Monthly Archives: April 2011

Putting anthropological running theory to the test

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Chris

One of the theories about why humans are such good runners is that they are built to run run long distance so that they can run down game. Other animals can go much faster in short bursts, but inevitably their … Continue reading →

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Self improving computers inevitably take over

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Chris

I had a fascinating coffee with my friend Steve Omohundro, a physicist, inventor and computer scientist. One of the areas he has done research on is self-aware systems and more particularly computer systems that change their own programming. What he found … Continue reading →

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How to hack a job interview

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Chris

There has been a lot of research on the psychology of persuasion, largely because of its links to advertising and sales. And that research has produced some really interesting results. One of the most interesting aspects of persuasion is that … Continue reading →

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Humor in the police logs

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Chris

For a long time I have made a habit scanning the Palo Alto’s Daily Post for a few laughs. It’s not the comics page I’m looking at–it’s the Police Blotter. They have it broken down by city, and while most … Continue reading →

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Drinking the fog

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Chris

In Santa Cruz, where I grew up, the fog rolls in every summer evening and burns off about noon the next day, so this story about the technology to catch fog for drinking water was particularly interesting to me. Santa … Continue reading →

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The smell of remembering

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Chris

There was a time in the 60s when various people promised you could learn in your sleep. Just play a tape of a lesson as you slept, and voila! you would be ready to ace the test in the morning. … Continue reading →

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Birds and humans are the only animals that gotta’ dance

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Chris

An interesting interview from Discover, about how nearly every species except humans can’t learn to bop to the beat of music. As the researcher explains, this probably has to do with our vocal learning pathways, which have to be highly … Continue reading →

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To Lose Weight: Learn to Be Hungry

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Chris

It sounds like a joke: if you want lose weight, go hungry. But I’m serious. A lot of the obesity we see exists because our bodies have forgotten how to be hungry. We are designed to fast occasionally. Our bodies … Continue reading →

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How to get yourself to exercise more

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Chris

I find that when I first start a run I can sometimes feel like a steaming pile of dog poo, especially if I have been away from running for a bit. But I also know that if I keep on … Continue reading →

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Dopamine and Serotonin: Words and Music

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Chris

Serotonin has sometimes been called the “police officer” of the brain, regulating the action of other neurotransmitters like dopamine. But this seems to me to be not quite the right analogy. I think of serotonin as the mood music of … Continue reading →

Posted in Neuroscience and Psychology, Science and Medicine, Sleep | Leave a comment