Comments for Graphology: Write but Wrong at http://www.randi.org/site , comment 1 to 35 out of 20 comments http://www.randi.org/site Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:04:58 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-8885 [That's a very good point for everyone to remember - anyone can be tricked] too true - Duaner Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:26:47 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-8884 [quote][/quote]There's a woo specialized in reading bums? It wouldn't be called 'analogy' would it? Not to be confused with a genuine analogy.[quote][/quote] Muahaha, nasty ;) [b]Muahaha [/b] - Duaner Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:24:43 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6217 >written by MadScientist, May 11, 2009 There's a woo specialized in reading bums? It wouldn't be called 'analogy' would it? Not to be confused with a genuine analogy. Rumpology. Read all about it on the Skeptic's Dictionary: http://skepdic.com/rumpology.html This "ancient art" was apparently revived by Jackie Stallone (that's Sylvester's mother). Send her a picture of your bum and she'll send you a "personal, condensed, no frills report on the signs and markings on your rear end": http://www.jacquelinestallone.com/rumps.html - Michael C Sun, 17 May 2009 01:18:11 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6204 Nah, he was in the Peace Corps :D - Steel Rat Sat, 16 May 2009 15:18:07 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6193 On the other hand you might edged out a guy who was [i]really[/i] compassionate but didn't like to brag about it all that much. ;D BJ - BillyJoe Sat, 16 May 2009 12:15:01 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6183 [quote]A friend of mine was hired by a French bank a few years ago, and he had to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. He thought it was weird, but he went along with it.[/quote] A job was was hired into a few years back required a "personality" test. I answered the questions the way I thought they wanted them answered, not necessarily honestly. So they ended up thinking I was a compassionate person who liked to help people fix problems. While that's true to a degree, I doubt it would be as much as they would have liked. I'm not one to join the Peace Corps, for example, but I do generally lend a hand where I see one needed. - Steel Rat Sat, 16 May 2009 10:12:03 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6182 [quote]I would expect that writing style says, to some extent, at least a few things about a person. I can usually tell whether it was a guy or a girl that wrote a text, for example. And, interestingly enough, you can tell to some extent which country someone comes from; mind you, that's entirely an artifact of nationalized education.[/quote] When I took German for four years in an American High School, I started writing some letters and numbers as I'd seen my German teacher do. I would put slashes through "7" and "Z" mainly. Don't know if that's something Germans learn to do, or Europeans in general. So I think your telling which country someone was from might not work so well. - Steel Rat Sat, 16 May 2009 10:09:10 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6124 A friend of mine was hired by a French bank a few years ago, and he had to submit a handwriting sample for analysis. He thought it was weird, but he went along with it. - RobNYNY1957 Fri, 15 May 2009 07:45:19 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6123 [i]I have mixed feelings about tricking people who claim to be able to do things. Many of us have legitimate jobs and careers and can be tricked by customers and coworkers, etc., and I don't see where that proves anything except they can be tricked, which can happen to anyone in any walk of life.[/i] That's a very good point for everyone to remember - [i]anyone[/i] can be tricked. - tomfodw Fri, 15 May 2009 07:37:04 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6069 [and, so far, it has proven subjective b.s. (my acronym of the day). ] ... that would be an initialism, not an acronym. ;) - pxatkins Thu, 14 May 2009 07:08:44 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6032 Habenero, Your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing? Do you have a transection of your corpus collosum perhaps? BTW, do you know Jethro Tull's song "The Habenero Reel"? BJ - BillyJoe Wed, 13 May 2009 11:31:49 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-6026 "As part of my investigation I road-tested a graphologist who gave me a “romance reading”. The graphologist analyzed handwriting examples from myself, and my boyfriend. She made some vague references to personality traits, then determined that we were a happy couple and would marry one day, provided we sort out a few minor relationships problems. Mostly, we were compatible. This was fortunate, because both examples were of my own handwriting." - Karen Stollznow I would expect you to be compatible with yourself! I did a similar test using samples of left and right hand writing. I was told that it was utterly impossible for me to get along with myself. - Habenero Wed, 13 May 2009 04:32:07 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5946 Good start to an engineering/drafting career. Non-cursive capital letters are the norm in that field - and you are expected to excel at them (even with cheat-devises like tracers). Although I use cursive for signatures, typically my writing is in this other form because, even when you aren't accurate, it is still legible. Really, in this age, how meaningful will be the pursuit of graphology? I have computers and an iPhone into which I 'write' everything. Is there now going to be an egraphology? Are they going to analyze the use of acronyms (LOL, ROTFL, BFF, WTF)? Formally, graphonomy analyzes writing forms but also grammar, repeated phrases, idiosynchracies, vocabulary, and so on. That is real science (as best can be attained in such a pursuit). But deeming a person as a meglomaniac by the style of handwriting is ludicrous. This would require that they actually put their hypothesis to a rigorous test to see if it holds up to reality - and, so far, it has proven subjective b.s. (my acronym of the day). - Kuroyume Mon, 11 May 2009 18:22:20 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5942 On the first day of seventh grade, my new teacher informed the class that he was going to analyze all of our handwriting to find out who the lazy students were, and that they would be "on his sh** list" until they buckled under. I started printing with capital letters starting that day, and have continued to do so. That was over 40 years ago, and I can't really use cursive any more. There's an education for you. - Demian Mon, 11 May 2009 17:56:11 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5939 Associating actions with ideas is one way to remind someone to do something. So indeed if every time a person tries to write a letter in a specific way that is not natural or comfortable could be used in that way. Hardly a treatment unique to this activity! My teachers told me sloppy handwriting indicates a sloppy mind. I learned to type in elementary school. I still write badly enough to qualify as a doctor. - COOL Skeptic Mon, 11 May 2009 16:32:10 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5938 Just CTRL-mousewheel to enlarge or shrink (in WindowsXP). Or just Zoom in the browser view menu. - COOL Skeptic Mon, 11 May 2009 16:27:54 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5936 Seldom that bad. I mean, just if it's going to go down that way just break out the tarot cards, Gil. :P - mandydax Mon, 11 May 2009 15:05:54 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5935 Mandydax, CSI seldom has any good science in it. Okay, that may be a bit unfair, but it often has bad science in it. Regarding graphology, I seldom write anything by hand, and I seldom get sick, so perhaps there is something to it ;) - mjh937 Mon, 11 May 2009 14:52:18 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5933 I saw an old episode of CSI a few weeks ago (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0534703/), and they had a graphologist who determined that the writing was by a woman and that she was angry. They weren't even looking at a man for the crime in question because of this. Of course, the writers/advisors for that episode must not have known that real forensic graphology doesn't work that way, and the episode played out that way. I did tweet something along the lines of "BAD CSI, NO DONUT" IIRC when I saw this. :( It was a first season episode, so maybe they didn't have any good science advisors on staff yet. (Same season had an Orionid meteor shower streaking parallel across Orion, which I hope I needn't tell you is [i]so[/i] wrong.) - mandydax Mon, 11 May 2009 13:40:35 +0100 http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/551-graphology-write-but-wrong.html#comment-5931 [quote]When I had to have a blood test, I studied so hard I got an A+! [/quote] My studies came to less than nought. ;) BJ - BillyJoe Mon, 11 May 2009 11:39:57 +0100