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Reading the Tattoos on People’s Faces
- awt 17y agoPerhaps my beard is a sign of my commitment to geekdom?
- ars 17y agoThe article was better than the title would indicate.
- tokenadult 17y ago"(Gambetta dryly notes that many of these strategies work in another environment with a stable population and forced attendance: school.)" Indeed. I think economist David Friedman noted in one of his books that posting as a tough guy is a good social strategy in school just as it is in prison, but is often a poor social strategy in environments of free association.
- jackfoxy 17y ago"... posting as a tough guy is a good social strategy in school just as it is in prison" So here's a connection to another recent post http://thenextweb.com/2009/11/28/chat-hacker-hacked-blog/ http://thenextweb.com/2009/11/28/chat-hacker-hacked-blog/ (17 year old hacker). Is the public school system, pretty much universal around the globe now, a breeding ground for sociopathic behavior because of compulsory attendance?
- tokenadult 17y agoIs the public school system, pretty much universal around the globe now, a breeding ground for sociopathic behavior because of compulsory attendance? I have entertained that thought. It is difficult to sort out all the different aspects of causation of crime, but voluntary school attendance (once the worldwide norm) seems to be better for building cohesive societies than compulsory school attendance.
- ericb 17y agoAnyone have good game theory book recommendations? This book was enjoyable, although it dragged here and there: http://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Dilemma-William-Poundstone/dp/038541580X http://www.amazon.com/Prisoners-Dilemma-William-Poundstone/d...
- gort 17y agoStory mentions "The Strategy of Conflict" by Schelling, which is indeed worth a look.
- ericb 17y agoOne highlight in the Prisoner's Dilema was the concept of letting the opponent see you "throw the steering wheel out the window" during a game of chicken. I wonder if you could create a company around this idea. Call it "Final Offer, Inc." The company would offer contracts that "throw the steering wheel out the window" when negotiating. How it works: I sign an agreement with Final Offer that obligates me to pay Final Offer 100% of the contract price if this is not the final offer. Or a software company's sales department takes out a Final Offer contract to certify that this pricing is the lowest it can offer for 8 months. The customer is then provided with Final Offer certification they can show when submitting the offer.
- tokenadult 17y agogood game theory book recommendations? Game Theory and Strategy by Philip D. Straffin http://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Mathematical-Association-America-Textbooks/dp/0883856379 http://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Mathematical-Association-Amer... is a classic introductory text that lights up interest in game theory in many readers. Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction by Ken Binmore http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Short-Introduction-Introductions/dp/0199218463/ http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Short-Introduction-Introdu... is a good follow-up to Straffin's book.
- koevet 17y agoLink to the Juzo Itami movie mentioned in the article (requires registration) http://www.surrealmoviez.info/readarticle.php?article_id=16927 http://www.surrealmoviez.info/readarticle.php?article_id=169...
- dnsworks 17y agoThe idea that facial tattoos mean "this person expects to spend his life in prison" is ridiculous. I know a dozen programmers with neck and facial tattoos, one of whom is also a VC-funded entrepreneur in Seattle. I bet the closest any of them have gotten to prison is in a video game.
- ebneter 17y agoWhich actually proves the article's point -- the criminal fraternity have to try even harder to distinguish themselves from the mainstream. I'll bet, however, that the programmers you know with facial tattoos look more like this: http://freshfunnypictures.com/funny-pictures/2113/facial-tattoo.jpg http://freshfunnypictures.com/funny-pictures/2113/facial-tat... than like this: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0130063tattoo1.jpg http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0130063tattoo1.jp...
- bmalicoat 17y agoI was sure you were gonna post this guy as your second example: http://www.splcenter.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/curtis-1.jpg http://www.splcenter.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/cur... Seriously what type of life can you expect to have looking like that? It's not like it was a snap decision either, that much work would take a lot of time. This guy definitely went above and beyond to differentiate himself from ordinary people who have tattoos.
- ebneter 17y agoHeh ... I looked for that one but couldn't find it in a brief search. A classic example, for sure.
- randallsquared 17y agoWhich actually proves the article's point What would be evidence against?
- michaelneale 17y agoGetting tired of feeling obliged to make meta comments like this: Hacker News? please if you can flag it, flag it. This is getting worse lately.