omnibrain
Posts by this author
December 23, 2007
Why Duck and Cover of course! Check out this great video from the cold war:
December 23, 2007
The answer is a resounding sorta. Scientists at Harvard have done that calculations and found that "the aerodynamics of a flexible, rippling sheet moving through a fluid" ... should make it "possible to make one that will stay aloft in air." However,
No such carpet is going to ferry people around…
December 23, 2007
I've entitled this illusion 'The Purple Nurple' Exciting eh? I haven't actually seen this particular one before today so I thought I'd throw it up.... so here it is:
I've finally figured out where the heck this illusion has come from! It is actually called "Sea Sickness" and is by Walt Anthony.
December 23, 2007
Celebrate with Omni Brain today - It's a Festivus for the rest of us!
What are your feats of strength going to be this year?
December 21, 2007
I've been using google reader for a while now and I figured I'd explore its many options today. There is a neat little feature that allows me to share what I'm reading with other people. So if you'd like to keep up with what I'm reading on the feeds you can check it out on the sidebar right here…
December 16, 2007
I always joke around that I would make the worst therapist since my 'therapy' would consist of something like this:
Surprisingly (well maybe not that surprisingly since the internet appeared) this method seems to be practiced somewhere seriously. The Kadir-Buxton Method involves:
making a fist of…
December 12, 2007
Every one of us in acadaemia has had our fair share of blathering idiots come into our labs to work. I just wish I could write a letter like this. It's a shame that the letter is not actually going to go out. Ohhhh well.... check it out:
Dear Admissions Committee,
Mr. Bronze Malheur has asked…
December 11, 2007
Well... it looks like ScienceBlogs is now in German - I really wish I could read it! I'm sure it's very interesting though. So now that we've taken over Germany who should be our next conquest be for global domination? We're attempting to take over the world one language at a time. Head over to…
December 11, 2007
Check this out:
A Photographic Exhibition from
Pioneering Psychologist
Paul Ekman
The Search for Universals in Human Emotion
Ekman is One of the Most Influential Psychologists of the 20th Century
At the Exploratorium January 22-April 27, 2008
The Exploratorium presents a photographic exhibition,…
December 10, 2007
After all, nearly every aspect of our continued existence relies on science, from climate control, to curing existing diseases and preventing new ones. New advances rely on a great deal of funding from the federal government and support from the public at large. Why is it that at best science is…
December 10, 2007
Yeah you heard me right... there is no good reason why Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, or any of the other tabloid celebs are so paid attention to. They contribute nothing to society - and they aren't even that attractive. Dr Torkel Klingberg and Fiona McNab have come up with a potential explanation…
December 4, 2007
Get this 'Magical Thinking Hat' from the Anatomical Chart Company.
Colorful, anatomically correct brain on the cap - flip up the brim and expose the words,"Think, Think, Think..." when you need extra brainpower. 100% cotton. One size fits all.
December 4, 2007
I love science blogs but you know... I really get sick of the acronym filled science talk, the obnoxious politics, and of course the religion sometimes. I just discovered a great new blog that has all the natural curiosity of a science blog but non of the crap. It is wonderfully written by a non-…
December 3, 2007
I've always heard that a beard can keep you warmer during the winter months but how can you really know?! After all, if you start with a beard and then shave it off there might be some strange adaptation effect going on. And who knows the memory of cold might be completely inaccurate anyway.…
November 28, 2007
According to Jennifer Argo it is possible to get a guy to want to watch a so called 'chick flick', all you need to do is tell him its fictional. According to the press release:
"We looked at fact and fiction stories and found that if people have high empathy - usually women - they will enjoy a…
November 28, 2007
Just because animals doing human things are funny I give you an elephant throwing darts:
-via Neatorama-
November 27, 2007
Check out this Discussion led by Charlie Rose with guests Eric Kandel, Aaron Beck, Steven Roose & Peter Fonagy:
Here are some interesting home videos of the Freud family as well.
November 27, 2007
Whenever I meet someone new and I tell them I'm studying psychology I inevitably get asked the ever annoying question "Are you analyzing me right now?" which of course always leads to the same response from me, "I'm as qualified to analyze or give therapy as an engineering student." Which is not…
November 21, 2007
Everyone has been talking about stem cells in the last couple days. Here's something to offend most of you - Christopher Reeve eating fetuses for their Stem Cells. Enjoy ;)
Now that you are probably horribly offended about something or other here's why I'm posting this video now:
Now paralyzed…
November 21, 2007
One of the earliest references to a controlled experiment is from Daniel 1: 1-16 in the Old Testament of the Bible. In this 'experiment' Daniel pits his nutrition regime of "pulse" to eat and water to drink versus the best cuts of meat and the most highly rated wine. Check out the experimental…
November 18, 2007
A Flickr user took the all the U.S. currencies with buildings on them and lined them up to the real ones in Washington D.C. Pretty cool!
Omni Brain loves these tricks of vision. Check out some more here.
-via Neatorama-
November 18, 2007
I'm sure this comes as no surprise to my readers but this blog has been rated as having a Junior High Reading level. You know what though?! I'm proud of that. I'm happy that I'm not a scientist who can only write bland big worded journal articles and use words like affinage, nugatory, pukka, or…
November 15, 2007
The one... the only... Jesus made from Sushi and Chopsticks!
Actually... that's a cucumber for the head, ginger for the body, and shrimp fins (or whatever they're called) for the legs. I tried to make a crown out of onion but it didn't work too well.
I ate the body of Christ afterwards. That…
November 14, 2007
David Ng from The World's Fair has decided to start another meme.... Here's the lowdown:
Anyway, this meme asks that you come up with your own scientific eponym. What's that exactly? Well, first read this excellent primer by Samuel Arbesman, which basically provides a step by step description of…
November 14, 2007
An entertaining posting on craigslist:
Survival Of The Fittest
Date: 2007-08-30, 2:03PM EDT
Whenever I get a package of plain M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and robustness of the candy as a species. To this end, I hold M&M duels.
Taking two candies between my thumb and…
November 13, 2007
If you're a regular reader of this blog I'm sure you've realized by now that we never post on global warming. It's not because we don't care.. we do! I promise. It's just that I really don't know anything about the debate at all. Someone could tell me that we had an ice age 29 years ago and I…
November 13, 2007
Just about every election cycle and Superbowl Marco Iacoboni and his lab do some sort of neuroimaging study to determine what people are actually thinking about the political candidates or their teams. Every time these studies come out you can hear the popular press cheering and smiling while you…
November 7, 2007
If you had control of the crowd behind a free throw shooter at a basketball game and you wanted him to miss what would you do?
Here's one highly entertaining way:
Help us come up with some others!
November 2, 2007
Animal rights activists are horrible. I don't like the idea of belittling peoples opinions and treating them like crap but sometimes they really deserve it. Check out this hilarious video of a really stupid animal rights supporter who's ridiculous opinions are used against him to scare the crap…