I ran the Beach to Beacon road race on August 4 using an injured friends chip and number. My stategy was to find a fellow runner of equal capability and follow them as the pace setter. It did not work out and the top ten reasons I got my butt kicked in the race are:
10. The night before: two margaritas and a loaded beef burrito
9. Just before the race: delayed start because authorities detained me when I mistook the Elite Runner’s Tent for the smoking tent
8. First Half Mile: Math error and confusion with the metric system led me to train for a 0.62 mile race rather than a 6.2 mile race
7. Mile One: Several minutes lost recovering from sporty pace set by my first pace setter who turned out to be a Women’s High School Track star
6. Mile Two: Several minutes lost recovering when I mistook a spectator for an attendant offering cold water and splashed hot coffee in my face
5. Mile Three: It took a moment for an EMT to convince me that my second pace setter—a senior citizen—was not going to continue the race after they had dropped out
4. Mile Four: Several minutes needed to help clean my third pace setter after I barfed the loaded beef burrito from the night before
3. Mile Five: Cramps, muscle spasms, trouble breathing, side aches……
2. Mile Six: Forgot to “make my move” because I was busy formulating why I was not going to win this stupid race
1. Finish: Someone invited a bunch of wicked fast “outta-state” runners
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Really Strange Findings about Brain Impulses
Look, I know I never post on this, but I read this article on the New Yorker site from Boing Boing that I found fascinating. Half the time you guys discuss political matters that I have not paid attention to or have much of an opinion on. However, I thought you all would appreciate this article on "itching." I'm curious about Arianna's take on this based on her studies in neuroscience. It's a little bit disturbing as it leads you into the discussion about nerve impulses and brain activity with a story about a woman's pathological itching.
New Yorker article on Itching
At first, I was just massively disturbed by what this woman had done to herself, but did not find it outside the realm of belief based on my experiences in mental health (although they were never quite this extreme). However, what hooked me was that one of her doctor's did not think that her experience was based on actual perception but rather within the brain, itself. I did relate to the experiences of waking up and doing something unintentional, most recently a bad cough I couldn't get rid of as well as an infestation of ants that had somehow made it into my bedroom (and unsettlingly, my bed). After a while, I did realize that it only took the stimulus of thinking about itching or coughing that would trigger the physical response. Much like the way you would suddenly perceive pain, once you had seen yourself bleeding or bruised. I think this is similar to the itch-scratch cycle that they mention in this article, where part of defeating the problem is to not realize/not think about it... making near impossible to conquer lest you had the mental discipline of a Zen master.
What really impressed me about the article was that it was not a brief discussion about how terrible a problem was, but that there are successful solutions being studied. The "mirror-box" method they discuss was fascinating in its implications for virtual reality-like technology, which they mention as well. I mean cheesy Tron imagery aside, it makes me wonder about how things like video games actually do affect the brain. I mean we've all seen Jon and Niall disappear for hours at a time doing something that I find repetitive and uninteresting, but from which they derive seemingly ceaseless gratification. I'm not making an argument against video games, but it just makes me wonder about less escapist explorations and about practical applications such as these cases.
Old 2003 Article on VG in Education
New Grant to Study Medical Applications of VG on Children with Cystic Fibrosis
When I was working with the Erikson Institute on the project on child reasoning, I kept stumbling upon articles on using video games to stimulate children's imaginations to improve reasoning abilities. It did fit into the logic behind the articles we were producing. VGs would help children look at situations from different perspectives (which we said was important in formulating different solutions/the development of reasons). They would also help them visualize a solution, which enhances learning and maintenance in memory (there were numerous studies where having subjects picture an activity before doing it would improve their performance during the activity - i.e. catching a ball). In any case, a friend recommended this TED Talk by Vilayanur Ramachandran about the human brain as another interesting article for discussion.
Anyone else find something along these lines? Do you think video games would ever have a permanent place in standard education (I'm not just talking about Oregon Trail here)? Should and will classes be taught in this manner? Or, do you think this would promote dissociative behavior as some claim about the use of Ipods?
New Yorker article on Itching
At first, I was just massively disturbed by what this woman had done to herself, but did not find it outside the realm of belief based on my experiences in mental health (although they were never quite this extreme). However, what hooked me was that one of her doctor's did not think that her experience was based on actual perception but rather within the brain, itself. I did relate to the experiences of waking up and doing something unintentional, most recently a bad cough I couldn't get rid of as well as an infestation of ants that had somehow made it into my bedroom (and unsettlingly, my bed). After a while, I did realize that it only took the stimulus of thinking about itching or coughing that would trigger the physical response. Much like the way you would suddenly perceive pain, once you had seen yourself bleeding or bruised. I think this is similar to the itch-scratch cycle that they mention in this article, where part of defeating the problem is to not realize/not think about it... making near impossible to conquer lest you had the mental discipline of a Zen master.
What really impressed me about the article was that it was not a brief discussion about how terrible a problem was, but that there are successful solutions being studied. The "mirror-box" method they discuss was fascinating in its implications for virtual reality-like technology, which they mention as well. I mean cheesy Tron imagery aside, it makes me wonder about how things like video games actually do affect the brain. I mean we've all seen Jon and Niall disappear for hours at a time doing something that I find repetitive and uninteresting, but from which they derive seemingly ceaseless gratification. I'm not making an argument against video games, but it just makes me wonder about less escapist explorations and about practical applications such as these cases.
Old 2003 Article on VG in Education
New Grant to Study Medical Applications of VG on Children with Cystic Fibrosis
When I was working with the Erikson Institute on the project on child reasoning, I kept stumbling upon articles on using video games to stimulate children's imaginations to improve reasoning abilities. It did fit into the logic behind the articles we were producing. VGs would help children look at situations from different perspectives (which we said was important in formulating different solutions/the development of reasons). They would also help them visualize a solution, which enhances learning and maintenance in memory (there were numerous studies where having subjects picture an activity before doing it would improve their performance during the activity - i.e. catching a ball). In any case, a friend recommended this TED Talk by Vilayanur Ramachandran about the human brain as another interesting article for discussion.
Anyone else find something along these lines? Do you think video games would ever have a permanent place in standard education (I'm not just talking about Oregon Trail here)? Should and will classes be taught in this manner? Or, do you think this would promote dissociative behavior as some claim about the use of Ipods?
Monday, April 28, 2008
Victory Delayed?
I like the idea Jon puts forth that Hillary is really working toward a defeat of Obama in the general election so that she can come back in 4-years and say "I told you he could not win." I think this is a very plausible strategy on her part, particularly when considered in light of other two other possibilities that easily align with this approach.
First is the possibility that something could happen to derail Obama's clear lead. Possibilities include events as extreme as his assignation to as mild as disenfranchisement of his followers caused by a bombastic ex-pastor. Events beyond Hillary's making could easily sink Obama's run for the candidacy and make her the facto victor because she is the last politician standing. America's infatuation with Obama is built upon the idea that he will not rub America's ugly racial past in the face of potential supporters.
The second possibility is that her efforts could defeat Obama and that she could win against the old white guy McCain.
What this view suggest is that Hillary wins even if she looses.
First is the possibility that something could happen to derail Obama's clear lead. Possibilities include events as extreme as his assignation to as mild as disenfranchisement of his followers caused by a bombastic ex-pastor. Events beyond Hillary's making could easily sink Obama's run for the candidacy and make her the facto victor because she is the last politician standing. America's infatuation with Obama is built upon the idea that he will not rub America's ugly racial past in the face of potential supporters.
The second possibility is that her efforts could defeat Obama and that she could win against the old white guy McCain.
What this view suggest is that Hillary wins even if she looses.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Clinton, Looking For Victory Delayed
I just read this article and found one piece of speculation interesting. What if Clinton is trying to make Obama lose? Why you ask? Imagine the effect of Obama winning. If Obama wins, the leadership of the party will pass to him. For at least the next 8 years, even if he only serves one term, everyone else is locked out of the top spot.
Now step back and look at the Clinton's. If their paths towards the White House was conscious, and I think it was, an Obama victory would kill Clinton path to ownership of the party and diminish their legacy. Clinton can come back to run after a Obama loses the presidency. She can't come back if Obama wins. If Obama runs and doesn't win, Clinton is back in four years. Perhaps this, and not fears that mean old John McCain will win are the real reason for her destructive efforts to take down Obama and her refusal to concede defeat. It could be that she fully realizes that she can't win the nomination, but that this is the pretense she can use to continue her attacks and cripple Obama's momentum.
It could very well be that Clinton has stayed in as long as she has not so that she can win this election, but to win the next. If a crippled Obama gets torn apart by John McCain, Hillary will be there four years later wagging her finger saying, "I told you so, now make the right decision this time."
Now step back and look at the Clinton's. If their paths towards the White House was conscious, and I think it was, an Obama victory would kill Clinton path to ownership of the party and diminish their legacy. Clinton can come back to run after a Obama loses the presidency. She can't come back if Obama wins. If Obama runs and doesn't win, Clinton is back in four years. Perhaps this, and not fears that mean old John McCain will win are the real reason for her destructive efforts to take down Obama and her refusal to concede defeat. It could be that she fully realizes that she can't win the nomination, but that this is the pretense she can use to continue her attacks and cripple Obama's momentum.
It could very well be that Clinton has stayed in as long as she has not so that she can win this election, but to win the next. If a crippled Obama gets torn apart by John McCain, Hillary will be there four years later wagging her finger saying, "I told you so, now make the right decision this time."
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