Are you cool-blind?
WIRED.com has a very cleverly-written article about a neuroscientist in California who is using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to try and determine how "cool" someone is. The author knows that she is a life-long nerd (and confirms it throughout with details that almost make you cringe); however, she wants to see if this test will make her "cool."

The procedure sounds strangely close to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in that test subjects are shown a series of cool and uncool objects and their brain is examined to measure their response.

Even more wacky is the goal of the project. It's not for some sociological or psychological pursuit, but for commerce. Steven Quartz, who developed the cool test (and sounds like the Mark Ruffalo character in "Eternal Sunshine"), wants to help companies determine what makes cool people respond so positively to cool products. Once that is understood, maybe people can be marketed to based on their coolness, not by demographics. Uh...OK.

While the article is a bit long (4 pages), the author, Jennifer Kahn, keeps it interesting by injecting tidbits from her personal Exile in Nerdville. I won't give away the results of her test, you'll have to check it out for yourself.

BTW, as an aside, this neuroscience stuff must pay very well. The article mentions that Quartz lives in Mabilu and is Tommy Lee's neighbor. Quite a contrast to the dingy office of Lacuna, Inc.