Man kicked out of all-you-can-eat buffet after eating more than 50 lbs of food, sues for $2-million

The Parmesan cheese you sprinkle on your penne could be wood. Some brands promising 100 percent purity contained no Parmesan at all.

People took the fewest calories when presented with smaller versus regular-sized pizza slices placed on a larger table

False confessions are surprisingly easy to extract from people simply by keeping them awake, according to a new study

Procrastination as a Fast Life History Strategy

You can train your body into thinking it’s had medicine

Parkinson’s patients trained to respond to placebos

Half the world to be short-sighted by 2050

Period pain can be “as bad as a heart attack.” So why aren’t we researching how to treat it?

“Your first experience of something is going to be well remembered, more than later experiences”Why we never really get over that first love

A quarter of men over 85 had sex in the last year

Postmodernism’s Self-Nullifying Reading of Nietzsche

How Voltaire made a fortune rigging the lottery

Son of a carpenter, he claimed income of $100 million per year and assets of $1 billion, owned a palatial Tokyo home and retained a private chef who cooked him marinated monkey meat.

-0.5% Interest rate: Why people are paying to save. Negative interest rates, once a theoretical curiosity, are now the stated policy of some powerful central banks. [NY Times]

People typically overestimate how much others are prepared to pay for consumer goods and services. [PDF]

What if we could record and rewind our thoughts?

A cocktail party in a dish: How neurons filter the chatter

Samsung warns customers not to discuss personal information in front of smart TVs

Americans spend an average of five and a half hours a day with digital media, more than half of that time on mobile devices

A court of appeals in Paris has ruled against an appeal filed by Facebook, after a 2015 ruling regarding suspension of an account for posting Gustave Courbet’s The Origin of the World.

You Can Now Download and 3D Print Your Dream Closet

3D-printed ear, bone and muscle structures come to life after implantation in mice

Cotton candy machines may hold key for making artificial organs

Computer programs used by John Cage

Automated office chairs

Things researchers do with ping-pong balls

Leo’s Red Carpet Rampage

The Sorrows of Young Werther was published in 1774, when Goethe (1749–1832) was just twenty-five years old. A product of true literary genius, it not only represents one of the greatest works of literature ever written, but it also offers keenly intuitive insight into one of the most terrible and mystifying emotional disorders that plague humankind.

Well before Sigmund Freud, and most probably destined to become an important source of Freud’s understanding of melancholic depression, Goethe was able to peer into the soul of those afflicted with what is now termed Major Depressive Disorder (and some forms of Bipolar Disorder) and see what is taking place within those who are suffering from it. It is impressive how clearly Goethe grasped the twin roles played in mel-ancholia of narcissistic object choice and extreme ambivalence toward a love object.

{ The Psychoanalytic Quarterly | PDF }

The First Brain - The Brain Occupying the Space in the Skull
All of us are familiar with the general presence and functioning of this brain as a receiver of information which then gets processed.

The Second Brain - The brain in the gut
It has been proven that the very same cells and neural network that is present in the brain in the skull is present in the gut as well and releases the same neurotransmitters as the brain in the skull. Not just that, about 90 percent of the bers in the primary visceral nerve, the vagus, carry information from the gut to the brain and not the other way around.

The Third Brain - The Global Brain
This is connected to the neural network that extends from each being on this planet beyond the con nes of the skull and the anatomy of the gut. It is inter-dimensional in nature and contains all frequencies of energies (low and high) and their corresponding information.

[…]

Every human being is born with the three brains described above, but Autistic Beings are more connected and more in-tune with all three simultaneously. But make no mistake – most autistic beings are not necessarily aware of the existence or their connection to these three brains beyond their volitional control although they are accessing information from all three to varying degrees almost all the time.

One of the manifestations of being tuned-in to this third brain is Telepathy.

{ Journal of Neurology and Neurobiology | PDF }

photo { Video screen shows images of blue sky on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, January 23, 2013 }

Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States, and use during adolescence — when the brain is still developing — has been proposed as a cause of poorer neurocognitive outcome. Nonetheless, research on this topic is scarce and often shows conflicting results, with some studies showing detrimental effects of marijuana use on cognitive functioning and others showing no significant long-term effects.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations of marijuana use with changes in intellectual performance in two longitudinal studies of adolescent twins (n = 789 and n = 2,277). We used a quasiexperimental approach to adjust for participants’ family background characteristics and genetic propensities, helping us to assess the causal nature of any potential associations. Standardized measures of intelligence were administered at ages 9–12 y, before marijuana involvement, and again at ages 17–20 y. Marijuana use was self-reported at the time of each cognitive assessment as well as during the intervening period.

Marijuana users had lower test scores relative to nonusers and showed a significant decline in crystallized intelligence between preadolescence and late adolescence. However, there was no evidence of a dose–response relationship between frequency of use and intelligence quotient (IQ) change. Furthermore, marijuana-using twins failed to show significantly greater IQ decline relative to their abstinent siblings.

Evidence from these two samples suggests that observed declines in measured IQ may not be a direct result of marijuana exposure but rather attributable to familial factors that underlie both marijuana initiation and low intellectual attainment.

{ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences }

photo { Julia Margaret Cameron, Paul and Virginia, 1864 }

We investigate the role of networks of alliances in preventing (multilateral) interstate wars. We first show that, in the absence of international trade, no network of alliances is peaceful and stable. We then show that international trade induces peaceful and stable networks: Trade increases the density of alliances so that countries are less vulnerable to attack and also reduces countries’ incentives to attack an ally.

We present historical data on wars and trade showing that the dramatic drop in interstate wars since 1950 is paralleled by a densification and stabilization of trading relationships and alliances.

Based on the model we also examine some specific relationships, finding that countries with high levels of trade with their allies are less likely to be involved in wars with any other countries (including allies and nonallies), and that an increase in trade between two countries correlates with a lower chance that they will go to war with each other.

{ Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Continue reading }

photo { Mark Cohen, Girl Holding Blackberries, 1975 }

The problem we will address can be characterized in either one of two ways. The first is this: why do people pursue art that evokes negative emotions, when they tend to avoid things that evoke such emotions? The emphasis here is on the disagreeable nature of certain mental states. The second characterization emphasizes the disagreeable nature of their causes (which are also, typically, their objects): why do we appreciate tragic events in art when we don’t appreciate tragic events in life? […]

We think both questions involved in the paradox can be answered with reference to the fact that sad art acknowledges sad aspects of life. […] Acknowledging involves recognizing, giving credit, honoring, or doing justice. We think that sad art does just this for its subject matter. In this respect, works of sad art have much in common with monuments to real life tragedies. The difference is that since sad art typically touches on universal themes, it ‘commemorates’ not only specific events, but general aspects of life. […]

The acknowledgement theory says that people derive pleasure from the fact that certain aspects of life are acknowledged in works of art, and answers the question why we pursue tragic art with reference to this pleasure.

{ Philosophical Studies | Continue reading }

Most fans in many popular sports pay less for their tickets than conventional economic theory would predict.

Which poses the question: are team owners therefore irrational?

Not necessarily. There are (at least?) four justifications for such apparent under-pricing.

First, say Krautmann and Berri, owners can recoup the revenues they lose from under-pricing tickets by making more in other ways: selling programmes, merchandise and over-priced food and drink in the stadium.

Secondly, Shane Sanders points out that it can be rational to under-price tickets to ensure that stadia are full. […]

Thirdly, higher ticket prices can have adverse compositional effects: they might price out younger and poorer fans but replace them with tourists […] a potentially life-long loyal young supporter is lost and a more fickle one is gained. […]

Fourthly, high ticket prices can make life harder for owners. They raise fans’ expectations.

{ Stumbling and Mumbling | Continue reading }

oil on wood { Ellsworth Kelly, Seine, 1951 }

A decade ago, negative interest rates were a theoretical curiosity that economists would discuss almost as a parlor game. […] Now, it is the stated policy of some of the most powerful global central banks, including the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan. […]

So how do negative interest rates work?

It depends. In the cases of interest rate targets set by central banks like the E.C.B. and Swedish Riksbank, they set a negative target rate for banks, and banks in turn pass it along to their customers. The E.C.B., for example, currently has a negative 0.3 percent rate, meaning that when banks deposit money at the central bank overnight, they pay for the privilege.

Banks have different ways of passing the negative rates on to depositors, often framed as fees for keeping money in an account, which is basically negative interest rates by another name.

{ NY Times | Continue reading }

screenshot { David Cronenberg, Scanners, 1981 }

Facial hair, like many masculine secondary sexual traits, plays a significant role in perceptions of an array of sociosexual traits in men.

While there is consensus that beards enhance perceptions of masculinity, age, social dominance, and aggressiveness, the perceived attractiveness of facial hair varies greatly across women.

Given the ease with which facial hair can be groomed and removed entirely, why should some men retain beards and others choose to remove them?

We hypothesized that men with relatively sexist attitudes would be more likely to allow their facial hair to grow than men with less sexist attitudes. […] Men from the USA (n = 223) and India (n = 309) […] Men with facial hair were significantly higher in hostile sexism than clean-shaven men; hostile sexism was a significant predictor of facial hair status.

{ Archives of Sexual Behavior | Continue reading }

photos { Anthony Hernandez }

France becomes first country to force all supermarkets to give unsold food to needy

France gives Facebook 3 months to stop snooping on non-users’ browsing history, then 60 days

Paris gets first meat vending machine

Study Finds You Can Grow Brain Cells Through Exercise

Babies can see image differences that are invisible to adults. They lose this superior skill around the age of five months

Much sleep talking does not occur during dreams

We collected data from 203 conveniently sampled taxi drivers in Gauteng province of South Africa. This study could assist the Department of Transport in designing road safety campaigns that addresses the erroneous beliefs by drivers that road accidents are pre-destined, and not as a result of individual’s driving behavior.

U.S. vehicle safety regulators have said the artificial intelligence system piloting a self-driving Google car could be considered the driver under federal law

1.4% of Enjoy customers have returned their gadgets, compared to the average 22% product return for online purchases in the US

Investors who offer “precise” bids for company shares yield better market outcomes than those who offer round-numbered bids, study

Escorts raised prices in 2015, largely in response to several years of rising hotel costs

Who Marries CEOs, Doctors, Chefs and Janitors

Floating library on Echo Park Lake

Michael Jackson’s pet chimp, Bubbles, is living out his twilight years in Florida

Speed

The classics can be Zzzz

The $49.99 Holdr app tells you if you’re holding your phone or not and This is a $100 mug that tells you what you just poured into it, via a digital screen. And Keep track of your gases with CH4 [all thanks to Tim]

…the immaculate ultrawhite behind the French doors of a new GE Café Series refrigerator […] the white hood of a 50th anniversary Ford Mustang GT […] the white used to brighten the pages of new Bibles, the hulls of super yachts, the snowy filling inside Oreo cookies […]

All this whiteness is the product of a compound known as titanium dioxide, or TiO2. A naturally occurring oxide, TiO2 is generally extracted from ilmenite ore and was first used as a pigment in the 19th century. In the 1940s chemists at DuPont refined the process until they hit on what’s widely considered a superior form of “titanium white,” which has been used in cosmetics and plastics and to whiten the chalked lines on tennis courts. DuPont has built its titanium dioxide into a $2.6 billion business, which it spun off as part of chemicals company Chemours, in Wilmington, Del., last fall.

A handful of other companies produce TiO2, including Kronos Worldwide in Dallas and Tronox of Stamford, Conn. Chemours and these others will churn out more than 5 million tons of TiO2 powder in 2016. China also produces large amounts of the pigment, and its industries consume about a quarter of the world’s supply. Most of China’s TiO2 plants, however, use a less efficient and more hazardous process than the one developed at DuPont. Starting in the 1990s, if not earlier, China’s government and Chinese state-run businesses began seeking ways to adopt DuPont’s methods. Only they didn’t approach the company to make a formal deal. According to U.S. law enforcement officials, they set out to rip off DuPont.

“At first, you’re like: Why are they stealing the color white?” says Dean Chappell, acting section chief of counterespionage for the FBI.

{ Bloomberg | Continue reading }

oil on wood { Ellsworth Kelly, White Plaque: Bridge Arch and Reflection, 1951-55 }

I do have a problem in reference to electronic dance music and pop culture in general. It is becoming more and more difficult for actual artists and talented people to survive. It’s turning every product that’s made in the culture into a commercial. Now, in order for anyone to make money, they have to be a part of an artisanal beer commercial. I can speak for me personally that I write pretty introspective thoughtful records; not good for selling beer. Technology has de-valued not just music, but the idea of artistry and people are no longer willing to pay.

{ Jay Denes | Continue reading }

The music business is something one suffers through in order to be able to make music full time. That being said, most of what gets made is simply a result of economic conditions in a given time period. There’s been no artist development in the record biz for over 20 years now. So, of course music has suffered greatly. People didn’t suddenly get untalented or insincere, there’s just no economic infrastructure left to support the development of excellence. So when it occurs it tends to be a bit of good luck, a hit on a first record that allows an individual or group to have a long enough career to develop their skills.

{ Jay Denes | Continue reading }

screenshot { Sean S. Baker, Tangerine, 2015 }

Even people aged over 90 report better life satisfaction and happiness than those aged 40-59

Clearing Out Old Cells Increases Life Span of Mice by 25 Percent

People who prioritise time over money are happier

New data confirm that for countries worldwide long-term trends in happiness and real GDP per capita are not significantly positively related

People spend too much time on problems in which the reward difference between the options is low

When people choose not to reveal personal information - to be “hiders” - they are judged negatively by others. Observers rate those who reveal even questionable behavior more positively.

Researchers activate previously dormant memory cells

One reason your hair is thinning? Some of it turns into skin.

Progress in psychiatry in the West has been retarded by the proclivity of the discipline to swing violently between 2 approaches to viewing mental illness

‘Roaring and Social Communication in African Lions (3 studies)

Mosquitoes cause more misery and loss to humanity than any other organism. We could wipe them off the face of the earth. Here’s why we don’t.

How not to get killed by a cow (First: don’t try to save your dog.)

Wall Street’s getting crushed by a form of financial engineering you’ve probably never heard of

What Is Blockchain?

“Internet of Things” security is hilariously broken and getting worse

The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia—for Pay

Starting with the March issue, due to hit newsstands this weekend, Playboy magazine will no longer feature explicit nudity. In 2014, Playboy-branded products generated $1.5 billion in revenues in China, about a third of the worldwide total.

What I learned from being a stock-photography model

More signs of Uber shaping urban infrastructure

A bot that drives robocallers crazy

trumpdonald.org

Parody Patent Drawings Highlight Silicon Valley Greed [Thanks Tim]

News of the successful use of ether anesthesia on October 16, 1846, spread rapidly through the world. […] Incredibly, this option was not accepted by all, and opposition to the use of anesthesia persisted among some sections of society decades after its introduction.

We examine the social and medical factors underlying this resistance. […] Complications of anesthesia, including death, were reported in the press, and many avoided anesthesia to minimize the considerable risk associated with surgery. Modesty prevented female patients from seeking unconsciousness during surgery, where many men would be present. Biblical passages stating that women would bear children in pain were used to discourage them from seeking analgesia during labor. […] In certain geographical areas, notably Philadelphia, physicians resisted this Boston-based medical advance, citing unprofessional behavior and profit seeking.

{ Journal of Anesthesia History | Continue reading }

photo { Peter Martin, Greenwich Village Nudes, Figure #1, 1951 }

loser.com

[Thanks Tim]

Dutch Police Training Eagles to Take Down Drones

U.K. researcher receives permission to edit genes in human embryos

Duration of urination does not change with body size

We’re the Only Animals With Chins, and No One Knows Why [more]

Why does the brain use so much energy?

The Countries Where People Are the Most Emotionally Complex (Cultures that value interdependence, like Japan, win at being deep)

The present investigation began with the conjecture that people may do better by saying “some other time” instead of “no, not ever” in response to temptations.

Why Are Some People Habitually Late?

Researchers have developed a painkiller that is as strong as morphine, has fewer side effects, and isn’t likely to be addictive

Researchers found a way to partially un-boil an egg

Halting the explosive spread of Zika means waging war with mosquitoes. There are several ways, old and new, to win that war. And: Zika, a virus unknown to most people until recent days

Apple is developing wireless charging for mobile devices

Jobs was just getting started with the “i” motif. (For a while he even called himself the company’s iCEO.)

Conductive concrete that can carry enough electrical current to melt ice during winter storms

Cheesus Christ

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is based on the theory that some depressions occur seasonally in response to reduced sunlight. SAD has attracted cultural and research attention for more than 30 years and influenced the DSM through inclusion of the seasonal variation modifier for the major depression diagnosis. This study was designed to determine if a seasonally related pattern of occurrence of major depression could be demonstrated in a population-based study. A cross-sectional U.S. survey of adults completed the Patient Health Questionnaire–8 Depression Scale. […] Depression was unrelated to latitude, season, or sunlight. Results do not support the validity of a seasonal modifier in major depression. The idea of seasonal depression may be strongly rooted in folk psychology, but it is not supported by objective data.

{ Clinical Psychological Science | Continue reading }

photo { Daido Moriyama }

Redbird Reef is an artificial reef located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Slaughter Beach, Delaware.

The reef comprises 714 ‘Redbird’ New York City Subway cars, 86 retired tanks and armored personnel carriers, eight tugboats and barges, and 3,000 tons of ballasted truck tires.

{ Wikipedia | Continue reading }

photo { Stephen Mallon }

{ The Difference Between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, In Two Blizzard ‘Dibs’ Signs }