one monkey + one keyboard (Page 7)

Blood cools brain not other way around.

http://brainstimulant.blo...modynamics.html Rather tickled to discover that contrary to the belief of some ancient greeks, it seems that the brain isn't an organ for cooling the blood: Increasing [cerebral blood flow] in a specific deep brain region can cause a resultant decrease in brain temperature

science

The human body literally glimmers.

http://www.plosone.org/ar...al.pone.0006256 Image: Laura Cone Imaging of Ultraweak Spontaneous Photon Emission from Human Body Displaying Diurnal RhythmPLoS ONE: Neuroscience by Masaki Kobayashi et al. B-)

psycho

I don't feel your pain, Johnny Foreigner

http://www.jneurosci.org/...ract/29/26/8525 The pain matrix including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) mediates not only first person pain experience but also empathy for others' pain. It remains unknown, however, whether empathic neural responses of the pain matrix are modulated by racial in-group/out-group relationship.

quotes

20 Wodehouse insults

1. frightful young excrescence * piefaced litte excrescence * slab of gorgonzola * pig in human shape * sheepfaced, shambling refugee from hell * gastly sheepfaced fugitive from hell * fatheaded ass * popeyed bleater * dithering idiot * a dumb brick of the first water * halfwitted gargoyle * halfwitted Gadarene swine * herring-gutted young son of a what-not * foul blot

life

stranger and stranger

A friend just sent me this.. REMEMBER WHEN YOUR MOTHER TOLD YOU NEVER TO TAKE CANDY FROM A STRANGER.... THIS IS THE ONE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!! Now that does look a lot like me, but I honestly can't remember it.

london

Londonist

http://londonist.com If you like to keep in touch with fun things Londonish then i can certainly recommend Londonist. Always well written and covering all kinds of London news and events that you might otherwise miss. Here's their take on McCartney's (surely counter-productive) ungoogling link

god

Catholic guilt

http://nickcohen.net/2009...e-of-the-godly/ Speaking after the publication of the report of decades of almost unbelievable abuse in Catholic-run institutions in Ireland, Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society said the report “shone a spotlight on an attitude of systemic secrecy and callousness towards child abuse

life

Meat between two slices of bread

http://londonist.com/2009...andwich_wee.php Apparently it's National Sandwich Week. Sure, it's only a marketing ruse from the evil sandwich overlords of the British Sandwich Association but tasty nonetheless. More from Londonist

psycho

Babies have the answers

http://seedmagazine.com/c...e/to_be_a_baby/ The great thing about being a philosopher is that you can write any old rubbish and speculate wildly without the need to support what you say with real data. The same can also be said for psychologists writing books for a

video

Bod goes to Metaponto?

[video:youtube:BwpouzNli8A]

science

physicists in state-transitions

Cosmic Variance does neuroimaging of times past and imagined futures: link Abtruse Goose strings together some poetry (but without apology to ST Colridge, it seems)

bad

understanding the unimaginable

a utterly bleak story that allows no straight-forward narrative escape from the indifferent callousness of the universe. very bad things happen for no good reason and some people have to live through that.. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/27/AR2009022701549.html

psycho

Science suggests democracy is an illusion.

The BPS blog has a good summary of a study that found that what political candidates looks like could have a strong influence on whether they are elected. John Antonakis and Olaf Dalgas presented photos of pairs of competing candidates in the 2002 French parliamentary elections to hundreds of Swiss

psycho

Science proves religion is a crutch

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111...80.2009.02305.x Michael Inzlicht, Ian McGregor, Jacob B. Hirsh, Kyle Nash (2009) Neural Markers of Religious Conviction Psychological Science paper/a>

science

Wurtzite boron nitrides are forever!

http://www.sciam.com/blog...says-2009-02-19 In addition to being the traditional token of marital intent, the diamond has long provided the—ahem—gold standard for super-hard materials. But physicists at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, say that two lesser-known materials, wurtzite boron

psycho

Taking a Toddler to the zoo - again

In the very first days of my PhD, I tried to explain the difference between how philosophers study concepts (mainly by looking things up in dictionaries) and how psychologists might go about it by running experiments, such as taking a toddler to the zoo. Here's the original post.

science

SciTopics

http://www.scitopics.com I'm not sure if self-appointed experts are the best people to decide what are the hot topics in any given field, for that i'd prefer something slightly more democratic but they may be the best people to write about them. The site

images

The consequence of surveillance?

via Londonist See also their cheerful map of the V2-rocket impact sites in London. It's the sunshine version of Gravity's Rainbow.

london

What kind of sick bastard...

chops up books to make jewellery? 'Artist' Jeremy May that's who. DEPLOY demi-couture presents the debut exhibition of artist JEREMY MAY's bespoke ‘LITERARY JEWEL' -- where each ring is individually hand-crafted and lacquered from vintage books for those thoughtful and romantic Valentines in

science

Why do the majority of people never get cancer?

http://www.physorg.com/news151840958.html A highly productive scientific career of over 60 years might lead you to reflect on longevity. Maybe that is what George Klein to ask a very interesting question. via Physorg In an article in PNAS, Klein outline five mechanisms that seem to offer protection

bad

Waiting for your call waiting

It's a mild coincidence that happens to everyone, you call a friend and as your phone is dialing or reaching their answerphone message, the little blinking message on your phone tells you that they are trying to call you. So naturally you want to hang up your call

bad

Do as we say not as we do..

http://foiorder2009.writetothem.com/write On thursday MP's are going to vote to exempt their own expenses from the Freedom of Information requirements that apply to all public institutions. I suggest you tell your MP that you are not happy. FOR THE ATTENTION OF: Tessa Jowell MP Dulwich

science

Everyone's got problems

An excellent card from indexed today.

london

what goes up (must come down)

A short film by Adam Smith with music by North of Ping Pong and featuring lots of lovely londonness [video:youtube:8V_T9qkrdHs]

science

The Universe As Hologram

http://science.slashdot.o...446238&from=rss I am certain that the 'holographic' theory is misleadingly named as far as we the general public are concerned but that does not stop it from being a potentially interesting discovery. But mostly I am loving the quote in the