Links - 16th January 2013

Is driving more dangerous than flying through ash? - ""The safety of air passengers is of paramount importance." So spoke Gordon Brown this week, defending the flight restrictions that have been put in place due to the volcanic ash cloud. And could he really have said anything else? Has any leader every claimed that the safety of the people is his second priority? However, the ethics of risk is not as straightforward as the rhetoric of "paramount importance" suggests... On the one hand, the most rational policy is to do whatever will be most effective in reducing risks. On the other, it is more democratic to take only the kinds of risks the populace is willing to take, valuing lives lost in the developing world less than lives lost on the road, which are in turn valued less than those lost in the air. So which is more ethical, the rational or the democratic choice?"

A Sleep Battle of the Sexes - WSJ.com - "Women tend to have more deep sleep and awaken fewer times during the night than men do. They also weather some of the effects of a lack of sleep better than men, according to recent studies. Still, men overall say they are more satisfied with the amount and quality of their shut-eye than are women. Getting enough sleep is an important factor in maintaining overall health. Scientists are increasingly focusing on gender differences in sleep, seeking clues about why women are more likely to suffer insomnia, for instance. Some researchers suggest that differences in sleep patterns could help explain why women live longer than men... Most people regularly sleep with a partner, and some research has shown that people wake up more and have less deep sleep when they sleep with another person. Still, people generally say they are more satisfied with their sleep when they are with a loved one... While mothers of young children often feel like they get no sleep, Dr. Buysee says the research doesn't bear that out. "This isn't going to be popular, but some studies show that mothers get more sleep than fathers"... Women may be better able to cope with sleep deprivation than are men, probably because they get more deep sleep"

The next feminist issue is sleep…or not | Laura Vanderkam - "It sounds like a good story. Unfortunately, it’s completely untrue... Despite Leive and Huffington’s assertion that women often feel that “they still don’t ‘belong’ in the boys-club atmosphere that still dominates many workplaces” and so “they often attempt to compensate by working harder and longer than the next guy,” married moms who work full-time clock about 6.5 fewer hours of work per week than married dads who work full-time... So why do these stats get repeated by very smart women? There is the danger of thinking one’s own personal experience is universal, of course, and a woman who runs a major magazine and a woman who runs a major website have very different careers than the average woman. They, personally, may not sleep that much. But also, these stats allow women to paint themselves as victims, and to complain, rather than owning up to their own choices. As a culture, we’ve developed a narrative that moms put everyone else first and hence have no time for sleep because it makes us feel holier-than-thou and makes us feel better about not doing things by allowing us to claim that we don’t have time to do them. The truth is that we just don’t want to make them a priority. Moms who work full-time spend more time watching television than they do caring for their kids. Even for moms who aren’t in the workforce, the TV and childcare figures are close"

AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY -- 2011 RESULTS - "On the days that they worked, employed men worked 47 minutes more than employed women...
Of those who engaged in leisure activities, men spent more time in these activities (5.8 hours) than did women (5.2 hours)...
Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time (2.8 hours per day)...
Employed adults living in households with no children under age 18 engaged in leisure activities for 4.5 hours per day, an hour more than employed adults living with a child under age 6"

Do we live in a computer simulation? UW researchers say idea can be tested

A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Security at the Naval Postgraduate School - "the school is receiving almost negligible benefits for the substantial incurred costs to reduce the risk of attack. This fact is largely due to the near zero risk before and after the post-September 11 security measures were implemented."

3 bizarre part-time jobs: Man-boy for AV, balloon watcher and fake wedding guest - "We’ve already reported on “cuddle cafe” workers, a career censoring genitalia, and a job scouting potential vending machine locations"

Japan Sees Surge in Aspiring Adult Film Actresses Over Decade, “6000 Girls Debut Every Year” - ""While there were always spots open for amateurs in the 90s, now it’s said only 15 out of 100 aspiring actresses can get a role and the rest are turned away at the door. It’s just like applying for a part-time job at a convenience store"... While the adult video industry is known for being recession-proof, Nakamura points out that not all applicants are in it for the money: “One girl had been working for a major bank for one or two years and had begun to feel unsure if it was the right career choice for her. She likes sex and realized she could be an AV actress, and told me she was really happy with her career change”... And, despite the nature of the work, a strong academic or educational background is valued by producers when trying to sift through so many applicants. “Girls from top-tier colleges are often chosen over those who have a weak academic background,” spoke Nakamura. “Those with credentials and a job are also more likely to make the cut, especially teachers and nurses.” Wait…so you mean those are actually REAL nurses in Giant-Breasted Nurse Hell 2!?!? (Actual title)"

Indonesian Middle School Workbook Tests Students’ Knowledge of Famous Japanese Porn Star - " Known as “Miyabi” by local fans, Ozawa is so popular in the country that she has even appeared in two non-pornographic Indonesian films, one of which, titled Menculik Miyabi (“Kidnapping Miyabi”), is a comedy about two teenage Indonesia fans who kidnap Maria Ozawa while she’s vacationing in Indonesia only to end up learning valuable lessons about life, love and, most importantly, friendship... The workbook was for an English class and features a photo of Ozawa (wearing clothes) alongside two animals and an Indonesian actor. The workbook asked students to write a short question and answer dialogue with the person in the picture....

Little did they know it was too late: it was reported that nearly all of the students who saw the photo were able to identify Ozawa immediately."

[GPGT]This sinkie zeh zeh looking for a bf now. You all okay to be her bf ? - www.hardwarezone.com.sg - ""Miss Zoe Teh, 29, a graduate from the Singapore Management University, has been single for the past two years... "I find it difficult. Here, few men come up and chat to you. Even when I go for coffee, no one really bothers to say hello or be friendly," she said, comparing her experience in Australia where she lived for some time. Even at parties here, she said, they do not make the first move to approach her... "I am very open about meeting new people, but it's not easy"... So what does she look for in a man? Someone who is attractive, stable, with a university degree and manages his finances well"
In other words, she doesn't want to approach men and wants men to hit on her more often. Perhaps when she was 24 she complained they hit on her too often
Someone: "Maybe she didn't want to hire an accountant for her beauty parlour, so..."

“These Boots Are Made for Walking”: Why Most Divorce Filers Are Women - "Filing behavior can be interpreted as either an attempt to leave a bad situation or an attempt to leave the marriage with a disproportionate share of the marital property. Outside of the custody variables in our regressions, we find little evidence for the exploitation theory and more for the appropriation one... Our results are consistent with our hypothesis that filing behavior is driven by self-interest at the time of divorce. Individuals file for divorce when there are marital assets that may be appropriated through divorce, as in the case of leaving when they have received the benefit of educational investments such as advanced degrees. However, individuals may also file when they are being exploited within the marriage, as when the other party commits a major violation of the marriage contract, such as cruelty. Interestingly, though, cruelty amounts to only 6% of all divorce filings in Virginia. We have found that who gets the children is by far the most important component in deciding who files for divorce, particularly when there is little quarrel about property, as when the separation is long."
In other words, where custody is not an issue, women divorce not to escape bastards but to appropriate their husbands' assets

Cat caught sneaking saw, mobile phone into Brazil prison - "It's tough to find out who's responsible for the action as the cat doesn't speak"

Man raped by four women, police say - "After the rape, the women allegedly said to the victim: "Welcome to the world of Aids"... a 39-year-old East Rand man claimed to have been sexually assaulted by three women who then told him: "Welcome to the world of Aids." In December last year, an 18-year-old man was allegedly forced to have sex with three women on the East Rand."

Poll: Are ‘drunken’ stereotypes about Irish people a problem?
Comment: "I don’t think it’s the “drunken Paddy” stereotype that’s the problem it’s the drunken Paddys that are the problem."
"A 2009 Irish Health Board Report showed that 54 percent of respondents (about 2.14 million adults out of a population of 4.2 million) engage in harmful or risky drinking each year, compared to a European average of 28 percent."

Poke - CodeFromThe70s.org - "Poke is the ultimate gaming utility. It's a small program that allows you to cheat in every game out there - published or to be published in the future... Poke will most likely work with any game out there. Some games may be tougher to fool than others, and some may have what looks like active protection against outside tampering. Diablo II, and old game, is one of these beasts. The creators store critical values in two separate memory locations - and if there is a mismatch between the two, the lower one will be automatically copied to the other location. But worry not!"
Wow, this is so much better than Cheat 'O Matic. Of course, it's also 11 years newer

Eight features Windows 8 borrowed from Linux

Authority Orientations and Democratic Attitudes: A Test of the ‘Asian Values’ Hypothesis - "Drawing upon the newest wave of the World Values Survey, we analyze public opinion in six East Asian nations and four Western democracies. We first assess orientations toward authority, and then link these sentiments to support for democracy. The results contradict the core tenets of the ‘culture is destiny’ argument in the Asian values literature, and offer a more positive view of the prospects for political development in the region."