect is the tendency of a spellchecker to suggest inappropriate words to replace misspelled words and words not in its dictionary. (via sleevia)
8 tags
Cupertino effect →
The Cupertino effect is the tendency of a spellchecker to suggest inappropriate words to replace misspelled words and words not in its dictionary. (via sleevia)
11 tags
Missing white woman syndrome →
Missing white woman syndrome (MWWS) or missing pretty girl syndrome is a vernacular term for the alleged disproportionately greater degree of coverage in television, radio, newspaper and magazine reporting of a misfortune, most often a missing person case, involving a young, attractive, white, middle-class (or above) woman, compared with cases concerning a missing male, or missing females of other...
11 tags
Missing white woman syndrome →
Missing white woman syndrome (MWWS) or missing pretty girl syndrome is a vernacular term for the alleged disproportionately greater degree of coverage in television, radio, newspaper and magazine reporting of a misfortune, most often a missing person case, involving a young, attractive, white, middle-class (or above) woman, compared with cases concerning a missing male, or missing females of other...
6 tags
Blind men and an elephant →
The story of the blind men and an elephant originated in India and is used to demonstrate either the relativity, or the inexpressible nature, of truth. In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men (or men in the dark) touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one feels a different part, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then compare notes and learn that they...
6 tags
Blind men and an elephant →
The story of the blind men and an elephant originated in India and is used to demonstrate either the relativity, or the inexpressible nature, of truth. In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men (or men in the dark) touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one feels a different part, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then compare notes and learn that they...
7 tags
Jerusalem syndrome →
The Jerusalem syndrome is a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas, delusions or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem. It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews, Christians and Muslims of many different backgrounds. (via sleevia)
7 tags
Jerusalem syndrome →
The Jerusalem syndrome is a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas, delusions or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem. It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews, Christians and Muslims of many different backgrounds. (via sleevia)
7 tags
Manor of Northstead →
The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600 the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. The position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead is now used as a procedural device to effect resignation from the House of Commons, since British MPs are not...
7 tags
Manor of Northstead →
The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600 the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. The position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead is now used as a procedural device to effect resignation from the House of Commons, since British MPs are not...
6 tags
Hatebeak →
Hatebeak is a death metal band, formed by Blake, Mark and Waldo, a 19 year old Congo African Grey Parrot. The band members do not use their last names “for the mystery.” Hatebeak is unique in that they are the only band to feature a parrot on vocals. They are currently signed to Reptilian Records.
6 tags
Hatebeak →
Hatebeak is a death metal band, formed by Blake, Mark and Waldo, a 19 year old Congo African Grey Parrot. The band members do not use their last names “for the mystery.” Hatebeak is unique in that they are the only band to feature a parrot on vocals. They are currently signed to Reptilian Records.
4 tags
Most Recent Common Ancestor →
In genetics, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of any set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all organisms in the group are directly descended. The term is often applied to human genealogy. (via werttrew)
4 tags
Most Recent Common Ancestor →
In genetics, the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of any set of organisms is the most recent individual from which all organisms in the group are directly descended. The term is often applied to human genealogy. (via werttrew)
5 tags
Raskol →
Raskol (meaning ‘split’ or ‘schism’) was the event of splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church into an official church and the Old Believers movement in mid-17th century, triggered by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in 1653, aiming to establish uniformity between the Greek and Russian church practices. (via Gnarzikans)
5 tags
Raskol →
Raskol (meaning ‘split’ or ‘schism’) was the event of splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church into an official church and the Old Believers movement in mid-17th century, triggered by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in 1653, aiming to establish uniformity between the Greek and Russian church practices. (via Gnarzikans)
9 tags
Godwin's law →
Godwin’s law (also known as Godwin’s Rule of Nazi Analogies or Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies) is a humorous observation made by Mike Godwin in 1989 which has become an Internet adage. It states: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” In other words, Godwin put forth the sarcastic observation...
9 tags
Godwin's law →
Godwin’s law (also known as Godwin’s Rule of Nazi Analogies or Godwin’s Law of Nazi Analogies) is a humorous observation made by Mike Godwin in 1989 which has become an Internet adage. It states: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1.” In other words, Godwin put forth the sarcastic observation...
7 tags
Turducken →
A turducken is a dish consisting of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed into a de-boned turkey. The thoracic cavity of the chicken/game hen and the rest of the gaps are stuffed, sometimes with a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird. The result is a fairly solid layered poultry dish,...
7 tags
Turducken →
A turducken is a dish consisting of a de-boned chicken stuffed into a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed into a de-boned turkey. The thoracic cavity of the chicken/game hen and the rest of the gaps are stuffed, sometimes with a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird. The result is a fairly solid layered poultry dish,...
5 tags
Allais paradox →
The Allais paradox is a choice problem designed by Maurice Allais to show an inconsistency of actual observed choices with the predictions of expected utility theory. The Allais paradox arises when comparing participants’ choices in two different experiments, each of which consists of a choice between two gambles, A and B. (via werttrew)
5 tags
Allais paradox →
The Allais paradox is a choice problem designed by Maurice Allais to show an inconsistency of actual observed choices with the predictions of expected utility theory. The Allais paradox arises when comparing participants’ choices in two different experiments, each of which consists of a choice between two gambles, A and B. (via werttrew)
5 tags
Sign of the cross →
The Sign of the Cross is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula. The motion is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one’s own body, echoing the traditional shape of the cross of the Christian Crucifixion narrative. There are two principal forms; the older — three...
5 tags
Sign of the cross →
The Sign of the Cross is a ritual hand motion made by members of many branches of Christianity, often accompanied by spoken or mental recitation of a trinitarian formula. The motion is the tracing of the shape of a cross in the air or on one’s own body, echoing the traditional shape of the cross of the Christian Crucifixion narrative. There are two principal forms; the older — three...
9 tags
William H. Mumler →
William H. Mumler (1832–1884) was an American spirit photographer who worked in New York and Boston. His first spirit photograph was a self-portrait which developed to apparently show his deceased cousin. Mumler then left his job as a jeweller, instead opting to work as a full time photographer, taking advantage of the large number of people who had lost relatives in the American Civil War. (via...
9 tags
William H. Mumler →
William H. Mumler (1832–1884) was an American spirit photographer who worked in New York and Boston. His first spirit photograph was a self-portrait which developed to apparently show his deceased cousin. Mumler then left his job as a jeweller, instead opting to work as a full time photographer, taking advantage of the large number of people who had lost relatives in the American Civil War. (via...
8 tags
Musical saw →
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound created is an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin or a woman’s clear voice. The musical saw is classified as a friction idiophone with direct friction (131.22) under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification. (via Gnarzikans)
8 tags
Musical saw →
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound created is an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin or a woman’s clear voice. The musical saw is classified as a friction idiophone with direct friction (131.22) under the Hornbostel-Sachs system of musical instrument classification. (via Gnarzikans)
9 tags
Remedios Varo →
Remedios Varo Uranga was a Spanish-Mexican, para-surrealist painter. She was born María de los Remedios Varo Uranga in Anglès, Girona, Spain in 1908. During the Spanish Civil War she fled to Paris where she was greatly influenced by the surrealist movement. (via AJ)
9 tags
Remedios Varo →
Remedios Varo Uranga was a Spanish-Mexican, para-surrealist painter. She was born María de los Remedios Varo Uranga in Anglès, Girona, Spain in 1908. During the Spanish Civil War she fled to Paris where she was greatly influenced by the surrealist movement. (via AJ)