Undead Astronauts

1. If you’re a single guy looking for a girl, you might prefer to live in an area where there are lots of single girls relative to single guys. If so, then according to this chart, you’d probably like to live in Massachusetts where the ratio is around 51% of guys to girls. Only Delaware is lower and just slightly at that. The chart is also interesting because it shows only 5 states in the US with the ratio trending upwards with more men. The reason the majority of states are trending lower is that so many single women are delaying marriage.
2. A new study reports that hetero guys are signaling strength when they dance. The same researchers had previously reported that girls preferred the dance moves of males who were more symmetric (an indication of gene quality). The new study indicates that dance also signals strength to other guys who see them dance.

Researchers at Northumbria University filmed 30 males, aged 19-37, as they danced to a basic drum rhythm. Participants also completed a fitness test and assessments of upper and lower body strength. The dance clips were converted into virtual humanoid characters (avatars) and rated by women and men on perceived dance and physical qualities. The ratings were then correlated with various biomechanical indices.

The results showed that both sexes found significant positive associations between an individual’s hand grip strength and their perceived dance quality, these qualities were picked up by the size and vigour of the movements of the upper body and arms.

I’m slightly skeptical of their results from seeing how they conducted their previous study, but it’s at least plausible. I’ve certainly been impressed at how much strength and control certain bboy moves require.

One of the coolest marketing experiments I’ve ever heard of. There had to be some ringers in there though. I mean, how likely is it that you would randomly come across multiple people that could correctly mimic power moves like freezes, windmills, flares, and 1990s? I mean seriously.

As part of a experiment conducted in South Korea, a Coca-Cola vending machine coaxed people to copy the dance moves of the country’s popular boy band 2 PM, in order to score free soft drinks.

Thanks to Microsoft Kinect technology, the machine registers what the dancers do — and the more moves they copy correctly, the more Cokes the machine doles out.

Watch as everyone from teens to toddlers try to keep up with the rapid-fire movements, including some impressive breakdancing.

Via 8asians.

Not the most believable short, but it was cute at least.

Is this the start of something big?

1. 90% of Asian schoolkids are nearsighted. That’s insane.

2. Some very original tutting to dubstep by two south Asians. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen hair tutting before.

3. Narrative science improves. While previously relegated to sports tickers, advances may broaden the horizon of computer written news.

4. In 10 years, will our brains be wired for browsing?

Season finale of LXD.