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I'm one of those geeky computer nerds that live half his life on the internet visiting various tech sites and reading news and reviews on the latest and greatest in computer hardware.
There's this particular website, Envy News, sister-site and spinoff from NVNews; a nVidia 3D accelerator card fan-site. On Envy News, there's this OTHER geeky computer nerd, but he's like 45 years old, has a wife and kid. And he writes these columns every once in a while, often detailing how he and Mouse (his six-year-old boy) do some computer stuff together, like 'Mouse building his first PC', 'putting together Mouse's computer desk', or this time: 'Mouse playing the 17+ rated game Diablo 2'.
Here's a quote of what I found so endearing:
"After playing for a few days it happened. We were on one of the many quests when we got trapped in a room and swarmed by monsters. I did my best but there were just too many of them. I went down. That’s right, I died. "I’m down son…try to fall back and we can figure out how to pick up my body." Instead of following my advice, I hear him say "I can beat these guys Dad. I'll protect you." I watched for several minutes while he attacked, retreated, slammed down heals and attacked again all to the war cry of Ron the Barbarian "Hai Ya! Hai Ya!" When the dust settled … he was standing and they weren’t. He did it. He was the hero. OK, he had like 3 hitpoints left but he was still standing."
Go here and read the whole thing (complete with pictures): http://www.envynews.com/mitch.php?ID=14 I'm sure you'll find it as entertaining and well-written as I did.
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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smith
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On fire! |
Registered: January 1970
Messages: 1095
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That is really cute, Lenny. Thanks 
I like this part:
"So I'm thinkin sure, parents should make informed choices and I'm pretty sure Diablo isn't on everyone's list for most 6 year olds. But, maybe if folks who worry so much about the games kids play today would play WITH them every once in awhile, they could see their kids as the hero too. Even without a federal grant and a load of white papers from Stanford. I can tell you, that's important. For everybody."
A way kewl dad, huh?
smith
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An endorsement from someone as good as you. That's got to be worth looking into.
Thanks!
Kevin
"Be excellent to each other, and, party on dudes"!
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Agreed. I deliberately avoided mentioning that bit because I wanted to let people discover it for themselves.
I'm kind of proud it's you who pointed it out.
Yes, I agree it's a part to like, and a kewl dad too. It's an important point he makes because parents are often so quick to make snap judgements about the activities of their children. Diablo 2 is seen as a violent game, and by some as promoting practicing the occult and devil worshipping (!), but if they really took the time to look at the game and maybe have a go with their sons (or daughters for that matter!), they'd see it's really just a game.
And even though it is just a game, it can foster teamwork, and help us become heroes in a way, even if it is just on the computer screen.
What is really important is that parents should broaden their vision. Why do they forget that their own parents gave them a hard time for listening to Elvis Presley music, or having long Beatles-style haircuts for example? What is new and different is seen as a threat. Instead of trying to understand it, it is condemned.
We can only hope our children will grow up and become better human beings, but something I read in the paper (on the paper's website actually like usual) made me doubt that. You may have heard of this too: a 15-y/o and his father attacked the opposite team's coach during an American football match and beat him up quite severely. After being arrested by police, the kid expressed no remorse and alledgedly said it was the coach's own fault he got a beating because he had been taunting them, or something to that effect.
You get sad when a person is ruined so early in life. 
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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No Message Body
"Be excellent to each other, and, party on dudes"!
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smith
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On fire! |
Registered: January 1970
Messages: 1095
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No Message Body
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Here's more cute stuff. I guess this makes more sense for you US types who have seen the commercial they're spoofing, but it's still amusing for the rest of us too.
I like the second-place winner the most.
http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2002/09/20020920140936.shtml
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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It's a juggling toy. Two sticks, a piece of string and a double cone. Like a good dad I bought my son one. And we played with it together
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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"Congratulations, Lenny!
Your IQ score is 135"
"At the same time, we compared your answers with others who have taken the test, and according to the sorts of questions you got correct, we can tell your Intellectual Type is a Word Warrior.
The first thing we can tell you about that is you are equipped with a verbal arsenal that enables you to understand complex issues and communicate on a particularly high level."
Word Warrior...? Communicate on a high level? I'll be darned, who coulda thunkit, eh! Like I said, computers are good at telling us that which we already know, hehe!
And while 135 is a good result, I'm not completely sure I can believe the accuracy of it. I guess these online tests tend to "flatter" the user somewhat to make them more willing to cough up the fifteen bucks they ask for the detailed report. But maybe it's not COMPLETELY off-base anyway, it did figure me out as a Word Warrior after all, heh heh! Anyway, to anyone scoring better than me on this one, I excuse myself with the fact I'm a non-native English speaker, and could probably have scored even better had I done the test in Swedish... 
Try this yourself if you'd like, just for fun: http://www.emode.com/tests/uiq/ Feel free to share the results, or not...
B)
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13751
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But not enough questions to determine anything. All it does is to sell you the report at $14.95
I was intelligent enough not to buy it
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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I wanna know your scores! Hehe.
Anyway, I did a quick check just now since I got typed as a "Word Warrior"... Just the story stuff that I've written since mid-february is a combined 275 THOUSAND words or about 1.475.000 bytes.
Good thing the new keyboard I'll have in my hands later today (if everything works as it should) is guaranteed for more than ten MILLION keystrokes per key. Should be sufficient for at least a while, hehh... It's an awesome piece of hardware.
Lookie: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?countryid=14&languageid=1&page=products/details&contentid=5013&crid=1&detail=2
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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trevor
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Really getting into it |
Registered: November 2002
Messages: 732
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Is about a 1985 "real" IBM off a PS/2 (MCA bus) system. I should look at the date code - might even have the same birthdate as smith! I don't recall if that PS/2 was a 286 or 386, but the keyboard still runs like a champ on my "modern" P200 MMX and has a great feel. Stop laughing at me, Lenny! Hey, I just got a Celeron 400 for some consulting I did, so I'm moving up at least.
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e
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On fire! |
Location: currently So Cal
Registered: May 2002
Messages: 1179
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This was an interesting test. It's not unlike some valid IQ tests that I've seen and my score was not much below what I've scored on valid tests. In fact if I hadn't gotten tired of it and gotten sloppy near the end, I would likely have scored about the same as I have on other tests.
Unlike you others, I was stupid enough to buy the results. Actually, curiousity got the better of me and I wanted to see what kind of result they would send. The results are pretty worthless, unless you are really curious. They aren't nearly as in depth as those you would get from a professional shrink at ten to twenty times the price. But since I am a shrink (or was at one time) I couldn't pass on the chance to evaluate their evaluation.
And just for you, Lenny. It said I am a "Facts Curator" and I scored 133. A few more statements: "Whether or not you intend to absorb every piece of information that comes your way, your mind has certain steel-trap qualities to it. You are a knowledge sponge. You have almost enough words in your head to fill a dictionary, and you're equally adept when it comes to manipulating numbers. You can also detect important patterns in number sequences, and probably remember the mnemonic devices you were taught in grade school... Linguistic abilities include reading, writing and communicating with words. Emode's test measures knowledge of vocabulary, ease in completing word analogies and the ability to think critically about a statement based on its semantic structure."
Lenny, you are right. This test basically tells you what you already know or should know about yourself. For everyone else, take the test. It's fun and doesn't take very long. It may provide you with some interesting results. But unless you've got a few dollars to throw away, don't buy the evaluation.
Think good thoughts,
e
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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superior skills in mathematics.
Don't know if it is a good score or not.
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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"This means that among other things, you have superior skills in mathematics and spatial reasoning."
Sounds about right - I am very visually oriented, especially when it comes to "listening."
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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70 or so is "mentally retarded" and genious/gifted is around 133 - no, just kidding - around 140 or 150 if I recall. Surely one of our resident PhD's will know better, though.
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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I'm gonna guess about 145 at least.
One thing I hate about some of these is the "right answer" is just a matter of if you happen to know the answer, like those cliche' sayings or the one that required Pythagorean's (sp?) theory. When I was about 11, I was a guinea pig in a college study to see if a "socially independant" IQ test was possible - e.g. you give it to "uneducated" natives who have no written language or technology and get comparable results as to how well they reason compared with modern socialized folk. In theory, the test should be age/schooling independant, but that one certainly wasn't!
As requested, below.
8< - - - - - - -
Dear Mr. Tangent:
Please excuse Jaime for his lack of homework today, as he spent the entire weekend busily studying angles, friction, mass, and a variety of forces including electrical and gravitational, action and reaction, as well as some chemistry and biology with another boy in the lab in his room all weekend. He seems to be quite an eager student and we are doing all we can to encourage his intellectually stimulating experiments although he has not yet documented his results.
Likewise, please similarly excuse his study buddy, Mike Yootbuns, who has also been engaged this weekend.
Thank you,
Peter Preachalot
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warren c. e. austin
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Likes it here |
Location: Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 247
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I even know where I went wrong!
smith you'll need to tutor me in maths; or more probably I forgotten more than I ever knew in the first place.
Lots of fun that. I've bookmarked it so my sons can take it at their leisure.
Incidentially the web-site should advise users that they MUST have "cookies" enabled before attemptiong to take the test, otherwise whilst they can take the test, and even fill out the form for the results, it can't calculate them; moreover, once entered your e-Mail address becomes unusable the second-time around once you have enabled "cookies" in order to have the results totalled.
Goes to show you how smart I am, I tried twice, negating "two e-Mail addresses, before getting wise, and enabling "cookies".
Warren C. E. Austin
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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No Message Body
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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No Message Body
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warren c. e. austin
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Likes it here |
Location: Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 247
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I continue to use three "Focus" 2000 AT Keyboards, circa 1990, largely because they're repairable (the typetronic key-pad modules snap out for easy replacement in case of failure) and I simply adore their removable fold-up clear-cover, which to a inveterate smoker and coffee drinker such as my self is a veritable life-saver when one considers the abuse I put them through.
Ironically, years before the days of the Windows "Logo" Key, and others, these keyboards has always had 104 or more keys with "blanks" which would in later years (with the advent of Windows'95) become amongst others, the "Logo" Key, and "Documents" Key, and others, programmable for whatever features I might entertain.
Mind you they are not inexpensive (the company, based out of Vancouver B.C. still makes them, and many others too, that are far cheaper), with a price-tag in the range of US$75.00, but considering the life-time guarantee on all parts and labour, and that even the most technologically-challenged user would be capable of servicing one in their own home, I guess it's worth it.
Warren C. E. Austin
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e
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On fire! |
Location: currently So Cal
Registered: May 2002
Messages: 1179
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According to the documentation I received with the paid result, a testee's IQ falls within a range of the score obtained and ten points below that score; i.e. my IQ would be between 123-133 since I scored 133. 68% of persons taking the test scored between 80-120 and 95% scored between 70-130.
The documentation does not go into what constitutes "average," "genius," etc. It states that a score may be "affected" if you were "tired, hungry, or distracted" as well as formal education, and familiarity with test taking. It cautions that this test does not take into consideration factors such as "musical, artistic, emotional, or social skills." It states that the test "...can help explain... how your brain works best." It claims to help determine your "intellignece type" by examining "the kind of information that makes sense to you brain."
In evaluating the result of this test, pay more attention to the description than the number. If you scored in the number range listed above, you are within normal limits.
The documentation states that this test was designed to yeild comparable results to the Shipley Institute of Living Scale. I was not trained on that particular instrument and am not familiar with it. But according to the documentation, this test yields both valid and reliable results. That of course, depends on whether the Shipley test is both valid and reliable.
Think good thoughts,
e
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smith
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On fire! |
Registered: January 1970
Messages: 1095
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WooHoo.......that's some excuse note. Covered quite a few subjects !! Gravitational huh?? Interesting  Now, where's this Mike???
::giggle::
smith
um..146
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trevor
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Really getting into it |
Registered: November 2002
Messages: 732
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Yes, gravitational. If you suspend one cute gay dude by a long rope, then place another similarly suspended hottie a few cm away, they will actually move a mm or so closer to each other than without the other nearby "body." Okay, so maybe it works with inanimate objects too.
Speaking of mm - ahem - I take it 146 is your IQ. Thanks for letting me have some fun at your expense, smith, and sorry about the mispelling. It was very late and I get weirder as it gets later - probably exponentially!
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Hehe. Now that we've all shown ours to each other ( ), except for timmy that is, whom is our host and therefore not expected to take part in our fun and games, it might be noted that most people seem to hover around 130-ish or so from what I've seen here and at the forum where I found the original link. Highest other score I've seen so far was 136. A friend of mine scored 134.
I'll grant you that the studied sample size is fairly small, but maybe it goes to prove what some may have already suspected, namely that smith is the only truly smart person around here.
-Lenny
"But he that hath the steerage of my course,
direct my sail."
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act One, Scene IV
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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The IQ tests have been fun, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to point out that, IMHO at least, your Heart Quotient is much more important in life than your brainpower potential. That is, your ratio of love vs hate, acceptance vs judgement, finding commonalities vs differences, giving vs taking. Or, to summarize: Brains and beauty may open many doors for you, but being an asshole will quickly get you tossed back out!
Thanks, guys & gals, for being here, a little family of very high HQ folks, and especially to Tim, for bringing us together and keeping the peace.
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smith
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On fire! |
Registered: January 1970
Messages: 1095
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Absolutely Without HQ the IQ is worthless when it come to love and understanding and human kindness.
I just did better cause I take tests ALL the time in school and patterns jump out at me. When it comes down to it, I have SO much to learn.........I love everyone here and appreciate and treasure the affection, the teasing and the care.
smith
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mt
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Toe is in the water |
Registered: November 2002
Messages: 93
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My IQ is 131 and I'm a "Precision Processor. This means that among other things, you have superior skill in mathematics."
Does "Precision Processor" mean that I was made at Intel?
I know that I suck at mathematics. I wonder what those other things are!
Thanx Lenny 4 this wonderfull fun!
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Guest
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On fire! |
Registered: March 2012
Messages: 2344
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I guess I'm a "visual mathematician" as well. I didn't want to cough the money up to a company that's going to tell me how to get a date!
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Oh, this is SO CUTE...! 
A Mouse with teeth! 
That was really cool, thanks Lenny 
Aww come on you guys...! 
Not surprised. 
HQ - Heart Quotient 