This is about the typhoon Yolanda that struck the Philippines at Tacloban, Leyte, where my parents-in-law live. Fortunately, they have a very sturdy reinforced concrete house that is several stories tall and were able to weather the storm comparatively well …
Category: Psychology
We are not so different
Tea Party shocker: Even right-wingers become liberals when they turn off Fox News
America’s center is to the left, and even Tea Partyers are liberals when they turn off Rush and learn real facts
http://www.salon.com/2013/11/08/tea_party_shocker_even_right_wingers_become_liberals_when_they_turn_off_fox_news/
A very interesting article that …
Cheating as the day wears on…
Why You’re Likelier to Cheat in the Afternoon
Willpower takes work, and the later it gets, the more your energy runs down
http://science.time.com/2013/10/31/why-youre-likelier-to-cheat-in-the-afternoon/?hpt=hp_t3
A brief one for those of my reader(s) that like that sort of thing. People are more …
Shifting power
The Battle for Power on the Internet
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/10/the_battle_for_1.html
A very interesting, if a bit long-ish (for the ‘net) article discussing the shifting power between the early Internet adopters and the johnny-come-lately corporate and government interests that are moving in now …
Nutritional pseudoscience
Opinion: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
Nutrition research must overcome pseudoscientific measures and self-interest to make progress in the fight against obesity.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/37918/title/Opinion–A-Wolf-in-Sheep-s-Clothing/
I have a strong interest in nutrition (my degree, after all, is in biochemistry and nutrition) …
Equality for few and justice for none
Why Robert Reich Cares so Passionately about Economic Inequality
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2013/10/why-robert-reich-cares-so-passionately-about-economic-inequality.html
An interesting interview about our current failure to foster any sort of efforts toward remedying income inequality. According to the interviewee, we have had periods in the past where inequality …
Depends on your point of view
Placebo’s Double Whammy
Sham treatments can both reduce pain and increase pleasure, and do so affecting similar circuitry in the brain.
http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/37876/title/Placebo-s-Double-Whammy/
I talk about placebos from time to time, this is another interesting article. If you are anticipating a …
Breakfasts of champions
Myths Surround Breakfast and Weight
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/myths-surround-breakfast-and-weight/?_r=0
I am also guilty of repeating this concept. I do know that your glycogen levels are at their lowest in the morning (which is why that is the best time to exercise, your body …
Prisoner’s Dilemma Writ Large
The prisoner’s dilemma:
…Two members of a criminal gang are arrested and imprisoned. Each prisoner is in solitary confinement with no means of speaking to or exchanging messages with the other. The police admit they don’t have enough evidence
Megadose vitamins due to one man
The Vitamin Myth: Why We Think We Need Supplements
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/
I guess I was too young to appreciate Pauling in his prime. By the time I was old enough to form lasting impressions he was already starting to be considered …