Isabel

During the 16th century Ming Dynasty, the Chinese blew powdered smallpox scabs up the noses of the healthy, who would develop a mild case of the disease before becoming immune to it. Source

When Zach Galifianakis was a struggling actor he befriended an elderly woman who lived and worked at his local laundromat. Once he became successful, he got her an apartment, paid her rent and utilities, and took her to movie premieres. Source

Scientists have found a way to “switch off” autoimmune diseases by converting cells that attack healthy tissue into cells that protect against disease. This incredible breakthrough has the potential to save the lives of millions of people. Source

Psychologists say that “trying not to think about it” will only make things worse because suppressed thoughts, cravings, or emotions fight back and become stronger. A more successful method is to accept these feelings and find other distractions. Source

If your storage limit is pretty crummy, you can buy flash drives shaped like little pieces of toast, and a USB toaster hub to keep them warm. Source

Ontem o Ibope soltou mais uma pesquisa eleitoral e o Estadão publicou esses interessantes dados de associação entre candidatos e segmentos econômicos:



Não me pareceu ter nenhum sentido a ordem dos gráficos no quadro acima. Olhando cada um individualmente, a gente tira conclusões isoladas. Como a própria manchete do jornal diz: "Petista é mais associada a bancos que rivais". Tentei então fazer algum agrupamento, já que os dados seriam mais interessantes se a gente soubesse interpretar essas associações em conjunto. O resultado é esse gráfico:



E de onde eu tirei essa ordem?

Vamos lá, a soma dos percentuais é praticamente constante, deve haver então duas dimensões que predominam nesses dados (2 = número de candidatos - 1). Eu gostaria de saber qual a carga de cada candidato nessas duas dimensões. Rodei (por conta e risco) uma ferramenta da Análise Multivariada chamada Componentes Principais e obtive os seguintes pesos:

Componente 1 (70% da variação): Dilma (0,471); Marina (-0,687); Aécio (0,553)
Componente 2 (30% da variação): Dilma (0,774); Marina (0,022); Aécio (-0,633)

Hã...? E o que isso quer dizer? É mais ou menos isso: a primeira componente é um contraste entre a Marina de um lado (valor negativo) e uma média de Dilma e Aécio do outro (valores próximos e positivos); a segunda componente é um contraste somente entre Dilma e Aécio. Eles têm sinais opostos e a Marina tem praticamente zero de carga nessa componente. Com isso fiz um gráfico de dispersão cujo X é Marina e Y é a diferença Dilma-Aécio, e plotei cada segmento nele.



Observando o posicionamento dos itens, vemos as seguintes associações:

Marina (meio ambiente, agricultura, jovens e pobres);
Dilma (pobres, trabalhadores, aposentados, funcionalismo e comércio);
Aécio (comércio, indústria, financeiro e ricos).

Ordenei os setores conforme essas associações e fiz o gráfico de barras abaixo:



O resultado final foi aquele primeiro gráfico. Observe que como a componente 1 é a que explica 70% da variação, esse gráfico é praticamente o ranking conforme o % de Marina.

Puxa, me surpreendi com essa análise, para mim fez bastante sentido esses agrupamentos. E para você, é muita viagem?

Até
Roberto

The American pronunciation and spelling of “squirrelled” make it the longest one-syllable word in the English language. Source

In 1983, Marvel published a comic book called “Spider-Ham,” featuring Peter Porker. Source

About 50% of the genetic material found in the human gut doesn’t match anything that’s ever been classified (animals, plants, bacteria, etc) and biologists don’t know what it really is. Source

A recent study shows that people who sit for prolonged periods can help prevent serious health problems by taking a 5 minute walk once an hour. Source

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Canada since before Twitter even existed. Source

The NFL was paid $400 million to have players use Microsoft Surface tablets during broadcasts, but they mistakenly gained more exposure for Apple because the announcers kept calling them iPads. Source

Jim Carrey had never heard of Doctor Who when he was offered the role of the 8th doctor. He declined because he thought fans would be outraged if the part wasn’t played by a fan of the show. Source

In 2009, the US Mint offered free shipping with the purchase of the new $1 coin, which was sold at face value. People charged them to cards that would gain frequent flyer miles, then used the coins they bought to pay their credit card bills. Source

If you laugh when you get tickled, you’re actually experiencing a form of panic. Source

Bill Nye the Science Guy designed an improved version of ballet shoes after noticing the bloody feet of en pointe dancers. Source

Spaghetti carbonara used to be considered a “poor man’s dish” because peasants were sure to always have pasta, bacon, cheese, and eggs on hand. Source

An 11-year-old boy bent down to wash his hands in China’s Laozhoulin River and discovered a 3,000-year-old bronze sword from either the Shang or Zhou dynasty. Source

Two doctors on a British Airways flight performed a surgery on a woman with a collapsed lung by using a urinary catheter, a wire hanger, a half-filled bottle of Evian, and some 5-star brandy from first class. They not only saved her life, but she was back to normal within 15 minutes. Source

Disney recreated the intro of “DuckTales” using real ducks. Source

The original Ghostbusters trailer was a “commerical” with a 1-800 number that led to a recording of Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd. The number reportedly received 1,000 calls an hour, 24 hours a day, for 6 weeks straight. Source

An atheist airman was denied re-enlistment for crossing out “so help me God” on his contract. The Air Force reportedly told him he would have to either recite the oath and sign the contract without adjustment, or leave the Air Force. Source

When a man from Brazil was born with an upside-down head, doctors told his mother to let him starve to death. He is now an accountant and inspirational public speaker. Source

When the Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986, 3 men dove into contaminated waters to prevent a massive explosion that could have spewed radioactive materials across parts of Europe, saving countless lives. When they resurfaced, they were already suffering from radiation sickness and died soon after. Source

A bite from the Brazilian wandering spider can give men an uncomfortable erection that lasts for hours. Source

Freddie Mercury reportedly dressed Princess Diana in drag and snuck her into a gay bar in the late 1980s. Disguised as a male model, she went completely unnoticed and enjoyed a night on the town. Source

Statistics show that people who take the Myers-Briggs personality test have a 50% chance of falling into a different category if they retake it 5 weeks later. Source

German photographer Birk Möbius captured a photo of lightning striking a plane inside a rainbow. Source

Draven Rodriguez, a student at Schenectady High School in upstate New York, has a dream for his senior yearbook: that it will include this professional photo of him and his cat, Mr. Bigglesworth, and lasers. “I’m not trying to make any statement,” Rodriguez told The Daily Gazette, “other than my photo is ridiculous and this is how I am.”

Rodriguez had been planning the photo since his junior year. He wants, simply, to be remembered.

"I don’t want to go in the yearbook with the generic ‘I-look-like-everyone-else’ photo," he told the Gazette. "I wanted a ‘He looks great. Only he would try that’ photo."

He has preemptively started an online petition to allow for the photo’s inclusion in the forthcoming edition of the school’s yearbook, though the school hasn’t necessarily said he can’t yet. They have said that they will not allow for the photo to run in the portraits section.

"That will not appear in the portrait section," Karen Corona, a school district spokeswoman, told the Gazette. "There are other places in the yearbook where those photos can be placed."

The teen appears to be content with the school’s decision, telling the Gazette, “I can work with that.”

(via Gawker Teen Just Wants This Photo of Him and His Cat in the Yearbook)