self-referential nature of language, "left"

Oh, so lately I've been tripping out about the self-referential/recursive nature of words (as you can see in dictionaries for instance) and how "normally" this is either not the case or is disguised by the constant context we use language is, with incessant tying back to "tangible referents." Thinking about all the possible implications of that, language's relationship to "the world," to itself, etc., to put it crudely.

My rather disappointing pocket dictionary (no etymology :( Anyone know of a pocket electronic dictionary thing which is good, has etymology, etc.? Etymology is vital) defines the word "left" as follows:

"of, relating to, or being on the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located."

Way fucked, eh? Not the way you'd normally learn or explain "left" and "right." You would do it with pointing, orientation to objects or surroundings, etc., in order to grok left vs. right. But you can't do that in a dictionary; you have to use just words. What do you do?

So they go to a universal asymmetry. (I don't think it's even true, by the way, I'm pretty sure the heart is central. It's just that we can feel our heartbeat more strongly on the left side, due to the way the valves and such are oriented. Because our heart is not symmetrical. We have a 3-chambered heart, right? And birds have 4? Is a bird heart symmetrical?)

I suppose "left" and "right" is only relevant or useful or even possible to comprehend if you are bilaterally symmetrical. How the hell would that be applicable to a creature that was radially symmetrical? They'd have different things, maybe, like central versus peripheral :P I will have to think of this in terms of SDN. So far the aliens are humanoid and bilaterally symmetrical but maybe I will shake things up.

Oh, I forget if I mentioned this, but I figured out what B does for a living, and also what his boyfriend does for a living. And in the airport a few weeks ago I figured out roughly how the sexes of the 2 main alien species work (one has 5-6 sexes, the other is a bit more complicated, or at least I've figured it out less, but they sort of swap genes like bacteria) I'll have to confirm that it actually sounds plausible.

Speaking of symmetricality again, my dad attended an autopsy (or maybe this was a live patient, I'm not sure) where the guy's organs were reversed. Like, he had everything he needed, but it was flipped. His heart would have been felt more strongly on the right side, his liver and intestines were the reverse right/left orientation as someone else's would be, etc. Evidently it would be pretty unusual for that to happen, to have a totally "normal" healthy person whose entire insides were just backwards. Cool.

I wonder if he was left or right handed :D

Limerence

Limerence.

A very cool-sounding word. Part of me wonders if we really need a "term" for this, but maybe we do.

"Further, in brain scan investigations, individuals who professed to be ‘truly, deeply and madly’ in love showed activity in several structures in common with in the neuroanatomy of OCD, for example the anterior cingulate cortex and caudate nucleus."

Weird.

I wonder what these "structures" pertain to, as far as OCD goes.

Oh, and another good word is "propinquity." It's just so perky-sounding.

"Nothing propinques like propinquity, Mondale would say after a few weeks in his new office...."

Propinques!

Apparently "vermillion" is an alternate term for the upper lip.

Encourage its use!

Why you don't hear about "ice milk" any more

Names are important. Who knows how many industries have thrived or failed because of the associations of words. :P

"Ice milk or iced milk is a frozen dessert with less than 10 percent milk fat and the same sweetener content as ice cream. Ice milk is typically priced lower than ice cream and is typically sold as a generic product.

In the United States, the term is now virtually unknown. A 1994 change in Food and Drug Administration rules allowed ice milk to be labeled as low-fat ice cream. Within months, the term "ice milk" virtually disappeared from store shelves.

Products containing less milk fat but higher sweetener content are sold as sherbet, and products with no milk fat or dairy analogues are sold as sorbet. Products which use nonfat or lowfat yogurt or dairy analogues are sold as frozen yogurt."

I also now know what "malt" is. Thanks wikipedia! This search brought to you by the fact that I want to make a chocolate ice cream soda:

"The technique is 1, 2, 3. You put 2 tablespoons of syrup or flavoring in the bottom of the largest glass you have. Add seltzer water stirring as you pour to within 2 inches of the lip of the glass. Add 1 large scoop of very firm ice cream trying to get it to straddle the rim of the glass, yet still submerged in the seltzer enough to touch the seltzer deep enough to begin reacting with the bubbles to create a foamy heat. If the ice cream is to deep in the mixture, it will over flow. If it doesn't touch the seltzer at all you don't have a soda. With a little practice you will reach a perfect balance."

I will try this. Thanks internet!