Apr. 16th, 2010

jack: (Default)
Something that is for no particular reason incredibly annoying is some of the features of wii fit step plus. The idea is, you step on and off the balance board to the rhythm. However, there are two different rhythms, the music, and the "chrip" made whenever you step. You are absolutely required to keep time with the FIRST rhythm. Guess whether they made the SECOND rhythm louder than the first?

Also, experiments with rats have shown that counterintuitively but truly, an inconsistent reward for an action can be MORE addictive than a reliable reward. Presumably it trips some sort of "I need to pay attention to this" instinct, whereas reliable things you can relax about as they're already in hand. Thus is EVERY step on the balance board registers, the game is relaxing and fun. If 90% register, and the game randomly stops for 4 seconds at unpredictable intervals, it's aggravating!

I should stipulate that I am aware that some things can be annoying, whilst also being natural, justified and/or inevitable. Things I am actually entitled to have fixed, I act on in a more direct way. Things that I am NOT entitled to have fixed, but aggravate me anyway, I rant about on the internet.
jack: (Default)
When I last went abroad I had a helpful list of embassy addresses, EHIC numbers, contingency plans for BA strikes, etc, etc. I read the scandal of Peter Watts being beaten at the American/Canadian border. But NOT on my list of things likely to go wrong was "all planes grounded due to volcano in Iceland and stuck in wrong country", which has now happend (but fortunately I'm working at home).

My extreme sympathies to everyone stuck in the wrong country.

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