2023-03-30

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Mon Sep 09, 2013

School is no Place for a Reader « Canadian Notes & Queries: “Sequential levelled readers” are making their punctual way to the house in the backpack, one every week. The teacher leans forward and says, mysteriously, “There is a difference between decoding and comprehension. Perhaps she is decoding that book, but she isn’t comprehending it.” […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Aug 14, 2013

Tech is killing childhood – Salon.com Tech is killing childhood – Salon.com: Some of the worst, most passive writing I’ve yet seen on this topic. She makes it sound like parents can’t do a single thing to put boundaries around technology use. “I tell you, it feels overwhelming,” says a mother who used to look […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Apr 24, 2013

"For hand towels, astronauts get those little vacuum-packed pucks that you kind of have to unravel…" “For hand towels, astronauts get those little vacuum-packed pucks that you kind of have to unravel into a towel. But what happens when you actually put the towels to use?” – What happens when you wring out a washcloth […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Apr 10, 2013

"The octopus-like movements and appearance of both protists reminded James of the horrid Cthulhu and…" “The octopus-like movements and appearance of both protists reminded James of the horrid Cthulhu and Cthylla, and the little protists were baptized after the two monsters. Cthulhu is often depicted as a giant, octopus-like entity with wings. Cthylla is his […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Feb 06, 2013

"Until now, brain imaging specialists like me who deal with human injuries caused by trauma to…" ““Until now, brain imaging specialists like me who deal with human injuries caused by trauma to arteries in the head and neck have always been puzzled as to why rapid, twisting head movements did not leave thousands of owls […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Nov 07, 2012

Universities are not job-training factories: Salutin – thestar.com Universities are not job-training factories: Salutin – thestar.com: I don’t agree with him on everything, but he has a point. I also think it’s useful to continue the separation of functions between universities and colleges (we need to stop underfunding the colleges) — and to make it […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Oct 03, 2012

The Evolutionary Advantage of Depression – Brian Gabriel – The Atlantic The Evolutionary Advantage of Depression – Brian Gabriel – The Atlantic: It turns out that depression may not be a mere trade-off for a vigorous immune response. Dr. Miller suggests that depressive symptoms like social withdrawal, lack of energy, and a loss of interest […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Sep 19, 2012

Boiling water without bubbles: Researchers engineer special surface, allowing water to boil without producing bubbles Boiling water without bubbles: Researchers engineer special surface, allowing water to boil without producing bubbles: Published Sept. 13 in the journal Nature, the research outlines how a specially engineered coated surface can create a stable vapor cushion between the surface […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Aug 22, 2012

PLoS ONE: Lost Letter Measure of Variation in Altruistic Behaviour in 20 Neighbourhoods PLoS ONE: Lost Letter Measure of Variation in Altruistic Behaviour in 20 Neighbourhoods: The results show a strong negative effect of neighbourhood income deprivation on altruistic behaviour, with letters dropped in the poorest neighbourhoods having 91% lower odds of being returned than […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Aug 15, 2012

Weapons made from shark teeth are completely badass, and hint at lost shark diversity | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine Weapons made from shark teeth are completely badass, and hint at lost shark diversity | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine: For those of you who are wondering how you weaponise shark […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Aug 01, 2012

Repetitious, time-intensive magical rituals considered more effective, study shows Repetitious, time-intensive magical rituals considered more effective, study shows: Cause-and-effect thinking is critical to human survival, Legare said. So it’s natural for people to find logic in supernatural rituals that emphasize repetition and procedural steps. If doing something once has some effect, then repeating it must […]

Neat Stuff from Elsewhere Wed Jul 25, 2012

PLoS ONE: Extending Body Space in Immersive Virtual Reality: A Very Long Arm Illusion PLoS ONE: Extending Body Space in Immersive Virtual Reality: A Very Long Arm Illusion: …participants experienced ownership over the virtual arm up to three times the length of the real one, and less strongly at four times the length. The illusion […]