Ohmygosh, I am not feeling well. I feel like a used litterbox. Ew. I just grossed myself out there. Anyhoo, I’ve had something I wanted to share with you, but unfortunately I’ve not been up to posting it in the detail you deserve. Instead of holding onto it even longer, I’m going to be brief and let you know of this neat study.

The other day I heard of a study reported in the journal Science about holding warm or cold coffee. The researchers found that holding warm coffee led people to judge others to be more generous and caring. If they held iced coffee they’d think of them less nicely.

They also found that if asked to hold a warm pack, they’d be more generous and give something to someone. If they held a cold pack, they’d be more likely to keep something for themselves.

Which means, physical warmth leads us to see others as warmer, and leads us to feel more generous, while physical cold gives colder results.

The same researchers had previously shown that physical distance between people influences their judgments about that person.

How cool is that!? You can listen to the report of the news item and read more details at the Naked Scientists Science News.

First, let’s do the other goodness. The political bit follows. My friends (an eclectic and interesting group, to say the least) have been busy lately and I want to share what they’ve been doing.

• Global Atheist is an aggregate site that refreshes every 15 minutes. It’s a great place to scan lots of awesome skeptical and atheist sites at once.
• Religion Free Dating is slowly getting bigger! It’s a place to meet like minded people free of cost and free of religion for dating or friendship, or even something more.
• Here’s one that’s totally different: My Guilty Little Secret. Got something you want to confess anonymously, or get off your chest? This site just started up and is ready to absolve you.

Now for the Rambling Political Bit: Read more…

Knowledge is power, my friends! A new study shows that when you lack control, you are more prone to see patterns in random images, or to see conspiracies and be superstitious.

Not long after I became an atheist, some personal stuff happened that made me really realize how little control I had in my life. Namely, I got in a car accident (some kid in his daddy’s car hit me while I was sitting at a light). Anyway, I didn’t have a god, religion or any other kind of magical fairy tales to pin the streak of bad luck I had. None of it was my fault, but bad stuff happened to me for a while.

I became rather superstitious. Unfortunately it’s taken me quite a few years to untangle myself from that crazy woo thinking. I still sometimes knock on wood when I say something bad. But now I remind myself that that is crazy woo thinking and I try to refrain from all superstitious behavior.

Here is a brief of the study:

Lacking Control Increases Illusory Pattern Perception Read more…

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Ohmygosh, I’m really sorry. I really wanted to get another logical fallacy up today. But it just isn’t going to happen tonight, I don’t think. Why? Oh, how kind of you to ask!

Well, it all started a few weeks ago. I was talking to Jill, a friend of mine, about diet and exercise. She linked me to LiveStrong.com, namely, The Daily Plate. It’s a site by Lance Armstrong. I don’t use all of it, but The Daily Plate is really cool.

I get to put in what I eat every day and what exercise I do and it tells me how many calories I’ve burned and how many more calories I can eat and still lose a bit of weight, maintain my weight, or even gain, if that’s my goal. I have my measurements in there and am tracking all kinds of neat little things that are incredibly motivating. It’s free, I don’t use the premium features, which are available, but the free parts are quite excellent on their own. Read more…