Even more normality (plus something less so)

This is what the top of the EPL looks like as of this moment:

1 Chelsea
2 Manchester United
3 Arsenal
4 Liverpool

I reckon soccer is like an economics system. There is a long run equilibrium which will ultimately be established. You get a few shocks and temporary equilibria, but in time, everything adjusts back to the long term state.

I just drew parallels between soccer and economics. Kill me now.

On a slightly more blasphemous note, let's talk Best. You know what, I was saddened by his death when I heard about it on the news last week. But now, a week later, I am starting to wonder if the extended mourning in the UK (especially in England) isn't going overboard.

In their own way, the British can be a rather sentimental lot. Witness the mourning over Princess Diana a few years back. George Best is not getting quite the same degree of posthumous adulation, but he is getting a lot more coverage and attention than seems warranted.

See, I understand the mourning by Man Utd fans, the one minute silence at Old Trafford, the respectful words pouring out of the Man Utd team. The man is after all a Man Utd legend.

But nation-wide press and media coverage for several days? One minute silences at all grounds? Am I missing something here? The man did not play for England, and yet the whole of England is supposed to be bereaved.

Maybe his talent transcends such piddling matters as club allegiance and national identity. People are mourning not the death of a Man Utd legend or a Nothern Ireland legend. They are just mourning the passing of a footballing genius. Fair enough, I suppose.

For me, though, it seems over-the-top that talent on the soccer field can inspire such depth of feeling in non-supporters. Especially when you consider the mess that his life was. I know it's fashionable in some circles to romanticise George Best's life as some sort of broken genius trapped in a glamourous decadence. Well, he was trapped, but it was not romantic and not glamourous and the sad thing is that he trapped himself. Addiction is a cruel disease, but it can be kicked. Paul Merson did it, Tony Adams did it. George Best got a liver transplant after he burnt his own liver through years of alcohol abuse. And then he continued drinking. For me, this kind of thing transcends his talent and his genius. The footballer was scintillating, the man was indisciplined and self-destructive. I could celebrate the footballer when he was alive, but I cannot mourn the man much in his death, when he brought it upon himself.

Perhaps there would be less hype if he had led a more exemplary life. Here's the crux: I don't think he is being mourned as much as the media coverage seems to suggest. It's all in the hype and George Best, in life and in death, was perfect hype-fodder.

Detached, anxious and dangerous to know?

Wow, this is disconcertingly accurate. But they could have used a better word than "detached". I prefer to think of it as "individualist"!

Main Type	Overall Self

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

Detailed results from the short version (50 questions)

Enneagram Test Results (Short Version) Type 1 Perfectionism |||||||||||| 46% Type 2 Helpfulness |||||||||||||| 54% Type 3 Image Focus |||||||||||| 42% Type 4 Hypersensitivity |||||||||| 34% Type 5 Detachment |||||||||||||||||| 78% Type 6 Anxiety |||||||||||||||| 62% Type 7 Adventurousness |||||||||| 38% Type 8 Aggressiveness |||||| 22% Type 9 Calmness |||||||||||| 50% Your main type is 5 Your variant is self pres

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

type	score	type behavior motivation
5	19	I must be knowledgable and independent to be happy.
6	15	I must be secure and safe to be happy.
2	13	I must be helpful and caring to be happy.
9	12	I must be peaceful and easy to get along with to be happy.
1	11	I must be perfect and good to be happy.
3	10	I must be impressive and attractive to be happy.
7	9	I must be high and entertained to be happy.
4	8	I must avoid painful feelings to be happy.
8	5	I must be strong and in control to be happy.

Detailed results from the long version (126 questions)

Enneagram Test Results (Long version) Type 1 Perfectionism |||||||||||| 47% Type 2 Helpfulness |||||||||||||| 54% Type 3 Image Focus |||||||||||| 41% Type 4 Hypersensitivity |||||||||||| 45% Type 5 Detachment |||||||||||||||||| 72% Type 6 Anxiety |||||||||||||||| 64% Type 7 Adventurousness |||||||||| 34% Type 8 Aggressiveness |||||||||| 32% Type 9 Calmness |||||||||||||| 56% Your main type is 5 Your variant is self pres

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

type	score	type behavior motivation
5	50	I must be knowledgable and independent to be happy.
6	44	I must be secure and safe to be happy.
9	39	I must be peaceful and easy to get along with to be happy.
2	38	I must be helpful and caring to be happy.
1	33	I must be perfect and good to be happy.
4	31	I must avoid painful feelings to be happy.
3	28	I must be impressive and attractive to be happy.
7	24	I must be high and entertained to be happy.
8	23	I must be strong and in control to be happy.

Words, words and more difficult words

This was HORRIBLY difficult! Boy, talk about a reality check for the English Genius. I think I must have guessed half of this and still managed to score quite well. It might just mean I am luckier than the average person who tried this!

Verbal Intelligence Test Results

Sir Francis Galton, the cousin of Charles Darwin, first popularized the notion of measurable intelligence in the late 1800s. Charles Spearman later discovered that all mental abilities tend to correlate together when statistically analyzed. He called this G. Modern researchers tend to agree that there are two kinds of intelligence, crystallized intelligence (learned knowledge) and fluid intelligence (abstract processing ability). Verbal tests tend to measure crystallized intelligence more. While fluid intelligence peaks between the ages of 18-21, dropping after that, crystallized intelligence can increase as you get older and does not degrade (usually) until fairly late in life. According to a number of studies, the correlation between vocabulary and general iq is around .8 (a very high correlation). Congratulations, you obtained a very high score. (Rest is snipped) Your overall percentile is 94% which means you scored higher than 94% of the people who have taken this test. The internet population tends to be more intelligent so your percentile might be higher if the test taking sample was perfectly random. Keep in mind, taking this test more than once will render your percentile score inaccurate because the percentile scoring assumes these questions were fresh to the test taker. The point of this test is to challenge you and show you how you compare to other test takers on a set of novel questions. Consequently, the answers need to be kept secret to protect the integrity of the test.

Left says, right says

Hey, I wish I was less well-balanced. Does this not seem a bit boring?

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (48%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (44%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?(word test)
personality tests by similarminds.com

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven. Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively. Overall you appear to have fairly Equal Hemispheres

Measurable Intelligence?

The Visual Pattern Intelligence Test - very well worth trying.

This was an interesting mind-bender. The test creator posted some questions on the results page that are quite thought-provoking. I will get around to answering them later.

First, the results:

Sir Francis Galton, the cousin of Charles Darwin, first popularized the notion of measurable intelligence in the late 1800s. Charles Spearman later discovered that all mental abilities tend to correlate together when statistically analyzed. He called this G. Modern researchers tend to agree that there are two kinds of intelligence, crystallized intelligence (learned knowledge) and fluid intelligence (abstract processing ability). Most non-verbal intelligence tests measure the latter. Some research suggests that fluid intelligence may correlate best to G. Congratulations, you obtained a perfect score. I am researching intelligence and personality so I would greatly appreciate if you would use the comment form below to answer the following questions. What was your childhood IQ measured at? SAT score? GRE score? What is your career or what career do you plan on pursuing? How has your intelligence affected your life? Do you think intelligence correlates negatively with physical attractiveness? Did you have any problems with any of the questions on this test, was it challenging, easy? Include your email if you are open to possibly getting follow up questions. If you would rather think about the questions and answer later, submit your answers via the contact link. Your overall percentile is 99% which means you scored higher than 99% of the people who have taken this test. The internet population tends to be more intelligent so your percentile might be higher if the test taking sample was perfectly random. Keep in mind, taking this test more than once will render your percentile score inaccurate because the percentile score assumes these questions were fresh to the test taker. The point of this test is to challenge you and show you how you compare to other test takers on a set of novel questions. Consequently, I need to keep the answers secret to protect the integrity of the test.

Now, onto the questions.

What was your childhood IQ measured at? SAT score? GRE score?
I never had my IQ taken as a child, so I wouldn't know. I am not in the American education system, so haven't take the SATs or GRE. If online IQ test are reliable, my current IQ would be in the 130+ range, I suppose. It has tested to be as high as 150+, but that was probably not reliable.

What is your career or what career do you plan on pursuing?
I work in an academic institution, mainly doing research. Yes, I do believe that intelligence is part of the job requirement. And I do consider myself fully smart enough to do my job. I do wish I could do my job better, but that has less to do with wanting to be more intelligent and more a desire for having a better memory of things learnt long ago.

How has your intelligence affected your life?
The practical effect is easy to quantify: it got me an education and a job. More intangibly, it made me curious about things and drove me to seek out knowledge beyond my comfort zone. I like to think that I have developed a measure of open-mindedness and largesse of spirit because of that.

I have gone through most of my life knowing that I am of at least above-average intelligence. I did well at school, I quite liked Maths and I absolutely slaughtered the opposition at Scrabble. I won't deny that I am thankful for being intelligent. I am not a genius by any means, and in my line of work, I meet plenty of people who are much smarter and more mentally agile than I ever could be. But I am pretty happy with whatever mental faculties I have been given. It has definitely made life easier, and probably made life more interesting.

Do you think intelligence correlates negatively with physical attractiveness?
Since both physical attractiveness and intelligence are genetic, a negative correlation would imply some sort of embedded physiological encoding. I don't know, I still think that there is a lottery element to genetics, and luck has some part to play in the distribution of looks and brains.

Getting away from the genetics for a while, to some extent, intelligence correlates negatively with the desire to BE physically attractive. Not that intelligent people want to appear unattractive, just that they tend to be more indifferent.

Did you have any problems with any of the questions on this test, was it challenging, easy?
A few were quite complex to work out. But in all cases, once the correct answer had been reasoned out, there was no ambiguity or guessing between multiple choices.

I em a grate speler!

Spelling Nazi You scored 95 Spelling smarts!

Okay so you've either cheated, or you know all the vocabulary rules by now. "I before E, except after c." bla bla bla. Great job. You know how to spell, and you might be a bit anal retentive about it too. Not a bad thing mind you, but I get picked on for it. An answer key is what you're after? http://quizanswerkey.blogspot.com/

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 57% on Spelling smarts

Link: The Everyday Spelling Test written by charlifeathers on Ok Cupid

My MBTI profile

Did the short and long versions and got this both times. I did this a few years back and also turned up an INFP finding. Either variations of MBTI are extremely reliable, or I just haven't changed much.

Based on the scales, I am very strongly introverted and intuitive, strongly perceptive and moderately feeling. No scales where I toe the middle line. Hmmmm, I wonder if this has something to do with being an idealist; the idea of zealous commitment to a position.

One gripe: the 0% on the Intuitive/Sensory scale is a bit iffy, no? I can't be that unobservant!

And INFPs are such a rare bunch. I don't know whether to be proud or worried that we are apparently so unique.

INFP - the Healer You scored 9% I to E, 0% N to S, 38% F to T, and 73% J to P!

You are more introverted than extroverted. You are more intuitive than observant, you are more feeling based than thinking based, and you prefer to go with the flow rather than having a plan. Your type can best be summarized by the word "Healer", which belongs to the larger group of idealists. You have a capacity for caring that is deeper than most. You strive for unity, are fascinated by the battles between good and evil, and can be something of an idealist. Only 1% of the population shares your type. As a romantic partner, you are usually supportive and nuturing, however, you have a high need for individuality. Harmony is extremely important to you as you are very affected by conflict and tension, which also makes you resist confronting your partner directly about problems. When you get angry, you usually blame yourself, rather than your partner. You can also be stubborn and unyielding when you feel you are being criticized or mistreated. You feel the most appreciated when your partner listens to you carefully. You need to be understood. You need to hear your partner express their feelings, the more often, the better. Your group summary: idealists (NF) Your type summary: INFP

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 7% on I to E
You scored higher than 0% on N to S
You scored higher than 31% on F to T
You scored higher than 82% on J to P

Link: The LONG Scientific Personality Test written by unpretentious2 on Ok Cupid

If I was an American, I would have voted....

I describe myself in my profile as a bleeding heart liberal. That has alwas been more about my stance on social issues, and less and expression of my political idealogy or my position on economic issues.

How accurate is this quiz?

I was an economics major and for a long time, imagined myself to be a conservative, Neo-classical type. Free market, minimum intervention, globalization, liberalization - capitalism all the way! Well, to make a long story short, I started noticing the effects of rampant capitalism, the erosion of resources and the disregard for sustainability. Yes, I advocate Corporate Social Responsibility (don't get me started on that!). I hope that one day, our mantra would not be "being responsible while being profitable" but rather "being responsible to be profitable". I do believe in free trade and am not nearly as critical of globalisation as I could be. I am not quite an economic socialist, but definitely no longer a neo-classicist. Mine eyes have seen the error of my pro-capitalism ways. 25% seems about right.

I believe I am socially quite liberal but admit readily that I can roll my eyes at contemporary social mores. I embrace the theoretical concept of social liberalism whole-heartedly. Everyone on equal footing, everyone has the right to do anything that doesn't break the law, nobody judges others for what they believe and what they do. At the same time, and perhaps hypocritically, I think there are boundaries to be drawn in the real world. Behaviours have spill-over consequences, not all of which are desirable.

Take feminism, for example. I am female and naturally believe in equal opportunities and the right of women to fight for affirmative action to redress the gender imbalance. But I do believe that feminism can cross the line into reverse sexism. We do not need to deny historical patriarchism and invent the Sacred Feminine to validate our worth. The past is what it was - it was sexist and anti-feminist. We also now do not need to objectify men as an expression of our liberalisation. We should not even be feminine-centric and inadvertently or otherwise, discount the contribution of men.

And then there is porn. My brand of feminism doesn't quite extend to glorifying porn as a form of sexual liberation for women. I see the appeal in the argument, but I am still disinclined to regard a career in porn as an expression of freedom and the assertion of a woman's right to do whatever she wants with her body. I don't condemn adult porn; I personally don't condone it, but wherever it's legal, it's a legitimate way to make a living. But porn is not pro-feminist and I wish it wasn't upheld as such.

And then there is religion. People should have the right to believe or not believe whatever they want. No forcing of faith down anyone's throats. But it cuts the other way too - no forcing of atheism down throats either. Just as right-wing religious bigotry is indefensible and stupid, so is extreme left-wing religion bashing, which is usually done in a arrogant and snotty manner. My sympathies are left-leaning, but some of the rabid left-wingers make life pretty hard for the rest of us.

Above all, I believe in secularism of public spaces. And yet, while it would solve many conflicts, I do not wish for the abolishment of all faiths (John Lennon posits that with "No religion", we could "imagine all the people, living life in peace). Religion has its place in our world, whatever my personal skepticism might be. I also do not think it is such a bad thing for atheists and agnostics to study the teachings of comparative religions.

Liberalism within limits, if you will.

So, 65% seems about right.

You are a Social Liberal (65% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (25% permissive) You are best described as a: Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

I know as much as I know

Well, all that reading and those years of education had to be good for SOMETHING? If only so I can score well on tests like this one. Trivia Pursuit, here I come!

you are s-m-r-t! Congratulations! You scored 100!

Scoring well on this test doesn't necessarily mean you're ready for med school, but it does mean that you can function as an ordinary human being and there's a chance you won't end up working fast food all your life. Congrats!

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 83% on coolpoints

Link: The BASIC KNOWLEDGE Test written by sexplosion on Ok Cupid

Emo? I think not.

Taken after a very difficult day, dealing with idiots, double-faced hypocrites and selfish, manipulative bitches. NOT in a good mood at all. And yet, I turned out to be an Emo Kid? I don't know - this seems a bit dodgy to me. The bitches who saw me in action today didn't see a lot of emo. Wouldn't want to waste emotion on them, anyway.

And another thing - just because one doesn't like to be the "life of the party" and prefers the company of a few rather than the boisterous pleasures of mixing with many DOES NOT MAKE ONE A TOTAL INTROVERT. It's not like we are locking ourselves up in rooms and communicating with the world entirely through the Internet. It's not like we get hives when we step into public places. It's not like we can't stand up and even do a spot of public speaking every now and then. It's not like we can't do a bit of schmoozing when we need to. It's not like we can't be friendly and perfectly prepared to talk to people who want to talk to us. Geez, I wish these personality tests that try to establish the Introvert-Extrovert spectrum would be a little more imaginative about the choice of questions. It is ALWAYS about how we prefer our party dynamics. There's a lot more than that to extroverts (and introverts).

And yes, I do consider myself an introvert. But not because I don't like large crowds of people, or mixing with the life of the party types. I am an introvert because I find more mental stimulation in quiet contemplation than in a barrage of conversation. I probably function better in small groups than in large groups. I prefer to understand my own motivations before seeking to understand others. Introversion is not about preference for company, it is about preference for space.

Emo Kid You are 42% Rational, 0% Extroverted, 28% Brutal, and 42% Arrogant.

You are the Emo Kid, best described as a quiet pussy! You tend to be an intuitive rather than a logical thinker, meaning you rely more on your feelings than your thoughts. Not only that, but you are introverted, gentle, and rather humble. You embody all the traits of the perfect emo kid. You are a push-over, an emotional thinker, gentle to the extent of absurdity, and so humble that it even makes Jesus puke. If you write poetry, you no doubt write angsty, syrupy lines about depression, sadness, and other such redundant states of emo-being. Your personality is defective because you are too gentle, rather underconfident in yourself, decidely lacking in any rational thought, and also a bit too inhibited. I probably made you cry, didn't I? Fucking Emo Kid. To put it less negatively: 1. You are more INTUITIVE than rational. 2. You are more INTROVERTED than extroverted. 3. You are more GENTLE than brutal. 4. You are more HUMBLE than arrogant. Compatibility: Your exact opposite is the Smartass. Other personalities you would probably get along with are the Hippie, the Televangelist, and the Starving Artist. * * If you scored near fifty percent for a certain trait (42%-58%), you could very well go either way. For example, someone with 42% Extroversion is slightly leaning towards being an introvert, but is close enough to being an extrovert to be classified that way as well. Below is a list of the other personality types so that you can determine which other possible categories you may fill if you scored near fifty percent for certain traits. The other personality types: The Emo Kid: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Humble. The Starving Artist: Intuitive, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Bitch-Slap: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Humble. The Brute: Intuitive, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant. The Hippie: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble. The Televangelist: Intuitive, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Schoolyard Bully: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble. The Class Clown: Intuitive, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant. The Robot: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Humble. The Haughty Intellectual: Rational, Introverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Spiteful Loner: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Humble. The Sociopath: Rational, Introverted, Brutal, Arrogant. The Hand-Raiser: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Humble. The Braggart: Rational, Extroverted, Gentle, Arrogant. The Capitalist Pig: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Humble. The Smartass: Rational, Extroverted, Brutal, Arrogant.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 20% on Rationality You scored higher than 0% on Extroversion You scored higher than 24% on Brutality You scored higher than 41% on Arrogance

Link: The Personality Defect Test written by saint_gasoline on Ok Cupid

Great for the Ego

You wouldn't know it from my horrendous typos and "keyboard errors", but back in school, I twice won book prizes for English. And here's the proof that I haven't quite regressed into complete illiteracy.

English Genius
You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 86% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.


My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 62% on Beginner




You scored higher than 46% on Intermediate




You scored higher than 72% on Advanced



You scored higher than 71% on Expert


Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on Ok Cupid

The Intuition Test

Well, these results seem pretty "average". I am moderately intuitive; not a science savant and definitely not going to win any Deanna Troi Empath awards, but not in the "thick, insensitive jerk" zone.

More Scientific You have: 62% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and 55% EMOTIONAL INTUITION

The graph represents your place in Intuition 2-Space. As you can see, you scored about average on emotional intuition and above average on scientific intuition.Keep in mind that very few people score high on both! In effect, you can compare your two intuition scores with each other to learn what kind of intuition you're best at. Your scientific intuition is stronger than your emotional intuition. Your Emotional Intuition score is a measure of how well you understand people, especially their unspoken needs and sympathies. A high score score usually indicates social grace and persuasiveness. A low score usually means you're good at Quake. Your Scientific Intuition score tells you how in tune you are with the world around you; how well you understand your physical and intellectual environment. People with high scores here are apt to succeed in business and, of course, the sciences.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 29% on Scientific You scored higher than 17% on Interpersonal

Link: The 2-Variable Intuition Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

Behold my Cool Nerdiness!

Should I be flattered, or worried about this? I am WAY above the average for my age on nerd, geek AND dork points.

Modern, Cool Nerd 86 % Nerd, 69% Geek, 47% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd. Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)! Congratulations! Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 96% on nerdiness You scored higher than 90% on geekosity You scored higher than 84% on dork points

Link: The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid