26 April 2010

things I pondered today

1) Why are chipset fans so hard to remove and thus replace? We need to use pliers for computer repair/upgrades? Really?
2) What do nose-piercings signal? I think I get that jewelry generally signals the capacity to waste resources and time on collecting and displaying shiny rocks and pebbles rather than important survival things like food or shelter. I think I get that earrings do this. I suppose I will grant that a tongue ring signifies its supposed sexual elements. I don't know what the nose piercing is for though. Why not just another hole in the ear? (tossed in with this may be eyebrow piercings, but the nose is generally more obvious to quick observation)

9 comments:

not undecided said...

Hahahahaaaa. I've got nothing on #1, but a tongue stud is merely a crutch.

That is all.

Sun Tzu said...

I did say "supposed".

not undecided said...

LOL. Right on.

not undecided said...

If I can drag my mind out of the gutter...a nose ring is typically drawing the eye to the center of the face. So if you have strange-ish ears...it would perhaps distract from that? Took me a second to think of the actual artistry involved. Like makeup. Doesn't occur to me the first time around.

Sun Tzu said...

Are strange ears that common though? I know it attracts attention to the center of the face. I suppose that would be good if you want people to stare at it. I'm not sure that most people are comfortable with that however.

Sun Tzu said...

I decided to check Wikipedia to see if a cursory search would turn up a reason. I'm not sure that I was satisfied here. But there's at least a tenuous sexual signaling link in parts of South Asia where the practice was more common because of local medicinal beliefs, along with the usual social status symbols typical to caste-ordered societies.

But this is probably not why the practice became more popular in America or Europe.

not undecided said...

No, probably not. I have no idea if there's any actual significance or signaling intention (or if those two words make any sense next to each other).

Also don't know about how common strange ears might be...I think it's more the kind of thing that people who feel like they get stared at anyway eventually do become comfortable enough with it to give the eyes a focal point...? I dunno. Personally, I think some people pull it off well. I've heard the eyebrow doesn't hurt very much. I'm pretty sure I'm done piercing things (only ever did ears), but there may be one more tattoo in my future...I'm a sucker for my seeester ;-).

Sun Tzu said...

I'm pretty sure I follow what tattoos signal as well.

I'm assuming though that they mostly signal boredom with the modern world rather than serving as a form of plumage.

not undecided said...

LOL. Sounds about right to me! But I guess that depends where they're placed, too.