60 of the world's happiest facts 1. A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. 2. If you fake laugh long enough you’ll start to really laugh, really, really hard. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.The kingdom of Bhutan use ‘gross national happiness’ as a key national indicator. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 2013 is the first year since 1987 that consists for four different digits. 59. 60.
What is Occams Razor? [Physics FAQ] - [Copyright] Updated 1997 by Sugihara Hiroshi. Original by Phil Gibbs 1996. Occam's (or Ockham's) razor is a principle attributed to the 14th century logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. The principle states that "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." "Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate" "Frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora" "Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem" In fact, only the first two of these forms appear in his surviving works and the third was written by a later scholar. Many scientists have adopted or reinvented Occam's Razor, as in Leibniz's "identity of observables" and Isaac Newton stated the rule: "We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances." The most useful statement of the principle for scientists is "when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better." References: W.
Animal Sleep Most animals have a daily pattern of rest and activity. Some animals are more active during the day (diurnal) and some are more active during the night (nocturnal). How much time do animals spend sleeping? Well, it depends on the animal: References: This table was adapted from four sources: Aserinsky, E., Eyelid condition at birth: relationship to adult mammalian sleep-waking patterns, In Rapid Eye Movement Sleep, edited by B.N.
Allegory of the Cave Plato realizes that the general run of humankind can think, and speak, etc., without (so far as they acknowledge) any awareness of his realm of Forms. The allegory of the cave is supposed to explain this. In the allegory, Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. From Great Dialogues of Plato (Warmington and Rouse, eds.) Here are some students’ illustrations of Plato’s Cave Go back to lecture on the Phaedo Go back to lecture on the “One Over Many” Argument Go to next lecture on Criticism of Forms Need a quick review of the Theory of Forms? Return to the PHIL 320 Home Page Copyright © 2006, S.
Mindfulness meditation heightens a listener’s musical engagement When De’Anthony Thomas returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl, says University of Oregon researcher Frank Diaz, Thomas put Ducks fans into a heightened zone of engagement for watching the game, not unlike what was experienced by music students who were first exposed to a brief session of mindfulness meditation before hearing an opera passage. As a high school orchestra and band educator in Florida, Diaz had flirted with yoga and light meditation in a quest to heighten music engagement. He noticed, anecdotally, a connection to improved attention by his students. In a study appearing online ahead of publication in the journal Psychology of Music, he reports a rise of focused engagement for student participants who listened to a 10-minute excerpt of Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Boheme” after listening to a 15-minute recording of a segment produced by the Duke University Center for Mindfulness Research. The Findings Growing Interest in Mindfulness
Western Philosophy Tiny Studio Flat For Students How do you create a home with just 94 square foot of living space? Sweden’s Lund housing commission AF Bostader designed this contemporary micro apartment for a student. The idea is that a student is busy with classes, social activities and work that not much time is spent at home. But can this tiny studio home be a model for young adults looking for a more simple lifestyle? Via: inthralld PURA FILOSOFIA
Personalized medicine eliminates need for drug in 2 children Public release date: 31-Jan-2013 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: William Raillant-Clarkw.raillant-clark@umontreal.ca 514-343-7593University of Montreal This press release is available in French. Using genome-wide analysis, investigators at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal have potentially eliminated a lifetime drug prescription that two children with a previously unknown type of adrenal insufficiency had been receiving for 14 years. Fourteen years ago both children were diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency, a condition that occurs when the adrenal glands do not secrete enough hormones to control sugar and mineral levels in the blood. The physicians did not modify the treatment earlier in the children's lives due to lack of a clear molecular diagnosis hence an imperfect understanding of the disease. Description of the study "The genome analysis allowed us to incriminate the POMC gene. About the study: [ Print | E-mail
How Police Interrogation Works" There are "Law & Order" addicts everywhere who think they could get a perp to confess. A little glaring, some getting in the guy's face, a revelation that his fingerprints are all over the murder weapon and voilà! He's recounting his crime. In real life, police interrogation requires more than confidence and creativity (although those qualities do help) -- interrogators are highly trained in the psychological tactics of social influence. Getting someone to confess to a crime is not a simple task, and the fact that detectives sometimes end up with confessions from the innocent testifies to their expertise in psychological manipulation. Police interrogations weren't always so complex. While the Supreme Court had ruled as early as 1897 against involuntary confessions, it was in 1937 that things really started to change. When the case Miranda v.
Think ..."Some time ago I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, while the student claimed a perfect score. The instructor and the student agreed to an impartial arbiter, and I was selected. The student had answered, "Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring the rope up, measuring the length of the rope. The student really had a strong case for full credit since he had really answered the question completely and correctly! I suggested that the student have another try. In the next minute, he dashed off his answer which read: "Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. "Well," said the student, "there are many ways of getting the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. "Fine," I said, "and others?" "A very direct method." "Of course.
Gun Shoots Criminals With DNA Tags, Marking Them For Later Arrest Riots are a tough nut for law enforcement in part because of the sheer number of people involved--it's impossible to stop and arrest every person involved in a skirmish. That's why cops have some pretty high-tech methods for catching suspects, from facial recognition software to debilitating sonic cannons. But none is as bizarre as this new DNA gun from a UK security firm. The SelectaDNA High Velocity System works like it sounds--it shoots people with pellets containing a unique DNA fingerprint. Unlike rubber-pellet guns, Tasers or tear gas canisters, the technology does not deter or disable the suspect--he or she can get away seemingly unscathed. The pellets come in rifle or pistol form, containing 14 pellets per container. Apparently Selectamark (what a name) also makes DNA grease, gel and spray to tag personal belongings or other items. [via Daily Mail]
How Geniuses Think 109Share Synopsis Thumbnail descriptions of the thinking strategies commonly used by creative geniuses. How do geniuses come up with ideas? For years, scholars and researchers have tried to study genius by giving its vital statistics, as if piles of data somehow illuminated genius. Academics also tried to measure the links between intelligence and genius. Genius is not about scoring 1600 on the SATs, mastering fourteen languages at the age of seven, finishing Mensa exercises in record time, having an extraordinarily high I.Q., or even about being smart. Most people of average intelligence, given data or some problem, can figure out the expected conventional response. Typically, we think reproductively, that is on the basis of similar problems encountered in the past. In contrast, geniuses think productively, not reproductively. How do creative geniuses generate so many alternatives and conjectures? GENIUSES LOOK AT PROBLEMS IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. GENIUSES MAKE THEIR THOUGHTS VISIBLE.