tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60876042009-07-03T22:25:15.812-07:00Cognitive LabsDaily Developments in Cognition from Cognitive Labs: edited by Michael Addicottneurofuturenoreply@blogger.comBlogger2006125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-74547118520845234072009-07-02T23:54:00.000-07:002009-07-02T23:59:01.582-07:00Abstract Art BrainHere's another test...on this page it's interwoven with ambient beats...24/7 The spheres are an artists' rendering of the infinite.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-82154134525567850862009-07-02T13:47:00.001-07:002009-07-02T22:55:56.390-07:00Vatican About FaceGalileo was treated "incorrectly" by the Catholic church, according to a church prelate in Rome, when he was subject to inquiry over his findings. Echoing a theme carried in 'Angels and Demons,' the Vatican now says that the forward momentum of scientific findings should not be parried by dogma and tradition. In particular, Galileo's conclusion that there appeared to be planetary objects moving neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-29596927440567444272009-07-02T08:41:00.000-07:002009-07-02T22:56:58.449-07:00From Blogging to Something ElseFrom starting a blog 5+ years ago (before this site existed) this is a record of interesting events looking back - research being published, applications being developed and an inexorable move from a static kind of healthcare to something more dynamic and interactive. The idea of cognitive fitness and training back then was only advocated by a few psychologists who were on the leading edge, and neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-69259935095993764932009-07-01T14:51:00.000-07:002009-07-01T14:54:10.865-07:00Can 6 Minutes a Week Lead to Fitness?That's the conclusion of a new study - though it's definitely hard to imagine. 90 minutes a day seems about right, with some rotation of activities, but perhaps this is too much. neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-70573300982044362432009-06-29T12:10:00.000-07:002009-06-29T13:01:27.816-07:00Sequels: a Version of the Brand ExtensionWhy do the major film distributors offer sequels rather than new fare? Answer: Risk ReductionA major release is expensive. To generate positive box office returns, it is statistically more likely to wager on proven characters, story, and 'brand' or mindshare than it is to create a new entity that can command traction. For Kraft, a manufacturer of food products, nacho-cheese flavored macaroni and neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-7131491389329386482009-06-28T09:43:00.000-07:002009-06-28T10:18:33.116-07:00California Budget WoesCalifornia is a beautiful state - from the arc of the Golden Gate bridge - the land of beaches, deserts, tall trees, mountains, farms, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley. But underneath is the miasma of fraud. The state is prone to off-the-books operations, double-book accounting, shady deals, and coercion - from investors to bankers, and third parties. Sometimes, major companies get involved. A neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-72545130876338593202009-06-26T18:41:00.000-07:002009-06-26T19:14:32.934-07:00Say Cheese: 1st Picture of a Memory Being MadeIncredible...it's the first picture of a memory being made in a...sea slug through the efforts of UCLA researchers. The increase in green fluorescence represents the imaging of protein synthesis at synapses when memories are made. Credit: Martin et. al For the first time, an image of a memory being made at the cellular level has been captured by scientists.The image shows that proteins are neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-82260887444865214852009-06-26T11:19:00.000-07:002009-07-03T22:00:26.298-07:00Michael Jackson from Bobby OwsinskiLos Angeles producer, author, musician and studio whiz Bobby Owsinski remembers Michael Jackson here. Mr. Owsinski kindly arranged some television video shoots for KNBC - demos of our tests on a Mac, at his studio in LA. But this brings the event down to a personal level outside of big media.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-7516534130409220472009-06-26T02:51:00.000-07:002009-06-26T03:06:55.374-07:00Bad Day for Generation XTwo Gen-X childhood icons have suddenly passed away, as this AP story puts it, in that characters who adorned lunchboxes, are gone - and the generation might be feeling its mortality. But, Billy Idol (originally of the punk band Generation X), Axl Rose, and 80's group Bananarama (old,80s | newer,2005) are still around.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-10333641420952613112009-06-24T13:02:00.001-07:002009-06-24T13:05:30.424-07:00Cerebrogelatinizing Mushy-MushReduced to cerebrogelatinous mush by the food industry?It's by design.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-1644696081599620762009-06-24T12:13:00.000-07:002009-06-24T12:23:45.715-07:00Water on Saturnian Moon Enceladus, a moon of SaturnNEW YORK – Scientists have found new evidence that one of Saturn's moons has an ocean beneath its surface. That's important because liquid water is a key ingredient for life.The moon is an icy body called Enceladus (en-SELL-uh-duss.) It gives off huge plumes of water vapor and ice grains, and scientists used the Cassini spacecraft to sample material from those neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-48049487009661571622009-06-23T00:34:00.000-07:002009-06-23T00:46:10.845-07:00Lunar Impact on the BrainDoes the moon exert a significant tidal pull on the brain, causing behavioral changes? The answer is probably no, although its fun to think of the brain changing shape - or rising and then receding, based on the inexorable pull of the luminous object. Pliny, Bede, and others' Cognitive Tidal Hypothesisneurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-39119889328448442902009-06-22T18:52:00.000-07:002009-06-22T19:05:31.901-07:00Retro TV: Spock's BrainYouTube has begun running full-length episodes of original Star Trek, courtesy of syndicator CBS, such as Spock's Brain. Here is the episode, if you don't mind some advertisements. Previously you could get it from Amazon.com.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-52883331081302660582009-06-21T13:15:00.000-07:002009-06-21T13:23:09.709-07:00Study Examines Depression-Alzheimers LinkResearchers often show an association between Depression and Alzheimer's, as both conditions have a cognitive source. A recent study attempts to impact Depression occurring concurrently with MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) using an Alzheimer's treatment (Donepezil). A well-known Depression scale has been developed by Stanford scientists and been in use for some time. (GDS)neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-42303416890391733302009-06-20T16:10:00.001-07:002009-06-20T16:15:26.466-07:00Wrap Your Brain Around This: New MuseumAt the Acropolis in Athens, a new museum opened. Journalists walk amongst statues during a tour of the new Acropolis museum in Athens on Friday, June 19, 2009. Greece opens its long-anticipated new Acropolis Museum Saturday, boosting its decades-old campaign for the return of 2,500-year-old sculptures removed from the ancient citadel by a 19th century British diplomat.ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Gods, neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-91265475463118969532009-06-15T22:30:00.000-07:002009-06-15T22:47:14.732-07:00TangerinesDid you know tangerines got their name from Tangier, Morocco? This was the port from which they were shipped to Europe. Cultivation goes back 3000 years to China, as tangerines are really a variety of mandarin orange. My tree is 22 feet tall and has about 120 ripe fruit on it now, even though it's off season. They're perfect. Right next to it is a yew tree. There are 5 or 6 good staves that couldneurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-21149531632272048572009-06-15T15:52:00.000-07:002009-06-15T15:58:36.373-07:00Another all time highOn Sunday, we beat Saturday's visit count (our all-time high) by a factor of 10%. Take Saturday's count and multiply times 110% or 1.1 = another new all time high for cognitivelabs.com.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-25165870025195417992009-06-14T23:36:00.000-07:002009-06-15T14:55:29.016-07:00History of ScurvyHaving scurvy wouldn't be very fun, according to this well-referenced Harvard Law paper. In Western civilization, it took hundreds of years for the scientific consensus to build on a cure. While a treatment was suggested in the Ebers papyrus (eat onions-which contain vitamin C) before 1500 B.C.E., this tip was forgotten amongst the general fragmentation of knowledge. Various cultures had remediesneurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-69069529865487448002009-06-14T16:39:00.000-07:002009-06-14T16:56:47.958-07:00New Era of Personalized Medicine (article)The McClatchy news organization syndicated this article about how genetic determinants are getting increasingly involved in healthcare. The APOE gene is mentioned. But this is only one gene among thousands that are significant for various disorders as well as simple variation - not disorders, but differentiation between lifeforms. Crick, Watson, DNAneurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-12341818563173995442009-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:002009-06-14T10:37:21.482-07:00TotalYesterday's total was just short of 50,000 people...about 45 minutes was not logged because the analytics server gateway was overpowered and knocked out, until it was restored, and there may have been a significant undercounting. A worthwhile brain-training audience. neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-27370755853436882062009-06-13T20:43:00.000-07:002009-06-13T20:58:26.276-07:00The Biggest Day EverThis titan truck represents today...biggest in cognitivelabs.com's history by a significant gap, still 3:02 to go in the day. :-) Home page/entry page is revised, too...we'll recap the total later. neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-1188358685727050312009-06-12T16:58:00.000-07:002009-06-12T17:24:57.402-07:00Floating Bed ReturnsDo you recall this? A top piece of linkbait in 2006...sustainable in that no power is used to suspend the bed, rather it floats on a repelling cushion emanating from magnets in the bed and embedded in the floor. The same principle could be used in our roadways - for far more comfy and fuel efficient vehicles, powered horizontally by solar fans. Creator's website is http://neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-15373958255604420242009-06-12T10:11:00.000-07:002009-06-12T10:17:13.609-07:00Could a Dose of Ether Contain the Secret of Consciousness?This question was asked in a recent Discover Magazine article.neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-7189733359458601782009-06-09T11:38:00.000-07:002009-06-09T11:46:32.613-07:005 Truths that Spawned 5 Myths about Alzheimer’s and DementiaDennis Fortier, President and CEO of Medical Care Corporation, contributes the following about the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's: Sometimes the truth can be very misleading. This is often the case with complex topics when an "expert" makes a narrow but accurate statement that is subsequently generalized by the lay public. This is a common phenomenon in the fields of Alzheimer’s and neurofuturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6087604.post-59549462464183827622009-06-09T09:21:00.000-07:002009-06-09T14:16:46.134-07:00Social or One to ManyHarvard study points out drive-by nature of Twitter usage. The median number of user twitter postings is one. 10% of users account for 90% of activity. So, for power users, it's perhaps more analagous to accumulating a large email list or generating a large number of RSS feed subscriptions....it follows then that those who do not generate large followings like celebrity-publicist driven efforts neurofuturenoreply@blogger.com