Superman Defects

30 April 2011 -  Superman intends to give up his US citizenship, a story in the new issue of Action Comics declares. "I'm tired of having my actions construed as instruments of US policy," the character says in a story that sees him flying to a Tehran protest. Adopted by an American family, Superman decides he is better-off serving the world. Though he only talks about his plans to give up citizenship, the story has been criticised by commentators worldwide. The superhero, originally from the fictional planet Krypton, does not clearly renounce his citizenship in the issue. Action Comics co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio said: "Superman announces his intention to put a global focus on his never ending battle, but he remains, as always, committed to his adopted home and his roots as a Kansas farm boy from Smallville." The disputed story sees the hero standing silently at the protest, wanting to show demonstrators that they are not alone. Superman's announcement comes after accusations from Iran's government that he has caused an international incident, in the nine-page story written by David Goyer. "'Truth, justice and the American way' - it's not enough anymore," Superman says, "The world is too small, too connected."

Great Picture (34)

29 April 2011 - Writing this blog is (now and then) also writing a bit the story of my life. So I could not let this day pass without a picture of The Kiss.

No More Alien Search

28 April 2011 - A monitoring system for potential extra-terrestrial communication has been shelved due to budget cuts. The Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in California has been mothballed, according to the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (Seti) Institute. Funding for the observatory, which hosts the ATA, has been cut to one-tenth its former level. The Seti Institute was established in 1984 to look for life beyond Earth. The telescopes, at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory north of San Francisco, California, have a number of science goals, including searching for radio signals from intelligent life in the Universe. "Effective this week, the ATA has been placed in hibernation due to funding shortfalls for operations of the Hat Creek Radio Observatory where the ATA is located," Tom Pierson, chief executive of the Seti Institute, said in a statement.

IQ Motivation

26 April 2011 - Intelligence tests are as much a measure of motivation as they are of mental ability, says research from the US. Researchers from Pennsylvania found that a high IQ score required both high intelligence and high motivation but a low IQ score could be the result of a lack of either factor. Incentives were also found to increase IQ scores by a noticeable margin. The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Firstly, it analysed previous studies of how material incentives affected the performance of more than 2,000 people in intelligence tests. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, found that incentives increased all IQ scores, but particularly for those of individuals with lower baseline IQ scores. Then the same researchers tested how motivation impacted on the results of IQ tests and also on predictions of intelligence and performance in later life. By using data from a long-term study of 250 boys from adolescence to early adulthood, they were able to conclude that some individuals try harder than others in conditions where the stakes are low. Therefore, the study says, "relying on IQ scores as a measure of intelligence may overestimate the predictive validity of intelligence." Getting a high score in an IQ test requires both high intelligence and competitive tendencies to motivate the test-taker to perform to the best of their ability. Dr James Thompson, senior honorary lecturer in psychology at University College London, said it had always been known that IQ test results are a combination of innate ability and other variables. "Life is an IQ test and a personality test and an IQ result contains elements of both (but mostly intelligence). "If an IQ test doesn't motivate someone then that is a good predictor in itself."

Easter Bunny

24 April 2011 - Happy Easter. I looked up what Wikipedia says about the Easter Bunny and this is what I found: The Easter Bunny or Easter Hare (sometimes Spring Bunny in the U.S.March 2, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2010) is a character depicted as a rabbit bringing Easter eggs, who sometimes is depicted with clothes. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and sometimes also toys to the homes of children, and as such shows similarities to Father Christmas, as they both bring gifts to children on the night before their respective holiday. It was first mentioned in Georg Franck von Frankenau's De ovis paschalibus (About the Easter Egg) referring to an Alsace tradition of an Easter Hare bringing Easter Eggs (and the negative impact of too much egg consumption).Bringing Easter eggs seems to have its origins in Alsace and the Upper Rhineland in Germany, where the practice was first recorded in a German publication in the 1500s (early 16th century). The first edible Easter Eggs were made in Germany during the early 19th century and were made of pastry and sugar.