Oskar, the INTP

My obsession with reaching self knowledge through questionnaires has culminated in me doing the Myers-Briggs test, reportedly the best and most accurate personality test available. The result: I am an INTP. This is the one personality type (out of sixteen) associated with Introversion, Intuition, Thinking and Perceiving. The other sixteen are combinations of these four qualities and their opposite components; Extroversion, Sensing, Feeling and Judging. A general description of INTP's is included below:

INTPs are pensive, analytical folks. They may venture so deeply into thought as to seem detached, and often actually are oblivious to the world around them.

Precise about their descriptions, INTPs will often correct others (or be sorely tempted to) if the shade of meaning is a bit off. While annoying to the less concise, this fine discrimination ability gives INTPs so inclined a natural advantage as, for example, grammarians and linguists.

INTPs are relatively easy-going and amenable to most anything until their principles are violated, about which they may become outspoken and inflexible. They prefer to return, however, to a reserved albeit benign ambiance, not wishing to make spectacles of themselves.

A major concern for INTPs is the haunting sense of impending failure. They spend considerable time second-guessing themselves. The open-endedness (from Perceiving) conjoined with the need for competence (NT) is expressed in a sense that one's conclusion may well be met by an equally plausible alternative solution, and that, after all, one may very well have overlooked some critical bit of data. An INTP arguing a point may very well be trying to convince himself as much as his opposition. In this way INTPs are markedly different from INTJs, who are much more confident in their competence and willing to act on their convictions.

Mathematics is a system where many INTPs love to play, similarly languages, computer systems--potentially any complex system. INTPs thrive on systems. Understanding, exploring, mastering, and manipulating systems can overtake the INTP's conscious thought. This fascination for logical wholes and their inner workings is often expressed in a detachment from the environment, a concentration where time is forgotten and extraneous stimuli are held at bay. Accomplishing a task or goal with this knowledge is secondary.

INTPs and Logic -- One of the tipoffs that a person is an INTP is his/her obsession with logical correctness. Errors are not often due to poor logic -- apparent faux pas in reasoning are usually a result of overlooking details or of incorrect context.

I think that is a pretty good description of me (and I'd know, wouldn't I?). So have you done the Myers-Briggs test before? What was the result? Was your result better then mine? Why? Am I beeing too pushy whith these questions?

If you would like to try a free online version of the test, then this one is pretty accurate, though some of the links its website are very dubious. These explanations of the types are also quite good.

Be like Oskar, don't have better things to do!

Right, so I've found another great way to procrastinate. I now regularly read about a million web-comics, so I can be sure that at least one will be updating soon ALL THE TIME. I cycle through them, waiting for one to update. This is great because I was exaggerating and really only read six of them, so I end up re-reading them several times every day.

That said, I do think that some of the best humor around these days can be found in online comics.
I will once again provide you with a list (listing has become my 'thing' if you haven't noticed), this time of some of my favorite web-comics. Hopefully you will also like them and start wasting your life too!

Dr McNinja: My favorite comic at the moment. It combines some brilliant meme-trend-setting material, with bizarre circumstances, plenty of 'in' jokes and some decent art. Also, it's about a doctor who comes from a long line of Irish ninja and his 10 year old, mustache sporting, sharp shooting sidekick called Gordito, who rides a raptor called Yoshi.
Check it out at: http://drmcninja.com

XKCD:
Old favorite of mine, I have been reading this comic since about half way through year 11. Might be a bit mathsy for some, but usually a good read. Some really clever stuff too, which is contrasted by the very simple drawings, mostly sick figures.
One of my favorites: http://xkcd.com/435/

Dinosaur Comics:
I've had mixed responses about this one. Perhaps its a bit too nerdy, even for the people who are nerdy enough to talk to me. It features the same images in every comic strip, with the writing altered each time. It has some good jokes about linguistics, literature and philosophy as well as a smattering of less intellectual jokes about sex, eating and cephalods.
Couldn't find my favorite, but this one is pretty good. Be sure to read the text when you hover your mouse over the image. http://www.qwantz.com/archive/000298.html

Saturday Mornin Breakfast Cereal:
I've only started reading this one recently, but it is quickly making its way up my list of favorites. It usually features a scene designed to give you one impression, then turns your idea of what's going on around with a second scene or sometimes just an additional sentence displayed below the comic.
This one's great: http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1481#comic

Least I Could Do:
This one has its ups and downs; I really enjoy the superhero/starwars refferences and Rayne's (the main character) spontaneous actions, however it sometimes takes its more risque' jokes too far and can be downright disturbing. Not for the easily offended.
http://least.coulddo.com

Hope you like them too.

New Calculus Theme.

So, I've started to see the absolute brilliance of maths. I've always found it kind of interesting, but the stuff we're doing at uni is so awesome that I am seriously considering straying away from my intended physics life pathway. If only mathematicians got to help design the most powerful machines in the world...
Anyway, I've got a new banner (don't criticize it yet, I'm not finished) and name for the blog (which I'm planning to start updating regularly again).

In the spirit of all this, I've found a limerick that is mind bogglingly perfect:

Here it is:

Which, of course, translates to:

Integral t-squared dt
from 1 to the cube root of 3
times the cosine
of three pi over 9
equals log of the cube root of 'e'.

And it's correct, too.