Links for 2011-01-14

A scientific analysis of where to aim to get the most points, and how that point shifts depending on your skill level.

“Here’s a movie that has all the elements of a standard nerd comedy: Pranks? Yes. Shenanigans? You betcha. A crusty-dean type? The best ever. It also features mild semi-nudity, montage sequences set to forgotten (though winning) songs by obscure ’80s pop outfits […], and comeuppances galore. But while Real Genius more or less follows the formula, the film gets plenty of separation in its particulars. Its tone is overwhelmingly sweet and whimsical: The nerds are out for revenge only when provoked, and they always exact it with something silly and light-hearted. Mostly, though, they’re trying to break out of their intellectual cocoons and bring some balance and fun to their lives. That doesn’t mean abandoning nerd life for jock life–quite the contrary, the film has more respect for applied braininess than any other in the genre–but figuring out how to let a little spontaneity and chaos into a routine as orderly as a pocket protector.