Author: Digital Citizen

Definition: Optimal Stopping Theorem, Nerd Sniping, Negativity Threshold

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Three beautiful concepts today, with equally beautiful uses!

 

Optimal Stopping Theorem

also known as Early Stopping Theorem

A theorem concerned with the problem of choosing a time to take a particular action, in order to maximise an expected reward or minimise an expected cost (i.e. optimal time to stop something, like dating for best chance at permanent or true love). Also widely used in statistics, economics, and mathematical finance. (Wikipedia)

 

Nerd Sniping

presenting someone, often a mathematician/physicist with a time consuming problem or challenge (often impossible to solve or complete) in the hopes of it appealing to a person’s obsessive tendencies, and/or cause harm from the distraction created.

 

Negativity Threshold

when the wife becomes so frustrated by her husband that she responds very negatively (low threshold is secret to a lasting relationship)

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1215821480547799040

Definition: Automaticity and Commercial Racial Profiling

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Automaticity is new word learned #17 in 2020. A fancy word for something like reactive instincts (one which could be trained), but not exactly that term, so that’s why there is a term for it, I suppose. 🙂

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1214691953197105155

 

And commercial racial profiling, or actions resulting from racial profiling in a commercial (retail) setting, is absolutely disgusting. As with anything, though, there is a continuum from mild to just outright extreme. This one is the latter, and in Canada, and the more open-minded part of Canada that is the west coast, no less. To assume an Aboriginal with just $30,000 or so in his bank account has to be impossible to the point that he must be committing fraud, and call the police on him in a bank. Then to handcuff his 12 year old daughter trying to open a bank account. OMFG! I can’t imagine a worse commercial racial profiling… but that’s reality for you. Makes the imagination look pale all the time.

Just absolutely tragic, though. I hope these people face some serious consequences beyond the public apology of their organizations.

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1215378306721353748

Definition: Dose-response, Agonist, Votive

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Dose-response

magnitude of an organism’s response, as a function of exposure (or doses) to something after a certain exposure time (also called exposure-response relationship)

 

Agonist

a chemical that binds to a receptor and activates the receptor to produce a biological response

 

Votive

offered or consecrated in fulfillment of a vow

 

From an excellent article on urban design, good and bad.

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1214724474236547073

Definition: Socialboating

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Socialboating

(read “so Showboating”)

Authentic showboating on social media, as in flaunting achievements, rather than just wealth or just showing yourself in a favourable light online (social peacocking) with some mundane effort.

 

I coined this term for the pun of it, mixing social media, showboating, and just an expression that’s “so showboating” in terms of a response fairly expected from some others. I created it to inspire people to rise above “social peacocking” and flaunt about things really worth flaunting, which are achievements. That’s what I’ll be doing this year on my Facebook posts, which will be far fewer than before because it’s not easy to be achieving everyday or even every second day!

The achievements don’t have to be huge. Maybe I’ll just finish a painting (challenging to a newbie), or finish sewing (and designing) a garment, run a marathon or shorter race, etc. But I’ll be proud of it and flaunt that pride in socialboating on Facebook and other social media.

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1214712305184858112

Definition: Stele, Cylinder Seals, and Intaglio

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For the sake of fewer individual posts to share all the new vocabulary I am learning, I’ll post out of order to group similar terms for more cohesive posts. I’m keeping track of it all that I’ll share at the end of the year, though, so no worries about me cheating in my counting! 🙂

In fact, I sometimes post the wrong count and only find out upon entering in a spreadsheet that I did, like with “stele” (read sh-TEE-lee, plural Stela) that was tweeted as 014 when it was really 016. You can also check the post counts to verify I am not cheating. 🙂

These terms are from ancient Mesopotamia, though some are still in use today, just not in the same form, obviously.

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1214673136827981824

https://twitter.com/digitalcitizen/status/1214715927113162752