This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on July 31, 2010). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.
Sometime between July 30th and July 31st, I thought this stuff was interesting. You might think so too!
- The Bechdel Test: Movie List [Aka Bechdel-Wallace, Mo Movie Measure]: "The Bechdel Test, sometimes called the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule is a simple test which names the following three criteria: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. The test was popularized by Alison Bechdel's comic Dykes to Watch Out For, in a 1985 strip called The Rule. The list you see to the left of this text consists of an icon with the result of the tests (explained below), the title (clicking it will take you to its details page, where you can find the reviews and comments) and finally two optional icons, also explained below. Clicking the icon before the title will take you to the movie's IMDb page."
- Does Your Favorite Sci-Fi Movie Do Right by Its Female Characters?: "Have you ever heard of the Bechdel test? It's a test, popularized by cartoonist Alison Bechdel, that asks three questions of movies: 1. Are there at least two women characters in the film? 2. Who talk to each other? 3. About something other than a man? If a film fulfills all three, then it passes the Bechdel test. If it doesn't, then it doesn't. The point of the Bechdel test, among other things, is to note that even here, in the twenty-first century, the role of women in film is very often to be support for the male roles or to keep the story and audience focused on the male protagonist."
- What’s Wrong With the American University System: "Andrew Hacker and his coauthor, New York Times writer Claudia Dreifus…launch their new book, a fierce critique of modern academia called Higher Education? 'The question mark in our title,' they write, 'is the key to this book.' To their minds, little of what takes place on college campuses today can be considered either 'higher' or 'education.' They blame a system that favors research over teaching and vocational training over liberal arts. Tenure, they argue, does anything but protect intellectual freedom. And they'd like to see graduates worrying less about their careers, even if it means spending a year behind the cash register at Old Navy. "
- Monogamy Unnatural for Our Sexy Species: "Seismic cultural shifts about 10,000 years ago rendered the true story of human sexuality so subversive and threatening that for centuries, it has been silenced by religious authorities, pathologized by physicians, studiously ignored by scientists and covered up by moralizing therapists."
- 69 Alternatives to the Default Facebook Profile Picture: "If you have changed the default Facebook profile picture and uploaded your own, it's fine. But if not, then why not replace that boring picture of the guy with a wisp of hair sticking out of his head with something different and funny? One nice person called David has created a bunch of alternative Facebook profile silhouettes – from Albert Einstein to Frankenstein, Batman to Darth Vader. These are free to use in your Facebook profile. Have fun!"