TU Cent Thoughts, 3-21-06

TU Women's season ends too early
We just ran out of gas in the end while DePaul re-energized on a very nice play by their star player. Our point guard was dead tired at the end as she came up way short on a layup that would have cut our deficit by two.

Regardless, we wouldn't have gotten past LSU.

Jeopardy online test
They just released info about an online test. I'm going to try it out next Wednesday and see if I can make the main show. I think it would be pretty cool!

Next year's schedule released
Now I have to think about what I want to take. I need a mix of education, history, poli sci, and economics.

Verse of the Day
“But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
~Jeremiah 17:7-8

Convo of the Day
D2: Do you know what the most anticipated movie of the year is?
K8: No, what?
D2: Snakes on a Plane!
K8: Um, what's the movie about?
D2: Wait, did you just ask a question?

Quote of the Day
"Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity."
~St. Augustine

Link of the Day
Become Republican. Actually, a pretty funny interactive video on why NOT to become a Republican. It's so funny!

Sports Report
Japan secured the WBC title, which just proves team chemistry beats a collection of stars. It's a cliche, but baseball is a team game.

Genius advertising
Snakes on a Plane is going to make a killing on its opening weekend. I mean its word of mouth advertising is insane. So many people will see it just to see if they are serious!

Fridge
Hmmm, I should remember to clean out my fridge before I leave for spring break and not after.

Random Poll
[Poll #694967]

Spiritual Journey, Part IV

Have you ever heard of the Clever Hans effect in psychology? Clever Hans is a rather famous horse who could do simple arithmetic and various other intellectual tasks. Wikipedia says, “The horse, Hans, had been trained by a Mr. von Osten to tap out the answers to arithmetic questions with its hoof. The answers to questions involving reading, spelling and musical tones were converted to numbers, and the horse also tapped out these numbers.”

How was Clever Hans able to do such amazing feats? A psychologist named Carl Stumpf set up a series of experiments to find out. Amazingly enough, Hans was able to tap out the correct answer to all sorts of questions. But the horse was only able to do so when it could see its questioner and the questioner knew the answer.

As it turns out, the questioner involuntary tensed up when the horse came close to the the correct amount of taps. When the questioner involuntary released his tension at the right number, the horse was able to sense that and stopped. Psychologist Oskar Pfungst had noticed that the horse was unable to get the correct answer when it was blinded or when the questioner did not know the correct answer.

Sometimes, I feel like Clever Hans. People ask me all sorts of questions and I can sense them tense up when I start responding. It’s difficult to explain, but I can “feel” my way towards the answer they want me to say through their nonverbal cues. It’s not as if I can read what they are actually thinking; rather, their facial expressions and body gestures belie their true thoughts.

What does have to do with my spiritual journey? Well, when it comes to spiritual questions, people tense up just like they do anything else. People can’t help but feel a bit frustrated when I don’t answer the way that they think I will. They cannot hide their genuine concern, nor can they shield their own doubts from me.

Of course, I do the same thing. Yet I feel like it’s something that distracts me when I discuss spiritual matters with other people. I’m so polite that I start giving out the answers that releases the tension in the other person.

Should I start being more rude?

You know we've been in Senate too long when...

"Personally, I'm allergic to cigarette smoke. I'm sure if you were allergic to peanuts, you would object to being forced to eat peanuts each time you have to pass through the doors of your dorm."
~A senator authoring a Fresh Air Initiative, which stamps out out smoking in front of the entrances of dorms and academic buildings