Clipmarks | balthazarus's clips

Poster Boy

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:40:43 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

BROOKLYN'S STREET-CENTRIC HACKTIVIST

New York Police seem to have apprehended a clever billboard graffito who calls himself Poster Boy

For four seasons running, the city's greatest art crawl has been the New York subway system, courtesy of an anonymous razor-witted and -wielding graffito who calls himself Poster Boy. His flair for remixing subway advertisements into strident polemics on late capitalism has drawn an enthusiastic following.

"Matisse of subway-ad mash-ups," as New York magazine approvingly dubbed him

Poster Boy's mystique has come largely from his anonymity

Perhaps best of all, his work is preciously transient: Transit Authority staff often paper over it within days, if not hours.

Poster Boy's creative underclass credentials are impeccable

"No matter what I do to the piece," he told New York magazine, "as long as I did something to those advertisements and that saturation, it’s political. It’s anti-media, anti–established art world.”

appeal extends beyond art-world circles.

[Video]

Tags: art, politics, expression

i-Aroma

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:19:50 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: The company has already launched a scent-producing store signage system, piloted a mobile fragrance communication system and premiered smell-enhanced movies in Japanese theaters. With the i-Aroma, a more personal olfactory experience is on the way for volunteers lucky enough to be involved in the trial

Clip Source: www.gizmag.com

Fragrance

the next internet phenomenon

Japanese telecommunications company NTT Com is currently seeking volunteers to test a pungent bit of kit which produces different smells at the request of programs downloaded from the Internet. There will be two separate trials of the i-Aroma conducted from mid-July to the end of August. One course will send out smells matching "the rhythm of daily life" while the other will release odors based on an ancient astrological system. Sadly though, only those living in Japan can take part.

The i-Aroma is loaded with 6 base oils and attached to a PC via USB cable. The volunteer connects the PC to the Internet and special courses designed by astrologist Ryuji Kagami or aroma therapist Kaoru Sasak will determine what scents are mixed by the device and released into the air. A remote control on the i-Aroma can be used to dispense stored, favorite smells when not connected to a PC.

be able to produce fragrant blends in response to special instructions

Tags: internet, sense, scent

Two Mammals' Longevity Boosted

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:14:29 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Two Mammals' Longevity Boosted

A study published Wednesday found that rapamycin, a drug used in organ transplants, increased the life span of mice by 9% to 14%, the first definitive case in which a chemical has been shown to extend the life span of normal mammals.

Anti-aging researchers also expect a second study, to be released this week, will show that sharply cutting the calorie intake of monkeys extends their lives substantially. The experiment is said to be the first technique shown to retard aging in primates.

"It's time to break out of our denial about aging," said Aubrey de Grey, a British gerontologist who has drawn controversy for his suggestions on how to forestall death. "Aging is, unequivocally, the major cause of death in the industrialized world and a perfectly legitimate target of medical intervention."

after 20 years, only 20% of the calorie-restricted monkeys had died, compared with half of the monkeys on a normal diet

Clip Source: industry.bnet.com

Wyeth pondering a new indication application

Tags: mammals, longevity

21st-Century Slaves

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:31:12 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

21st-Century Slaves

: A HIDDEN INDIA (1)

They’re not in chains, but they are shackled by debt, paid virtually nothing and treated harshly

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT

There is even an informal market where workers can be “sold”

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

60, binds her hands in cloth to protect them from the bricks she shifts for 12 hours a day

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

THE LONE SURVIVOR

the persistence of a dreadful pre-modern phenomenon: slavery. It is rarely recognised as such, even by many slaves

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

LOST
A missing daughter—reportedly abducted by an upper-caste neighbour, whom the police will not approach.

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

LOST

The unlucky ones are “bonded”—they have taken a loan from their employers to pay for basic needs and must work to pay it off

Some never will, and will pass the debt on to their children

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

Poverty forces them into slavery; violence keeps them there

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

In India an extra dimension is added by the social divisions of the Hindu caste system

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

had incurred the wrath of the local upper castes

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

MULTI-TASKING

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

THE BOSS

employing bonded labourers

Clip Source: www.moreintelligentlife.com

ESCAPE

Tags: slavery, india

Ethiopian Multiplication

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:04:46 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: Cool

Clip Source: threesixty360.wordpress.com

Ethiopian Multiplication

This method of multiplication is also called Egyptian Multiplication (because it was done in Egypt) and Russian Peasant Multiplication (although the Peasant part might be intended as a bit of a pejorative).

Here’s the basic idea: Suppose you want to multiply two numbers like 14 and 12. You could use your fingers, of course, but here’s another way:

Start with the two numbers on top. Halve one, ignoring any remainders or fractions, and double the other, stopping when you get to 1.

14 & 12

7 & 24

3 & 48 [See how I ignored the fact that halving 7 leaves 1 left over?]

1 & 96 <— Stop here.

Now look at the numbers on the right. Some are across from an even number: in this case, 12 is across from the original 14. Ignore those, and add the rest. So we’ll add 24, 48, and 96, which were across from odd numbers, and get 168. And that’s the product! Isn’t that cool?

Clip Source: www.scientificblogging.com

It’s cool, because it’s binary

essentially how computers do multiplication internally

Tags: mathematics

Can Aging Be Solved?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:51:55 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: www.technologyreview.com

Can Aging Be Solved?

Hayflick discovered that human cells grown in a dish will multiply a finite number of times

has since become well known for his skepticism toward claims that human longevity can be significantly lengthened through science.

TR: Some people would like to slow or halt the aging process.

LH: They haven't thought about the consequences.

TR: So you don't want to extend life span. But do you think it's theoretically possible?

I think it's highly improbable

Clip Source: www.technologyreview.com

Ray Kurzweil on How to Combat Aging

There are century-old automobiles around in vintage (perfect) condition that are still driven around. That is because the maintenance was sufficiently aggressive for those cars

the same technologies that will bring radical life extension will also bring radical expansion of resources

Our intuition is linear, so many scientists, such as Hayflick, think in linear terms and expect that the slow pace of the past will characterize the future

medicine, and biology is now an information technology

Tags: aging, technology

Mediastorm

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:11:54 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: Each photograph represents a different project and a different story...

Clip Source: mediastorm.org

Driftless: Stories from Iowa

economy have pushed the youth of rural communities to migrate to the metropolises of America

Intended Consequences

During the 1994 genocide, Rwandan women were subjected to massive sexual violence, perpetrated by members of the infamous Hutu militia groups known as the Interahamwe. Among the survivors, those who are most isolated are the women who have borne children as a result of being raped. Their families have rejected both them and their children, compounding their already unimaginable emotional distress

Common Ground

Rape of a Nation

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to the deadliest war in the world today

45,000 people die each month in the Congo. Most deaths are due to easily preventable and curable conditions

The Ninth Floor

The Marlboro Marine

Love in the First Person

Evidence of My Existence

Finding the Way Home: Two Years After Katrina

Ivory Wars: Last Stand in Zakouma

Black Market

wildlife trade is the third largest illegal trade in the world

Tags: photography, society

Subliminal Messages Motivation

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:22:38 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: Going now for a coffee...

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Subliminal Messages Motivate People To Actually Do Things They Already Wanted To Do

To get people to behave in a certain way, the idea for such behaviour must first be planted in their minds. Once the idea has been planted in your mind (so-called ‘priming') then either a lack of something (deprivation) or a positive association with a certain action can ensure that you are actually motivated to carry out that action

results of the experiments showed that motivation for carrying out certain actions (such as drinking) occurs when the action matches an existing deprivation or has a positive association

These two motivational states both independently indicate that carrying out a certain action is worth striving for

motivational worth; if an object is relevant for attaining your goals then you will perceive it to be bigger than it actually is. In one of Veltkamp's experiments, glasses of water were estimated to be bigger, if the participants had not had a drink for some time

Tags: psychology

Those unsure of own ideas more resistant to views of others

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:15:42 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: It sounds obvious almost, but one should doubt his mind and when saying doubt i mean asking yourself what do i feel, see... and why do i see feel this? can i feel, see otherwise?

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

People Sometimes Seek The Truth, But Most Prefer Like-minded Views

Clip Source: news.illinois.edu

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

included data from 91 studies involving nearly 8,000 participants

The researchers found that people are about twice as likely to select information that supports their own point of view (67 percent) as to consider an opposing idea (33 percent). Certain individuals, those with close-minded personalities, are even more reluctant to expose themselves to differing perspectives, Albarracín said. They will opt for the information that corresponds to their views nearly 75 percent of the time.

Clip Source: news.illinois.edu

People are also more likely to expose themselves to opposing ideas when it is useful to them in some way

If you’re going to buy a house and you really like the house, you’re still going to have it inspected

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Perhaps more surprisingly, people who have little confidence in their own beliefs are less likely to expose themselves to contrary views than people who are very confident in their own ideas

more resistant to new points

political, religious

Tags: psychology

This is the rhythm of the heart..

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:52:32 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: "investigators did find subconscious reflex autonomous responses. Almost every musical crescendo induced progressive skin vasoconstriction along with increases in blood pressure and heart rate.

Correlations between cardiovascular variables and music profile were particularly evident during the aria "Nessun dorma," which is characterized by 3 progressively stronger crescendos. "We found that there were a lot of correspondences, particularly during the part of the musical track that has those crescendos," said Dr. Bernardi.

Conversely, during the slower or silent phases, there was progressive skin vasodilation and reductions in heart rate and blood pressure, indicating progressive relaxation."

Clip Source: www.medscape.com

Cardiac Rhythms Synchronize With Music

Music, particularly pieces that contain crescendos or gradual increases in volume, elicits synchronized cardiovascular and respiratory responses in young people that are similar in both musicians and nonmusicians

"We know now that music can affect the cardiovascular system, and if we understand how this works, then we can use it,"

Researchers tracked the cardiovascular and respiratory profile of 24 healthy subjects aged 24 to 26 years old, of whom 12 were experienced choristers and 12 were age- and sex-matched controls with no musical training.

Hooked up to an electrocardiogram (ECG) and with their eyes closed, the subjects listened to various pieces of music with headphones

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Verdi's Nabucco

Verdi's La Traviata

selected these pieces because they contain several changes in music dynamics — for example, crescendos, decrescendos, pianos, and fortes

To measure conscious emotional arousal, subjects were asked to rate the intensity

Tags: music, heart

Sea level rise: it goes up and up...

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:43:01 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

Sea level rise: It's worse than we thought

As more and more ice slides into the ocean, sea levels are rising faster and faster – but just how high will they get?

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

the fate of the planet's ice, from relatively small ice caps in places like the Canadian Arctic, the Andes and the Himalayas, to the immense ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, will largely determine the speed and extent of sea level rise

The oceans are already rising. Global average sea level rose about 17 centimetres in the 20th century, and the rate of rise is increasing. The biggest uncertainty for those trying to predict future changes is how humanity will behave. Will we start to curb our emissions of greenhouse gases sometime soon, or will we continue to pump ever more into the atmosphere?

According to one recent estimate, the continued loss of this ice will add another 10 to 20 centimetres to sea level by 2100

The second biggest contributor has been thermal expansion of the oceans

Clip Source: www.newscientist.com

Tags: ecology, sea;

Evo Psych

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:17:49 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: "Like other critics, he has no doubt that evolution shaped the human brain. How could it be otherwise, when evolution has shaped every other human organ? But evo psych's claims that human behavior is constrained by mental modules that calcified in the Stone Age make sense "only if the environmental challenges remain static enough to sculpt an instinct over evolutionary time," Pigliucci points out. If the environment, including the social environment, is instead dynamic rather than static—which all evidence suggests—then the only kind of mind that makes humans evolutionarily fit is one that is flexible and responsive, able to figure out a way to make trade-offs, survive, thrive and reproduce in whatever social and physical environment it finds itself in"

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

Where, then, does the fall of evolutionary psychology leave the idea of human nature? Behavioral ecology replaces it with "it depends"—that is, the core of human nature is variability and flexibility, the capacity to mold behavior to the social and physical demands of the environment. As Buller says, human variation is not noise in the system; it is the system. To be sure, traits such as symbolic language, culture, tool use, emotions and emotional expression do indeed seem to be human universals. It's the behaviors that capture the public imagination—promiscuous men and monogamous women, stepchild-killing men and the like—that turn out not to be. And for a final nail in the coffin, geneticists have discovered that human genes evolve much more quickly than anyone imagined when evolutionary psychology was invented, when everyone assumed that "modern" humans had DNA almost identical to that of people 50,000 years ago. Some genes seem to be only 10,000 years old, and some may be

younger

Tags: evolution, psychology, sociology, behaviour

Fixing My Gaze

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:40:24 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: "It is hard to imagine the dramatic nature of the sudden epiphany that stereoblind people have if they gain stereopsis, as when Barry saw the steering wheel floating before her. Stereoblind people perceive the world in two dimensions, as a flat display; they judge distance and depth by such cues as size, shading, and the partial obscuring of one object by another. They have to develop these techniques in childhood because they suppress the information coming from one of their eyes, since the data from both eyes fail to match. Nothing in the experience of the stereoblind can prepare them for what stereoscopic vision is like. If they get it, the experience can be overwhelming; it can even cause vertigo, as happened to Barry, and sensations of travel-sickness."

"It is a pleasant and optimistic thought indeed, that at any point in life we might, if determined enough, be able to fix things, improve, mend, and grow in positive ways: even to see more clearly, and not just with our eyes."

Clip Source: www.barnesandnoble.com

Fixing My Gaze

A neurologist friend of mine recently told me the following tale. A retired professor came to his office and said, "I think I have had a stroke." My friend asked what his grounds were for saying so, and the professor replied, "I have begun to see phantom figures repeatedly rising out of the floor to my left. Something must have happened in the occipital lobe of my brain on the right side." Sure enough, a scan revealed a small blood clot in the very region of the brain that processes left visual field information.

The professor’s phantoms vanished after a couple of weeks as the clot dissipated. It is interesting to speculate what, in an earlier age, such visions might have prompted: what cathedrals, what wars, what reports from beyond. But to a mind prepared and informed, the upwardly floating spirits immediately implied something much more sensible, not to say more interesting.

her experience constitutes additional evidence of the plasticity of the brain throughout life

Tags: sight, book

God or Darwin? some statistics...

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:58:25 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: though i used the same headline as the article, i do not agree to it. Evolution is not equal to religion and they are merely two different perspectives of the same reality. Each one portrays a different worldview, a different world, a different view. the direction in religion is one of preservation, maintaining the existing order as it , whilst in evolution the dynamics are in constant motion of exploring new orders which by nature are transitory.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

God or Darwin? The world in evolution beliefs

Find out where on earth only 8% of people believe in evolution

The British Council has asked, with the help of Ipsos MORI, over ten thousand adults across ten countries from China to the USA, just what they think of evolution.

The results show that the majority of adults surveyed have heard of
Charles Darwin and know at least a little about his theory of
evolution. But they also show that there are significant minorities of people who either want nothing to do with evolution - and think it should either not be taught in schools or alongside creationism.

Beliefs in evolution

Countries

Heard of Darwin

Agree the scientific evidence for evolution exists

Think it is possible to believe in a God and evolution simultaneously

Argentina 86 44 62 China 90 55 39 Egypt 38 8 45 Great Britain 91 51 54 India 62 38 85 Mexico 91 52 65 Russia 93 39 54 South Africa 27 8 54 Spain 72 39 46 USA 84 33 53

Tags: evolution, darwin, religion

What if Lincoln Had Used Twitter :-?

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:32:47 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: www.time.com

history is a funny thing. Take the Pilgrims, for example. Not only do they look ridiculous — (hat buckles? really?) — but you can make fun of them without fear of accidentally offending someone. This is the brilliance of the website historicaltweets.com.

has re-imagined famous moments throughout history as Twittered by the people who experienced them

Odysseus: "Back home! Who r all these random dudes?"

Lou Gehrig: "Found a penny on the sidewalk! I'm the luckiest man on the face of this earth."

Al Capone: April 15 AGAIN?!?!

Buzz Aldrin: @NeilArmstrong: you go first

James Joyce: 140 characters? A sentence of such fractured length would have barely begun to scratch at the surface of man's vain, insignificant —
James Joyce: Damn.

Claude Monet: I feel like I've seen this haystack before...

Monica Lewinsky: Note to self: drop off dry-cleaning

Henry VIII: Women. Can't live with 'em, can't live wi—ooooh.

Lassie: Idiot child fell down the mine shaft again. That makes 3 times in one week.

Clip Source: historicaltweets.com

Tags: twitter, funny, history

Clipmarks | balthazarus's clips

Poster Boy

BROOKLYN'S STREET-CENTRIC HACKTIVIST

i-Aroma

Two Mammals' Longevity Boosted

Two Mammals' Longevity Boosted

21st-Century Slaves

21st-Century Slaves : A HIDDEN INDIA (1)

Ethiopian Multiplication

Ethiopian Multiplication

Can Aging Be Solved?

Mediastorm

Subliminal Messages Motivation

Subliminal Messages Motivate People To Actually Do Things They Already Wanted To Do

Those unsure of own ideas more resistant to views of others

People Sometimes Seek The Truth, But Most Prefer Like-minded Views

This is the rhythm of the heart..

Cardiac Rhythms Synchronize With Music

Sea level rise: it goes up and up...

Evo Psych

Fixing My Gaze

God or Darwin? some statistics...

God or Darwin? The world in evolution beliefs

Beliefs in evolution

What if Lincoln Had Used Twitter :-?

21st-Century Slaves

: A HIDDEN INDIA (1)