INTJ - what are you?

Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging
by Marina Margaret Heiss

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To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.
INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.

This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.

Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.



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Functional Analysis
by Joe Butt


Introverted iNtuition
INTJs are idea people. Anything is possible; everything is negotiable. Whatever the outer circumstances, INTJs are ever perceiving inner pattern-forms and using real-world materials to operationalize them. Others may see what is and wonder why; INTJs see what might be and say "Why not?!" Paradoxes, antinomies, and other contradictory phenomena aptly express these intuitors' amusement at those whom they feel may be taking a particular view of reality too seriously. INTJs enjoy developing unique solutions to complex problems.
Extraverted Thinking
Thinking in this auxiliary role is a workhorse. Closure is the payoff for efforts expended. Evaluation begs diagnosis; product drives process. As they come to light, Thinking tends, protects, affirms and directs iNtuition's offspring, fully equipping them for fulfilling and useful lives. A faithful pedagogue, Thinking argues not so much on its own behalf, but in defense of its charges. And through this process these impressionable ideas take on the likeness of their master.

Introverted Feeling
Feeling has a modest inner room, two doors down from the Most Imminent iNtuition. It doesn't get out much, but lends its influence on behalf of causes which are Good and Worthy and Humane. We may catch a glimpse of it in the unspoken attitude of good will, or the gracious smile or nod. Some question the existence of Feeling in this type, yet its unseen balance to Thinking is a cardinal dimension in the full measure of the INTJ's soul.

Extraverted Sensing
Sensing serves with a good will, or not at all. As other inferior functions, it has only a rudimentary awareness of context, amount or degree. Thus INTJs sweat the details or, at times, omit them. "I've made up my mind, don't confuse me with the facts" could well have been said by an INTJ on a mission. Sensing's extraverted attitude is evident in this type's bent to savor sensations rather than to merely categorize them. Indiscretions of indulgence are likely an expression of the unconscious vengeance of the inferior.

don't eat the fish

Investigation Shows High Mercury Levels in Popular Fish - Barbara Rodgers

Watch the full report Tuesday (tonight) at 5pm on CBS 5.

• Is Your Fish Dinner Making You Sick?
• Report: Bay Recovering from Decades of Pollution
• Big Fish Eaters May Suffer from Mercury Poisoning

Libby Reilly has spent the last two years trying to get the poison out of her body.

"I found out I was toxic," she said. "My readings were off the chart."

Off the chart for methylmercury. Libby believes she ingested it by eating a steady diet of deep ocean fish --the same kind of fish Wendy Moro used to eat several days a week.

"I felt I was being poisoned," Wendy said. "My muscles ached."

CBS 5 teamed with the San Francisco Chronicle to test four popular species of fish for mercury: halibut, tuna, sea bass and swordfish -- all purchased from high-end fish markets around the Bay Area. The results were startling.

Only halibut contained less than the 38 micrograms of mercury the EPA recommends for a 120-pound person for an entire week. Not only was tuna higher than that limit, but sea bass had nearly twice that level, and swordfish had nearly six times the EPA's safe mercury intake for a week in a single serving.

While our test results are from a limited sample of fish -- and are no means definitive -- they do highlight a growing dilemma for consumers. Can you trust the government standards? Especially since up until now even top government watchdogs haven't been able to agree themselves, starting with how much fish is too much.

The Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) lists its safe amount for women either pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant at six ounces a week. But the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) okays twice that much -- 12 ounces.

Then consider an example from our test. If a single serving of swordfish already contains six times the EPA's level for a week, then you'd be eating three months worth if you followed the FDA's guideline. Confused? You're not alone.

"We use a different risk guidelines than the FDA does, and we have been trying to work with them for years now to standardize these guidelines so we can give a clear message to the American public on what's safe to eat," said the EPA's Leo Kay.

Until now, the message has been anything but clear. California has listed methylmercury as reproductive risk since the 1980's. But California grocery stores weren't forced to post warning signs until recently, after a lawsuit by the state. Some victims like Wendy are concerned they don't go far enough.

And with concerns ranging from muscle pain to prenatal issues, some fish eaters like Libby Reilly are cutting the larger species out of their diet all together. She's also now undergoing a new, alternative treatment called chelation -- which employs an IV containing agents meant to help the body flush mercury through the renal tract.

For the time being, doctors are advising consumers to eat a variety of fish -- mixing in smaller fish like salmon, shellfish, and scallops that don't tend to collect as much mercury as the larger species. As for the EPA and FDA -- they're expecting to finally issue unified guidelines by the first of the year.

KPIX

worst album

look at these "worst album covers ever". quite entertaining.

worst ablum covers ever

ebay internal memo

Read Ebay's most recent internal memo to employees:

New Quailty Assurance Measures Taking Place Immediately

I would like to notify you regarding the new quality measures that will take place. As you are aware, eBay strives to be the best in our business, and to ensure that our members receive the best possible customer service when contacting us. Starting in October, monitoring software will be installed on all company computers. This is not an effort to "spy" on your activities, but rather to allow our quality department to take screen shots of your computer, to allow them to better coach you regarding policy and procedures. Please keep in mind, all AOL Instant messager messages will be recorded, and all incoming and outgoing emails will also be affected. With this said, here are some guidelines that I would like you to follow:

1. No pornography sites should be accessed unless it is part of your job

2. No personal emails should be sent or received using company equipment

3. AOL Instant Messengers should be used for work related purposes only.

4. While working during business hours, no access to unrelated Internet sites is allowed under any circumstances.

Please remember that every action performed on your company computer will be recorded. Please act accordingly.

If you are caught viewing Internet sites that are not work related, you may suffer disciplinary action up to and including termination.

If you have questions regarding this new policy, please contact your supervisor, or lead.

[name removed]
eBay Manager

The US White House & Blocking Search Engines

~by Danny Sullivan

"At the end of last month, controversy erupted over the US White House preventing portions of its web site from being indexed by search engines. Was the White House doing this as a means to rewrite history unnoticed, or was it an innocent mistake?

At issue is the White House's robots.txt file, a long-standing mechanism used to tell search engines that certain material should not be indexed.

Keith Spurgeon has an excellent analysis of what happened. He outlines how sometime between April and late October of this year, the White House changed its robots.txt file to block access to many pages with the word "Iraq" in their URLs."

Get the Whole Scoop Here

arnold's mentality

Question to Conan
"Conan, what is great in life?"
Conan
"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women!"

religion

"Religion has actually convinced people that there is an invisible man living in the sky, and he has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these things he will send you to a place full of fire, and smoke, and burn and torture forever and ever 'till the end of time.... but he loves you. And he needs money."
~ George Carlin