Friday, May 23, 2014

Life on Mars Confirmed!

http://galeri.uludagsozluk.com/r/marvin-the-martian-12452/
Well, life on Mars very likely, anyway...but it is probably dead by now...and we brought it.

Meteor Shower Tonight

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/mays-surprise-meteor-shower/
That is, just after midnight, Friday, May 23 (aka early morning May 24) There will be a meteor shower called Camelopardalids. Look north. The meteors will appear to originate from just north of Polaris (the North Star).

Friday, May 9, 2014

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Science of Color

http://thevoiceofthezamorin.blogspot.ca/2013/07/influence-of-colour-on-human-behaviour.html
Studies on color and tests of people's reactions have intriguing results:
For instance, the study into the psychological effects of pink, mentioned above, was carried out by Alexander Schauss in the Seventies. It showed that of 153 male prisoners put in cells painted pink, 98.7 per cent were weaker after being in the pink cells for only 15 minutes
Of course, there is the practical application, selling people stuff:
...a paper in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, ... White is “purity, cleanness, simplicity, hygiene, clarity and peace”; black is “sophistication, glamour, status, elegance, richness and dignity”. Purple is status, pink is femininity, and, of course, blue suggests competence while red is exciting.
and speculation on why we humans see color at all:
...developed the ability to detect the colour red because of a common characteristic: bare-skinned faces. Suddenly, we could “read” the all-important expressions of anger, dominance and sexual readiness on the faces of those around us.