MetaFilter posts tagged with study

"...for the scientific community, the most critical organ of the incentive system is the cycle of credit."

iamkimiam — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:11:04 -0800

Just how credible is Wikipedia? While some have tested this empirically, others have chosen more dubious methodology. For a site that gives no credit to its post authors, one wonders, why even bother?

"The YouTube Reader"

Holly — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:47:52 -0800

From the publisher's website: "The YouTube Reader is the first full-length book to explore YouTube as an industry, an archive and a cultural form." Features some seasoned commentators, among them film analyst Thomas Elsaesser, and an online exhibition. Looks interesting.

Ethnography of Rock Band Bar Night

k8t — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:56:02 -0800

Ethnography of Rock Band Bar Night. The Rock Band video game (and the similar Guitar Hero) are more than video games where players try to earn points and some are exploring the deeper meaning of such games. In this ethnographic study of a Rock Band bar night, Kiri Miller, discovers that Rock Band bar night is, surprisingly, a friendly, accessible musical scene with a tight-knit group of friends at its core—more like an open Irish session than a karaoke night, and with fewer barriers to participation than either of those other typical bar events. Miller researches GH and RB and is currently collecting data from players, if you're interested in participating. She keeps a blog on her research as well. Read her (interesting) thoughts on being a researcher on this topic. She also provides some audio interviews with players. She argues that "[a]nyone who has played Guitar Hero or Rock Band for more than five minutes will tell you that it requires a deeper level of musical engagement than listening to an iPod—intellectually, emotionally, physically, and often socially" and "the games have substantially changed the way they listen to popular music when they’re not playing." She also asks if GH/RB playing "authentic"? It certainly is a performance.

Cuz I'm free...free rangin!

Christ, what an asshole — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:14:50 -0800

A recent study, commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency, has found that there is no evidence that organically produced foods are nutritionally superior to conventionally produced foodstuffs. On the basis of a systematic review of studies of satisfactory quality, there is no evidence of a difference in nutrient quality between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs. The small differences in nutrient content detected are biologically plausible and mostly relate to differences in production methods. Who cares?

Study Guides, Teacher Resources

netbros — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:02:58 -0800

Shmoop is study guides and teacher resources that help us understand how literature and history and poetry are relevant today. Take for example Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. Get a technical analysis of it's literary devices, explanations of the themes, and audio/video readings of the sonnet.

What Makes Us Happy?

allkindsoftime — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:23:50 -0800

Is there a formula—some mix of love, work, and psychological adaptation—for a good life? For 72 years, researchers at Harvard have been examining this question, following 268 men who entered college in the late 1930s through war, career, marriage and divorce, parenthood and grandparenthood, and old age. Here, for the first time, a journalist gains access to the archive of one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies in history. What Makes Us Happy?

"Boss, this is good for the company!"

Bango Skank — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:45:16 -0800

A new university of Melbourne study finds that surfing the web at work can actually boost rather than hurt productivity, even when the content is not work related. Finally I have an excuse for why I am "always looking at that blue site."

One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.

KokuRyu — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:01:23 -0800

A massive global study concludes a quarter of the 5,487 wild mammal species on the planet are threatened with extinction, according to a report released Monday at a World Conservation Congress in Spain. The researchers conclude that not only are one in four mammal species threatened with extinction, but more than half of all mammal populations are declining... The scientists sum it up saying of the 4,651 species for which enough data is available, 1,139, or 25 per cent, are now threatened with extinction. Marine species are a particular concern, with an estimated 36 per cent of species threatened. Species not classified as threatened are not necessarily safe, they say, noting 323 mammals are classified as "near" threatened. And for 52 per cent of all species for which data exist, trends show the populations declining. The scientists say it is unfortunate environmental issues are taking a back seat to the economic crisis in the federal election campaign. "The economy will recover, it always does," says Derocher. "But whether the planet will recover is a totally different question, and one I think is much more profound." Overview Summary list (xls) of 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species + video Case studies

Welcome to my Study

stresstwig — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 08:58:39 -0800

Welcome to my Study . via the ever-so-wonderful Pictures for Sad Children.

Everyone is an Expert on Something

misha — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:39:53 -0800

H.A.R.O., or "Help A Reporter Out," is the brainchild of Peter Shankman (aka skydiver on Twitter). Embracing the philosophy that "Everyone is an expert on something," HARO matches reporters and authors up with sources through the simple process of a sign-up form. Seems like a good match for all the experts here on MeFi. In Shankman's words: "On March 20th, 2008, I sent out the first HARO via email, after moving it off FaceBook. It was a query from the Chicago Tribune, and it went to 491 people. This afternoon, I'm sending out the HARO email to over 10,100 members. It has over 15 queries, from more than one country, and goes to members in over 45 countries."

Is alcohol worse than ecstasy?

Jakey — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 06:37:10 -0800

A BBC Horizon documentary, asks "Is alcohol worse than ecstasy?" (iPlayer link valid for UK users until 11 Feb). Here comes the science... The programme is based on a paper published last year in the Lancet titled "Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse" (pdf), which attempts an objective ranking of the 20 most common recreational drugs in the UK in terms of harm. A summary of the rankings and comparison with the existing UK classifications is here. The Transform Drugs Policy Foundation (Previously).has an interesting blog post summarising some of the policy discussions and media reaction resulting from the original paper.

Rigging a study to make conservatives look stupid

veedubya — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 07:34:43 -0800

Rigging a study to make conservatives look stupid.

Bat-Man Logo Study

kirkaracha — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:45:02 -0800

Logo Study: Batman. "A lengthy look at the logos of Batman from his creation to the present." Part two, three, four, and five. [via]

Do I Know You?

jacquilynne — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:53:34 -0800

Test your facial, verbal and object memory.

Who Cooks for You?

Miko — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 06:38:48 -0800

Zoomusicology , a subfield of Zoosemiotics.

"It's a surprise to me that this number is going up, and I don't think the public knows it."

kirkaracha — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:59:04 -0800

An inside look at who jumps. Marin County Coroner Ken Holmes has released a study of 10 years of suicide jumps from the Golden Gate Bridge. [more inside]

Insert You Momma So Fat Joke Here

fenriq — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 07:46:15 -0800

High BMI Now Means Cognitive Difficulties Later? A study published in Neurology attempts to discover if there is a link between cognitive function, cognitive decline and BMI (body mass index) over time. Yes, I am aware that BMI is a flawed metric.
Full Text (sub. req'd).

America's continued love affair with the automobile

jaimev — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:03:00 -0800

A study released by CERA has some interesting tidbits: the average motorist in 2005 used 703 gallons of gas, and drove 40 percent more than 25 years ago; the US has 1,148 registered personal vehicles for every 1,000 licensed drivers; the percentage of vehicles that are SUVs (including minivans and light trucks) is slowly going down from 55% in 2005 to 53% in 2006; the average fuel consumption for all vehicles is 19.8 mpg in 2005, a drop from when it peaked at 20.2 in 2001; and the share of U.S. household budgets going to gasoline and oil has has been relatively stable for decades, at about 3.8 percent in 2006.

UnderCover Artists' Sketchbooks

bigmusic — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:15:31 -0800

The sketchbooks of Edward Burne-Jones, Benjamin Champney, Henri-Edmond Cross, Jacques-Louis David, Paul Feeley, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Sanford Gifford, George Grosz, Frederic Leighton, and John Singer Sargent. UnderCover, Artists' Sketchbooks exhibition by the Harvard Art museums [via woolgathering]

Worst song ever?

camcgee — Mon, 22 May 2006 11:34:47 -0800

Blender, meet science: The Pain, the Pain: Modelling Music Information Behavior and the Songs We Hate [link to 454Kb PDF]. The paper, presented at ISMIR 2005, offers "a grounded theory analysis of 395 user responses to the survey question 'What is the worst song ever?'"

A Solid Foundation for Fascism?

pt68 — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 19:34:10 -0800

Emory University study describes the Millenial Generation An interesting comparison of Gen Xers and the so-called Millenial Generation, born since 1982, from Emory University. The M.Gen kids apparently want to do good, as long as there is a clear structure and leadership that tells them how and what to do . . . oh, and don't question the leaders. Really. Why would you?

Musical Listening Study

pjern — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 11:38:36 -0800

The Musical Listening test is harder than it sounds, no pun intended. Hosted at the University of Newcastle at Tyne, it is a study of musical perception in the general population. Listen to two short melodic phrases and decide if they are the same or different.

Tin-Foil Hat Effectiveness

GuyZero — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 10:46:13 -0800

Do you spend a lot of time worrying about government mind-control satellites ? New research from MIT indicates that your tin-foil hat may be less effective than you think.

Greenland's Ice will get thicker before it gets thinner. Or is it the other way around?

b1tr0t — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 22:39:31 -0800

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Greenland?

Pickup Lines for Lady Luck

thomascrown — Wed, 31 Dec 2003 14:47:08 -0800

Want to get lucky? Just start thinking like you already are.