Links - 16th September 2016

Sex-Related Neuroanatomical Basis of Emotion Regulation Ability - "Behavioral research has demonstrated that males have a higher capability of regulating their own and others' emotions than females; however, little is known about the sex-specific brain mechanisms involved in emotion regulation ability. In the present study, we used voxel-based morphometry to investigate the neural basis underlying emotion regulation ability in a large sample of young adults. Assessment of emotion regulation ability was performed using the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale. As expected, males significantly scored higher in emotion regulation ability than females did. More importantly, we found the sex differences in the neuroanatomical basis of emotion regulation ability. Males showed a stronger positive relation between emotion regulation ability and regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In contrast, females demonstrated a stronger positive relation between emotion regulation ability and rGMV in an anatomical cluster that extends from the left brainstem to the left hippocampus, the left amygdala and the insular cortex. The present study provides the first empirical evidence regarding the sex-linked neuroanatomical correlates of emotion regulation ability. These findings may help understand why there is a higher prevalence of affective disorders in females and maladaptive behaviors in males."
This is proof that women are more emotional (and crazier) than men

Hard disk reliability examined once more: HGST rules, Seagate is alarming - "For a second year, the standout reliability leader was HGST. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Digital, HGST inherited the technology and designs from Hitachi (which itself bought IBM's hard disk division). Across a range of models from 2 to 4 terabytes, the HGST models showed low failure rates; at worse, 2.3 percent failing a year. This includes some of the oldest disks among Backblaze's collection; 2TB Desktop 7K2000 models are on average 3.9 years old, but still have a failure rate of just 1.1 percent. At the opposite end of the spectrum are Seagate disks... Newer Seagate disks also show more encouraging results. Although still young, at an average age of just 0.9 years, the 4TB HDD.15 models show a reasonably low 2.6 percent failure rate. Coupled with their low price—Backblaze says that they tend to undercut HGST's disks—they've become the company's preferred hard drive model. As before, this doesn't mean that anyone with a Seagate disk is at risk of an imminent hard disk failure (though you should always have backups!). Backblaze operates disks outside of the manufacturer's specified parameters. Significantly, most consumer-grade disks aren't intended to be heavily used 24/7; they're meant to be operational for about 8 hours a day and replaced every 3 to 5 years. Most home usage environments are likely to be lower in vibration than Backblaze's 45-disk storage pods, too. In more normal conditions, the Seagates are likely to fare much better."

2016 Hard Drive Review: Testing 61,590 Hard Drives

Islamists who preached chastity caught having sex on beach - "A pair of Islamist politicians who have advocated for chastity were caught having sex on a Moroccan beach, officials said. The lovefest between Moulay Omar Benhammad, 63, and Fatima Nejjar, 62, landed them in hot water with their Islamic Unity and Reform Movement (MUR), which is the ideological wing of the Islamic Justice and Development Party"

New York's Biggest Douchebag is Now Terrorizing Asia With His 'JewJetting' - "Whether it’s feasting on caviar and champagne in first class or staying at the most luxurious suites in Shanghai, Mumbai or Tokyo, Lee has done it all — and at little to no cost. He’s an expert in cheating the system and will always find a way to get that free upgrade."
Kate Nardi has really strange facial expressions

Congenital analgesia: The agony of feeling no pain - "One of the things I'm going to have to face soon is the fact that I won't have my left leg anymore. I've had quite a bit of surgery on my left knee in the past and it's got to the point where my doctors have told me to wait until it gives out completely. Once that occurs they're just going to have to amputate."

British Muslims marched off Easyjet flight after WhatsApp messages mistaken for 'Isis material'
"If you suspect it, report it" and security hysteria lead to racial/other profiling

Heben Nigatu — deadlydinos: When straight men are like “but if... - "When straight men are like “but if I share a locker room with a gay guy he might look at me!”
Okay leaving aside the fact that gay doesn’t mean attracted to you
And gay doesn’t mean “lacking in any sort of human decency or inability to prevent staring”
DOES THE THOUGHT OF SOMEONE LOOKING AT YOU IN A SEXUAL WAY, EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE NOT TRYING TO BE SEXUAL, MAKE YOU SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE MY STRAIGHT MALE FRIEND?
DOES IT
DOES
IT"
Okay. I'm going into the girls' locker room

The Barbie Girls - Marketplace & Online Grocery Shopping Singapore | RedMart
I thought this was some doll thing but this is the Australian sense of the word

Frozen Lobsters from Fresh Seafood
If they're frozen...

Singapore Tamil Brahmin Singles (Singapore) - Meetup - "This is a Unique Platform for all Single ladies and gentlemen from the Tamil Brahmin Community in Singapore to meet up and socialise. Who knows about the outcome?Possibilities are endless-Networking, New Friendships, Romance and more."
That's exclusive

BBC World Service - The World This Week, Turkey Takes Action in Syria - "There's been a wave of anti-American sentiment from Turks towards Americans. But this is a nation well-versed in conspiracy theories. And polls show the majority of Turks somehow believe the US was somehow involved in the failed coup. The CIA somehow or the US government...
Most of what's on TV can trace its origins back to cinema or newspapers or the novel or, of course, to radio. But [the Great British] Bakeoff and its variants are pure television, which wouldn't work in another medium. TV realised that what we audience crave is to see ourselves. Or a slightly heightened and nicer version of us, with the unruly and grumpy and unattractive and just plain boring excluded at the selection stage."

BBC World Service - The World This Week, Russian warplanes use Iranian airbase - "'Putin has perhaps wrong-footed the West again'
'I think so David. I think that basing Russian warplanes in Iran tells us one more thing about Vladimir Putin. He loves being one step ahead of the West. This element of surprise. We've seen it so many times over the last few years. He loves catching the United States off-guard. Now whether that's Russia launching cruise missiles suddenly from the Caspian Sea towards Syria. Or whether it's announcing that Russia is going to be basing its warplanes in Iran. These are things that Putin can point to. Elements of surprise. And again in his world, in his mind I would imagine, this is an example of Russia catching the US off-guard and showing it's a great power'
'See that's why they make ideal friends with Iranian leaders. They love doing the same thing'"

BBC World Service - The World This Week, Germany at Crossroads over Terror Threat - "Germany may have in effect imported terror too. I spoke to a senior intelligence source here actually a few days ago and he said to me that they are investigating, his agents are investigating 100s of reports that among refugees IS has actually sent in so-called hit squads. Teams of people posing as asylum seekers to come into Germany and prepare attacks... Another concern among the security services here. They know that IS are trying to radicalise young vulnerable asylum seekers... Many of them of course have been very traumatised by what they've gone through. They're now sitting in refugee accommodation waiting for their asylum papers to be processed. They can't work. There's not much to do. So they're very very vulnerable to radicalisation... Any suggestion of a greater role of the German military on the streets is obviously problematic for Germany given the legacy of World War II and the constitutional ban on the State deploying the army... German armed soldiers haven't deployed on the streets on home soil since the Second World War. It is the ultimate taboo to reverse that. And now it's being discussed"

Is the Internet Making Us an Angrier Society?, episode #162 of Question of the Day on Earwolf - "'I've had death threats... I've had it over 2 different articles... I said no war can be justified... nobody should go to college. The one where I said no one should go to college, a Senior at Brown sent me an email with a death threat. And I actually called Brown University's security and they're like: oh he's a Senior. Do you really want to cause him trouble? He said yeah we've had a problem with him before, he threatened a librarian. Do you really want to cause this kid a problem though? He's almost about to graduate"

People Are Pissed That Matt Bomer Is Going To Play A Trans Woman - "On social media, however, it was a much different story. Almost immediately following the Monday announcement, many expressed their frustration at Hollywood’s decision to cast Bomer, who is openly gay, in a transgender role... Both Eddie Redmayne and Jared Leto came under fire from a number of LGBT rights advocates for playing trans characters in 2015’s “The Danish Girl” and 2013’s “The Dallas Buyers Club,” respectively. It should be noted that both actors received Academy Award nominations for their roles; Leto took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2014"
Moral of the story: don't bother making movies about "minorities"
Comments: "So now a member of the LGBT community playing a member of the LGBT community isn't acceptable because he's not the right kind of LGBT community member? Even when things are going in the right direction, it's the wrong direction. SMH"
"Gay people have played straight people for years, and over the past couple years some straight actors have played gay people. They are called actors for a reason. It's because they are ACTING."
"Did any transgender actors actually audition for the role? Express any interest? And if they auditioned and Bomer auditioned for the part, do you automatically give it to the transgender actor even if Bomer gave the better performance?"
"If the role is for a straight person, does that mean only straight people can play that role? If only a deaf actor can play a deaf role, let's say the role is that of a teacher. Is someone with an education background more qualified to play that role? Should Laverne Cox only be considered for transgender roles?"

Teenage girl killed herself amid fears she would be branded racist over joke photo she sent friends, inquest hears - "The image was shared beyond the private group and Miss Connop feared their would be a backlash, the inquest heard. She died on July 7 after committing suicide at her family home"
Political correctness/SJW has now claimed at least one life

Social Justice Warriors Push Teen to Suicide - "Extremists of every stripe resort to indiscriminate violence, while moderates and innocent bystanders—including sympathizers to the social justice movement—are made victims based on the color of their skin or socioeconomic status... I was fully immersed in the social justice movement at the time—before I realized that it was more of a cult than an actual cause. I know how bad the culture is now, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get upset when people branded me a racist. And when you’re fully immersed in groupthink, the last thing you want is to be socially ostracized by your peers and disconnected from your only support network. It is a culture of fear... Phoebe Collop isn’t even the first victim of this culture of fear. In 2015, a fan artist who drew illustrations of her favorite characters in the cartoon show, Steven Universe, was bullied into attempting suicide. The artist, who went by the name Zamii, was accused by the Steven Universe and Homestuck fandoms—which are heavily immersed in social justice rhetoric—of racism, transphobia, fatphobia, ableism, and a litany of other sins. She came under fire for drawing an anime character with slightly slanted eyes and yellow skin, and again for drawing a “Native American” Fluttershy from the popular My Little Pony cartoon that was accused of being “stereotypical.” The complaints turned from a trickle into a torrent when she drew Rose Quartz, a Steven Universe character, with slightly less body fat than the official character. And the transphobia she was accused of? It’s because she called someone who identified as gender-neutral “dude.” No number of apologies on her part would get the bullying to stop. In all, over 40 Tumblr blogs and countless social media accounts were created to smear her reputation and brand her a bigot. When one of the show’s creators spoke up on her behalf, he was immediately bombarded with comments accusing him of apologia. He deleted the tweet, and Zamii found herself without any support. So she attempted suicide. Fortunately, she survived the attempt."