neurontic | September 10, 2007Tonight, I'm holding my own private Irish wake for Alex, the extraordinary parrot. (Pass the Bushmill's, folks. This is going to be a tearjerker.)
Alex, an African Gray parrot, whose linguistic prowess put many-a-kindergartner to shame, is dead at the tender age of 31 of unknown causes. (In case you haven't been studying up on avian lifespan, large parrots can live to be over 80.) If this strikes you as less than tragic than I'm willing to bet that a) you have a heart of stone, or b) you were unaware of Alex's intellectual gifts. If you fall into the latter category, allow me to get you up to…
neurontic | August 10, 2007My gut response after reading this question was: Well, duh--obviously, summer is more conducive to happiness. I mean, you can make a good case for the virtues of spring and fall, but they're really less seasons than they are opening acts. And apart from Christmas and skiing, winter doesn't have a whole lot to recommend it. Nope. If you're ranking seasons, summertime is the clear winner. Summer=hot sun, slow, quiet afternoons, and water-logged family vacations. What more does a human being need to be happy, apart from an air-conditioner and an ample supply of snacks?
Proving my theory seemed…
neurontic | August 4, 2007I thought Neurontic readers might be interested in this profile I recently did of Radio Lab Host Jad Abumrad.
If you don't know about WNYC's cult "science" show yet, you should take the time to listen to it. Why? Because as Jad says: "The people who listen to Radio Lab like that feeling of thinking that they know something and then suddenly having their perspective just shift." And I'd be willing to bet that describes most of you.
**For the uninitiated, here are links to a couple of my favorite episodes of the show. (Note: Fellow Seed Blogger Jonah Lehrer of The Frontal Cortex is a…
neurontic | August 2, 2007Late Breaking News
*Orangutans Communicate As If They Were Playing Charades
Hmmm, so let me get this straight. It looks like he's saying: "Give me a banana." But what he's really saying is: "It's Boogie Nights, you f%$#ing moron." Okay, got it.
*Also, you'll be thrilled to know that researchers at the University of Austin have finally done the math and it turns out that there are not 100 . . . not 200 . . . but 237 distinct reasons that people have sex.
Yeah. For reals: 237. It's science, people.
neurontic | July 24, 2007"We saw that the group with high level of leisure activities presented 38% less risk of developing Alzheimer's symptoms."
Dr. Yaakov Stern, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York.
Read this interview with Dr. Stern on Sharp Brains, to learn more about building up your "cognitive reserves."
neurontic | July 18, 2007This week I think we could all use a brief reprieve from me and my opinions, so I'm running a review of Phillip Zimbardo's book The Lucifer Effect, written by the wickedly smart (and just plain wicked) writer Carey Bertolet.
Bio
Kid-friendly version: Carey Bertolet is an avid reader because she enjoys challenging concepts and sitting on her caboose. When not at work, Carey is the host of her own imaginary cooking show as well as the co-producer of "the Boo Radley Show," her miniature pinscher's imaginary late night talk show. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband who is recapturing his…
neurontic | July 8, 2007
Having been raised in California - birthplace of est, vegan bacon, and aerobics - I grew up thinking of life less as an "adventure" than as a relentless self-improvement campaign. Oh, don't get me wrong, I got more than my fair share of personal affirmation at home, but no matter how special my parents insisted I was, the prevailing message of the culture around me was that with a little work I could be "specialer"--or at the very least skinnier, healthier, and more well-adjusted.
I figured out relatively early on that this was a losing battle, but it has still left me with irrational…
neurontic | July 2, 2007
Check out the latest edition of Encephalon at Neurophilosophy and note his new home! Welcome to the fold, Mo. We're happy to have you.
neurontic | June 25, 2007
I'm a firm believer in the idea that the world can be broken up into two kinds of people: Those who purchase motivational posters festooned with baby animals and those who laugh at them. I've always placed myself firmly in the latter category. Does this make me a misanthropic killjoy? Maybe. But I'm willing to live with that, which is why I find it so odd that I've become completely and utterly addicted to Cute Overload.
Given that the site won this year's Best American Weblog Award, I'm guessing you've heard of it. But perhaps, you (unlike me) have better things to do with your time than…
neurontic | June 21, 2007Bora tagged me--and, as we all know, saying no to Bora means courting bad karma. So, we're gonna play a game. I will tell you 8 things about myself likely better left unsaid (see below) and then I will tag 8 other people and try to persuade them to do the same. Why? It's about sharing, people.
Superfluous Information About the Author:
1) I once worked as a Call Box Operator. That person who told you to remain calm and wait for the highway patrol coulda been me. No joke.
2) I will watch any iteration of Pride and Prejudice no matter how stupid. I love it that much.
3) Left to my own devices, I…
neurontic | June 17, 2007I know, I know--you're tired of looking at my toast. I'm sorry. What can I say? I just started a new job at MarketWatch - yes, Dow Jones' MarketWatch - the electronic financial broadsheet many predict will soon be owned and operated by the man Americans love to hate almost as much as W. and his henchmen: Rupert Murdoch.
I can't say I'm proud that my checks may soon be signed by the man responsible for keeping Bill O'Reilly in bread and butter. But, in my defense, when I accepted the job, it really looked like the Bancroft's were going to tell the media tyrant to buzz off. Now - well - not so…
neurontic | June 9, 2007Question 1
What do the toaster companies have against rye bread?
Attempt 1
Attempt 2
Question 2:
How does The Times Magazine's in-house interviewer Deborah Solomon continue to land interviews with the newsworthy and notable?
Case in point: An excerpt from this week's Q&A with the creator of HBO's Entourage.
DS: I assume your milieu was less flashy than the one in "Entourage."
Doug Ellin: My father is an accountant. Growing up on Long Island, I'd have one basketball for seven years. There was no grip left on this basketball. I don't want to sound like I had a cheap father. He was not…
neurontic | June 6, 2007Just a quick note to let all you fellow Brooklynites know about a "singles mixer" (those are ironic quotes) being put on by the brilliant minds behind Radio Lab "the science show for people who think they don't like science."
The formula behind the festivities? "Chemistry + Biology + Radio = Love...or something like it." Sounds good, no?
The evening will be emceed by Radio Lab host Jad Abumrad who promises to:
[combine] the latest lab results from the leading edge of neurological research with breathtaking tales of surprising romance . . . And to help your biological drives out a little [by…
neurontic | June 2, 2007Charlie Rose recently ran a show billed as "A discussion about the legacy of Sigmund Freud." I'd urge anyone interested in the impact of neuroscience on psychotherapeutic practice to take the time to watch it.
The title is a bit misleading. It's less a discussion of Freud's contributions than it is a free wheeling conversation about how the fields of neuroscience and psychotherapy are beginning to overlap--and, perhaps more importantly, how understanding the biology of the brain promises to revolutionize the practice of psychotherapy.
The participants are seriously heavy hitters: There's…
neurontic | May 19, 2007I'm told I went out last night and that many beers were consumed, but I have no memory of the event. Why does too much hooch make us forget? And does the fact that I "blacked out" mean I should reserve a place in rehab?
Sincerely,
Chastened Boozehound
Dear Boozehound,
You probably never thought you'd have anything in common with the main character from Memento, but, guess what? Now you do. See, Leonard was suffering from a condition known as anterograde amnesia brought on by severe head trauma, which kept him from transferring new experiences into long-term memories. His memories of…
neurontic | May 14, 2007
The boyfriend and I are headed out of town for a couple of weeks, folks. I plan to post, but it'll be intermittent. In the meantime, send in your 'Dear Neurontic' questions to orlivan [at] gmail.com.
Best,
Orli
neurontic | May 12, 2007A few months ago, I wrote about my "issues" with the Dawkins/Dennett anti-religion campaign, which concluded:
Dawkins and Dennett simply cannot understand the impulse to cling to an antiquated belief system not grounded in fact. (They seem incapable of recognizing that religion, despite its myriad flaws, provides a type of moral succor in times of strife that science can't.) To convince the masses of the errors of their ways, they're using the only weapon at their disposal: logic. The irony, of course, is that faith is not grounded in logic. Reason is toothless in the face of belief.
This…
neurontic | May 2, 2007A review of Carved in Sand, by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
I won't lie to you. The press release for Carved in Sand did not inspire confidence. "When journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin was in her early 40s, she began forgetting things and was having trouble concentrating," reads the description of the book:
Embarrassed, but also concerned, she decided to get to the heart of the question so many people in midlife ask: Is this normal--or am I slowly losing my mind? A veteran reporter with two decades of investigative work under her belt, she decided to become a guinea pig . . . [embarking] on a…
neurontic | April 18, 2007For those of us with even a passing knowledge of psychology, Virginia Shooter Seung Cho's plays read like a fictionalized retelling of DSM IV, the bible of psychiatric disorders. The characters exhibit signs of everything from paranoia, to pedophilia, to anti-social personality disorder, and psychopathy.
Lucinda Roy, one of Cho's English professors was so alarmed by his writings that she referred him to counseling. Cho declined to go. Ms. Roy then contacted campus police. They did nothing. Distressed, Ms. Roy contacted university officials, who gave her two options: She could drop Cho from…
neurontic | April 12, 2007I recently landed a gig writing how-to articles aimed at college students for a website that shall remain nameless. The site is predicated on the notion that recent grads are hapless fools, incapable of grappling with real world responsibilities, like renting an apartment or choosing an appropriate 401K plan. As it happens, I really was this clueless at the age of 21. What a brilliant idea, I thought! Sign me up.
The first article I was assigned was called something along the lines of "Online Dating: It's not just for losers anymore." Beyond sending the message that cyber-hookups had gone…