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Thursday, December 28, 2006

TRAVEL UPDATE: Where in the world is Ed?



Firstly, I'd like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. I hope Santa filled your stockings with a little more than tacky calendars and woollen socks.
My Christmas stocking was filled with airline tickets and a travel itinerary, so if you were already feeling a little bit dismayed at the feeble quality of gifts you received, then I hope the rest of your yuletide holiday is not too tainted by jealousy ;-)

As for those of you who are also travelling this January and February, here is my rough itinerary so that we may meet (or avoid each other).

January 11 - depart from Perth
January 12 - Manchester
January 21 - London
January 22 - Amsterdam
January 24 - Berlin
January 26 - Prague
January 28 - Munich
January 30 - Venice
February 1 - Rome
February 3 - Florence
February 5 - Lucerne (Switzerland - for those of you with poor general knowledge ;-)
February 7 - Paris
February 9 - London
February 10 - Oxford
Feb 11 - Feb 18 - London (maybe heading to eastern Europe - will update later)
February 19 - return to Perth


Keep your eyes on this site for updates, photos and stories of my wild adventures in the womb of civilization.

I'll be contactable by email, my Australian mobile phone, and a UK mobile number:

EMAIL:
mendelson [at] hotmail.com

Saturday, December 23, 2006

SLEEP DEPRIVATION: What are its effects?


SLEEP DEPRIVATION and DECISION-MAKING:


IT seems that most people I talk to seem to subject themselves to some pretty nasty sleeping habits sometimes. From university students to housewives, it seems everybody is sleeping less, working more and then partying harder on the weekend to compensate. I decided to find out what the facts were about staying awake.

Well, if you deprive yourself of sleep, experts say, and you are handicapping your brain. In this contemporary world where time is worth money and money is worth everything, spending those extra few hours awake each day may cause you more problems than its worth. Extended periods of wakefulness or a decrease in sleep over an extended period of time is now accepted as being damaging to your immune system. More recently, however, neuropsychologists have demonstrated that particular areas in the frontal lobe of the brain are particularly sensitive to sleep deprivation. This weakens the brain’s capacity for higher-order cognitive processes, such as learning, memory, problem solving and in particular, one’s capacity to make valid decisions.

Our ability to make good decisions is not just governed by our genes or how we are raised as children, scientists say. A study undertaken by William Killgore, Thomas Balkin and Nancy Wesensten at the WRAIR (Walter Reed Army Institute of Research) measured the extent to which sleep can have an effect on our judgment and decision-making abilities. The team, who also conduct sleep research for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), used a psychological test known as the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which mimics real-world decision-making in uncertain conditions. This test requires participants to choose decks of playing cards, and be adaptive with their choices as they learn to avoid high-risk decks and instead choose the more predictable, low-risk decks. Sleep deprived participants tended to choose more frequently from risky decks as the game progressed.

The Iowa Gambling Task was originally developed in 1994 by Antoine Bechara, Hanna Damasio, Daniel Tranel and Antonio R. Damasio, a research team at the University of Iowa Department of Neurology. It was created in order to study cognitive patterns in brain-damaged patients. Over the course of a decade, they identified a relationship between higher-order cognitive processes (such as decision making), and damage to a particular region of the frontal lobe. As their research progressed, the function of this portion of the brain became clear. This area, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, is an area in the front part of the brain that controls many executive functions. These are our abilities to determine good from bad, predict consequences of actions, work toward a defined goal, and social "control" (the ability to suppress urges that, if not suppressed, could lead to socially unacceptable or frankly illegal outcomes). The patterns the research team at University of Iowa had found in cognitive abilities in cases of brain damage to the prefrontal cortex were similar to the results from the team at WRAIR: sleep deprivation caused the same effects (but to a lesser extent) in the Iowa Gambling Task, as damage to the prefrontal cortex.

So it would seem that cognitive functions known to be centered on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, especially decision making in conditions of uncertainty, may be particularly vulnerable to sleep loss. The frontal lobe’s vulnerability to sleep loss was also detected by a team at Harvard University who were studying the effects of the frontal lobe on sleep regulation. Furthermore, they noted that susceptibility to impaired function from sleep loss may become more pronounced with increased age: the older you are, the more sensitive you are to not getting a good night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation has such a marked effect as it reduces the cerebral metabolism (the brain activity) within the prefrontal cortex. This reduction in brain activity effectively throws in the towel for your chances to make a correct decision when placed in a situation of uncertain outcomes – something to remember the next time you’re driving tired, or writing an article late at night!

‘The older you are, the more sensitive you are to not getting a good night’s sleep’

Researchers at the Loughborough Sleep Research Centre have been able to observe sleep deprivation’s specific effects on decision making by using an adapted computer game called Masterplanner. Not unlike the Iowa Gambling Task, the test’s results indicated the same underlying principles as the WRAIR research team; sleep deprivation may affect the whole brain, but areas of the frontal lobe are hypersensitive to lack of sleep. A person may be able to respond to a complex scenario when it is suddenly presented, however, the participant will most likely pick an unoriginal solution. If presented with a similar situation multiple times with slight variations in the information presented the participant chooses the same solution, even though it might not be as applicable to the new scenario. So it was shown that a sleep-deprived brain tends to use solutions that have worked for previous problems, even when the solution isn’t really suitable for the current problem.

In a contemporary context, sleep deprivation and research into its effects has never been more relevant. In a world where individuals regularly extent their waking hours in order to achieve more in their limited waking hours, there is a distinct need to understand the underlying effects. Research has shown us, thus far, that a lack of sleep impairs many brain functions such as memory and processing of the senses, but particularly sensitive to sleep loss, is decision making. The sleep-deprived brain is not just ‘sluggish’, but actively unoriginal in the way it makes decisions and solves problems, resorting to solutions it found for previous situations. Intrinsically linked into our modern-day society and perhaps Western culture in general, sleep deprivation exists on a massive scale. In order to understand its effects on the population, it is critical that more studies are undertaken to fully understand the psychological and physiological effects of not getting enough sleep.

-Edward Joel Mendelson


Bechara, A., Damasio, H., Damasio, A., & Lee, G. (1999). Different contributions of the human amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex to decision-making. The Journal of Neuroscience, 19 (13), 5473-5481.

Bechara, A., Tranel, D. & Damasio, H. (2000). Characterization of the decision-making deficit of patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions. Brain, 123(11), 2189–2202.

Jones, K. & Harrison, Y. (2001). Frontal lobe function, sleep loss and fragmented sleep. Sleep Med. Rev., 5, 463–475.

Killgore, W., Balkin, T., & Wesensten, N. (2006). Impaired decision making following 49 hours of sleep deprivation. Journal of Sleep Research, 15(1), 7.

Muzur, A., Pace-Schott, E., & Hobson, J. (2002). The prefrontal cortex in sleep. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 6(11), 475-481.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

MURPHY'S LAW: a short story about what happens when everything goes wrong.

It is a quiet, Saturday afternoon, and the overcast humidity of the air gives me an obscene sense of nonchalance. Time in hand, I peruse a ‘Survival Handbook’, a sort of “Pessimist’s Guide to the World”. It was given to me as a Christmas present, and its perverse implication of Murphy’s Law amuses me. I would assume that its pleasant uselessness would appeal to all who share my insatiable appetite for superfluous information. A smile creeps onto my face as I remember the one objective truth about this world: “Anything that can go wrong, will”.

I stop to ponder a hypothetical scenario in which I might need to know “How to win a sword fight” or “How to leap from a burning car”. Further indulging my pessimism, I begin to fantasise…

I am siting comfortably in the first class compartment of a train from Paris to Munich, quietly minding my own business, sipping coffee from a china mug and reading my Pessimists Handbook, when the door at the end of the carriage opens. In walks a decrepit looking old man dressed in tattered rags, giving him the appearance of Fagan from Oliver Twist. Unlike Fagan on the other hand, he sports a gleaming new assault rifle and is draped in chains of ammunition. This, I realise, gives him more of a “Rambo meets Hunchback of Notre Dame” appearance. After a little deliberation, I notice that this is somewhat out of place in my train carriage, which to my perplexed bemusement, is becoming littered with bullet holes.

Caring not at this time to ponder the philosophical implications of this seemingly random outburst of post-teenage angst, I am more worried about the looming possibility of ending unfashionably dead. Remembering my survival handbook, I “run fast but do not move in a straight line” and “weave back and forth”. Coming to the opposite end of the carriage, I slide open the door, and “turn a corner as quickly as I can” which leaves me but one option; to climb the ladder leading onto the top of the carriage. Having previously read the chapter entitled “How to Maneuver on Top of a Moving Train”, I am fortunately informed that I should “not attempt to stand up straight… stay bent slightly forward, leaning into the wind”.

As I “move my body with the rhythm of the train – from side to side and forward”, I remember my feet should be “spread about 30 inches apart”, and that I should “wobble from side to side” as I move forward. Needless to say, the handbook fails to mention that one tends to “wobble from side to side” as one attempts a Tom Cruise style casual stroll on top of a moving rail car whilst being pursued by a maniac sporting a military-issue AK-47.

Never the less, having managed to “find the ladder at the end of the next car and climb down”, I rest for a moment to deliberate on the bizarre sequence of events that lead me from a quiet coffee to Mission Impossible within one minute.

Suddenly, I hear more gunshots coming from inside the carriage, but as I turn to flee once more, I notice that having reached the end of the train, I have run out of train on which to perform miraculous stunts. Once again being reassuringly informed by my handbook, I prepare myself for the perilous lunge from the train. Knowing to “aim for a soft landing site: grass, brush, - anything but pavement or a tree”, I become vaguely amused at how my handbook makes no allowance for common sense. I would have thought that most people, when jumping from a moving train, would try not to hit a tree. I begin to wonder if someone lacking in common sense would think that a tree could “cushion the blow”.

Confronting the situation at hand, I prepare myself for the jump by “tucking in your head and your arms and legs” and aiming for a “soft landing site” I close my eyes and jump. Whilst suspended timelessly in flight, I deliberate once more on my question of common sense, remembering a phrase from my handbook which states: “roll when you hit the ground”. It then occurs to me that a human body when catapulted from a fast-moving train may indeed have little say in the matter. I fear that when introduced to the prospect of hitting the ground at seventy miles an hour, most objects would not just gracefully roll over the soft terrain coming to a gentle halt.

And thus, my fantasy comes to an end, and once more I find myself sitting quietly on a Saturday afternoon. It seems that for all the pessimists out there, there is hope for you yet, for if you ever find yourself being chased along the roof of a moving train by a madman with an assault rifle, and if you are ever forced into throwing yourself from a train travelling at seventy miles an hour, you can rest assured that a healthy level of common sense will be able to save you from catastrophe. And for all of you who are lacking in common sense, then you can always reassure your insecurities with more useless information at www.worstcasescenarios.com

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Annihilation: A Human Condition

My latest YouTube video:

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Friday, August 04, 2006

Islam vs The West



Islam vs The West
Anyone who pays any attention whatsoever to current affairs or the news will know of the turmoil a few months ago in the Arabic world over the cartoons of the prophet Mohammad that so many Islamic people took offence to.
Firstly i would like to point out that I never take sides in any ideological debate which uses race as the definitive factor in argument. That is, if someone is Arabic, then their arguments and opinions must be analysed based on their own merit. The fact that they are Arabic must never come into the equation. It has no effect on critical thinking or rational thought.
However... The hypocrisy exercised by those people who chose to act violently in opposition to those cartoons, and those companies that decided to act to distance themselves from the Danish are irresponsible and hypocritical.
For years, Islam has satirised and parodied the Jewish and Christian deities and icons in much worse circumstances than the current cartoon displayed in that Danish newspaper. Nobody cared when it was Christians or Jews. Why? Because, who gives a shit? Seriously, it was in light heart and often even the Christians and the Jews were the ones laughing.
Now, when the situation is reversed, parts of the Muslim world use it as another excuse to label us zionist infidels and look for another reason to kill us all.

I RECOMMEND TO EVERYBODY I KNOW AND THAT YOU KNOW, AND THAT THEY KNOW:
READ THE LINK UNDER THIS!!!! it is the most non-bullshit, non-partisan essay i have read on the whole situation and why it is becoming increasingly hard to put up with the bullshit that these fundamentalists just keep pulling out of their arse.
http://www.jcpa.org/phas/phas-21.htm

There are fundamentalists in every religion. They are ALL wankers. Not just Al Qaeda, not just the Islamic fundamentalists, but every religion has them. They are ALL close-minded, intellectually arrogant and ignorant (what a dangerous combination) and they are unable to give merit of any kind to any opinion other than their own.

The one thing that makes we humans so special, so capable of progress, is our communicative abilities. By communicating, we were able to leave the jungle, to live in cities, to build, to write music, to hold intellectual debate. Closing one's mind to our abilities to learn not just from our own experiences, but from the experiences of others is the intellectual equivalent of living in a cave wearing blind-fold and ear-muffs.

To those who will not listen to the wisdom of others, not willing to live with and tolerate other races and religions, and not willing to leave your mind open to other possibilities... F*ck off! Go home to your cave. You're not welcome in our society.

CNN Newsflash! Felatio prevents breast cancer!

CNN Newsflash! Felatio prevents breast cancer!

Study: Fellatio may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women
Source: http://www.ic.sunysb.edu/stu/pip/

(AP) --Women who perform the act of fellatio and swallow semen on a regular basis, one to two times a week, may reduce their risk of breast cancer by up to 40 percent, a North Carolina State University study found.

Doctors had never suspected a link between the act of fellatio and breast cancer, but new research being performed at North Carolina State University is starting to suggest that there could be an important link between the two.

In a study of over 15,000 women suspected of having performed regular fellatio and swallowed the ejaculatory fluid, over the past ten years, the researchers found that those actually having performed the act regularly, one to two times a week, had a lower occurance of breast cancer than those who had not. There was no increased risk, however, for those who did not regularly perform.

"I think it removes the last shade of doubt that fellatio is actually a healthy act," said Dr. A.J. Kramer of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was not involved in the research. "I am surprised by these findings, but am also excited that the researchers may have discovered a relatively easy way to lower the occurance of breast cancer in women."

The University researchers stressed that, though breast cancer is relatively uncommon, any steps taken to reduce the risk would be a wise decision.

"Only with regular occurance will your chances be reduced, so I encourage all women out there to make fellatio an important part of their daily routine," said Dr. Helena Shifteer, one of the researchers at the University. "Since the emergence of the research, I try to fellate at least once every other night to reduce my chances."

The study is reported in Friday's Journal of Medical Research.

In 1991, 43,582 women died of breast cancer, as reported by the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Len Lictepeen, deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society, said women should not overlook or "play down" these findings.

"This will hopefully change women's practice and patterns, resulting in a severe drop in the future number of cases," Lictepeen said.

Sooner said the research shows no increase in the risk of breast cancer in those who are, for whatever reason, not able to fellate regularly.

"There's definitely fertile ground for more research. Many have stepped forward to volunteer for related research now in the planning stages," he said.

Almost every woman is, at some point, going to perform the act of fellatio, but it is the frequency at which this event occurs that makes the difference, say researchers. Also key seems to be the protein and enzyme count in the semen, but researchers are again waiting for more test data.

The reasearch consisted of two groups, 6,246 women ages 25 to 45 who had performed fellatio and swallowed on a regular basis over the past five to ten years, and 9,728 women who had not or did not swallow. The group of women who had performed and swallowed had a breast cancer rate of 1.9 percent and the group who had not had a breast cancer rate of 10.4 percent.

"The findings do suggest that there are other causes for breast cancer besides the absence of regular fellatio," Shafteer said. "It's a cause, not THE cause."


Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

The internet knows more about you than you do...

I've been wandering through some "how-to" blog pages over the last couple of days, and i find it remarkable how much they profess to be able to tell me about myself... Here's a sample of just some of the quizes i came across. Try for yourself... find out how much the internet knows about you.