Having updated some of my tags and icons, I've also edited access/subscriptions, which I've been neglecting for... years, oops. >.> This was mostly an exercise in dropping subscriptions to those who seem to have abandoned their journals or whom I haven't interacted with in years, but I thought I'd post an FYI, in case you're one of the people who suddenly got an add notification and were wondering why.

Today has been a day where academic readings have actually been entertaining, and since an open access file seems to be available, I thought I'd post a link: Burt & Simons, 2014- Pulling back the curtain on heritability studies: Biosocial criminology in the post-genomic era. As I said elsenet, this is a comprehensive academic rant on behavioral genetics that I'm too incoherent to make myself. It also includes probably the most entertaining conclusion paragraph that I've read to date:

We have argued that there is compelling evidence that heritability studies are methodologically flawed, especially for complex social behaviors such as crime. We have argued also that heritability studies are based on an oversimplified and incorrect model of gene function and that the goal of partitioning genetic versus environmental influences on variance in phenotypes is biologically unsound. We therefore recommend an end to heritability studies in criminology. Moreover, given the many flaws in heritability studies, we also call for an end to the use of the oft-repeated version of the phrase: “We know from a wealth of behavioral genetic studies that the heritability of [insert crime or related phenotype] is roughly 50 percent.” Based on the arguments and research discussed in this article, it is apparent that we unequivocally do not know this to be the case. Furthermore, no amount of quantitative genetic research can establish the validity of such heritability estimates or their putative support for the irrelevance of shared environmental factors. Technically flawed and conceptually unsound models—no matter how often published or repeated—do not by virtue of their numbers make for sound evidence.

(Burn much? *g*)

Things what I saw at work today: ( cut to spare the unsuspecting? )

I am fascinated, in a sick and horrified sort of way. Also, I need to think about something else, so have some links!

+ In case anybody hasn't already seen this: Five+ Ways Being Transgender in Fandom Really Sucks, and Why I Stick With It Anyway, by iambickilometer. Also re-linking to Khaos Komix here, because trans characters need more love.

+ Via stephiepenguin, The do's and don'ts of defending Muslim women (and linked from that post, Western feminists don't understand Muslim Women).

+ yeloson's Let me be honest for you (on The Last Airbender) is made of win.

+ A MATH POEM posted to forkedtongues today (BINA AND AVE, I am looking at you two! ;D): Nieśmiały cybernetyk potężne ekstrema/Love and Tensor Algebra, by Stanislaw Lem.

+ ciderpress has an intriguing list of BBC audioshows up!

+ The lovely sheafrotherdon is kindly hosting a FLAIL PARTY for The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, so if you have read it and want to squee in company, hop over! I know what I'll be doing in, oh, ten minutes. :D

+ And finally, a question: has anybody ever read Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel?? A paperback copy has mysteriously appeared (no, really, none of us know whose it is) in my house, and I would like to get opinions before I read it as my to-read list is far too long.

first things first: happy happy birthday, midnitemaraud_r! &hearts :D i hope you're having a fabulous day!

so on wednesday i was flailing so much about SYTYCD that i neglected to mention i caught the episode of Glee that came on right after it! i am bad at watching TV shows in general, but i am especially terrible at non-crime/hospital TV shows, so the fact that Glee was actually entertaining for me was kind of a surprise. i tend to find these sorts of shows rather cringeworthy, but so far the good bits outweigh the cringey bits, so yay for that! even if i did have BUST THE WINDOWS OUT YA CARRRRR stuck in my head for hours after, oh god. xD

i also watched The Informant last night, because i figured Matt Damon was worth a try and the premise sounded interesting, and... wow, the movie is actually nothing like what i thought it was going to be. Matt Damon was good, but the character he played was- oh my god, i have never been so aggravated watching a movie in my life. i love Matt Damon and i respect him as an actor, but i spent most of the movie wanting to punch him in the face. ( slight spoilers )

annnnd now i have Merlin 2x01 downloading, just to continue the trend, but i am Not Watching It until i get my beta-work done!

ETA: OH AND. at work the other day, i discovered that there is a strain of ethanol-sensitive Drosophila (fruit flies) called cheapdate. no, i am not lying; according to this paper, cheapdate is actually an allele of amnesiac? BIOGEEK HUMOR, IT NEVER FAILS TO AMUSE ME. xD