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What Can We Learn From Men Who Claim They Have "Learned"? (Hint: "That They Need To Be Schooled" Is Not That Off)

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eff it...let's get a taco.
11/03/08

In reply to
Also, Isn't Geena Davis really smart. I remember reading that she is a mensa brainiac a few years back.
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Saltine
11/04/08

@musetta82: yep
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Jack_Burton
11/03/08

In reply to
Even though I live ~400 mi from LA, I like those odds.
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newscience
11/03/08

In reply to
That "Math Doesn't Suck" book actually drove me crazy. I think it's super patronizing to sell math to girls via examples from cooking and shopping. That said, if it gets more women into math and science, I'm all for admitting that the ends justify the means. The book just really rubs me the wrong way.
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ucelluccia
11/03/08

@newscience: Doesn't that position kind of imply that cooking and shopping are things girls should avoid, then? Like, I haven't ever heard an easier way to "get" percentages than to compare it to shopping. And you know what? Her books are fun and lightly written, and they're entertaining in a way math textbooks aren't. So if they work, who cares what examples she's using?
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remedios
11/03/08

In reply to
Her equation for getting a date doesn't quite work (but I'd blame Esquire, not her).

Chances of getting a date with Danica McKellar = 3(integrity) + 2(wit) + 3(passion) ÷ (miles you live from L. A.) + (# of bad habits) + 85

Since the division only applies to passion / miles, the equation has the person adding in bad habits as increasing likelihood of a date. I doubt that was the intention.
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Jack_Burton
11/03/08

@remedios: Egad... You are right!

I think the correct linear notation might be:

÷((miles you live from L.A.) + (# of bad habits) + 85)

I'm not a big fan of math, but have been using it more in programming lately...
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JinxyMcDeath
11/03/08

In reply to
My best friend went to HS with Natalie Portman. My BF (who is now a doctor) was a year ahead of her in HS, and yet Natalie was in her SENIOR AP CALCULUS class as a Junior. She apparently aced it. And that's a huge reason why I love her.
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the.bleach
11/03/08

In reply to
I saw her on Oprah and she just sort of blinked a lot. I admire her for allying herself with a good cause, but I have a feeling Blossom could out-genius Winnie any day.
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gold_gato
11/03/08

@the.bleach: ah, maybe she gets a touch of stage fright.. Oprah is a big show! If I were on, I'd probably blink a lot too, if only because I was mezmorized (sp) by Oprah's magic makeup..
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Penny
11/03/08

In reply to
Also, that photo really bugs me.
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mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it
11/03/08

@Archetype: It is indeed annoying but when the alternative is Paris Hilton maybe we have to be a little more flexible, though it is hardly ideal and I feel something central is lost. She could have done 'pretty and intelligent' thing without verging on well the slutty school teacher, however.
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BiBiVirtue
11/03/08

In reply to
If you pose with your tits out.....
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ucelluccia
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: ...you can't be good at math? Or successful? Or ... you have absolutely every right to do so? Or...you may have to field awkward questions?

What's the end of that sentence?
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BiBiVirtue
11/03/08

@ucelluccia: See above.
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ucelluccia
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: So...I am confused. Because she is an attractive girl, comfortable enough with her body to be photographed in "sexy" outfits, she should expect little to no respect from a magazine who interviewed who for the "smart women" article? And we should condone that? My oh my, all those trampy sluts with math degrees and successful careers...
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scullymurphy
11/03/08

In reply to
I think Duchovny might be a hidden celebrity smart guy. I don't know about genius, though...
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DoNotStalk loves Jason Bateman
11/03/08

@scullymurphy: I don't think it's hidden at all. Him or Jeff Goldblum, who I would happily pay to see in sexy librarian glasses, with a number two pencil sticking out of their mouths.
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fizzyg
11/03/08

@scullymurphy: Personally I think genius is getting thrown around a bit haphazardly here. I don't doubt that these women are very intelligent, but earning a bachelors degree in a field and writing an honors thesis doesn't necessarily make you a genius.
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scullymurphy
11/03/08

@fizzyg: Right - a degree from an ivy league plus a successful acting career does not genius make!
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Penny
11/03/08

In reply to
So, only attractive women?
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bowleserised
11/03/08

@Archetype: Esquire attractive too. Kudos to Danica, but I'm not sure this is the fourth wave of feminism...
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gold_gato
11/03/08

@Archetype: I definitely see your point, but this is where things gets sticky.. how does Esquire prove they've chosen less attractive women as well? By pointing out, hey this one's not that great, see we were fair!
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Penny
11/03/08

@gold_gato: Well, I didn't read the article. It could be that those are the two Esquire chose to list, it could be that Danika simply knows her audience.

My point had less to do with the fact that the women were attractive than the fact that no men were noted.
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63words
11/03/08

In reply to
Yeah, the questions are pretty lame, but in a way, I almost want to pass this article out with a note saying "SEE, BEING SMART DOES NOT MAKE YOU LESS PRETTY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE YOUR BOYFRIEND FEEL LIKE HE IS SMARTER THAN YOU - HE WILL STILL WANT TO BONE YOU EVEN IF YOU ARE AWESOME AT MATH OR POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF IT."
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dancingteacups
11/03/08

@63words: I totally needed to hear that today. I'm crushing on this super smart guy and I feel the need to dumb myself down so he'll like me. I am trying to resist, of course. But it's scary how ingrained that kind of behaviour is.

Sorry for the inappropriate personal threadjacking.
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rmric0.wedding.photographer.and.manny
11/03/08

In reply to
I don't think Natalie Portman qualifies as a "hidden celebrity genius." I think that her dork bona fides are fairly well publicized.
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gold_gato
11/03/08

@rmric0.is.the.liberal.media.establishment: True - I feel Natalie Portman's smart/dork-ness is brought up all the time, in every interview.
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BiBiVirtue
11/03/08

@rmric0.is.the.liberal.media.establishment: You know I don't believe it. People can shout that she's clever all they like, but I aint seen evidence. Does that count as girl on girl crime?
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: uh, she graduated from Harvard with a degree in psychology. that's not exactly "Leisure Studies" at Coolidge. good enough for me!
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BiBiVirtue
11/03/08

@pantsless economist for Δ: Brits don't have that much respect for American Universities. We're snobs, we can't help it.
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braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: Yeah, look, Oxford and Cambridge are nice, but pound-for-pound, I think they still tie with the major American heavy-hitters, especially for undergraduate studies.

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's better.
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BiBiVirtue
11/03/08

@braak: No it doesn't not at all, but pound for pound SATs and A Levels are not comparable in the slightest. You can't have multiple choice exams as a way of choosing the best students.

Older doesn't mean better, but the fact that it would have cost more to study at NYU for a year (MA) than it did for my whole undergraduate degree.Too many people are priced out of university at the highest level than they are here.
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MegSpencer
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: Welllllll, aside from Harvard, she's studied five languages (I believe she's fluent in Hebrew and has conversational German as well as a couple other languages), and was published twice in professional scientific journals while a student. That's not a bad start in my book.
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Grim Reaper of the Forest
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: I have no real opinion on whether Harvard or Oxford are better, or harder schools, having gone to neither, but schools like Harvard don't weigh SAT scores as heavily as large, public universities do. They have more freedom to consider many factors, including grades, interviews, etc.
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eri401
11/03/08

@MegSpencer: Siding with BiBi here....

Those things are less an account of her "brilliance" than they are of the privilege of a pretty white girl who has been a millionaire actress most of her life.

Being published in science journals as an undergrad more likely means you were a research professor's lab assistant or had conducted components of that professor's study in class. It does not mean Natalie Portman is paving the way in science research.

And also, "fluent" is thrown around so easily. I'm wary of anyone who professes fluency in 5 languages (you don't here, but her fan sites do).

And lest anyone think this is g-on-g hate, I LOVVVEEEEE Natalie Portman. Just think her "brilliance" is overrated because (as this article proves) pretty women aren't seen as smart.
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clevernamehere
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: AP scores and A levels are much more similar than SAT scores and A levels. College admissions are less cut and dry here than they are in the UK in general anyway.

@BiBiVirtue: I'm sure Natalie is smart, but I don't think she is a genius either. A degree from an Ivy or Oxbridge makes you smart, but not Einstein. I feel like I know a lot of people as smart as her.
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MegSpencer
11/03/08

@eri401: I believe I specifically said conversational, except for Hebrew. I also didn't mean to imply she was paving the way in anything, I just find it impressive. Lots of undergrads don't end up lab assistants, and the competition for those positions at many universities can be quite fierce.

Regardless, I think it's a silly conversation. Unless we're personally acquainted with the woman, we don't really have any call to judge her intelligence. I found BiBi's comment to be overly harsh, and her/his comments on the American university system to be snobbish (although points for admitting that upfront) and overly simplistic.
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mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: Which is why many see the Irish Leaving Cert as one of the best in Europe with seven subjects required and a point system by grade and level in place. The A levels is only three subjects, right?
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mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it
11/03/08

@BiBiVirtue: The system for charting the best universities in the world (a league table)actually comes from a Japanese Uni and has recently been challenged by leading American Studies scholars as being a poor representation of university standing, despite the fact that American universities dominate it.

I suppose it really depends on what your exact criteria are.
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mepo - Robert Cornhole invented it
11/03/08

@MegSpencer: I agree considering the field she is in she is pretty remarkable. Though I can see why that might rile people. She is practically perfect.
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
11/03/08

In reply to
I'm surprised the Esquire didn't say something like, "baby, i wish i was a derivative so i could lie tangent to your curves."
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jetztinberlin
11/03/08

@pantsless economist for Δ: @ScoutFinch: I have never heard this before! Now I need to find a Top 50 Nerd Pickup Lines list.
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gold_gato
11/03/08

@pantsless economist for Δ: ohh, squared is the new ditto.
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
11/03/08

@jetztinberlin: "i'll be sin^2(x) and you be cos^2(x) and together we can be one."

If a guy actually ever said that to me, I would totally give him a chance.
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NefariousNewt
11/03/08

In reply to
Danica McKellar is awesome! I want my daughter to be that awesome when she grows up!

And here's a note to A.J. Jacobs: if you want to be a sexist moron, find another line of work, like strip club owner.
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AthertonMerriweather
11/03/08

In reply to
It pisses me off to no end that people assume because you're attractive, you're not intelligent or interested in things other than clothes and makeup. Like it's a surprise you can form opinions and be interested in politics, literature, etc...
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