GinohnNews

G: We got our dog on Monday! We named her Katy! She's great! We love her! She's a very very good dog. She passed her exams at the vet too. We still have to get her spayed.

We've been on lots of walks and she stays very close by. She and Mango are getting along already. She has settled in quickly. She is very cuddly. She loves to snuggle and rest her head on your lap.

The vet said she was a great dog. I thought she might be a dachshund mix but he and other folks have suggested corgi, and that makes sense. She's had play dates with Tevia and the neighbor's dogs Jasmine and Sadie. She loves everybody (so far).

What else. I went with Rich and Izolda to Zenip's birthday party Friday night and had a really  nice time. Maugy and Sonya brought their new copy of the Codex Seraphinianus, which has been reprinted in Italy. So instead of paying $500 for one on ebay, you can get it "in" Italian for around $150. Lots of people had fun looking through it. I chatted mostly with Sonya and with Kevin H.

We went to Rich's birthday party Saturday night. Izolda made Ethiopian food that was really good, plus lots of other yummy yummy food. I ate a lot. We had a good time.

Tuesday night I headed over to Franklin's after my evening class to meet up for another celebration of Rich - on his actual birthday. I stole some of Rich's beer. He didn't notice. I only had a few sips. Again, nice time. Happy Birfday, Rich!

Hey - we have a dog. YAY!

J: I saw Idiocracy a week ago.

[MILD SPOILERS AHEAD]

The movie is based on the paranoid premise that since stupid people tend to have more children, humanity is breeding itself into a moronic morass.

Of course, being the nerd I am, I couldn't just relax and watch the comedy without thinking about it seriously. I thought, What about the Flynn effect?

The Flynn effect is actually a measured observance that humans, on average, are getting more--not less--intelligent with each new generation. Our species' average IQ goes up by 3 points every decade.

But my incredibly wily and willing sense of disbelief finally kicked in (days later, but still, it did kick in) and I thought, Hold on a tick. What if the Flynn effect were just a Lake Wobegon effect on a massive scale?

The Lake Wobegon effect is the common tendency of people to overestimate their abilities in relation to the average.

So, maybe in our overconfidence, we humans are measuring higher IQ's, but the tests are getting easier. That explains the tests in the movie, I guess, where people were having difficulty putting square pegs into round holes.

Anyhow, the movie is a funny, silly exploration of the Flynnbegone effect. Enjoy.