…while maintaining an impression of desirability? I discussed this subject with Mark a few months ago in an attempt to come up with a believable story. He suggested that the heroine be young (ignorant of “the rules”) and bold. Can such a person still be feminine, whatever that means?
Perhaps through a change in demeanor as the relationship progresses?

I was poking around the Web for a scientific perspective when I came across a paper entitled Self-promotion as a risk factor for women: The costs and benefits of counterstereotypical impression management. You can’t get closer than that! The paper was published in 1998, and has since garnered 56 citations which I will need to sift through. I shall be grateful to anybody who tells me which ones are worth reading.

Note to self for another entry: What qualities do males and females look for in a mate?

After a brief round of auditions, we landed two diligent actresses. I will reveal their identities in a few days! We intend to shoot early May; preparations are underway. Watch this space…

A 41-year-old computer techician places an ad on the Internet for a well-built male prepared to be slaughtered and then consumed. And he finds a volunteer. Then they actually go through with it!
Although not a subject I want to directly make a film about, you can’t help but take interest in case like this (BBC article). Apparently Mr. Meiwes developed a childhood fantasy of being a cannibal after watching horror movies. He also came from an unhappy family. I find it noteworthy that the “transaction” is alleged to be consensual.

The question that interests me most is whether cannibalism is a natural phenomenon. I doubt it; why kill off your own species when there are plenty to feed off? Furthermore, it disturbs social norms for the worse; a bit like incest. Again, I am too lazy to do some proper research!

An op-ed article in the NYT today, I’m O.K., You’re Biased, reminded me of a subject I have been meaning to cover: how people deceive themselves. I can understand why humans, and animals in general, might hinder one another to get ahead, but what does one achieve through self-deception? I think the idea is that the brain ignores negative signals if it not doing so will significantly affect morale, and hence the ability to operate normally. The article repeats an interesting find I read in a book called Why We Lie by David Livingstone Smith, that people invariably think they are “better than average”. I don’t recommend the book because it is lacking in scientific citations; next edition perhaps?
To me, all this raises the question of where to draw the line between self-deception and lying. If self-deception is involuntary, how should your being under its influence while committing a crime affect your punishment? A related subject is the use of polygraph tests in court. Unfortunately, I do not know anything about this, except that they seem to be out of favor.

And last but not least…today is my birthday. I promise I am not deceiving anyone!