Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds in the Age of Cyberspace

Who has never, I mean never, wanted to escape reality, for a moment, a minute, a second perhaps? Perhaps only in thought. Not for real, which brings us back to the reality concept. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not mean anything which has to do with recreational drugs, mental health wards or anythings of the sort, I am referring to fantasy art and science fiction. The literary, the artistic, the healthier and safer escape routes…

Virtual reality has long fascinated the collective psyche. Often portrayed by the media (science fiction – countless imagined worlds and alternate, parallel realities, and even mystery – SVU Law & Order -and thriller and, probably the most intuitive, cartoons and animation – Bart Simpson shocks everyone when he finishes a novel video game in seconds, game developers have to make a game difficult in order for it to be interesting), it has now become an alternate, but indeed accessible reality with MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games), such as the World of Warcraft. Naturally, scientists have decided to look at the repercussions of such games on individuals, their development and interactions.

Virtual Worlds old painting style. Virtual world heroes and superheroes often possess superpowers. Image: Megan Jorgensen (Elena)

Violent games such as Grand Theft Auto had often been blamed as inciting violence players, for example by desensitizing the user to graphic depictions. Alternatively, other research has suggested that these pass-times may serve a cathartic function allowing the only possible safe expression of such feelings. Regardless, one is reminded that aggressive television shows do result in more aggression exhibited by children during playtime, as recorded by number of hostile acts. Along these lines, psychologist Albert Bandura’s research on modeling has shown that youth tends to imitate adults in behavior (e.g. the Bobo doll treatment study).

Superpowers. Illustration by Elena.

Astro-Investing

Astro-Investing

A New Reading on Astro-Investing

Wall Street’s best-known astrologer on how planets affect markets

Does astrology affect the stock market? Arch Crawford, called “Wall Street’s best-known astrologer” by Barron’s, is convinced it does. In his much read newsletter, Crawford Perspectives, Crawford uses astrology and a variety of financial indicators to forecast favorable times to trade stocks, bond and gold. Skeptics should not that the newsletter is often among the top market timers in the popular rating services. Here Crawford explains what astro-investing is all about.

What’s the connection between the planets and the stock-market?

Planets affect the market through electromagnetic fields. The planets stir the sun’s surface and the resultant particle flows affect the Earth’s magnetic field and weather. Nearly thirty years of astronomical research have proven to me beyond any doubt that planetary movements exert an important influence on people, just as they do on the ocean tides, and that the changes they cause in behavior are reflected in the stock and commodities markets.

In the mid-1970s, I made what I believe is a quantum leap in market prediction by correlating numerous planetary cycles with the movements of the Dow from 1897 through 1970. I found that the reliability factor in catching the course of the stock market runs very high.

Astrology, can it save our world? Photo by Elena

How did you get interested in astrology?

In the early 1960s, I was struck by a front-page article in the Wall Street Journal about David Williams, who had developed a way to predict the direction of the stock market by using the relative position of the planets. That stirred my interest.

I was also influenced by John Nelson, who was a radio propagation specialist for the RCA Corporation during the ‘40s and ‘50s. He showed that the alignment of the planets in relation to the sun helped him time sunspots and solar flares, helping his company reroute radio transmission efficiently. Later, when Nelson retired, he would call me and tell me that a flare was in progress, for example, and that radio communications across the Atlantic were totally blocked. I would then call a broker and find that, typically, the stock market was dropping sharply and that gold was rising during the geomagnetically disturbed period.

Why did you begin to introduce astrology into your forecast?

When I was a technical market analyst at Merrill Lynch, I started to sense that there was something lacking in traditional econometric models. I observed, for example, that there is often little relation between news reports about a stock and the price of that stock. Around that time, I became interested in astronomy and began to use sunspot activity and astrology to chart the stock and commodities market. By using astrology, along with a lot of technical analysis, I have an edge over people who simply rely on numbers.

What factors other than astrology do you consider in making your forecasts?

Astrological events may signify a turning point, but they don’t always indicate in which direction.

As a former technical analyst at Merrill Lynch, I also maintain 28 technical market indicators, including the volatility of the most active Big Board stocks, the number of new highs and lows, and advances versus declines.

What happens if the astronomical readings and the technical findings don’t agree?

As technical data become more available. I would move more heavily on that side. But some types of planetary configurations, such as eclipses or multi-planet alignments, override such considerations.

What’s your advice for the long term?

Stay extremely negative on the long term. Even those bearish people who believe in a good correction cannot conceive of a long lasting bear market similar to 1992 – 1994 or the period from 1966 to 1982, where the Dow Jones industrial languished under the impenetrable 1000 level. We are afraid of the long-term market and atmospheres.

Example of astro-investing prediction: Overlaying the Dow Industrial averages are the movements of Jupiter and Pluto, as the planets spin away from each other and then align again – a cycle that takes about 12 ½ years. Astro-investors say the strongest down period will come in late 2015, bottoming out in 2016…

Where to hear about stars and stocks (expert sources)

Untold numbers of Wall Streeters are quietly subscribing to an expanding universe of astro-investing newsletters. Among the best known:

Astro Geometrics Journal: Uses geometric techniques to cruise market, astrology as timing tool.

Astro Investor: Uses planetary configurations and market wave patterns.

Astro Trend Newsletter: Personal consultations, specific buy-sell recommendations. Uses technical research, astrology.

Carolan Spiral Calendar Research: Links lunar timing and market peaks, crashes.

Cash in on Chaos: Studies effect of planetary movements and changes in electromagnetic fields on humans.

Crawford perspectives: Often rated among top 100 newsletters in the business. Uses astrology and technical research.

Future News Network: Weekly summary of trends in leading astro-economic newsletters.

Market Systems: Stock market timing using technical analysis, cycles, and scientific methods.

Whole Earth Forecaster: Studies solar activity and its effect on weather, markets, and other business indicators

Making of Presidency

Making of Presidency

How the office has changed in more than 250 years. How has the institution of the presidency evolved since George Washington took office in 1789?

How has the presidency changed over the years?

It was created by Washington, who was very conscious that he was the first president, and that everything he did would create a precedent.If there hadn’t been a strong figure in the beginning, the office would not have evolved the way it did. The president was known then as the Great White Father.

With the exception of Washington and Lincoln, most people didn’t know what the president looked like during the 19th century. With the exception of Lincoln, the president was not the center of news until Teddy Roosevelt’s time. The institution has been accentuated by television. There is hardly a television broadcast that isn’t done from the driveway of the White House. Teddy Roosevelt was the first to put the White House on his stationary.

The creation of the presidency was discussed at the Constitutional Convention, but the details were an afterthought not formally voted upon. The term of the office wasn’t even decided. At the beginning of the 20th century, the president became known as the head of party, head of government, and chief of state.

The president also has assumed an enormous legislative role. There was less legislation during the 19th century, largely because this was before the enlargement of the country. The Montesquieu model of the Founding Fathers was seen as compartmentalized, but it didn’t work that way. We do not really have the vaunted separation of powers.

New York, Broadway. Photo by Elena

Have there been times when the president was less important?

There was a lack of preeminence in presidents between Madison and Lincoln, and during the post-Civil War period, with the exception of times of real crises in the country. Now we’re in a similar situation, but we’re not at all geared to it. Today we have a press and electronic media that are completely geared to covering the presidency and maintaining expensive staff at the white house, but it’s almost irrelevant, because all the action is in Congress. Whoever wins the election, he or she finds great frustration. The job is really not all the important, not as it has been. It’s not a question of personality.

What distinguishes the presidents of our century?

In the 20th century, the president has been expected to have a program. The New Nationalism of Teddy Roosevelt, the New Freedom of Wilson. The New Frontier, The New Deal, the Fair Deal, Prior to the 20th century, the vision thing was not something presidents were expected to have.

What influences a president’s ability to succeed?

It doesn’t not have much to do with their characteristics. It has more to do with crises and whether the president can convince the country that there was a crisis in health care. Franklin Roosevelt, on the other hand, was more successful in persuading people of the need for social security. And Teddy Roosevelt was able to convince the country that there was a crisis in conservation, so he accomplished a lot.

It also takes something else that’s lacking today: money in the bank. Eisenhower was a successful president, a builder. But not since Eisenhower have we run the kind of surpluses we ran at that time.

What makes a good president?

A president has to be both extraordinary ad ordinary in all dimensions: in his political performance, in his personal performance, in his family performance, in his television appearances. It is difficult to do. On television, he comes across as too ordinary, when he is reclusive, he is seen as too distant.

Power of articulation, believeability and credibility, and an ability to show concern are very important. Basic honesty. Does character matter? I think it does. Washington, Grant and Jackson are examples of soldiers who have been successful. Indecisiveness certainly is a great weakness in the White House. That applies to everyone.

 Presidential Statistics

    Male of the species – 42 (100.0%)

    Protestant – 38 90.5%

    Married – 41 97.6%

    Studied law – 28 – 66.5%

    Owned dogs – 22. 52.4%

    Over Six Feet – 18. 42.9%

    From Virginia – 8. 10.0%

    Named James – 6. 14.3%

    Had a beard – 5. – 12.0%

    Went to Harvard – 5. 12.0%.

    Owned pet raccoons – 2. 5.0%.

Park Avenue, New York. Photo by Elena

Electoral College

Who Really Elects the President

Just in case you forgot how the Electoral College works

The authors of the American Constitution devised the Electoral College to act as a kind of buffer between the masses and the ultimate process of selecting a president. The voter would choose electors for their state on a predetermined election day and then those individuals, along with electors from other states, would then take it upon themselves to choose the president.

Today, the Electoral College is a body of 538 people. Each state receives a number of electoral votes equal to the number of senators and representatives in its congressional delegation, and Washington, D.C., which has no congressional representation, gets three votes. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes, slightly more than a majority, to be elected president. The candidate who wins a majority of a state’s popular vote wins all of its electoral votes. As a result, the electoral vote tends to exaggerate the popular support of the winner.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes of the Electoral College, the election will be decided by the House of Representatives. This has only happened once, so far, when in 1824 Andrew Jackson won the popular vote in a four-way race but John Quincy Adams was elected president by the House. In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes lost the popular vote but won the presidency bu a single electoral vote

Anger Management

Anger Management

The essay below suggests that while anger and frustration comprise part of life, they may be healthy ways in dealing and coping with everyday challenges. A famous social psychology professor once blatantly said in his introductory interpersonal relations lecture “anger makes you stupid”. Indeed, decisions made under the emotional influence of anger are often rash, reckless and impulsive, something one is likely to regret later on.

Further, Elizabeth Cornwell, a doctor, and Matthew Cornwell, a neurosurgeon, wrote a book on the subject of stress, anger, and other negative emotions’ impact on well-being. Thus, one of the key areas they discuss, is transfer of feelings onto material belongings. For instance, if a patient was particularly frustrated with a task, they could suggest throwing a branch or kicking dirt. Similarly, a person may transfer their feelings onto material possessions and get rid of them in a subconscious attempt to remedy the situation. Whether that works or not is a different story.

Sometimes you just can't manage your anger. Illustration by Elena

Alternatively, another excerpt discussed refers to cognitive dissonance, a well-known theory in cognitive psychology. Cognitive dissonance stems from a dissimilarity of one’s beliefs and convictions with one’s actions and behaviour. According to psychologists, the mental construct causes individuals to experience stress. Also, stress management skills include meditation and other relaxation techniques. As per this theory, people then rationalize their behaviours to match their personal views.

Similarly, social support helps with almost everything, including common colds. Interestingly, a psychological study has shown that people who had more social connections were less likely to a catch a cold, develop the symptoms and got well quicker, than their more isolated counterparts. However, psychologists often warn that quality of interpersonal relationships is more often than not much more important than quantity of said relations per se. Therefore, the paper above outlines some of the theoretical suggestions concerning stress alleviation, anger, frustration, coping skills and psychology.

Behavioural Science

Behavioural Science

Behavioural science constitutes another fancy name for psychology. Psychologists, like other social scientists, study human behaviour. For example, sociology focuses on societies, while political science discusses nations, states and international relations. Psychology concentrates on the study of the mind and social interactions.

Depending on the university, students majoring in psychology may do in both the Arts and Science faculties. However, to this day, criticism remains abundant of whether psychology warrants being sees as a science per se. Of course, unlike physics or mathematics, psychology theories are often based on conclusions from social experiments, and experimenters often diverge on the results obtained.

Most psychological literature stems from academic or peer-reviewed articles, usually structured in the following sections: literature reviews, introduction, methods, results and discussion. A good research paper will not only present arguments from previous similar experiments on the topic, but also inform the reader of contrary arguments. Also, a thorough discussion section includes limitations of the experiment conducted. To illustrate, a study conducted on members of certain group may not warrant generalizing the results to other populations. As such, results must have the following attributes: reliability, replicability, validity and generalizability. To achieve these, methods employed involve random sampling, when applicable.

Could a blindfolded crayfish pick stocks by throwing darts on Wall Street as well as some of the best brokers do? Photo: © Megan Jorgensen  (Elena)

Many branches exist in psychology, including social, personality, health and abnormal psychology, among others. Abnormal psychology is the branch most closely related to psychiatry, but the two greatly differ. Indeed, psychiatrists are doctors in the medical sense and are licensed to prescribe medication, while the same cannot be said about psychologists.

Reality being defined as a social construct, psychiatry and psychology have been criticized in the literature. Since psychology does not constitute a medical field, the importance, validity and reliability of psychological experiments continue to be debated. In fact, many people believe psychology is just literary fluff. Nonetheless, studying psychology may appeal to undergraduates precisely because of the cognitive stimulation stemming from seeing social events from dissimilar angles. For instance, while neuroscience (a likely core program course in psychology degrees) may be more serious, social psychology makes for lighter reading and appears a more interesting subject to explore, although such preferences depend on personal choice and taste.

Further, understanding neuroscience requires a solid foundation in biology, physics and chemistry, since lectures and textbooks cover fairly technical details. Therefore, admission to a psychology program in a respected university, more often than not requires the completion of introductory courses in both psychology and biology.