Thaikwoncorgi

BKs and Frank the dinosaur

Dear readers,

I apologize that I have not been posting very much lately. Check out this kick-ass dancing dinosaur!


I've doing my homework for finals week to the new Black Keys Album. They are quite "bluesey". Enjoy. =)


Brothers

Viktor Frankl- Clip

In my first ethics class at the community college level we had three different books to read. Rachel's "Elements of Moral Philosophy," Jack London's "Sea Wolf," and Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning." The last book left the greatest impression on me. Why is it that some people can endure horror while others collapse under too much stress? Here is a sort clip from a man who endured the holocaust. My step father told me stories of how his troop liberated a Concentration Camp to see women reduced to bones... (Yet still alive!)

Beagle Pup vs Rottweiler

Beagle Puppy Attacks Rottweiler - watch more funny videos

Nutrition and exercise

...haven't been extremely high on my priority list lately. It's either been school, work, coping, or laying around in bed mostly. Oddly enough, that is much better than a few months ago. I'm still trying to work on my self image. There are many nights where it feels easier to order a pizza or get a candy bar to deal with all the stress and frustration that has been going on. I want to make a change before my body gets too wasted. It hit me like a ton of bricks to learn that my BMI is in the obese category. You can calculate yours by converting your weight to kg and dividing it by your height in meters squared. 25-30 is overweight. Over 30 is obese. Many of the leisurely activities that have been fun in the past aren't doing much for me now, like reading or playing video games. Changing eating habits and exercising more are obviously the key ingredients to making things better, but it seems like my depression gets in the way.

Over the break I purchased a couple Frisbees and a hacky sack. Used them about four times since Spring quarter began. Most people don't seem to be that interested in hanging out with me lately. I guess I can't blame them, I've been doing a lot of things I'm not all that proud of... There have been a couple of days where all I eat are cookies and junk food.

Maybe I can find a way to get the bike fixed up so I ride it over the summer. If that doesn't work I'll try to start jogging again. Hell, I will start tomorrow. It doesn't do any good to wait for others to come and make things better for you. I'm learning how to be more self-motivated.

Lightbulbs and bluerooms?

I'm a huge fan of Jonah Lehrer's blog: the frontal cortex. I wonder what color/symbol is associated with a lack of learning? Mud brown and grey zombies?

Light Bulbs

Posted on: April 7, 2010 5:24 AM, by Jonah Lehrer

There's a neat list of variables that reliably (at least reliably in the lab) increase certain forms of creativity. There is, for instance, the blue room effect, and the benefit of spatial distance, and the bonus of living abroad, and the perk of thinking like a 7-year old. Here's a new creative strategy:

Previous research has characterized insight as the product of internal processes, and has thus investigated the cognitive and motivational processes that immediately precede it. In this research, however, we investigate whether insight can be catalyzed by a cultural artifact, an external object imbued with learned meaning. Specifically, we exposed participants to an illuminating lightbulb - an iconic image of insight - prior to or during insight problem-solving. Across four studies, exposing participants to an illuminating lightbulb primed concepts associated with achieving an insight, and enhanced insight problem-solving in three different domains (spatial, verbal, and mathematical), but did not enhance general (non-insight) problem-solving.

So for those taking notes at home: if your work involves moments of insight, it's probably best to work in a bright blue room, surrounded by pictures of lightbulbs and little kids. 

Link of the Day

It's no suprise that the American penal system is absolutely ridiculous. This post from Dirk Hanson has some interesting points raised by the deputy director of the Office of Drug Control Policy, Thomas McLellan. His schtick has been to lesson the stigma associated with drug addiction and find methods for earlier identification & treatment. Check out the blog. Good stuff. I'm going to sleep now.

addiction-dirkh.blogspot.com