Originally posted on Aceso Under Glass:
If one person is wrong, they’re wrong. If a lot of people, some of whom got extremely rich off of their wrong ideas, are wrong, there’s a good possibility I’m the wrong one. At a minimum, it’s useful for me to understand where I’m differing from others. Open offices…
Month: July 2015
Why Torture Fails – A podcast interview with Julie Rose
Why Torture Doesn’t Work (from 50:26 – here’s the podcast. There’s lots of other interesting material there too). Guest: Shane O’Mara, Ph. D., Professor of Experimental Brain Research at Trinity College in Dublin We now know that the nation’s largest professional organization for psychologists colluded with the US government to sanction the use of torture to… Read More
At the Festival of Curiosity – Design Futures (And me on why wearables don’t work)
The Festival of Curiosity (And why wearables don’t work) Really enjoyed @festofcuriosity event with the fab @AmyCongdon @shaunoboyle @smomara1 (pic by @dj_mckeown) pic.twitter.com/h7ed5Lq1y9 — claireoconnell (@claireoconnell) July 23, 2015 Great talks today, all moderated by the ever-excellent and wonderful Claire O’Connell. Amy Congdon gave an eye-popping talk on the possible clothes and fabrics of tomorrow; Shaun… Read More
Design Futures: Fashion, Body & The Mind at the Festival of Curiosity
The Festival of Curiosity How long will we live? How is the latest research in science and technology allowing us design our bodies and minds? Is biotechnology is going to give the design world the biggest set of new materials and tools it has ever had the opportunity to play with? Join us for our lunchtime Design… Read More
The science of “hangry”—why some people get grumpy when they’re hungry
Great piece on a what is a new name for an old feeling: hangry (a very useful portmanteau of hungry and angry). This is a feeling I recognise sadly too easily! Glucose-depleted, decision-fatigued, caffeine-deprived frontal lobes are a good model for transient dysexecutive function – especially the emotional dysregulation that can occur. Advertisers have cleverly… Read More
If the ‘Big One’ Hits Seattle
Originally posted on Longreads:
In the New Yorker, Kathyrn Schulz describes the horrific devastation that would occur if a massive earthquake hit the Pacific Northwest. Scientists have calculated the odds of the big Cascadia earthquake occurring in the next 50 years as “roughly one in three.” Here’s a description of what might happen to Seattle:…
My Chronicle of Higher Education Piece – The Neuroscience of Interrogation: Why Torture Doesn’t Work
I have a piece in Chronicle of Higher Education. It discusses in part the ‘‘bombshell report’ on the American Psychological Association’s ‘independent review of whether there was any factual support for the assertion that APA engaged in activity that would constitute collusion with the Bush administration to promote, support or facilitate the use of “enhanced” interrogation techniques by the United States… Read More
Which habits are you trying to break?
Originally posted on Broadside:
By Caitlin Kelly Sunset in Donegal — at 10:15 pm One of the best things about taking vacation — and the longer, the better — is shedding some bad habits (ideally!) while savoring the pleasures and challenges of a new or different environment. So much easier to do when I’m not…
The Cognitive Thalamus – Superb ebook available for download from Frontiers
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience did a superb special issue on the cognitive functions of the thalamus recently. It was edited by Yuri B Saalmann and Sabine Kastner. It is also now available as a very handsome ebook. Here’s the summary: Cognitive processing is commonly conceptualized as being restricted to the cerebral cortex. Accordingly, electrophysiology, neuroimaging and lesion studies involving human and… Read More