It looks like one the (if not the) most famous psych hospital in the world is going to be turned into a luxury hotel. The Bellevue Psych Hospital will go under construction some time in 2009. I know The Shining happened in a hotel but it seems like this is along those lines and is prime real estate for a horror film. I'm imagining a combo zombie/ghost film where hoards of crazy dead or undead mental patients goes after the construction crews or something. Here's the sparse details on the project: It's true! Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, previously home to famous names like Normal Mailer,…
har har har..... -via Meningioma Momma-
It's just about weekly that some scientist finds that one of our guilty pleasures is actually good for us. First it was red wine, then it was all alcohol. Followed by Omega-3 Fatty Acids - mmm.... fat.... And Now?! It's coffee. It doesn't just wake you up in the morning so you can avoid those pesky rush hour accidents with half drunk and asleep drivers. Now coffee is purported to protect us against dementias by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on our body. So go ahead eat those extra eggs and an entire package of bacon. You can just drink an entire pot of coffee to protect…
Welcome to the most recent installation of the neuroscience blog carnival, Encephelon, here at Of Two Minds! Steve and I thought we would mix things up a little bit and let a guest blogger summarize the best brain blogging (submitted to us (this week)). That guest is none other that famed socialite Paris Hilton, who wished to take this opportunity to attempt to change her image from fashionista to neuronista. Please welcome Paris! Hi neurokids, Paris here. While I'm sure that you have already formed an opinion of me due to the massive media coverage of my escapades and foibles, hopefully…
Wilder Penfield at work ;)
The guys from I Can Haz Cheezburger? have come up with a new website for all of you to submit random crap to. This one, instead of being based on cats, is based on graphs. According to Wired: Unlike creating lolcats, which requires just a photo and a grasp of the broken English of kitty pidgin, GraphJam requires readers to come up with concepts and create pie charts, histograms and bar graphs. Daunting for sure, but the potential for moments of meme-genius is there. There don't seem to be many funny graphs up yet but I'm sure there will be some to come. Here is one that I almost chuckled…
Shelley and I are hosting the new issue of Encephalon coming out this Monday morning (March 31st). We have some great contributions so far but we would love to get some more! So shoot an email to encephalon.host@gmail.com with your contributions and we'll be forever grateful as well as most likely making you immensely famous and rich. Enjoy your weekend!
Someone emailed me this week asking for the location of this video so I figured I'd post this from my old blog Omni Brain. From Sandra: I Am the Very Model of a Psychopharmacologist is set to Gilbert and Sullivan's classic song with animation. Created by Stephen M Stahl, MD, PhD, of the Neurosciences Education Institute, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, author of Essential Psychopharmacology. Credentials for neuropsychopharmacological hilarity.
Everyone and their mother (especially their mothers) have sent me a link to this brain lamp. I think I'm required to post it now. So here it is: According to Lervik Design: MYBrain. The table lamp A replica of the designer's brain, originated from an MR scan at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. The image was processed through a 3D-printer, and became this unusual lamp shade design. Yes, it is bright. Design Alexander Lervik 2007 Thanks Eamon and David!
charleston 001 Originally uploaded by jshiggins Over spring break I headed down to Charleston, South Carolina for the week to enjoy some nice sunny weather and forget about school for a little while. What a beautiful and historic city! But it never ceases to surprise me how much some people continue to make fun of Yankees and hold onto their history - their horrible racist, sexist, bigoted history. One day while wandering through the open market looking at sweet grass baskets we stumbled on 'The Confederate Store' or whatever it was called. It had everything confederate, flags,…
Growing up it seemed like the only science on television was Mr. Wizard, Nova, and Star Trek (ok ok ... it's fiction but most scientists love star trek). Now there are a number of channels that regularly feature science shows. National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, Discovery Health, the Learning Channel, and even the History Channel. There are probably even a few more I don't even know about. It's great! However, It seems like 90% of these 'science' shows are actually engineering shows or something else sciency but not quite science. Usually they build stuff and…
We have TV psychics here in America that seem to do pretty darn well considering they are complete and utter frauds. In India they have a tantrik (black magician) who claims to be able to do things like cause a woman to lose her uncle, hit her head against the car door and find her legs covered with lesions. A little more violent that our domestic variety eh? In any case this tantrik named, Pandit Surinder Sharma (India's version of someone like Averi Torres) was invited onto a TV show to challenge Sanal Edamaruku who did not believe Sharma had any real 'powers'. During the show it got a…
That's right - No exercise - No Dieting. Just sit you your couch and EAT EAT EAT! For $29.95 We'll come to your house and introduce this friendly parasite to your digestive system. Once you've lost all the weight you need to you can just have expensive and painful surgery to remove your cute new pet. You can then keep him in a little jar and show your friends how much he's grown and prove to them what a good mommy you are to your new cute little parasite. -via neatorama and I met a possum-
-via funnyboneproductions.net-
Rev 1:16 And the robot spoke onto him "Nice Weather Today Sir" and out of his hand went a semi-automatic .22 rifle. Rev 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: Rev 1:18 I [am] he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Rev 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; See even the bible is foretelling the end of days when a computer offers small talk and…
-via The Speculist-
Here's a pretty cool African Grey doing crazy sound effects. Another video after the fold. Here's one of the most pointless - poorly drawn - boring you tube videos I've ever seen! I love it! It's a girl drawing a neuron and all its parts :)
We here at Of Two Minds would like to announce a brand new training program that will help you improve your memory through the method of Long Term Depression. Because we use this fancy brain term you can be assured that the training is working. Step One: Open list of words to study. Step Two: Have friend stab you in only one eye (you need the other to study the list!) Step Three: Better memory for everything! In fact, recent research supports this wonderful new method of brain training! Check it out: Scientists have long known that the nervous system receptor known as TRPV1 can affect…
Everyone and their mother is getting into the brain training game - researchers, the health care industry, video game companies, you name it! But... Every single one of them is a huckster trying to rip the elderly off (whether they realize it or not). Nearly every single one of these brain training systems simply takes established psychology experiments that we normally pay people to do since they are so damn boring and repackages them in a slightly glizier way to make you feel better for spending $299.95. It is very very important to keep your brain active but there is no evidence…