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Baskerville Is the Greatest Font, Statistically, Says Filmmaker Errol Morris
An anonymous reader writes "A survey of unsuspecting New York Times readers implicitly answered the question: Does a certain font make you agree or disagree more often than another font? It turns out Baskerville confers a 1.5% advantage towards agreement on a survey question, compared to an average of six fonts. They were asked to agree or disagree to a passage from physicist David Deutsch's book The Beginning of Infinity, and were found to have an optimistic, if Baskerville-favoring, outlook on life. David Dunning, a psychologist awarded a Nobel prize and, separately, an IgNobel prize (for the eponymous Dunning-Kruger Effect), called Baskerville 'the king of fonts.' Sadly, Comic Sans — notable for its appearance in the Higgs Boson announcement — seems to be the weakest font. And why did Lisa Randall, the Harvard physicist responsible for that Higgs announcement use Comic Sans? According to the article, 'Because I like it.'"
and I should start to login before posting... Now that I think of, the submitter probably used Baskerville in his submission to fool the editors-
So, basically, world history might have taken a different turn if Al Gore's campaign had used Baskerville. And wouldn't Comic Sans have been the perfect match for 43? Ah, democracy, lead us onwards.
You should send 10M€ to my bank account.
I'm really fond of the Dunning-Kruger effect to the point where I mention it almost daily
So: would you say that you have an expert level of skill and knowledge on this particular topic?
Having met Lisa Randall at a conference down under I can say fortunately she not only showered that day but also looked quite hot. Mind you this was several years ago and I was single so admittedly so did Margaret Thatcher
Damnit! I knew Obama shouldn't have written the Affordable Care Act in Comic Sans!
"Yo, Baskerville, I'm really happy for you, and Imma let you finish, but I just got to say Helvetica is one of the best fonts of all time."
Every time I ever get an email or printout using Comic Sans it's from a woman. I got a name sign for my cubical in Comic Sans and I had to print myself a new one because I don't work in a f***ing kindergarten.
I majored in physics in college, and spent a lot of time with physicists from world renowned Nobel prize winners to lowly undergraduates. I can testify that physicists, in addition to lacking any appreciation for visual aesthetics, also lack the ability to properly dress themselves, shave their faces, comb their hair, speak to an audience not of their peers, and most of all they have no understanding of proper hygiene. We used to have a lounge out of which at least half a dozen kids were living, toothbrushes and all. The stench still haunts me. I remember walking into the lavatory where 3-4 physics majors were taking a shower out of a sink. Oh, and lest you think I'm a-hatin', most of the above applies to me as well.
this is how I learn I'm a physics genius?
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?