Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Debating Creationists
"Debating creationists on the topic of evolution is rather like trying to play chess with a pigeon - it knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, and flies back to its flock to claim victory." ~ Anonymous reviewer of Eugenie Scott's Evolution vs. Creationism : An Introduction.
Satiety or Why Don't The Candles Taste Better Than The Cake?
Moving House... so no posts recently.. not that anybody cares... !sob!.
New things:
Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio: ultracool mumblings of an old-time beatnik
Ball Droppings: fun for the kiddies
Monoface: fun for the kiddies
Techreview: from MIT
AcademicEarth: Youtube for the intellectual
New things:
Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio: ultracool mumblings of an old-time beatnik
Ball Droppings: fun for the kiddies
Monoface: fun for the kiddies
Techreview: from MIT
AcademicEarth: Youtube for the intellectual
Dan Dennett on "Cute, Sexy, Sweet and Funny" from TED. Great talk. Obvious when you think about it. At the deepest level of 'meaning' in the mind, a monkey looking at monkey-porn experiences the same as a human looking at human-porn. It's all about porn. Did i miss something?
That Chewbacca-chick did look purrty...
I have a problem with the idea of "sweetness" existing to give pleasure to a glucose molecule so as to reinforce the idea that 'sugar tastes nice'. If this was important from an evolutionary point of view, why then doesn't FAT taste 'sweet' too? There's about 9 times as much energy in fat than sugar- you'd think a lump of butter would taste better than a sugar cube but it doesn't. Why not? Water tastes "good" but only if you're thirsty. Even if you're REALLY hungry- fat doesn't taste "good". Once you've eaten it an the cholecystokinin is released from your gut- you do get some CNS 'satiety' happening but it's a far cry from the bliss of a chocolate bar.
Why don't the candles taste better than the cake?.. maybe because there's no 'taste-bud' receptor for 'fat' like there is for sugar.... but WHY not?***
There's a taste-bud for Umami- and most of us don't even know what that tastes like! Why did we evolve a liking for MSG that has no nutritional value, but not for a high energy-density food like fat?
Perhaps this is like trying to 'explain' (from an evolutionary point of view) why men have nipples or women, orgasms. Without the missing piece of the puzzle, It's a modern "just so" story. Not everything uttered by a scientist is scientific!
Most of what we call 'taste' is actually smell anyway- i guess a BBQ smells better than a sugar cube but the evolution of our sensory systems must predate the invention of cooking by a couple of billion years.
That Chewbacca-chick did look purrty...
I have a problem with the idea of "sweetness" existing to give pleasure to a glucose molecule so as to reinforce the idea that 'sugar tastes nice'. If this was important from an evolutionary point of view, why then doesn't FAT taste 'sweet' too? There's about 9 times as much energy in fat than sugar- you'd think a lump of butter would taste better than a sugar cube but it doesn't. Why not? Water tastes "good" but only if you're thirsty. Even if you're REALLY hungry- fat doesn't taste "good". Once you've eaten it an the cholecystokinin is released from your gut- you do get some CNS 'satiety' happening but it's a far cry from the bliss of a chocolate bar.
Why don't the candles taste better than the cake?.. maybe because there's no 'taste-bud' receptor for 'fat' like there is for sugar.... but WHY not?***
There's a taste-bud for Umami- and most of us don't even know what that tastes like! Why did we evolve a liking for MSG that has no nutritional value, but not for a high energy-density food like fat?
Perhaps this is like trying to 'explain' (from an evolutionary point of view) why men have nipples or women, orgasms. Without the missing piece of the puzzle, It's a modern "just so" story. Not everything uttered by a scientist is scientific!
Most of what we call 'taste' is actually smell anyway- i guess a BBQ smells better than a sugar cube but the evolution of our sensory systems must predate the invention of cooking by a couple of billion years.
*** maybe CD36 is a "fat-bud".
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
When Things Collide
Within the last week, a Russian communications satellite collided with an American communications satellite AND a French nuclear submarine collided with a British nuclear submarine. Are people just not paying attention? Ipod-fiddling is probably to blame.
Moderate Muslim Beheads Wife
hmmm....
from CNN:
but lets not call it "beheading"- lets call it "de-bodification".
from CNN:
"Muzzammil Hassan was charged with second-degree murder after police found the decapitated body of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, at the Bridges TV station in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park...He launched Bridges TV, billed as the first English-language cable channel targeting Muslims inside the United States, in 2004. At the time, Hassan said he hoped the network would balance negative portrayals of Muslims following the 9/11 attacks.".
but lets not call it "beheading"- lets call it "de-bodification".
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Via Neurophilosophy
Very interesting post on the always erudite Neurophilosophy Blog about the genetics of synaesthesia with research from Ali-G's 1st cousin. Notice the family resemblance?
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Notice anything?
Neil Diamond: Cherry Cherry
The Romantics: What i Like About you
John Cougar Mellencamp
The Romantics: What i Like About you
John Cougar Mellencamp
Friday, February 06, 2009
Red Beats Blue
also i think if you're a black dude- you're probably gonna beat the white guy 60% of the time.
(time passes)
later that same day: just had a thought- maybe red 'means' STOP as in "stop the-f@#ck punching me!"
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Chess and the Expert Mind
"I see only one move ahead," Capablanca is said to have answered, "but it is always the correct one."
Great article from Scientific American on studies of the mental processes of chess players. Reminds me of Ford Prefect's advice to Arthur Dent on how to fly: just forget to hit the ground. With chess- just forget the bad moves!
p.s. great bauhaus chess board here.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Oldfangled is the New Newfangled
Is there a word for this sort of word? A word- like "NEWFANGLED" that seems to imply an ironic "OLD-FANGLEDNESS". (Seems the sort of word only uttered by 90 year edentulous old-timers between other phrases like : "Dagnabbit!"*, and "Darn Tootin'!").
An expression of sheepishness, with a tinge of frustration.
e.g. "Dagnabbit, I knew I shouldn't have put my tongue in her arse on the first date. Now she thinks I'm a freak."
This is very funny.
This is very funny.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Super Best Ever Websites for Little Kids 2009
Here's my updated list of great interweb things for 5 year olds:
5. Flowers : great little app from zefrank- let your kids scream at the computer and watch the 'flowers' grow. Mine were shouting "PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE! ". The neighbours think we are strange.
6. Frog: you talk- the frog talks! As close as you can get to playing with a puppet on a computer. Kids find this hysterically funny.
If you have any others- please leave a comment.
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5. Flowers : great little app from zefrank- let your kids scream at the computer and watch the 'flowers' grow. Mine were shouting "PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE! ". The neighbours think we are strange.
6. Frog: you talk- the frog talks! As close as you can get to playing with a puppet on a computer. Kids find this hysterically funny.
If you have any others- please leave a comment.
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