Monday, August 23, 2004

Linkage

Here are a few interesting articles for you to look at while you're staring at your monitor, steadfastly refusing to start the work week.

The first is an article in The Industrial Physicist on scramjet technology (http://www.tipmagazine.com/tip/INPHFA/vol-10/iss-4/p24.html). It's extremely readable and very thorough. Thanks to Slashdot, where I originally saw the link.

Second, an article on synaesthesia over at New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996294) which suggests that environmental factors can play a role in its development.

Finally, also at New Scientist, a fascinating article on how language may shape human thought (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996303). A recently published study explores the language of the Piraha tribe, which has no word for quantities above two except 'many.' Tribesman were unable to consistently distinguish between groups of larger objects with different quantities--a group with four objects versus a group with five objects, for example. There are so many possible implications for human intelligence and what we understand that reading this article alone should keep you busy until lunch.

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