Michelangelo's David secret weapon and buyers coaxed into spending |
• In the 1950s, the top 25 most common boy's names and the top 50 girl's names accounted for half of babies born. Today, however, those top names are given to fewer babies. [...] 'The more diverse naming styles become, the more we are going to read into somebody's name,' Wattenberg said. She analyzed baby name statistics from the U.S. Social Security Administration to calculate a measure called 'Shannon entropy' from the field of information theory. This measure is used to describe the information contained in a message - in this case, how much is communicated by the choice of a name. [...] Shannon entropy describes the relationship between how much disorder or uncertainty is associated with a certain variable, and how much information is stored in a message. The more diverse and uncertain the field of possible messages, the more information the message will contain. [...] Meeting a baby named Mary today tells you a lot more about the girl's parents than meeting a baby with the same name 50 years ago would have. And the same goes for any name you can think of :
 Baby names reveal more about parents than ever before »
• A new controversial study says Michelangelo's David is gripping the remains of a secret weapon in his right hand. - The weapon was known as fustibal, or staff sling, with a leather strap attached to the end :
Michelangelo's David Holding Secret Weapon? »
• Stores' music, lighting, 'deals' and pricing ranges can all influence what you buy. And if you want to spend less, pay in cash so you can see what you're losing :
Buyer beware - of how you're being coaxed into spending »
Author: Asterisk, for AZ10.com ~ 6 Dec 2010
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