Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Do you have a Passion Line?


Do you think you are kinky? Have a look and see if you have a passion line on one or both of your hands (see picture left).

This has got to be one of the most interesting lines on the hand. The passion line is a line that goes from between the ring and little finger towards what is known by handreaders as the 'heart line'. The heart line is one of the three strongest lines on the palm. It crosses the palm horizontally, starting from the little finger side and ending somewhere below the middle and index finger (sometimes swooping upwards to the index finger). Palm lines in the area above the heart line, such as the passion line, tend to be found on people who are very sensual and enjoy flights of fantasy.

It is not uncommon to see a semi-circle type of formation, starting between the ring and little finger and ending between the index and middle finger. This is known as the 'girle of venus', and used to be known as the 'sex drugs and rock'n roll' line in traditional palmistry. It is said to be found on thrill seekers.

The passion line is more of a straight, rather than curved, line, plunging directly towards the heartline and sometimes passing through it. Its significance was discovered by Johnny Fincham. Not everyone has this marking, and a clear, deep line, unwavering and unbroken line is quite uncommon. It is said to be a sign of those who are kinky and like to explore their sexuality.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Do you have unusual fingerprints?

Below are the three basic pattern types. The loop is the most common fingerprint pattern all over the world.

To identify the three patterns, note the 'delta', the point where lines from three directions come together. The whorl has two deltas, the loop has one (see bottom-left), and the arch has no delta at all.

Which fingerprints are most rare?

Below are some pictures of less common fingerprints patterns.
Send me a picture/scan of your palm or fingerprint if you have trouble identifying it (frvc [at] dse [dot] nl).

Double Loop

Peacock's eye
Tented Arch

To see if you have an unusual or rare fingerprint, check which finger it is found on. For example, a radial loop is common on the index finger, but extremely rare on the little finger.

Uncommon fingerprint: less than 1 in 20 people have such a fingerprint.
Rare fingerprint: less than 1 in 100 people have such a fingerprint.
Extremely rare fingerprint: less than 1 in 1000 people have such a fingerprint.

In order from most common to most rare:

  1. Ulnar loop = a loop that comes from the pinky side of the hand
    - So common, it is quite rare NOT to have one!
  2. Whorl = a spiral pattern
    - Very common, especially on the thumb, index and ring fingers
  3. Radial loop = a loop that comes from the thumb side of the hand
    - Commonly found on index finger, uncommon on middle finger, rare on other fingers
    =====================
    UNCOMMON FINGERPRINTS:
    =====================
  4. Arch = most simple fingerprint, no loop patterns
    - Uncommon pattern on: all fingers, rare on little finger
  5. Double loop = two loops going in two directions, but is actually a type of whorl
    - Uncommon pattern on: all fingers except thumb, rare on ring and little fingers
  6. Peacock's eye = a tiny whorl inside a loop
    - Uncommon pattern on: all fingers, most common on ring finger, rare on thumb.
    ===============
    RARE FINGERPRINTS:
    ===============
  7. Tented arch = arch pattern but horizontal ridges rising up high in the middle, creating a tent-like pattern. Note: the tented arch is often confused with a loop that looks like a tented arch. Look for any signs of a loop to check if it is a 'real' tented arch.
    - Rare on all fingers, extremely rare on thumb and little finger
  8. Accidental = anything else, such as horizontal rather than vertical loops
    - Rare on index finger, extremely rare on all other fingers

Source used: Fingerprints, palms and soles, Cummins, H., 1943


Character traits

Handreaders have associated fingerprints with certain character traits.
  • Loops*: flexible, adaptable, easy going, highly receptive, impressionable, unfocussed, team players.
  • Arches: down to earth, pragmatic, responsible, reserved, consistent.
  • Tented arches: hyperactive, impulsive, intense, fiery.
  • Whorls*: independent, inflexible, individualistic, highly focussed.
  • Double loop (a.k.a. composite): indecisive, uncertain, diplomatic. Some double loops look more like whorls, others are more clearly two intertwined loops. Depending on which one it is, see also the associated loop or whorl characteristics.
  • Peacock's eye (a.k.a. central pocket loop): perfectionistic, good eye for detail. It is more of a whorl than a loop, so see also whorl characteristics.

*Note that loops and whorls are quite common - so it would take about 4+ whorls to make you a 'whorly' person and 7+ loops to make you a 'loopy' person.

Handreaders also give specific meaning to the fingers. To interpret the meaning, you need to combine all the characteristics, and this takes experience (say, getting people's feedback from reading at least 1000 hands). But it can be fun linking the fingerprints characteristics to the individual fingers:

  • Thumb: Willpower/control
  • Index: Public image, self expression
  • Middle finger: Values, morals
  • Ring finger: Aesthetics, creativity
  • Pinky: Communication

The meaning also depends on the hand you look at - this is if you have different fingerprints on your left hand compared to your right hand:

  • Dominant hand (right if right handed): Public self
  • Passive hand: Private self

Fingerprints on your palm?

Do you have any fingerprints on your palm? Is it a loop inbetween two fingers? No? Congratulations, whatever it is automatically qualitifies as an uncommon palm pattern! One or more loops are usually found on the area of the palm between the fingers. The one between the ring finger and pinky is commonly called the 'humor loop', and between the ring and middle fingers is called the 'loop of seriousness' (draw your own conclusion about this one...but it refers to 'type' of humor rather than humor itself). A loop between the index and middle fingers is quite rare, and is a sign of royal lineage in Indian traditional palmistry. Some people also have loops or arches elsewhere, most commonly in the area around the base of the thumb. It is also quite common to have a loop on the side of the palm opposite the thumb, about halfway up, which is called a memory loop. A whorl print is very rare anywhere on the palm.

Fingerprints around the world

In some human populations whorls are more common, such as among aboriginal Australians, Eskimos and in some parts of Asia. Europeans tend to have more loops. Arches are more common among the Bushmen, Efe pygmies and oddly enough, the Dutch. Nevertheless, the order of commonness: loop -> whorl -> arch, is the same everywhere.

Can fingerprints be forged?

Apparently it is not too difficult to fool a fingerprint security system. Check out this demonstration from MythBusters:

Can fingerprints be forged? - EduTube

Recommended links

Monday, September 19, 2005

Most popular body parts in the English language

This is an excellent word count tool that presents "86,800 most frequently used English words, ranked in order of commonness".

Also interesting is query count, the most common queries in wordcount. The results are not exactly surprising (see below).

Some of the results:
Most talked about
body parts
We are most
curious about:
Body

Head: 222
Hand: 238
Face: 246
Eyes: 291
Hair: 682
Feet: 698

Fingers: 1769
Lips: 2026
Nose: 2335
Ears: 3168
Palm: 5937
Thumb: 6487
Toes: 6895
Fingerprints: 18785
Pinky: 40363

Senses

See: 85
Feel: 329
Hear: 704
Touch: 1539
Taste: 2429
Smell: 2633

Ass: 9
T*ts: 75
Hair: 495
Hand: 545
Finger: 699
Face: 749
Lips: 2543
Thumb: 5024

Friday, September 16, 2005

Football players chop fingers to improve game


First Daniel Chick had a ring finger amputated (see pic) and bone removed in his shoulder for his football career, and now another Australian football player just had his finger amputated. All for the love of the game. Brett Backwell also had his left ring finger removed because of pain and lack of movement from an earlier injury, which affected his ability to handle the ball.
"It's not something that's been done lightly and to chop a finger off, it's a bit drastic. But I love my footy and love playing sport and if that's going to help me to succeed at this level then it's something you've just got to do."

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Hand sculptures and art

For more artworks and full-sized foto's check out Martijn's website.
Punta del Este (Uruguay)
Escher: Drawing hands

La Mano del Desierto, Chili
The Thumb, Shanghai

The Thumb, Paris

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Human finger munchers - jailed

A couple is charged for putting a human finger in a Wendy's burger and filing a law-suit against Wendy's. "Ms Ayala's claim is said to have cost the third-largest US burger chain $2.5m (£1.3m) in lost sales." Wendy's offered a $100,000 reward for information on whose that was.

The couple pleaded guilty and the finger owner, a construction worker, has been found. The finger, lost in an industrial accident, was sold for only $100.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

First ever artificial opposable thumb

Those non-moving or single-motor grip prosthetic hands should soon be replaced by a an advanced robot hand.

Lots of people lose their hand every year, such as through motorbike or industrial accidents.

A team at the University of Southampton designed a hand with seperate motors for each finger, and it can be connected to muscles in the arm. The thumb can move in a special way and is flexible and opposable like a human thumb.

The next step is to replicate the human sense of touch.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

No hands? No problem

Watch this amazing mom with no arms do everything with her feet - taking care of her baby, going to the movies, driving a car and even typing on a keyboard.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Forget palmistry, read breasts

After palmistry, phrenology (reading bumps on the head), iridology (iris reading), feet and toe reading, an Italian researcher has now invented the fascinating art of:

BREAST READING

Girls may have experienced this before: a guy coming up to them in a bar, grabbing their hands, and after a quick examination with a caressing finger, get flirtuous remarks thrown at them with here and there references to 'heart line' and 'life line' and so on.

Now imagine an Italian guy coming up to you, examining your breasts, and remarking how they resemble a certain fruit. According to the sexologist, women with lemon breasts are lively and can laugh at themselves. Grapefruit breasts are not a good sign for sex - women with these prefer tenderness. Large and well-rounded breasts are attached to women who like eating and want to be spoiled and admired.

Well, whatever works for you...