Clipmarks | Brains Clips

Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:57:38 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks:
Trial-and-error evolution
According to Gary Marcus's Kluge our brains are an engineering nightmare, says Steven Rose

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The fallibility of the human mind is a source of continual frustration to philosophers, artificial intelligencers and evolutionary psychologists. Our memories are weak, we are credulous and easily led to believe improbable or impossible things, our language is not optimally constructed. We have problems with probabilities, and are logically inconsistent. We make choices that are apparently irrational and not in our own best long-term interests, and certainly not in those of our genes. Thus - according to Marcus - we prefer instant gratification to the chance of greater, longer-term benefits. We get drunk, embark on non-procreative sex for mere pleasure, and may even sacrifice our lives for some perceived cause that has nothing to do with increasing our inclusive (genetic) fitness.

His chapter on language as a kluge, full of grammatical and linguistic incongruities, is particularly strong, although his basic argument is almost drowned in a flood of examples

Tags: kluge, human mind, evolution, book review

Probability overrides the intuitive.

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:20:49 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: "The reason that our folk intuitions so often get it wrong is that we evolved in what evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins calls “Middle World”—a land midway between short and long, small and large, slow and fast, young and old. Out of personal preference, I call it “Middle Land.”

The middle, the plain is a big bias that shapes and limits one's perception.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Why Our Brains Do Not Intuitively Grasp Probabilities

Have you ever gone to the phone to call a friend only to have your friend ring you first? What are the odds of that? Not high, to be sure, but the sum of all probabilities equals one. Given enough opportunities, outlier anomalies—even seeming miracles—will occasionally happen.

Thanks to our confirmation bias, in which we look for and find confirmatory evidence for what we already believe and ignore or discount contradictory evidence, we will remember only those few astonishing coincidences and forget the vast sea of meaningless data.

The average person has about five dreams a night, or 1,825 dreams a year

With an annual death rate of 2.4 million Americans, it is inevitable that some of those 54.7 billion remembered dreams will be about some of these 2.4 million deaths among the 300 million Americans and their 45 billion relationship connections. In fact, it would be a miracle if some death premonition dreams did not happen to come true

Tags: belief, probabilities, perception bias

Jon Stewart Speaks Truth to Media Power

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:05:54 GMT

clipped by: dmegivern

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Jon Stewart, Fox News Trade Barbs

Jon Stewart ripped the cable news networks Monday as a "brutish, slow-witted beast" and castigated Fox News as "an appendage of the Republican Party."

Wearing a gray T-shirt and a healthy stubble, the "Daily Show" host told reporters that Fox's fair-and-balanced slogan is "a (expletive) you to people with brains" and that only "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace "saves that network from slapping on a bumper sticker . . . Barack Obama could cure cancer and they'd figure out a way to frame it as an economic disaster."

Tags: jon stewart, faux news

The feng shui of cows :)

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:13:53 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: "What the benefit could be for cows, however, remains a mystery. Experts acknowledged that the research almost certain- ly has no practical applications."

Cool though

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Cows have magnetic sense, Google Earth images indicate

German scientists using satellite images posted online by the Google Earth software program have observed something that has escaped the notice of farmers, herders and hunters for thousands of years: Cattle grazing or at rest tend to orient their bodies in a north-south direction just like a compass needle

The resolution of the images was not sufficient to tell which ends of the cows were pointing north, however.

Asked whether he had ever observed such behavior in cows, dairy farmer Rob Fletcher of Tulare, Calif., said, "Absolutely not." But, he added, "I don't spend a lot of time worrying about stuff like that."

this is an incredibly neat use of Google Earth. This is a study we would not have dreamed about doing five years ago

Researchers have long known that certain bacteria, birds, fish, whales and even rodents have minute organs in their brains containing particles of magnetite that can act like a compass.

Tags: google earth, magnetism, animals

For most people college is a waste of time

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:48:05 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: online.wsj.com

Imagine that America had no system of post-secondary education, and you were a member of a task force assigned to create one from scratch. One of your colleagues submits this proposal:

First, we will set up a single goal to represent educational success, which will take four years to achieve no matter what is being taught. We will attach an economic reward to it that seldom has anything to do with what has been learned. We will urge large numbers of people who do not possess adequate ability to try to achieve the goal, wait until they have spent a lot of time and money, and then deny it to them. We will stigmatize everyone who doesn't meet the goal. We will call the goal a "BA."

You would conclude that your colleague was cruel, not to say insane. But that's the system we have in place.

Finding a better way should be easy. The BA acquired its current inflated status by accident. Advanced skills for people with brains really did get more valuable over the course of the 20th century

Tags: education, college, certification

A Bit of Rationalism

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:37:59 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: It's always positive to point out what is myth and what is reality. Often they are confused, especially by people who depend so much on myth. The attached clip offers a bit of sunshine to brighten up those dark corners of peoples brains.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Myth:

Atheists are angry at God because they think He should have done something for them in their pasts.

Response:
The idea that atheists are angry in general is itself already quite popular, but the myth that atheists are angry specifically at God for not having done what they want may be more popular. This combines the idea that atheists are angry, that they are prideful enough to think that they know better than God, and that they are rebelling against what God wants for the world. Atheists are thus attacked from a variety of convenient directions, except for the fact that the claim is all wrong.

The most obvious reason why everyone should recognize that this myth is false is the simple fact that you can't be angry at God unless you believe that God exists. This means that anyone who is angry at God must be a theist, not an atheist — an atheist is a person who doesn't believe in any gods at all. Atheists therefore cannot be angry at any gods.

Tags: atheism, religion, logic, rational

Brain School

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:28:37 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: neuroanthropology.net

BRAIN SCHOOL FOR KIDS (GROWN UP KIDS INCLUDED!)

Brains Rule
Neuroscience For Kids
Kids Health
Funderstanding
NeuroMatrix
Brain Boosters
Brainy Kids
Brain Injury Association of America for kids
Kids Health, The Brain

BRAIN SCHOOL FOR ADULTS

Neuroscience Tutorial
Neuroguide
Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Psychology and Psychoanalysis
BrainInfo
News from the Neurosciences
All in the Mind
How your brain works
Brain Imaging Basics
Brain Connection
Brain Glossary
A cup of Neuropsychology?
Alleydog (for Psychology Students)
Martindale’s Brain and NeuroCenter
Internet Handbook of neurology
National Institute of Mental Health
Brain, The world inside your head

Tags: neuroscience

In My Eye I've Spied..

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:24:55 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: www.gotohelltown.com

...A man with pins in his head
...a woman split down the center by an axe
...a doorway to hell that looks like a box
...a bug with an edgar suit
...a space winnebago
...a kogatha
...a pumpkin with demons
...

...blood spewed while talking
...a giant eye explode from a shotgun blast at close range
...laser-diced assault specialists
...special glasses that can see the underworld creatures attacking you
...a death-ray from space
...a giant jet-powered flying turtle

...a demon in my cellar
...a tent of kids telling ghost stories
...brains for dinner
...razor knives for fingers
...scarubs in my underwear
...a tunnel full of fire
...a chicken in my chest (a game not a movie)
...a mermaid in a tank on a ship
...another dimension marching in

Tags: in my eye i've spied.., game, list, movie, guess

Pelosi Chastised by Archbishops & Drill Here, Drill Now Supporters

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:16:07 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: She went on to refer to the protesters, who continued to chant sporadically, as “handmaidens of Big Oil.”

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Under fire from U.S. Catholic bishops, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not backing off contentious comments about abortion she made during a weekend television talk show appearance.

Pelosi said Sunday on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' that ``doctors of the church'' have not been able to define when life begins. That prompted swift rebukes from Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl and Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, who said Pelosi was incorrect and that Catholic teaching has consistently condemned abortion.

Clip Source: www.politico.com

House Democratic leaders and protesters waving McCain signs had a war of words Tuesday at a press event outside an old train station. The demonstrators interrupted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with chants of “Drill here! Drill now!”

Pelosi paused and asked the group, “Right here?”

Seeming to enjoy the back and forth, she followed with another question: “Can we drill your brains?”

Tags: pelosi, abortion, meet the press, archbishop wuerl, archbishop chaput, protesters mccain signs, drill here! drill now!, "big oil"

Fox makes stunning attack on Jon Stewart

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:39:55 GMT

clipped by: sahara

Clip Source: blog.puppetgov.com

Puppetgov: We have contended that it is sad when the only spot on the dial you can find some truth is on a comedy channel.

After Jon Stewart blasted Fox News as “an appendage of the Republican Party” Monday in Denver, Rupert Murdoch’s 24-hour cable news broadcast returned fire with flames.

“Wearing a gray T-shirt, khaki pants and a healthy stubble, the ‘Daily Show’ host told reporters at a University of Denver breakfast that Fox’s ‘fair and balanced’ slogan is an insult ‘to people with brains’

“Jon’s clearly out of touch,” a Fox spokesman told Kurtz Tuesday in reply, “citing a Pew Research Center study showing the network has the most balanced audience in cable news, 39 percent Republicans and 33 percent Democrats.”

Out of touch, however, wasn’t the worst of it. The spokesman also went on to blast Stewart for his ratings at the Oscars.

Stewart didn’t save his attacks only for Fox. He also called the 24 hour cable networks in general a “brutish, slow-witted beast.”

[Video]

When being the Best is Wrong

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:42:39 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.newstatesman.com

In a semantic mess, wanting the best has become "elitist"

"Elite" and "elitism" as terms have transformed into political slurs in Britain and the United States. Simply defined, elitism is a belief in government by the few, while elite means "the best". But the conflation of their meanings, born of not a little ignorance and slovenly language, has produced somewhat different strains of anti-rational toxin in the past few decades.

The political definitions of both elite and elitism in the US are now being broadened to include knowledge itself.

To escape the charge of elitism, a US candidate may now be required to display not only a beer belly, but also a preference for ignorance over expertise.

Republicans are slapping the elitist bullseye on Barack Obama, though his is a story of earned privilege through scholarships, hard work and brains.

Tags: elite, elitism, language, mediocrity

Awesome Innovations from the Underdeveloped Male Mind

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:01:20 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: Hesh says that “the curtain may contain appropriately placed openings to allow for communication by or to the user”, which will allow for interaction like this:

Man without Portable Rain Covering:
“Dude, that’s really a sweet little device you’ve got there.”

Man wearing Portable Rain Covering:
“Thanks. I’ve had it for about a month now and I …..”

Man without Portable Rain Covering:
“Dude, that was sarcasm.”

Clip Source: www.darkroastedblend.com

This article is written by

Scott Seegert

He is the author of "It's a Guy Thing - Awesome Innovations from the Underdeveloped Male Mind"

1.Raymond’s Combined Camouflage and Decoy Device

As the next step in guys’ never ending battle to outsmart wildlife with brains the size of raisins, Raymond offers up his Combined Camouflage and Decoy Device.

2. Edwin’s Safety Clothing

Old people fall down a lot, often injuring themselves in the process. Well, Edwin has come up with a way to alleviate this problem and a quick glance at the illustration above reveals his plan for the elderly – to make them feel so ridiculous they refuse to leave the house.

3. Hesh’s Portable Rain Covering

You’re outside, with no shelter in sight, and it begins to rain. You don’t have an umbrella with you. What do you do? If you’re on the ball, you reach into your pocket, pull out Hesh’s Portable Rain Covering and place it on your head. If you’re really on the ball, you unfold and inflate it first.

Tags: weird inventions, funny

The Male Brain, Explained

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:16:38 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: "We have been assuming that the ways in which emotions are organized in the brain are essentially similar in men and women," but they aren't. Parts of the limbic cortex, which is involved in emotional responses, are smaller in men than in women. Additionally, scientists at McMaster University have found that guys have a smaller density of neurons in areas of the temporal lobe that deal with language processing.

Appreciate his naturally upbeat nature

Does he seem to be "up" most of the time? It's not your imagination: Male brains produce 52 percent more serotonin (the chemical that influences mood) than female brains, according to a study done at McGill University. And studies show that fewer men than women suffer from depression.

Remember his brain is his largest sex organ

The preoptic area of the hypothalamus is greater in volume, in cross-sectional area and in the number of cells. This area of the hypothalamus is in charge of mating behavior.

Clip Source: lifestyle.msn.com

Women have puzzled over it for years—why the heck do men do the things they do? Why do they profess their love for you one minute, then ignore you the next (say, when an Attila the Hun special turns up on TV)? Why can they not remember our birthdays? Let science explain some of these conundrums—and help you rev up your relationships!

Be patient with his memory

The hippocampus, where initial memories are formed, occupies a smaller percent of the male brain than the female brain. If on your first date he can't remember where you work, even though you told him all about it when you met, just remember that size matters … hippocampus size, that is. Don't take it personally.

Don't expect him to get hints

Have a crush on him? You may have to put it out there, because men aren't as skilled at women at reading subtle emotional cues. As Dr. Larry Cahill of the University of California at Irvine puts it,

Tags: male, romantic/sexual/behavior, read the female brain, explained

Future Drugs Will Make Troops Want to Fight

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:29:15 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Their report, “Emerging Cognitive Neuroscience and Related Technologies,” was released today. It charts a range of cognitive technologies that are potentially powerful — and, perhaps, powerfully troubling.

Here are the report’s main areas of focus:

Mind reading. The development of psychological models and neurological imaging has made it possible to see what people are thinking and whether they’re lying.

Cognitive enhancement. Arguably the most developed area of cognitive neuroscience, with drugs already allowing soldiers to stay awake and alert for days at a time,

Mind control. Largely pharmaceutical, for the moment, and a natural outgrowth of cognitive enhancement approaches and mind-reading insight: If we can alter the brain, why not control it?

Mind control. Largely pharmaceutical, for the moment, and a natural outgrowth of cognitive enhancement approaches and mind-reading insight: If we can alter the brain, why not control it?

Clip Source: noworldsystem.com

Drugs that make soldiers want to fight. Robots linked directly to their controllers’ brains. Lie-detecting scans administered to terrorist suspects as they cross U.S. borders.

These are just a few of the military uses imagined for cognitive science — and if it’s not yet certain whether the technologies will work, the military is certainly taking them very seriously.

“It’s way too early to know which — if any — of these technologies is going to be practical,” said Jonathan Moreno, a Center for American Progress bioethicist and author of Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense. “But it’s important for us to get ahead of the curve. Soldiers are always on the cutting edge of new technologies.”

Moreno is part of a National Research Council committee convened by the Department of Defense to evaluate the military potential of brain science.

Tags: neuroscience, war

What is going on, for God's sake???

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:06:31 GMT

clipped by: mugofcoffee
clipper's remarks: Uncle Sam Wants Your Brain

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

By Brandon Keim

Drugs that make soldiers want to fight. Robots linked directly to their controllers' brains. Lie-detecting scans administered to terrorist suspects as they cross U.S. borders.

These are just a few of the military uses imagined for cognitive science -- and if it's not yet certain whether the technologies will work, the military is certainly taking them very seriously.

Mind reading.

Mind readers could be used to interrogate captured enemies, as well as "terrorist suspects" passing through customs. But does this mean, for example, that travelers placed on the bloated, mistake-laden watchlist would have their minds scanned, just as their computers will be?

Cognitive enhancement.

Mind control. Largely pharmaceutical, for the moment, and a natural outgrowth of cognitive enhancement approaches and mind-reading insight: If we can alter the brain, why not control it?

Brain-Machine Interfaces.

Emerging Cognitive Neuroscience and Related Technologies [National Academies Press]