BRAINS! Read all my ideas about brains as well as others theories
BRAINS! Read all my ideas about brains as well as others theories
World's Oldest Neurosurgeon Turns 100
Via Brad, who doesn't correct my scientific and terminological oversights. ;-)
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According to the LA Times:
NASA said Wednesday that it had found no evidence that any of its astronauts ever flew while inebriated, or even showed up for work impaired, as was recently alleged by an outside investigative panel.
Bull Shit. Tang is disgusting without Vodka.
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According to Dumb.com (yes I'm avoiding reading for my qualification exams so am procrastinating), in Champaign Illinois (the next town over from where I live) "One may not pee in his neighbor's mouth. " I am very curious as to what the meaning of neighbor is. Does this mean my next-door neighbor, someone else who lives in Champaign, or is this speaking in a broadly humanist manor..i.e. every person is your 'neighbor'?
I'm wonder whether this only applies to peeing into someones mouth or whether I can call the police if someone pees on my back? Also... what happened in this silly town that led to the creation of this law?
According to Go Ask Alice, in response to someone asking if he can drink his own pee,
...Urine is mostly water, and relatively sterile. But this does not mean it qualifies for the recommended 6 - 8 daily glasses of H2O, and here's why: in addition to the water content, urine contains trace elements of hundreds of other things -- from undigested alcohol to nitrogen and potassium, and sodium, which makes it such a salty drink. (By the way, the first pee in the morning is more concentrated; and the more water you drink, the more diluted it will be.) Urine could -- in rare cases -- also have some toxic substances in it, such as lead or arsenic. It can also contain trace amounts of drugs that the urinating person has recently ingested, though probably not enough to actually give the sipper any high or show up on a drug test (in case you were wondering)."Water sports" or "golden showers" are sexual behaviors in which someone urinates on his or her partner's skin or body in the shower, in bed, at the beach, etc. This is generally harmless, as long as the pee doesn't get into any orifice or wound. If someone does end up urinating in your mouth (or you drink your own urine), s/he could conceivably transmit an infection. Passing on a urinary tract infection (UTI) or HIV could complicate matters. Hepatitis B, chlamydia, and even herpes could be present in the urine and could theoretically be transmitted to the drinker, causing infection. No documented cases of HIV being transmitted through urine have been identified, but again, it's a theoretical possibility. (HIV is present in urine, though in the smallest amounts of any bodily fluid.)
People who have an autoimmune disorder (including HIV/AIDS), kidney problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, or other major medical problems need to shy away from drinking or swallowing urine because of the possibilities for infection.
Perhaps Champaign is onto something!
Then again maybe this monkey is onto something as well:
Now Urbana (where I live) has a just really really silly law....
It is against the law for a monster to enter the corporate limits of Urbana, Illinois.
Really?!
According to the LA Times
Citing a fistful of studies that show teenagers among the most distracted and dangerous of drivers, the state Assembly on Monday passed a bill that would prohibit drivers under the age of 18 from using a cellphone, pager, text-messaging device or laptop while driving.
Ohh the humanity! Kids won't be able to use laptops while driving! They will be missing out on important AIM conversations, facebook messages, and new pictures of their friends posing shirtless by their cars on MySpace.
This is an abomination of law. These policy makers clearly have no idea that kids these days are more able to multi-task than them. After all how do you think they can carry on 18 conversations at once on their instant messenger? According to the Myth Busters cell phones can clearly impact your driving but they never showed anything about using a laptop while driving!
According to David the local Human Factors Expert
I certainly think this is a step in the right direction but it is no where near as encompassing as it needs to be. A few years ago there was a cell phone advocate for one of the carriers who stated "If we are going to remove two way communication devices from the passenger car, we might as well remove all distractions. In fact just the other day my mother-in-law was driving to a friends house with a soufflé in the front passenger seat, she came upon a stop sign and had to break abruptly, since she had to lean over to grab the soufflé she rear ended the car in front of her. Its about high time we put a ban on manipulating soufflé's while driving". This argument is not only sound but it addresses the millionths (0.00001) of deaths each year due to culinary in the cockpit.
Everyone should call their congressperson and make sure this ridiculous law doesn't pass!
(This post doesn't make any sense whatsoever?! haha...)
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According to Engadget, Volvo will be adding a number of new features to annoy the piss out the soccer moms who drive their cars. Included will be a
Driver Alert Control for monitoring the behavior of the vehicle and suggesting that the motorist take a coffee break if there's just too much swayin' going on. Additionally, Volvo will be adding the slightly more common adaptive cruise control and distance alert features to the aforementioned cars
So what does a human factors expert (really my roommate David - although he really is a human factors expert) think about all this?
Great, lets annoy the shit out of the driver with obvious, non-critical information that they can figure out on their own just becuase the snot nosed 18 year old programmers reazlized "OMFG, I can actually make this do this with what I learned in C++ programming 101"!
It seems that people have been taking this blog entirely too seriously and using it for medical advice. We have had reports of various monkey business occurring in response to many of our posts. This has included but isn't limited to people inserting pencils in their brains
Also it seems that psychiatric patients have been using this blog for the purpose of therapy. When we mention something like "confront the things that caused you pain in your childhood." it does not mean that you should stick anything up your rectum or into your nose. This will not help you get over the time when you pooped your pants on a field trip or sneezed all over the persons face you had a crush on. I promise you that...
Actually the only therapy Omni Brain endorses is this:
By the way... this disclaimer applies to Shelley over at Retrospectacle as well... Look at what she made some poor guy do!
So onto the actual disclaimer...
The authors are not physicians, psychologists, therapists, sociologists or even remotely funny. The content on this website does not, and is not intended to constitute medical or life advice. It should not be relied upon when making medical (or any) decisions. It is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician, healthcare provider, any anti-psychiatry crank, PETA member, religious figure, AIDS denialist, Holcaust Denier, Scientologist or really any crank at all.
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As of 5pm yesterday evening I have entered the federal witness protection program. I will be transferred from the Champaign-Urbana area to an undisclosed location somewhere in the 50 contiguous states. The federal government will be setting me up with a new job and a completely new identity. For me to successfully accomplish this change in identity I need a huge favor from one lucky blog reader.
I need to have your face.
Yes you've heard me correctly. I need to get a face transplant and one of you lucky readers could be the one!
Ok.. so let me put your worries to rest about my health. According to ScienceBlog
The first recorded facial transplant was performed in France in 2005 on a 38-year-old woman whose nose, lips and chin had been bitten off by a dog. Tissues, muscles, arteries and veins were taken from a brain-dead donor and successfully transplanted to the patient's lower face.In addition to this positive proof of concept Doctors in Cincinnati and Louisville have reported that immunosuppressive risks are lower than previously thought!
A quote from Woodle the amazing research should further allay your fears for my well being,
"In estimating the risks of immunosuppression for face transplant recipients, the biggest problem is comparing apples to oranges," Woodle says. "What we have tried to do is to address the apples and oranges problem by a comprehensive and up-to-date consideration of the issue."
Yes you heard Woodle correctly, Apples and Oranges are the key to the success of the first Omni Brain face transplant!
So how can you volunteer for such a great honor and opportunity you might ask?
All that you have to do is post a picture of yourself in the forums so I can pick out the sexiest reader (male or female! I'm not against getting a full sex change). Donations to paypal would also be greatly appreciated since I'm sure this surgery is going to be very very costly.
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The latest edition of Encephalon is (finally) written and posted at the hawt dead blog Neurofuture.
Sexy celebrities like neuroscience, so you should read more about it too!
"Perhaps a return to reasonable arguments based on solid evidence would be a wiser course for the future." Oh...
Read the comments on this post...Remember this guy from a few posts ago?!
Nothing is actually wrong with his face. Check out the answer (and another picture) after the break...
Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...Not Safe For Work (NSFW)! A mental health PSA parody of sorts from the twisted thoughts of David Firth. Part of the Fat Pie series, this is Health Reminder.
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The next edition of the Encephalon blog carnival is coming up on August 27, to be hosted at another of my blogs, Neurofuture.
Neurofuture was my first brain sciences blog. I launched it in the spirit of the old-fashioned definition of weblog, a repository of interesting links to do with the brain, futurism, the arts and their intersections. Though I've felt a little insecure over lack of credentials I've been equally confident in the veracity and quality of the info I source, and knowing how to find it, and readers have appreciated that. It puzzles me that other people lack media literacy skills to apply to their blogs but hey, they just make me look all the better.
Anyway. Neurofuture indirectly helped land a pro blogging gig at World of Psychology. Later I attempted humour at Omni Brain, and I guess it worked since Steve and I were contracted to ScienceBlogs. Then, when I realized that some of my most popular Neurofuture posts were brain sciences videos I started Channel N as a dedicated vlog. Neurofuture led to a lot of fascinations. Foremost was a new partner, my number one fan and number one love The Neurocritic. That in itself has made blogging wildly successful.
Why give it up, then? It's the space in which I have the most control, but it's also something I feel poorly about more often than not because it's neglected for higher priorities. I don't need guilt from a hobby blog. At one time I was nearly done writing a sci fi series and that fell to the bottom of the ladder: unacceptable. I need to boost productivity for things that pay. There's only so much creativity to go around. Channel N stays because it's so simple to maintain (and fits with a future project), but it's time to retire Neurofuture. I'm not deleting it and may conceivably post something in future, but for now, it's being shelved.
Encephalon, then, marks the end of Neurofuture. Please submit your entries ASAP (via that linked form, or email encephalon.host at gmail.com) and join me in making it a smash farewell party.
Read the comments on this post...Bet you can't guess what's going on with this guy's face!
I'll give you a hint.... it has to do with psychology.
Give us your best guess and I'll tell you tomorrow why all that crap is all over his face.
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Mind Hacks recently held its first AAICS (Awkward Acronyms In Cognitive Science) competition, to find the most inventive and unwieldy brain-related acronyms. I submitted a few; there was Project CHOICES (Changing High-Risk AlcOhol Use and Increasing Contraception Effectiveness Study) [link], and Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) [link].
The acronym I thought was my best submission was also judged to be best: I won the competition! Yay!
The most AAICS was ACHOO syndrome: autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst syndrome. FTW! WTF is ACHOO, you may ask? IMHO it's related to a few other conditions but without getting OT, it's another name for photic sneeze syndrome.
Photic sneeze syndrome (sometimes inaccurately called a reflex) is a condition in which sudden exposure to bright light triggers a sneeze. It is likely genetic and congenital. Some estimate its prevalence between 18-35% of the population, but it's difficult to take accurate surveys for two reasons: one is that people who have it don't report it. They may think it's just a peculiarity (there is no disability or distress, it only appears to be risky if you're a combat pilot) if they think about it at all. Another reason is that even people who have it don't notice that they do and dismiss its existence as a ridiculous idea.
I have ACHOO syndrome but for many years had no idea what it was. It wasn't bothersome enough to discuss with my doctor and I hadn't heard anything about it. I used to jokingly think that I was allergic to sunlight. It fit with my then-goth married-to-the-night lifestyle. Creatures of the night are allergic to sunlight, right?
If so, newborn babies have the same quirk, and not only from sunlight (it's also not an allergy). A 1968 study surveyed nearly 300 newborns after obstetricians noticed that when checking vision by shining a light in their eyes after birth, some babies would consistently sneeze. The most affected group (40%) were Caucasian female newborns. The authors suggest photic sneeze may be a useful marker for visual sensitivity later in life. Forty years later, their suggestion is still unheeded.
There are a handful of theories about the cause of ACHOO syndrome, but the most likely seems to be an abnormality in the trigeminal nerve ganglion. The optic trigeminal nerve sends signals that interact with the other nerve branches controlling nasal and facial sensitivity.
One wonders what else may be linked to light supersensitivity involving the optic trigeminal nerve. It's also implicated in migraine, and one researcher, Ronald Pies, proposed a link to Seasonal Affective Disorder which might be used as a marker. No research has been conducted, though.
Horses have their own version of ACHOO called headshaking syndrome, which appears to have similar cause and effect and follows a seasonal pattern.
Fill out the quick survey below the fold: do you ACHOO?
Refs:
The photic sneeze reflex in the human newborn: A preliminary report, Anderson et al., Developmental Psychobiology, 1968
The photic sneeze reflex as a risk factor to combat pilots, Breitenbach et al., Military Medicine Dec;158(12):806-9
Evaluation and Treatment of Headshaking Syndrome, Madigan and Bell, AAEP Convention Proceedings, 1997 Vol. 43
Question...
How does one harness for God?
We're all back...finally... safely... You can look forward to the fruits of many hours of silly conversations (Fetish Friday anyone?!) from the very long drive from NYC to Ann Arbor Michigan.
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An AP story from the APA highlights research by UC Davis professor of psychology Dean Simonton on the elements of a critically acclaimed film.
Films that earn awards and praise from reviewers tend to be R-rated and based on a true story or a prize-winning play or novel, says professor Dean Simonton. The original author or the director usually have written the screenplay.Big-budget blockbusters - whether they're comedies, musical, sequels or remakes - don't ordinarily draw acclaim, Simonton found. Neither do summer releases, PG-13 movies, movies that open on thousands of screens or ones that have enormous box office numbers in their first weekend.
"I had this hope that there was a difference between blockbusters and really great art films - films that can be considered great cinematic creations," said Simonton, who presented his findings Friday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco. "It was gratifying to find out they're very, very different and you can find out what's different about them."
Not sure what this has to do with either type of psychology (cognitive or behavioural), but it's nice to know. He doesn't mention soundtracks, though. The Simpsons Movie has everything going against it according to these findings, but that earworm Spiderpig song [funny video!] really ought to reap an Oscar.
Read more.
Via The Neurocritic.
You've already seen the knitted brain, an anatomically accurate yarn sculpture of the brain by Karen Norberg? With a zipper at the corpus collosum. It's been featured in Science, Knitting Help, the Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art and oodles of blogs over time.
Then there's this: data vis whiz Mark Dow rendered an MRI scan of the knitted brain. Fantastic. Click below, and here's the video link. Thanks Mark! He adds a P.S., "By the way, an obscure point of pride: The model for Marjorie Taylor's fabric brain piece 'Marjorie Taylor #1' at The Museum of [Scientifically Accurate] Fabric Brain Art is a sagital MRI slice of my very own brain. Lookin' good." Lookin' very good.
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Yes... you heard me right.
Low to moderate blood alcohol levels improve the chance of survival for people brought into emergency rooms with traumatic brain injuries, a Canadian study finds.The death rate among the 1,158 patients in the study was 24 percent lower for those with moderate blood alcohol levels than those with no alcohol in their blood. But the death rate for those with high levels was 73 percent higher than for those with no blood alcohol.
Ok ok... I'm being silly ;)
Yes yes... I know it's a serious topic....
Ohh.. and if you want to read about the research check it out here.
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According to an article in Salon, via Mind Hacks:
The American Psychological Association, the world's largest professional organization of psychologists, is poised to issue a formal condemnation of a raft of notorious interrogation tactics employed by U.S. authorities against detainees during the so-called war on terror, from simulated drowning to sensory deprivation. The move is expected during the APA's annual convention in San Francisco this weekend.The APA's anti-torture resolution follows a string of revelations in recent months of the key role played by psychologists in the development of brutal interrogation regimes for the CIA and the military. And it comes just weeks after news that the White House may be calling on psychologists once again: On July 20, President Bush signed an executive order restarting a coercive CIA interrogation program at the agency's "black sites." Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell has indicated that psychological techniques will be part of the revamped program, but that the interrogations would be subject to careful medical oversight. That oversight is likely to be performed by psychologists.
It IS about time the APA condemned torture participation... but shouldn't they have done that back when the American Medical Association did? The reputation of the APA has suffered greatly.
But does any of this really matter? Will the condemnation and ban of the torture tactics employed by Psychologists make a difference? Absolutely not. Even if the APA knew which psychologists were participating with the CIA and friends and they kicked them out, it wouldn't make one bit of a difference. If someone is willing to participate in torture they are not likely to be concerned with what some professional organization believes anyway. I'm think that they can't even take away your right to practice psychology (can a clinician please let us know?).
But wait... it's even worse. The APA hasn't even proposed a full ban on psychologists participating in torture:
Psychologists interviewed by Salon noted a series of potential loopholes embedded in the resolution condemning CIA tactics. A simple example is the ban on isolation and sleep deprivation, favorite tactics of the CIA. But the resolution from Brehm and the APA leadership only forbids the methods when "used in a manner that adversely affects an individual's physical or mental health." There will be efforts in San Francisco to plug those loopholes, and to force a vote on a moratorium.
A number of psychologists, including Neil Altman, have proposed a ban on all participation in torture but it is extremely unlikely the APA will even allow a vote on the issue.
That leadership is seen by some psychologists as too chummy with government interests and with the military in particular. Backers of the moratorium are set to meet with APA leadership before next weekend just to negotiate for the opportunity to bring their resolution up for a vote before the council.
One other last thought... Do you think the CIA gives a shit what the APA says or does?
Yeah, I doubt it either.
Chart: List of things which are cool from We Have Pie Charts
Graph Design I.Q. Test. What makes an effective graph? Psychology and design intersect. Test your savvy in ten revealing questions.
I'm all about the video this morning...This particular animated image drives me up the f'n wall!
From the creator of Women in Art comes Women in Film. Can you pick out all the stars?
Is there any surprise that I'd post something like this? hehe.. yup probably not.
Video of a Second Life virtual reality simulation of psychosis in schizophrenia, created by UC Davis Professor of Psychiatry Peter Yellowlees.
Also, create a psychotic VR therapeutic scenario with NeuroVR (from Positive Technology Journal).
You've played the game.... now see the movie - Minesweeper!
Funny stuff....
Thanks Davemeister Rozovskiramadamadingdong!
Read the comments on this post...From Gary O:
Harvard and MIT researchers have finally addressed a question that has long been puzzling mankind: "If you were a New World monkey, would you rather listen to Russian lullabies or German techno?" In the September issue of Cognition, Josh McDermott and Marc Hauser report finding that both cotton-top tamarins and common marmosets clearly prefer the lullabies. A follow-up experiment concludes that the monkeys actually prefer silence over Russian and German lullabies, as well as Mozart.
Of course no primate (including humans) enjoy listening to Gary Yodel. Here's Gary at Big Bend National Park testing the echoes with his wonderful yodeling talent:
And finally...here's the abstract from Pubmed:
Clement Eloy, a French artist and designer, created the dog sculpture in Steve's recent post. He also sells a t-shirt design with the dog, and a second group of t-shirts with the logo from his web site feel addicted. This ladies' one-shouldered top sports a syringe that glows in the dark.
The syringe logo would fit nicely in a wardrobe with a Kidrobot painkiller polo shirt.
Via Brad Fidler and Burlesqued (and Steve).
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I've put a voting widget in the side bar over there on the left. It will let you vote once a month until the election (I think). So...vote for your favorite candidate and lets see who wins here at Omni Brain!
I promise... we'll keep our voting system just as secure as Diebold! No need to worry, your votes are secure with us!
Read the comments on this post...It was only a matter of time until someone created a sex toy for dogs.
From the description:
A dog is an animal with an enormous sexual appetite which can't be controlled. Many methods consist in artificial ways to stop dogs inborn caractere. These methods like castration or meds are going against the nature laws.
So... is this a joke?
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Joel of the Pax Nortana blog imagines dinner at a bipolar restaurant:
· You would be surrounded by frowning people. · The food would be hospital food. If you did not eat it, they would not let you go home until you did. · The food would make you constipated or dizzy or wanting more and more and more. · You'd be obliged to drink large glasses of water between every course. · The waiters would take notes on your behavior. · Voices would tell you that the waiters did not like you and that they wanted to poison you. Other voices would just say things like blab blab blab over and over again. · Whenever you lifted a fork or knife, the staff would watch you especially closely. · Half the waiters would tell you that you were a deadbeat. The other half would tell you that if you just accepted God, you'd be saved. Besides, God never puts anything on your shoulders that you can't handle.Read the comments on this post...
...just kidding! It's nearly every month that a new study comes out showing that abstinence only programs don't do shit. This time a study from Oxford shows, through a meta-analysis of 13 different U.S. trials, that
none of the abstinence-only programmes had an impact on the age at which individuals lost their virginity, whether they had unprotected sex, the number of sexual partners, the rates of sexually transmitted diseases or the number of pregnancies.One trial did show a short-term benefit with participants reporting that they were less likely to have had sex in the month following one abstinence-only programme.
But the researchers said this finding was offset by six other trials that showed the programmes had no effect on the participants' recent sex lives.
Well... so much for those programs. Too bad it doesn't matter what research shows the group of people (read Bush lovers) who support this education aren't exactly ones to take research seriously. This actually reminds me of this couple I knew in college. They had a long distance relationship and when the guy came to visit he would actually have to sleep in her closet. I don't think they needed any classes to teach them that though...
Since everyone seems to be having sex anyway, and it IS summer, check out "5 Summer Sex Positions That Could Get You Hospitalized. Or Arrested." The titles of the positions are great. My favorite is the "Randy Raft"
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There seem to be certain drinks that as a guy you should just not order at a bar - because if you do... no woman will ever sleep with you again (well unless she likes girly men *with Arnooolldd accent*). I found a link via fark with a list of all those forbidden drinks. Check them out and let us know if they are missing any or some of them are just bogus.
Here's the list (although the link above has some nice pictures):
1. Anything blended, unless your on a beach.
2. Jello shots or any variety of neon shots with about as much alcohol as a juice box.
3. Anything with an obscene amount of garnish.
4. Cosmopolitans are fruity, bright and downright girly.
5. Anything that requires a straw. It's hard to look coy with a straw, it's nearly impossible to look macho or hot when using one.
6. Any shot or drink that boasts whipped cream as an ingredient of garnish.
7. Anything that ends with "tini" but isn't an honest martini made of gin or vodka and vermouth.
8. Malt beverages tat don't come in a 40 oz. bottle. Especially the fruity flavored malt beverages a.k.a. "alcopops."
9. Any kind of alcohol, besides scotch, ordered "neat." It could suggest that you're a frequent drinker.
10. White Zinfandel -- this one needs no explanation.
So... lets find out what you think! Here's a question for the women and a question for the men. No cheating! Only answer your own sex. If you're a transvestite or transgendered... well I guess you can figure out which one you should answer on your own.
This week's feature is an interactive video (a file I can't embed). What a Difference a Friend Makes, from the anti-stigma mental health web site of the same name by SAMHSA. From the transcript:
Angela: I think this is the hardest thing I ever had to deal with.James: Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to go through this alone.
Angela: These past couple of months have been super hard. You know, sometimes I don't feel like myself. Like I'll never have a normal life again.
Sarah: Wow, Angela - that does seem really hard.
James: Yea, that does sound pretty rough.
Caption: What would you do? Change the subject or encourage her to tell you more?
If you select "change the subject" it tells you why she needs to talk and continues the conversation.
Also on the site, a 30 second PSA from the campaign that can be embedded (and linked). Share it with your friends.
Another below the fold:
Read the rest of this post... | Read the comments on this post...
1. Decide ahead of time how much money you plan to write with.
2. Write knowing that it is likely that you will lose more often than win - so make sure you are writing with money you can afford to lose.
3. Make informed decisions about your writing - know the odds.
4. Think of writing as a form of entertainment - not a way to make money.
5. If you win big, enjoy! But remind yourself it will probably never happen again.
6. Don't write when you are tired, bored, anxious or angry.
7. Keep track of how much time and money you spend on writing.
8. Take your family and friends seriously. If they are worried about your writing, they might be seeing something you don't see.
9. Only use your own money to write. Don't borrow.
10. Realize that in most forms of writing you have no control over the outcome of the game - it's random.
11. When writing, take breaks - walk around, eat, or go outside to clear your head.
12. Keep your head clear when you write - limit your use of alcohol.
13. Balance writing with other leisure activities.
14. Go writing with someone who doesn't have a problem with writing.
15. Don't make the hole bigger - don't chase your losses.
16. Don't take your credit and bank cards with you when you write.
17. Set a time limit on how long you will write.
18. Make your own decisions about writing - don't write because others want you to.
19. Don't use writing as a way of avoiding negative feelings or situations.
20. Talk to someone you trust if you are concerned about your writing.
Substitute your personal bad habit's verb form for the word "writing" and voila, there's your treatment plan. Adapted from Keep Gambling Safe: Winning Ways.
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I received a press release from MedHelp.com announcing a partnership with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. MedHelp runs an online community where users post questions and get free answers from doctors as well as other users (colour coded to tell them apart). They're affiliated with quite a few professional organizations and maintain forums on a variety of health topics. Now they've teamed up with eye specialists, that's great. But this is Omni Brain, a humour blog, and detached retinas just aren't funny.
When I browsed their other forums, I saw reasons to chuckle after all (at peoples' problems, awful of me, I know). The site answers many serious medical questions, but there's also the Sexuality forum. Threads include "can I get pregnant from a door handle" and "I have chest discomfort lately after sleeping over at my girlfriend's house" (for an unusual reason). It's earnestly cute, if a bit tragic. Great there's an expert available to help them.
Read the comments on this post...
Ok ok... they do have a sense of humor but... age related cognitive decline has led to many older adults not getting 'the joke'. In a study by Wingyun Mak and Brian Carpenter, Ph.D. , of Washington University they discovered that
Humor comprehension in older adults functions in a different fashion than humor comprehension in younger adults. The researchers studied older adults from a university subject pool as well as undergraduate students. The subjects participated in tests that indicated their ability to complete jokes accurately as well as tests that indicated their cognitive capabilities in areas of abstract reasoning, short - term memory, and cognitive flexibility. Overall, older adults demonstrated lower performance on both tests of cognitive ability as well as tests of humor comprehension than did younger adults.
Interested? Here's the rest of the press release and the citation:
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2007), 13: 606-614
Posted to the Omni Brain Facebook group (thanks David!):
This is bizarre! How smart is your right foot? Just try this. It is from an [unidentified] orthopedic surgeon [in an email meme].This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but you can't. It's preprogrammed in your brain! [ZOMG!]
1. WITHOUT anyone watching you (they will think you are GOOFY) and while sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing that, draw the number "6" in the air with your right hand.Your foot will change direction.
I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it!
Can anyone explain the mechanism behind this?
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I Q Mind Brain Memory Self Help Library.
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