omnibrain | February 18, 2007Here are a couple of my favorites starting with the original really really stupid text.
Check out the original site for many more, as well as some good commentary.
Via BoingBoing & Digg.
omnibrain | February 18, 2007From Jim Gibbon:
"How succinct can you be in describing your research? Most of us have probably tried to whittle our work down to a 2-minute or 30-second "elevator speech" we can use while mingling at conferences. Doing this not only helps us clarify our work to ourselves, but also smooths out a lot of the interactions we're bound to have down the road while chatting about our projects. I'd say it's pretty GTD: you invest time in thinking up front so you don't have to while you're in the middle of networking, interviewing, etc.
Well, I wondered how far we could push this, and to that end, I'm…
omnibrain | February 16, 2007James L. Sherley finally ended his 12 day hunger strike after he had a craving for a blooming onion from Outback Steakhouse. Sherley said "I've had this tremendous hankering for a blooming onion from day two and just couldn't hold out anymore!"
Ok... I'm lying Sherley decided that his hunger strike brought the desired attention to his struggle against the perceived issues of racism and his denial of tenure. MIT has released a statement with Sherley and will continue to look into the issues.
Here is the News article & MIT statement
omnibrain | February 15, 2007So cheezy....
Now for a classic....
And finally here's an entire site of children's songs rewritten to be about the brain.
And finally...a robot playing John Coltraine.
omnibrain | February 15, 2007What happens when you're looking to fill your 1000 words and get your paycheck? You head over to your local university and write something topically interesting. This requires close to no work and an interview lasting probably less than 30 minutes. In the Jan. 19th Time article What Do Babies Know, Michael Brunton, has written about the current affairs of object permanence research in babies. It is a clearly written and interesting article for the general population who doesn't know anything about developmental psychology, except perhaps the few bits about Jean Piaget they learned in…
omnibrain | February 15, 2007In the ongoing battle between the DEA, farmers, patients, and scientists there has been nothing but contradictory information. It looks like with a couple new pieces of news that the pro-marijuana (the medical kind) people might be coming out ahead.
For researchers studying marijuana, it's been a very good week. In one of the most careful studies to date, marijuana was found to relieve pain. And a judge ruled in favor of an agronomist who has has been trying for six years to overcome one of the problems of marijuana research: the lack of an adequate supply of the drug for experiments.
The…
omnibrain | February 13, 2007Here's one for Valentine's Day.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Beatles' George Harrison wondered in his famous love song about the "something" that "attracts me like no other lover." A University at Buffalo expert explains that that "something" is actually several physical elements that -- if they occur in a certain order, at the right time and in the right place -- can result in true love.
"There are several types of chemistry required in romantic relationships," according to Mark Kristal, professor of psychology at UB. "It seems like a variety of different neurochemical processes and external…
omnibrain | February 13, 2007 ClinkShrink from Shrink Rap sent me these great (anatomically correct) brain treats last fall. If anyone wants to get me a Valentines Day present, this would be it. ;)
[edit by Sandra - I need a chocolate brain too, but only to replace the one in my head that doesn't work very well. Also, what's up with Steve and ClinkShrink, hmm?]
omnibrain | February 13, 2007
A couple months ago we posted a number of very disturbing cigarette warning labels from around the world and wondered whether perhaps a picture of a rotting, stinking, bleeding tumor on a guys throat would perhaps help lower the incidence of smoking. In the March issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine researchers have taken a step toward showing big obnoxious warnings are the best.
The abstract does a good job describing the study so I'll let them do it:
Text and Graphic Warnings on Cigarette Packages: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Study…
omnibrain | February 13, 2007Lots and lots and lots of snow (not quite upstate NY) but enough to close the university.
Here's the view from my window.
And here's what I'm doing about it ;)
omnibrain | February 13, 2007Even if the person doesn't entirely get them. Why is that? you would certainly have to get them on some level to prefer them wouldn't you?
A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research discusses the benefits of slogans with multiple meanings, like a cell phone company using the slogan, "The Clear Alternative" or a tax-preparation service advertising that "You Get More in Return." The researchers found that some people are better at recognizing additional meanings than others, but they also found that degree of understanding has little impact on how well people respond to the catchphrases.…
omnibrain | February 12, 2007Interesting article from the NYT Science Times:
More than a decade ago, Diana Duyser of Hollywood, Fla., received a religious message through an unlikely medium: a grilled cheese sandwich she had made herself. As she gazed at the brown skillet marks on the surface of the bread, a familiar visage snapped into focus.
A grilled cheese sandwich, top, with an image of what some see as the Virgin Mary sold for $28,000 on eBay. Jesus Christ is seen in an oyster shell, a frying pan and a pirogi.
"I saw a face looking up at me; it was the Virgin Mary staring back," she told reporters in 2004. "I was…
omnibrain | February 11, 2007As an academic your currency is your reputation, and how often your papers get cited (well assuming they aren't citing you for making up data). The inevitable result of this are battles of ideas being fought out at conferences, in special issues of journals and in review articles. If you discover something interesting and the mechanisms are not clearly visible (as they usually are not - especially in something like psychology!) other scientists begin to attack you - especially if your new idea challenges theirs!
In the science of the brain there are a few debates that immediately come to…
omnibrain | February 11, 2007
If you want to join make sure you are:
- not opposed to alcohol.
- fond of IPCC reports (especially the pictures).
- mostly in agreement with the "truth."
- into badges.
- grieving for the slow and miserable death of the Hubble Space Telescope.
- possibly possessed of supernatural powers.
- not in the business of total world domination
- committed to the constant and diligent presentation of science stories, be it to editors, producers, directors, educators, relatives and/or friends of various ilk, in an effort to lessen the gap that is this thing we call public scientific literacy.
Check…
omnibrain | February 11, 2007I never really understood how anyone could identify someone off of those police sketches!
Now it seems that some psychologists have come to the same conclusion - but not pulling reasons out of their rear ends...like me!
In an article appearing in the February issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, the authors point to several studies that indicate facial composite systems produce a poor likeness of the intended face. For instance, studies in which individuals attempt to create composites of celebrities have yielded extremely poor results. In one particular study, only 2.8…
omnibrain | February 11, 2007It's the end of an era (and also a lot of embarrassment for Princeton and scientists in general) for the Princeton Parapsychology lab.
From the NYT on Friday:
Over almost three decades, a small laboratory at Princeton University managed to embarrass university administrators, outrage Nobel laureates, entice the support of philanthropists and make headlines around the world with its efforts to prove that thoughts can alter the course of events.
But at the end of the month, the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory, or PEAR, will close, not because of controversy but because, its…
omnibrain | February 10, 2007You are Dr. Doom
Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.
Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz
-Via Retrospectacle-
omnibrain | February 8, 2007Ohh Kirk Cameron you're so silly!
"We are very excited about this game because it presents both sides of the creation-evolution argument, and in doing so, shows that the contemporary theory of evolution is perhaps the greatest hoax of modern times," said creator Kirk Cameron
I heard about this game coming out a month or two ago but was never able to find much more information on it until now. I'm not really sure how the game shows evolution as 'stupid' but this quote should hold you over until you want to spend the $29.95 to buy the game:
"Intelligent Design versus Evolution" is unique in…