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Glider

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Everything posted by Glider

  1. Glider

    Autism Test

    I scored 9. Odd, I'm usually better at tests than that.
  2. Probably not that much. I don't know specifically, but it sounds like the difference between Biological Psychology and Psychobiology. If there is much of a difference, I would think it would be that Biopsychiatry was more general and Neuropsychiatry was more specific.
  3. Aha! Swiss Army Spork - SAS. Coincidence?
  4. I'm not sure sure where quantumm randomness comes into it as even our unconscious responses aren't random, but cause and effect (where the effects are 'pre-programmed' adaptive responses) describes our general preattentive interaction with the environment. The 'executive override' comes from socially acquired (i.e. learned and internalised) standards of behaviour. The initial urges are preattentive and unconscious responses to features of the environment, but we can override them where they conflict with the socially acquired 'response set'. This requires conscious effort and that can be measured, usually as an increase in response latency.
  5. Yes. We have 'executive override' but intitial urges and decisions are automatic.
  6. It's because there really isn't such a thing as a 'new' thought. You were talking about imagining music originally. I've been playing Rodrigo's Concierto De Aranjuez in my head for the last couple of days (can't seem to get rid of it). I can do a number of things with it in my mind; I can swap the lead from oboe to guitar to flugel horn. I can even swap it to harp if I try, but I can't swap it for something I've never heard before. I can vary the melody in my mind, shift it from minor to major and even change the order of the notes, but I can't reproduce notes I've never heard. These are all variations on a theme. Composers can create new music, but this is just novel variations of sounds they already have in their memories. Look at all the different houses in your city, all the different styles of architecture, different shapes, sizes colours, numbers of rooms, arrangements of rooms and so-on, but they're all made of bricks and timber, just in different arrangements. It's like that old thought experiment; try to create in your mind a completely new animal. Whatever you do, it's going to end up a mixture of elements you already have in your memory. Will it have scales, skin, fur, feathers or a shell? You already have these elements. What else could it have? Legs, wings, claws or paws? Again, recycling stuff that already exists. It's a toughy for sure.
  7. It's a nice little thing to get attached to. I'm quite attached to mine also, but as far as sensory input goes, it's really just a very complex relay station. All sensory input goes to the thalamus (except smell), and it's routed from there to appropriate primary cortical areas. The primary sense areas integrate the signals and attach the most basic labels. Remember, all the 'signals' are just action potentials, regardless of the sense involved. The primary areas attach the basic labels 'sound' and 'light' and sort differences in frequency into quiet/loud, dim/bright and input form different cells is labelled (e.g. into red, green and blue, none of which actually exist outside of our brains). As the information progresses in (e.g.) the visual system, it passes through layers of cells, each responding to differences in qualities of the signals. There are cells that respond to vertical bars/edges. horizontal bars/edges and so-on. These signals are combined and the further into the system you go, the more complex the signal becomes as more information is integrated. There are cells that respond to specific combinations of bars/edges. In humans and primates there are single cells that respond to faces, which are quite complext patterns of edges, lines etc. This is why the smiley badge works; it triggers those cells. Dreams work backwards. There is no primary sensory input and the drive is from memory. Memory is reconstructive and so it takes higher elements and reintegrates them. This would require activity in the higher sensory areas, but not the primary areas. So, you would have activity originating in areas associated with memory (limbic areas), elements of memory being reintegrated in the higher sensory areas appropriate to the sense and then reintegrated information being pushed to higher association areas of the cortext for final integration into a working model (dream) in the prefrontal and frontal areas. 'Live at the limbic' would be cool.
  8. In addition to the above by iNow and bascule, there would also be activity in your hippocampus and areas in your medial temporal lobes (associated with memory). Dreams are not direct experiences, but elements from memory, reintegrated in higher areas of the cortex, particularly the frontal and prefrontal areas as that's where we hold our personal models of 'reality'. There is unlikely to be much activity in the occipital lobes as these are the primary visual cortices and respond directly to stimulation from the retinae (which is unlikely when you're asleep). Stimulation of the primary visual cortex only produces very basic events; e.g. flashes of light. However, there would be more activity in secondary visual areas in the temporal lobes as these are responsible for more complex patterns, shapes and images. The images you see in dreams are based on (reconstructed from) memories and so would most likely be the products of activity in memory areas (hippocampus - medial temporal areas) and higher visual centres (temporal lobes) being reintegrated in higher association areas in the cortex. Auditory centres are also in the temporal lobes and so for music, I would expect a similar interaction. iNow is quite right in that the particular areas of activity would correspond to the type of experience. The only caveat would be that primary areas (i.e. those dealing with direct sensory input from the thalamus) are not likely to be involved. It's more likely to be higher areas (responsible for sensory integration) and memory areas. The exception is primary motor areas. These are active in REM sleep, which is why REM atonia (a kind of paralysis that happens during REM sleep) happens, to stop us acting out our dreams.
  9. Oh, I do. I just spent the entire weekend marking first year course work. I'm now as dumb as a stump. I could actually feel myself getting stupider. I'd go home now, if I could remember where that was.
  10. This is exactly right and is the basis of effective clinical pain management. Taking larger doses less frequently, or waiting until the pain gets too bad before taking another dose can lead to a process called pain 'wind up' (it has to do with nitric oxide acting as a retrograde messenger in the nociceptive pathways, lcausing long-term potentiation in projection neurons). Lower, more frequent doses prevents this from happening and results in better pain control.
  11. Butter has water in it. As the butter melts, the water sinks to the bottom (oil & fat floats). The butter prevents the water from vaporising until it reaches a point where it flashes into steam (this can be quite violent if you are using a high heat). It's the same effect as throwing water into a pan of hot oil (and why water shouldn't be used for chip pan fires).
  12. Red cells (erythrocytes) would not be the first to go. Erythrocytes are not 'alive' in the cellular sense anyway; they have no nucleus. Only erythroblasts (immature red cell precursors) have nuclei. Neurons are the most sensitive to anoxia and they die first (they start dying after 2-4 minutes).
  13. This is not true for Li Ion batteries. In short, the greater the charge (before storage), the faster the discharge. Imagine a cup of coffee. A very hot cup of coffee will cool faster than a cooler cup of coffee due to the steeper temperature gradient (potential). Yes, this is true. A charge of around 40% will result in a slower discharge rate. Not really. The idea is to slow the discharge rate to a point that the battery can be stored for long periods without risk of complete discharge, which is the worst thing that can happen to a lithium ion battery. A lot of kit (cell phones, laptop etc.) manufacturers provide minimal information regarding battery care. Some haven't changed the information since they used Nickel Metal Hydride or cadmium batteries. Lithium ion batteries are very cool (IMO). They have no memory effect (a major advantage) so they never need complete disharging (which should be avoided. It's very bad for Li-Ion batteries to do that). However, a lot of kit comes with a battery meter (like a fuel gauge). A major advantage of Li-Ion batteries is that you can charge them whenever you feel like it, even if they're not discharged. In fact, Li-Ion batteries prefer frequent partial top-ups and last longer using them. These partial charges do not count as full charge-discharge cycles and so you can do that many more times than the 300 full cycles most are rated for. My PDA battery is still going strong after more than 5 years! However, these partial charges put the battery out of synch with the battery metres (they lose calibration) and so every now and again, it's good to let the battery run down through normal use to the point the battery metre reads full discharge and the kit shuts down. In fact the battery will not be fully discharged. Kit designed for use with Li-Ion batteries is designed to shut down when the battery reaches around 1/3 - 1/4 charge. This is to avoid complete discharge which, as I say, is the worst thing you can do to a Li-Ion battery. As for storing them; I store mine at 40-50% charge, in the fridge (at between 0 - 4 degrees C). Temperature is another factor in Li-Ion battery performance. They don't like high temps. Further, the lower the temp for storage, the slower the discharge rate and the more recoverable capacity when required for use (down to a minimum of 0 degrees, don't actually freeze them, that's not good). It's usually also best not to buy a 'spare' battery for Li-Ion kit. Li-Ion batteries begin to age as soon as they're made (other types begin only after their first charge). Only buy a new battery when the original loses capacity (won't fully re-charge). There are some exceptions, for example, I carry a 'spare' for my camera. But that's because, depending on the situation, it's quite possible to flatten a battery before the photo opportunities are over (particularly if I'm out for a weekend), even though I can get around 500 to 600 shots from one charge. Also, if it's a cold winters' day, the batteries will perform less effectively, which means I can carry one in my pocket (to warm it up) and one in the camera (until it cools down too much) and just A-B them to keep shooting. This is less necessary with a cellphone or other kit, but I do accept that my spare won't be able to take over from my original like a new battery would. In fact, I try to A-B them so it's more like using one double-capacity battery. They go in the fridge at 40% charge whenever I'm not using them for more than a couple of weeks. Here are a couple of articles that might be of interest to you: How to prolong lithium based batteries and How to store batteries. I hope this is of use.
  14. And there not doing that, thats a little bit of the problem(actually a pretty big part). That was my point. It is a big problem. Perhaps you could gently remind them of what it is they're supposed to be doing. Sooner or later you will have to 'leave the nest' and cope without them. That's an inevitability, but they are not preparing you for it. You need to be learning independence and self-reliance, not dependence and helplessness.
  15. Other people, trustworthy and untrustworthy, will always be around. That's just life. Ultimately, it is the role of your parents to equip you live in that life, not to teach you to hide from it. Socialisation, learning how to get along with all kinds of people, is a significant part of growing up. It is something everybody has to do in order to be able to function as a member of any society. You can't do it by being hidden away from others.
  16. You need to calculate the z-score for 5' (i.e. how many standard deviations 5' is from the mean). Having done that, you can work out the proportion of the population (i.e. area under the curve) that are 5' or less (answers question a), then do the same thing for 6'8" (answers question b).
  17. If this were true, then people undergoing amputation of limbs should suffer measurable cognitive/memory impairment.
  18. Pioneer: your habit of posting unsupported rubbish as though it were accepted fact is becoming annoying.
  19. Glider

    Gen Y and paper

    Yeah, that's what I do. PDF files are the best I think, although some lecturers just upload their actual notes, either the presentations or the documents. I think that defeats the object as students can just use their computers to cut and paste bits whilst bypassing their brains. Introducing change is actually quite simple in University. If the changes are introduced over the summer, then the next set of first-years don't know it's a change. The third-years are too busy panicking over their projects to mind, and don't have much longer to go anyway. It's only second-year students that seem to worry about change, and most of them, in reality, are quite reasonable about it, as long as the need is explained. The main problem is not that it's hard to get students to accept change, it's more political than that. The pressure for Universities to behave as businesses means that more and more, students are becoming thought of as 'clients'. With increasing fees, many students are beginnning to think of themselves as clients too (with a few believing that a degree is their due by virtue of their check having cleared). With University being thought of in this way (by both students and management), the pressure is on to 'provide more'. It's not just about education. It's about engendering a feeling of being catered to and looked after. That's not necessarily a bad thing in principle, but it does make it harder to cut back on the frills, such as hardcopy handouts in each lecture. However, given that our particular school has just been issued with the order from above to come up with a £14,000,000 surplus this year, I would imagine it's going to get a bit easier for managers to accept the need and find ways to cut back on such things. Yep, BlackBoard is very good and students like it. I think it's underused at our University, but it seems to be growing. Some tutors use it more than others. The 'old school' types find it a bit of a bind, but that's because they think of it as an 'as well as' system, rather than an 'instead of' system. I think Blackboard could replace a lot of the paper-based stuff, as well as being used to suppliment the course. Some think they have to produce both in parallel, which is why they're reluctant. Also, some tutors feel it's going a bit too far down the 'distance learning' path and they fear ending up as a cheap OU knock-off.
  20. You're right. I just used google images and the ones I saw whilst staying in Sydney were juveniles (scrawny, mottled things). The adults look a lot better. We used to hand feed the sulphur crested cockys as they dropped by in the mornings and evenings and a bunch of juvenile magpies would also come down. Never saw any adults though. I was there in mid-summer though. The juveniles didn't seem that agressive at all and took to hand-feeding too. Maybe with their excellent memory, my mate will be safe from future attack as they'll remember being fed. Their call is one of my all-time favourite bird sounds. I wouldn't mind having a few around here. There are a lot of magpies here and with their call they always seem either to be mocking something or swearing at something. It seems to be a thing with corvids, that they recognise the eyes in other species and will go for them when mobbing. Gulls, for example, will just whack you anywhere on the head, usually from behind (bastards).
  21. I wouldn't worry about it too much. When general information about things like coffee and nicotine is put out, its mainly the overall net effects, but most things are double edged. Look at nicotine. The benefits include anxiolysis, cognitive enhancement, cerebral vasodilation, analgesia, it has antipsychotic effects, it provides a degree of neuroprotection and can slow the progression of Alzheimer's. However, that's not spread around because nobody want to encourage people to start smoking or in any other way to become addicted to nicotine.
  22. Glider

    Gen Y and paper

    I don't really use paper. I tend to edit on-screen. I used to find that difficult and would have to print hardcopy to make changes with a pencil and then refer to that whilst changing the document on-screen. I seem to have dropped that habit though. I don't remember when it happened, it wasn't deliberate. It's just faster to learn to do things on-screen (as well as cheaper and more environmentally friendly). It's flippin' students that need paper! I post lecture notes online (we have a system called BlackBoard). Students can access and download these at any time. But if a tutor were to dare to turn up for a lecture without a huge stack of lecture notes for the students, there'd be a riot!
  23. Yeah, I got mobbed by gulls on a beach in Wales once. I'd wandered around a cliff face and into a nesting colony. Gulls are a lot bigger than you think close-up, aren't they? I found a good way to avoid getting hit though. It was a shingle beach and so each time they came around, I just threw a handful of shingle into the air over my head and the gulls would swerve to avoid it. It was very effective I'm glad to say. Apparently it's extremely painful when they hit you. Starlings in general are tough little mobsters. I can imagine getting hit by a magpie would sting a bit too. The thing that really annoys me about Australian magpies is that they have (to my ear) a really lovely song. But they're ugly, blotchy black/grey things. Magpies here are really attractive metallic blue/purple/black and white, but the noise they make just makes you want to throw stuff at them. Why can't our magpies sound like yours?
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