Why Randomness May Not Mean What You Think It Means
"Randomness is an often misunderstood concept. Unlike a lot of precise math, randomness deals with ineffable concepts like odds and probabilities — concepts that our brains simply haven't evolved to fully process and grasp; indeed, our brains are actually wired to find patterns and meaning in things that aren’t really there."
The new warrior cop is out of control
"SWAT teams raiding poker games and trying to stop underage drinking? Overwhelming paramilitary force is on the rise"
David Edelstein on Texting and Talking at Movies
"When you go to the movies nowadays, is it hard to concentrate on what’s onscreen because people are texting or talking all around you, as if they were in their own living rooms? I hear you. I hear them, too."
Depression/anxiety/mental illness: you are not alone in this fight
"There is help available, including talking therapy and safe, effective medications to help balance the chemicals in your brain so you can feel normal again. To borrow a phrase from my friend Jenny Lawson: Since I got treatment for my particular flavor of mental illness, I may have Depression, but Depression doesn't have me."
Is the obesity crisis hiding a bigger problem? | Video on TED.com
"So what if we're fighting the wrong war, fighting obesity rather than insulin resistance? Even worse, what if blaming the obese means we're blaming the victims? What if some of our fundamental ideas about obesity are just wrong?"
Transcript available there for those who would rather read than listen.
Transcript available there for those who would rather read than listen.
A Nation of Wimps
"Messing up, however, even in the playground, is wildly out of style. Although error and experimentation are the true mothers of success, parents are taking pains to remove failure from the equation."
Advice for Grads from Two Sociologists
“Happy Graduation, Seniors! Congratulations! What’s next? Below is some sociologically-inspired, out-of-the-box advice on work, love, family, friendship, and the meaning of life. “
This is intended for college graduates, but I think it’s great stuff for any adult (and besides, not everyone goes to college).
This is intended for college graduates, but I think it’s great stuff for any adult (and besides, not everyone goes to college).
The Zen of floating
"After just 20 minutes in a sensory-deprivation tank, you can reach a state of zero thought"
“But there is glitter on your boobs!” | the flip side of modesty culture
"It’s a poor view of both men and women to assume that a lack of modesty leads to loss of control, and it also perpetuates a rape culture in which the victim is held responsible instead of the perpetrator. If we want our boys to be more respectful of women, WE SHOULD ADDRESS IT WITH THE BOYS. But it does prompt the question: what responsibility do women have when it comes to modesty? "
“If the Sex Offender List Saves One Child…”
"... this guest post addresses a sentiment that really disturbs me — the “one child” idea that is used to justify everything from not allowing kids to walk to school to never letting folks who’ve served their time return to the community as anonymous citizens, same as anyone else."
A Nation of Wimps
"Parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the bumps out of life for their children. However, parental hyperconcern has the net effect of making kids more fragile; that may be why they're breaking down in record numbers"
The ecosystem inside you
"Your body harbors trillions of bacteria that have profound effects on your health, your weight, and even your mood"
How conspiracists think
"New research helps explain why some see elaborate government plots behind events like 9/11 or the Boston bombings"
What BP Doesn’t Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill
"That BP lied about the amount of oil it discharged into the gulf is already established. Lying to Congress about that was one of 14 felonies to which BP pleaded guilty last year in a legal settlement with the Justice Department that included a $4.5 billion fine, the largest fine ever levied against a corporation in the U.S."
The psychology of hating food (and how we learn to love it)
The psychology of hating food (and how we learn to love it): "Kids who hate stinky cheese and greens often grow into adults who can't get enough of them. Why do our tastes seem to transform in our teens? And can we change our tastes deliberately as adults? Here's what scientists know so far."
The Boston Marathon Bombing: Keep Calm and Carry On
The Boston Marathon Bombing: Keep Calm and Carry On - Bruce Schneier - The Atlantic: "If it's hard for us to keep this in perspective, it will be even harder for our leaders. They'll be afraid that by speaking honestly about the impossibility of attaining absolute security or the inevitability of terrorism -- or that some American ideals are worth maintaining even in the face of adversity -- they will be branded as "soft on terror." And they'll be afraid that Americans might vote them out of office. Perhaps they're right, but where are the leaders who aren't afraid? What has happened to "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself"?
Terrorism, even the terrorism of radical Islamists and right-wing extremists and lone actors all put together, is not an "existential threat" against our nation. Even the events of 9/11, as horrific as they were, didn't do existential damage to our nation. Our society is more robust than it might seem from watching the news. We need to start acting that way. "
'via Blog this'
Terrorism, even the terrorism of radical Islamists and right-wing extremists and lone actors all put together, is not an "existential threat" against our nation. Even the events of 9/11, as horrific as they were, didn't do existential damage to our nation. Our society is more robust than it might seem from watching the news. We need to start acting that way. "
'via Blog this'
In Which The City of Portland Makes Me Seriously Consider Becoming a Registered Libertarian
"I was working from home last August when I glanced out my front window and noticed a man walking through our front yard, taking measurements. I went out and introduced myself; the man turned out to be an Urban Forestry Inspector from the City of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department. He was there, he said, to investigate illegal tree removal on my part."
Congress Quickly And Quietly Rolls Back Insider Trading Rules For Itself
"From the can't-mess-with-the-profits dept"
How Food Companies Exploit Americans
"And that’s the problem – the food industry is the one leading our conversation in this country about food and nutrition, educating the mass public about what to eat and what not to eat. "
Why does my kid freak out? The science behind toddler tantrums. - Slate Magazine
"The totally legitimate reasons your animal child just threw spaghetti in your face."
The Rules of Good Nutrition (That Absolutely Everybody Agrees On)
"Fewer things can generate more controversy and disagreement than discussions about food and nutrition. It often seems that people will never reach any kind of consensus on what we should and shouldn't eat. But there may actually be a few exceptions to this. Here are 10 nutrition facts that everyone actually agrees on — well, perhaps almost everyone."
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack: "Through work to bring materials from women's studies into the rest of the curriculum, I have often noticed men's unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged. They may say they will work to women's status, in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can't or won't support the idea of lessening men's. "
Sources of Free Images
"I am always on the lookout for free imagery for blog posts and powerpoints presentations. Here’s some sources."
Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us
"When you look behind the bills that Sean Recchi and other patients receive, you see nothing rational — no rhyme or reason — about the costs they faced in a marketplace they enter through no choice of their own. The only constant is the sticker shock for the patients who are asked to pay."
Link
Link
All-day energy, every day
"We're a nation of can-do people: We work, we plan, we organize, we go, fueling ourselves on coffee and pure determination. Until, that is, we fall onto the sofa in a stupor."
Cholesterol Myths
"The basic cholesterol myths are the pervasive beliefs that cholesterol causes heart disease and predict heart attacks. In fact, “Cholesterol is an essential molecule without which there would be no life,” the book says. It is “so important that virtually every cell in the body is capable of synthesizing it.” Furthermore, “there is no correlation between cholesterol and heart attack.”"
Diss Information: Is There a Way to Stop Popular Falsehoods from Morphing into "Facts"?
"False information is pervasive and difficult to eradicate, but scientists are developing new strategies such as "de-biasing," a method that focuses on facts, to help spread the truth"
Save Bundles of Cash by Buying Eyeglasses Online
"Anybody who wears eyeglasses knows how much you pay for two tiny pieces of glass. Take our advice on shopping for glasses online to save yourself a whole lot of cash."
What's Really Making Us Fat?
"Conventional wisdom says that weight gain or loss is based on the energy balance model of "calories in, calories out," which is often reduced to the simple refrain, "eat less, and exercise more." But new research reveals a far more complex equation that appears to rest on several other important factors affecting weight gain."
Why We're All Above Average
"Since psychological studies first began, people have given themselves top marks for most positive traits. While most people do well at assessing others, they are wildly positive about their own abilities, Dunning said."
i am still waiting for human kibble to be produced and i am not alone in this: sometimes you just want to take care of your body's demands and GET ON WITH IT
Funny comic.
Where's the Futurama "Bachelor Chow" when you need it?
Where's the Futurama "Bachelor Chow" when you need it?
College aid: Don't take the bait
"Yet a four-month investigation by MONEY has found that, in reality, the people most likely to profit from this strategy are the planners themselves -- most of them insurance agents with flimsy college-planning credentials and, often, little understanding of financial aid."
garfield minus garfield
"Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb. "
Stop Changing Your Oil!
"Oil chemistry and engine technology have evolved tremendously in recent years, but you'd never know it from the quick-change behavior of American car owners. Driven by an outdated 3,000-mile oil change commandment, they are unnecessarily spending millions of dollars and spilling an ocean of contaminated waste oil."
Background sound
Here are some websites that
provide background sounds for sleeping, working, or other sound-masking needs. They allow some customization of the sound; and they do not involve long-term streaming of MP3s (as this is an
issue in many workplaces or for users with slow networks); they generate the
sound within the browser, saving bandwidth.
I'll update this list as I find other sites.
- SimplyNoise and SimplyRain - be sure to check out all the controls besides the volume
level; for example, in the Rain version, the Thunder button has multiple modes
- Sound Sleeping -
lets you choose from a variety of sounds and music loops
- Buddha Machine Wall - make you own mix of loops
- GoMix.It - see the Help button for more information
These next sites don't allow for much customization, but are still good:
- RainyMood - notable for the great
sound and animated image
- MoodTurn.com
The Psychopath Makeover - The Chronicle of Higher Education
" In a recent study by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, in London, 120 convicted street robbers were asked why they did it. The answers were revealing. Kicks. Spur-of-the-moment impulses. Status. And financial gain. In that order. "
Living With Voices
"Then Hans joined a group of people like him who met once a week. They talked about their voices, and they were encouraged to talk back to them. They were even encouraged to negotiate with their voices."
Everything you need to know about palliative care
"It's the best solution for people facing serious, painful diseases, and introduces the very real possibility of living comfortably with such diseases for a very long time"
It's time to ban Christmas presents
"Giving to children is a joy but does everyone else need a gift too? This Christmas try adopting a brave new approach."
What the Hell Is Black Friday For?
"Whatever's at the root of Black Friday—whether it's economic desperation, familiar ritual, costly signaling, the thrill of the hunt—I can't escape the feeling that some part of this system isbroken. And we should fix it...by, uhhh...overhauling our entire nation, I guess. "
Temperatures Will Rise
"You know those mornings when winter finally waves its chilly fist in your face and you fumble for the alarm clock, knocking it off the night stand, and decide you're going to stay under the comfortable embrace of your covers for just a ..."
For me it happens on the other side, when I'm falling asleep.
For me it happens on the other side, when I'm falling asleep.
Dieting just 2 days a week can spur weight loss
It doesn't say specifically in this article, but apparently the test was performed with two *consecutive* low-carb days per week. And from http://jonnybowdenblog.com/low-carb-2-days-a-week/ :
“Just to clarify, during these two low-carb days, researchers allowed the two groups 50 grams of carbohydrate. They could eat one piece of fruit each day as well as non-starchy vegetables. I say this because studies fluctuate wildly over what they define as a low-carb diet.”
“Just to clarify, during these two low-carb days, researchers allowed the two groups 50 grams of carbohydrate. They could eat one piece of fruit each day as well as non-starchy vegetables. I say this because studies fluctuate wildly over what they define as a low-carb diet.”
Bad Pharma: account of the bottomless corruption of the pharma industry is a stirring call to arms
"Bad Pharma is an exhaustive look at the corruption that infests every corner of the pharmaceutical industry, from drug trials to regulatory approval and oversight, to marketing and prescribing and followup research."
A Different Kind of Diversity: The Changing Face of Engineering Education
"In other words, responding to the economic, social, and environmental challenges of the coming century will take more than increased number of engineers. It will require a more diverse population of engineers."
Research Pinpoints Brain's 'Gullibility' Center
"Changes in this region could explain why seniors, children are less doubting"
The 'Busy' Trap
"It’s become the default response when you ask anyone how they’re doing: “Busy!” “So busy.” “Crazy busy.” It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint. "
Why Tragedies Result In Overreactions: 'Our Brains Aren't Very Good At Risk Analysis'
" It's not as if anyone truly aims to make the world worse post-tragedy, it's just that the human brain is more than happy to sabotage better rationale, thanks to its inherent limitations."
Jason Alexander on guns
"So the patriots are correct, gun ownership is in the constitution – if you’re in a well-regulated militia."
A Self-Made Man Looks At How He Made It
"I am eliding here; there are numerous people to whom I owe a debt for the work that they have done on my behalf or who have done something that has benefited me, who I am not calling out by name. Some of them know who they are; many of them probably don’t, because most of them haven’t met me."
How I traveled for free with the comforts of home
"Free, low-key, and lets us vacation while having the use of a kitchen and a local's expertise on the neighborhood. The way it works is basically like a dating website for homes.
- You put up your profile. Include info about bedrooms, your neighborhood, wi-fi, etc.
- Find people that live where you want to vacation.
- Send those people an e-mail, offering up your house in exchange for as long as you feel.
- Hope that they accept.
- Work out how you'll exchange keys, if you want to exchange cars, and if you'll switch computers.
- Get packing!"
Man Therapy, A Humorous Interactive Suicide Prevention Site for Men
"While the site is laden with macho humor, it is actually a Colorado-based suicide prevention campaign directed specifically at men. "
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