neurontic
Posts by this author
Tonight, 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…
My 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…
I 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…
Late 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…
"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…
This 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…
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…
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.
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…
Bora 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.…
I 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…
Question 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…
Just 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…
Charlie 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…
I'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…
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
A 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…
A 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…
For 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…
I 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…
Those of you who have been following this blog since the beginning will already have heard about Rutgers Anthropologist Helen Fisher's theory that SSRI's are endangering people's ability to fall in love and stay in love. If you have, the title of the the article I just wrote for Psychology Today…
Welcome to Encephalon, the blog carnival for brain geeks and those who love them. We got a heap of submissions this time around, so let's dive right in:
The Brain: An Owner's Manual
First up, Alvaro over at Sharp Brains discusses how aging brains may be affecting the legal profession, and urges…
(Originally published in ChelseaNow, March 23-29)
"I like to think of today's event as the NBA finals combined with the Super Bowl and the World Series," said world-renowned memory expert Tony Buzan in his opening remarks at the 10th annual USA Memory Championship on March 10.
Before him in the…
Want the inside scoop on Neurontic? Check out my recent interview with the folks on the Seed mother ship.
Just a quick note to let everyone know that Neurontic is pleased to host the next edition of Encephalon, the carnival for brain aficionados everywhere. Please send your entries to neurontic [at] gmail.com no later than the morning of Sunday April 8, so your host has time to digest them. (Nudge,…
Want to know what the life of a recently graduated journalism MA with staggeringly high student loans looks like? Not so much? Well, I don't blame you. It's not exactly the stuff memoirs are made of, but it is keeping me extremely busy. There's been some freelance reporting for The New York Times…
Hello fellow brain geeks,
The Neurophilosopher has done us all a huge favor and compiled an exhaustive list of all of the neuroscience-related blogs out there. I've spent the morning adding new (and long-delayed) sites to the blogroll and thought you might want to take a look as well:…
If I understand correctly, the seat of emotion is in the brain, in the limbic system, so why do I get butterflies in my stomach when I'm nervous?
Sincerely,
Stomach Upset
Dear Stomach Upset,
Remember that Steve Martin movie The Man With Two Brains? Well, it turns out they got the number wrong. It…
Sorry for the ongoing radio silence, folks. Your friendly neighborhood blogger has come down with a vicious case of the flu. I plan to get right back up on the horse once the fever tremors have died down. In the meantime, here are a few interesting links:
*Mind Hacks highlights a special edition of…
I've been holding off on commenting about the anti-religion campaign being spearheaded by Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett for a number of reasons. But I find myself growing increasingly frustrated with it and I finally feel compelled to put in my two cents.
Initially I hesitated to speak out…