Includes stuff about anything where feedback causes the system to adapt, including the systems of nature, those that are man-made or cultural, and those of the human mind.
(This is a continuation of my last article, on a mental health technique I discovered a few months ago. It’s not the “much larger side” that I mentioned at the end of that post though; that will posted as a third part, soon.) It may sound strange that I’m talking about getting rid of beliefs. …
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you probably remember my big discovery about myself last year. This article continues the theme, though it has nothing to do with the earlier entries. I’ve always thought that I was as mentally healthy as the next person. “Well adjusted” is the term commonly used. I …
So much for the “obesity epidemic.” 🙂 (There’s something I’ve wondered about the “Body Mass Index,” or BMI, ever since I learned how it was calculated: why the heck would medical professionals use such a measurement? It’s obvious to anyone with a math education that it couldn’t be right — it assumes that a person’s …
Continue reading ‘“Being a skinny is much more unhealthy than being fat – new study”’ »
Ever heard the term “sense of agency” before? I listen to podcasts when I’m driving alone, and one of them mentioned the term recently, in relation to designing computer games. In this context, it’s described as “the degree to which people attribute their circumstances and the outcomes they experience to being within their own control,” …
While roaming the Internet, I stumbled across this article. It’s from 2007, but its contents are still very relevant: […] Through much of the 20th century, lead in U.S. paint and gasoline fumes poisoned toddlers as they put contaminated hands in their mouths. The consequences on crime, Nevin found, occurred when poisoning victims became adolescents. …
Continue reading ‘“Research Links Lead Exposure, Criminal Activity”’ »
Ever heard of Elsevier? Unless you’re a scientist, probably not. It’s a scientific and medical publishing company, which takes science research — done by scientists it does not employ, often with public funds — and sells it at exorbitant prices to universities and libraries. The money they make at this, they keep; the original researchers …
Continue reading ‘“Elsevier’s backpedalling not stopping scientist strike”’ »
Sounds like an excellent idea, but I have my doubts about its effectiveness. My stepfather got a couple packs of Canadian cigarettes a few years ago, and was very amused at the warning graphic. It hasn’t stopped him from smoking though, and I’ve never known anyone who it has stopped. Everyone seems to think that …
Continue reading ‘“Gross-out cigarette labels drive spike in quit-line calls”’ »
This is possibly the most interesting article I’ve seen on a site that regularly carries interesting pieces. It’s not hurt by the fact that it implies a comparison between Steve Jobs and Snow White’s evil stepmother either. 😉
I can’t understand groups like this so-called “One Million Moms” organization. What is it about lesbians that they fear so much? Why do they let themselves fear so much? That’s a rhetorical question. I know exactly what they fear, and how it gets associated with anyone who’s different: fear-mongering politicians and religious “leaders” whose power …
Continue reading ‘“Ellen Wins: One Million Moms Group Concedes JCPenney Fight”’ »
I’ve always been fascinated by stage magic, and just how the magician would manage to use your own mind against you, so this article was pretty interesting to me.