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Thursday, January 31, 2013
Giving Warts the Slip: Remove Warts with a Banana
Warts are small, rough, raised, unsightly patches of dead skin, usually found on the hands or feet, and are the most common human skin infection. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, (HPV-1) which enters your body through a break in the skin—we tend to pick up these unsavoury hitchhikers in places like gyms, swimming pools, dressing rooms, common shower areas and yoga studios. The virus implants itself just below the surface of your skin, and then goes to work building a protective shell of dead skin cells, which is what we commonly refer to as a wart.
Warts are generally considered unattractive, and as they are usually on a visible part of our body, we want to get rid of them, especially when they appear on the soles of our feet, causing us discomfort when we walk. Warts sometimes go away by themselves, but then there is also the risk that leaving them untreated can cause them to spread; both on your own body, and to other people.
There are many ways to remove warts, such as freezing them off; surgically removing them; or burning them off with salicylic acid, used in wart-removal remedies. There are also natural and less costly methods of removing warts, from using vinegar to covering them with duct tape. One of them most unusual ways is to use a banana: I first heard this method from my dermatologist, and it works—I tried it.
Don’t use just any banana: green or slightly yellow-green ones are the best. A banana’s moisture will soften a wart, allowing the banana’s virus-killing enzymes to penetrate down to the root of it. As bananas age, the enzymes in the skin break down the starches and fibers that are useful for killing viruses.
1) Soak the area around the wart for ten minutes—this softens the dead skin covering the wart and speeds up the process.
2) Use a pumice stone to remove the loose dead skin. Keep removing dead skin until it gets sensitive.
3) Apply a few drops of tea tree oil to the wart.
4) Cut a piece of banana peel large enough to cover the wart, and place soft side down.
5) Hold the banana skin in place with a bandage.
6) Replace the banana skin when it dries out.
The virus is least vulnerable when the skin covering it is dry: the banana skin keeps the wart moist and allows the tea tree oil to penetrate down to the level where the virus lives—this oil will kill the virus when it comes into contact with it. You may have to repeat the steps above several times, and each time, you will find the wart shrinks a bit. Keep at it until the wart disappears; if you slack off, the virus will hurry to grow the protective layer back. So, the next time you eat a banana, remember there are other uses for the skin before you throw it out.
SEE ALSO: 5 Small Hacks to Improve Your Health in 2013 and Beyond
Featured photo credit: Bunch Of Ripe Bananas At A Street Market In Istanbul via ShutterstockNew playlists: What doctors worry about and Can you believe your eyes?
Health TEDTalks
TED playlists are collections of talks around a topic, built for you in a thoughtful sequence to illuminate ideas in context. This weekend, two new playlists are available: What doctors worry about and Can you believe your eyes?
Can you believe your eyes?
7 talks filled with magic tricks, optical illusions, death-defying feats and digital lies. Believe it or not!
What doctors worry about
We worry about what our doctors will tell us — but so do they. In 7 talks, doctors, scientists and medical researches weigh in on health care and better health practices.
Why you need to fail to have a great career
Business TEDx
At TEDxUW 2011, economics professor Larry Smith gave a memorable talk titled, “Why you will fail to have a great career.” 
Larry Smith: Why you will fail to have a great careerThe hilarious talk takes aim at people and the incredible excuses they dream up for not pursuing their passions, from “It’s too hard” to “But I value human relationships more than my work.” His talk was a call for people to get out of their own way and at least try.
At this year’s event, entrepreneur Michael Litt gave his reaction to Smith’s talk, titled, “Why you have to fail to have a great career.” His idea: that failure provides the ultimate experience needed for success — learning to get up and dust yourself off after a fall. Watch above to hear Litt’s candid telling of a time he failed professionally, big time. Since being posting on December 23, this talk has been watched more than 41,000 times — and with good reason.
How to Make Your Mac Workspace More Productive
New Years resolutions like losing weight and quitting an addictive activity are the normal resolutions we are always expected to make, however, these quintessential resolutions are the most prone to fail. One resolution that can come with the most benefits is living more productively, as it can give you more time with family, work, and free time. One great place to start is the place you spend the most time at: your Mac. Here are a couple of tips on how to make your workspace a more productive one.
As a blogger, I find myself loading my Mac with tons of photos, videos, and documents involving articles I have to write and meet deadlines for. After a couple of months of doing this, I end up with a Mac that is sluggish, filled with junk, and just in need of a good cleaning. To ensure that your Mac works to the best of its ability, you must ensure that the useless files are cleared out periodically.
If you find this task a bit daunting, like I do, then seek refuge in an application whose job is to clean out your Mac. One application that I always recommend is Magican: this application goes through your Mac and presents you with a list of files that may not be necessary for the way you use it. Along with all of your applications, you are able to look through and choose what you want to remove, which is a quick and easy way to delete more than you probably would have been able to do without pulling your hair out. Plus, since it’s free, there’s no reason not to at least try out the application.
Download Magican: How to use Magican File for find any files on Mac
One easy way to add a bit of productivity to your Mac is to add a couple of applications that you can incorporate into your work day, or even when you are simply getting errands out of the way. One key to productively incorporating any application into your Mac is to ask yourself a couple of questions first: Will this application be one that will solve a problem or make something easier for you? Does it seem like an application that is complicated to get started? Are you willing to pay this price in the possibility that it wouldn’t be an app that works well for you? Going through this checklist will allow you to pick an application that isn’t a waste of megabytes and allows you to just jump in and get started. Below, we have a couple of suggestions to get you started:Evernote: Keep notes, documents, and more in one area. Clean up your workspace and transfer receipts and important papers into EvernoteDropbox: Save files and easily transfer them in one applicationTaskMate: Your task/to-do list readily at handiClockr: Time keeping for freelancers and workers alikeDeadline: View iCal events in your menu bar
Switching from your Mac to your iPad and then to your iPhone to get things done can be a bit time consuming. You may feel that it’s necessary when you have your email in one place, a document in another, and a spreadsheet on a third device, but this doesn’t need to happen with Mac.
If you have iOS, Mac has provided a perfect way for you to connect your life on your various gadgets easily: this is done through iCloud, a cloud service that allows you to easily have certain productive aspects of your mobile life automatically added to connected devices instantly. No shared WIFI network or extra connection needed.
SEE ALSO: How to set up iCloud on all your devices
Currently, this is widely implemented in Calendars, Contacts, iWork documents, and more. Also, various applications like Smartr for example, are hooked up with iCloud. This prevents you from having to put in the added effort of creating multiple calendar events or contacts, and also allows you to work on documents when away from home.
SEE MORE: 5 Third-Party Apps That Work With iCloud
One nuisance that comes with working hard on your computer is that you must remember to have a charging cable nearby for when the battery starts to run low. When typing or working at your computer for a long period of time, doing power-intensive activities, this can feel more frequent than you may have thought. It’s also more noticeable when you find yourself with an un-calibrated battery.Don’t be surprised if you don’t know what this means—you’re not alone.Battery calibration means that you are setting your battery status to become more aligned with its actual capacity, which can sometimes become offset with active use. Calibration is very easy to do, and you may have found yourself accidentally doing this from time to time. Simply use your Mac’s battery until it gets to the point of shutting down on it’s own. When this occurs, connect to the charger and allow it to charge fully without powering on. You’ll know when the charger light turns green.
Go to System Preferences -> Display -> Calibrate
SEE MORE: How To Calibrate a Mac Display
So you’re typing away at a report or article and then you’re interrupted by something that makes you leave your work station. It can be anything from having to drop the kids off at practice to even a road trip, but it means time away from your desk. How do you extend your office, outside of the actual office space? You can make sure that all of the email addresses that you actively use are connected to your mobile device.
You may have shied away from this out of fear that the frequent emails would run up your phone bill, but you can simply switch “Push”, where an email is brought in each time a new message comes in, or “Fetch”, where your email is checked at a certain interval set by yourself. Simply go to
“Settings” > “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” > “Fetch New Data” > Turn off “Push”
and set the fetching interval. If you have certain email addresses that don’t normally have a lot of emails, then simply go to the “Advanced” page of “Fetch New Data” and set according to the address. By doing this, you never have to worry about missing a vital email when you’re away from your desk.
SEE ALSO: Give Your Mac A Productivity Power-Up With LaunchBar
Emmanuel Banks is an editorial director for the Mountain View based startup, Teens in Tech, where he covers news in the startup world and tips for teen entrepreneurs. When Emmanuel isn't writing, he enjoys traveling and trying out new gadgets. 4 Ways to Manage Google Accounts
One thing it seems we can never have enough of, is of course, Google Accounts. Hey they are free!
However, managing multiple accounts concurrently can be a pain. Mixed up logins, a huge waste of resources, not to mention time spent logging in, logging out.
In this video I take a look at 4 ways to manage your Google accounts better, from the sumple and obvious, to the sublime.
SEE ALSO: 6 Google Chrome Productivity Extensions That Help You Get Things Done
Check out Steve's weekly Podcast at www.dottotech.com Steve Dotto is one of Canada's most respected geeks. For over 15 years, as host and executive producer of Dotto Tech, a nationally syndicated TV show, Steve has entertained and educated millions of Canadians on all aspects of technology. Steve now hosts Dotto Tech as a weekly radio show and podcast. A very popular speaker, Steve is in demand addressing audiences on the changes technology is bringing to the workplace, and our society. Steve has one mission, to help us master our technology, at home, at school or at work, his message....we need to be in charge. Wednesday, January 30, 2013
How to Pack Luggage Like a Pro
If you have any plans to travel over the next few months, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll be packing a suitcase or other travel case to take with you, unless you’re going to a naturist retreat or somesuch. Should your holiday plans include actually being clothed, then you can follow some of these steps to ensure that you pack everything you need.
Before you actually put anything into your suitcase, check what the weather’s going to be like at your destination of choice for the time of year that you’re heading over there, as this will give you a general idea about the clothes you should be packing. If you’re going to a tropical destination, naturally you’ll want to be prepared to dress for hot, sunny days and balmy nights, but you might also want to pack some warmer clothes for unexpected cooler, overcast days, or even rainy ones. Remember that wearing layers is optimal for any climate, as you can add more if you get cold, or take a layer or two off if you’re overheated.
Try to plan ahead and sort out what you’ll be wearing for each day that you’re gone, and remember that the clothes you travel in count as one of the outfits. Choosing pieces that can mix and match is a smart idea, and be sure to add an extra pair or two of underwear/socks just in case.
Once you’ve sorted out exactly what you’re going to wear, write it all down on a sheet of paper (or type it up and print it out). As you pack each item, cross it off your list—this ensures that you won’t arrive at your hotel to discover that you’d forgotten to pack something vital.
*As a side note: always, always have an extra set of clothes in your carry-on luggage. Always. You never know when/if your luggage will be misplaced, and you don’t want to be stuck in your traveling clothes until the rest of it shows up. Keep your personal medication (along with a prescription letter from your doctor, if need be) in your carry-on as well, along with your toothbrush, passport/wallet, etc.
List Apps You Can Choose: The Complete Guide to List and To-Do Apps
Shoes and heavy/bulky items such as hairdryers and extra handbags should be placed at the bottom of your luggage. If it’s a piece you’ll be carrying, the heaviest bits should be right next to the hinge that attaches the lid, while if it’s a luggage piece on wheels, the bulky bits should be right at the bottom, above the wheels.
Your shoes, boots, and packed purses are ideal spots to carry smaller items within: tuck jewellery, socks, gloves, belts, extra glasses, etc. into these to maximize space. Once the heavy bits have been places where you like them, use the spaced in between them for small items like socks, underwear, rolled-up bathing suits, etc.
Contrary to what some might believe, rolling your clothes to fit into your luggage is not a good idea. Items that are folded lay nice and flat, as opposed to all those rolled clothes wasting space. The first layer atop your shoes and such should be those of the thickest fabrics: jeans, khakis, woolen skirts, jackets, and sweaters. As you pack these, leave a small gap right in the center of the suitcase—this is where you’re going to nest your toiletry bag (mentioned next). If there are any spaces left around the edges, use those gaps for items like your hairbrush, an extra book, etc.
Ultimate Guide: How to Pack Luggage Like a Pro
Fragile items and personal care products should be placed in a padded fabric case, and kept in the center of your luggage so they’re buffered by all of your clothes. Small bottles of perfume or cologne should be kept in zip-able freezer bags just in case they leak: you don’t want to reek of your favourite scent the whole time you’re traveling. In fact, it’s smart to pack any creams inside those bags as well to be on the safe side. Remember that if you’re flying, any liquids or gels have to be packed into travel-sized containers and stored within a clear plastic bag in your checked luggage.
Complete Guide: How to Pack Luggage Like a Pro
The very top layer of your luggage should be comprised of lightweight, delicate fabrics that are prone to wrinkling, such as thin cotton, linen, satin, and silk. If you want to be super careful, items like silk shirts/blouses, etc. can even be wrapped in tissue paper to protect them from any damage, and then placed between more sturdy items of clothing for extra protection. This is a smart thing to do if you’re a bridesmaid heading to a location wedding and you have a delicate dress to wear, for example. This is also the place where you’d pack a suit, unless your luggage has a special front piece that unzips into a garment bag—if it does, use that instead.
Be sure to take a copy of the list you made with you so that you can cross things off again on your return trip: you don’t want to leave anything behind in your hotel room. When traveling, it’s best to leave your most valuable jewellery, watches, etc. at home, but if you do plan to take such items with you, either wear them, keep them in a travel belt on your own body, or store them in your hotel room safe.
Happy travels!
SEE ALSO: 10 Travel Tips from a Seasoned Traveler
Featured photo credit: old shabby leather portable suitcase for travel trip on floor via Shutterstock Lana Winter-Hébert has been writing professionally for over a decade, and now divides her time between writing, editing, and doing collaborative projects with Winter-Hébert: the design studio she runs with her husband. Best described as "endearingly eccentric", she spends any spare moments wrestling with knitting projects, and devouring novels by obscure Czech writers. A Toronto native, she now resides in rural Quebec with her Sir and their animal companions. How To Never Give Up On Becoming an Entrepreneur
In the information age, it is easier to start a new business. However, once you take the first step, you will find the path is not as easy as you expected at the beginning. The following infographic from Funders and Founders provides you with a step-by-step guide on how to never give up on becoming an entrepreneur and reach your goal eventually.
How To Never Give Up On Becoming an Entrepreneur – Funders and Founders
SEE ALSO: 5 Reasons to Create Your First Startup
Brian is a Lifehacker who covers all sorts of tips for life. He is also fascinated with new technology. Contact Brian at brian@lifehack.org, Google+ Which TED Talks were the hardest to translate?
Global Issues Open Translation Project 
Ben Goldacre: Battling bad scienceThe talk: Ben Goldacre: Battling bad science
The challenge: At TEDGlobal 2011, Ben Goldacre was approached by a group of translators who had listened to the talk he had given earlier that day. He was just a little bit surprised when they told him: “We loved your talk — it’s entertaining and interesting and it was a great presentation. But you talked so fast, it will be a real challenge for translators.”
Now available in: 37 languages
Ze Frank's nerdcore comedyThe talk: Ze Frank’s nerdcore comedy
The challenge: Polish translator Kinga Skorupska explains why she struggled with Ze Frank’s TED Talk: “He’s talking and at the same time showing slides, and the clash between what we see and what he says makes it funny, but really awkward to translate. I am still not happy with the final result.”
Now available in: 22 languages
Erin McKean: The joy of lexicographyThe talk: Erin Mckean: The joy of lexicography
The challenge: It seems surprising that many of the talks that are difficult to translate are about language. Erin McKean’s is a good example. “It was difficult but at the same time so rewarding for translators because it addressed the beauty of working with the language and how creative you have to be,” says Magda Rittenhouse, another translator from Poland.
Now available in: 28 languages
Imogen Heap plays "Wait It Out"The talk: Imogen Heap plays “Wait It Out”
The challenge: The “E” in TED — Entertainment — can be either a nice gift or a real challenge for translators. Writes translator Katarina Smetko, from Croatia, “For me, translating any kind of poetry or song lyrics is tough … It’s very hard to do this properly without being a bit of a poet yourself — something that I certainly don’t flatter myself to be. That doesn’t mean I haven’t tried, though.”
Now available in: 26 languages
Virginia Postrel on glamourThe talk: Virginia Postrel on glamour
The challenge: Have you ever tried to find four different words for “glamour” in your language? When a talk is focused on a specific concept, and one that is very culture-specific, translating can turn into a fiddly business.
Now available in: 19 languages
With the help of more than 8,000 volunteer translators, TED Talks have been subtitled and translated into more than 90 languages. But the translators of TED’s Open Translation Project sometimes face difficulties while trying to find the right expression in their language.
I put the question to my fellow translators: What talk did you have a hard time translating? Sometimes, these talks were hard to translate because the speaker talked quickly, or used long and meandering sentences. Sometimes it was difficult because their talk was in an unusual form — like comedy, song or poetry. Other times, it proved hard to replicate a very literary or scientific speech. And sometimes, these talks simply contained distinctive scientific or cultural terms that needed a lot of research.
That said, when you pick a talk to translate, you feel a connection to it. And so, as translators, we power through. Below, here are some of the talks that OTP translators noted as especially difficult to translate, but completely worth the hard work.
Ben Goldacre: Battling bad scienceThe talk: Ben Goldacre: Battling bad scienceThe challenge: At TEDGlobal 2011, Ben Goldacre was approached by a group of translators who had listened to the talk he had given earlier that day. He was just a little bit surprised when they told him: “We loved your talk — it’s entertaining and interesting and it was a great presentation. But you talked so fast, it will be a real challenge for translators.”
Now available in: 37 languages
Ze Frank's nerdcore comedyThe talk: Ze Frank’s nerdcore comedyThe challenge: Polish translator Kinga Skorupska explains why she struggled with Ze Frank’s TED Talk: “He’s talking and at the same time showing slides, and the clash between what we see and what he says makes it funny, but really awkward to translate. I am still not happy with the final result.”
Now available in: 22 languages
Erin McKean: The joy of lexicographyThe talk: Erin Mckean: The joy of lexicographyThe challenge: It seems surprising that many of the talks that are difficult to translate are about language. Erin McKean’s is a good example. “It was difficult but at the same time so rewarding for translators because it addressed the beauty of working with the language and how creative you have to be,” says Magda Rittenhouse, another translator from Poland.
Now available in: 28 languages
Imogen Heap plays "Wait It Out"The talk: Imogen Heap plays “Wait It Out”The challenge: The “E” in TED — Entertainment — can be either a nice gift or a real challenge for translators. Writes translator Katarina Smetko, from Croatia, “For me, translating any kind of poetry or song lyrics is tough … It’s very hard to do this properly without being a bit of a poet yourself — something that I certainly don’t flatter myself to be. That doesn’t mean I haven’t tried, though.”
Now available in: 26 languages
Virginia Postrel on glamourThe talk: Virginia Postrel on glamourThe challenge: Have you ever tried to find four different words for “glamour” in your language? When a talk is focused on a specific concept, and one that is very culture-specific, translating can turn into a fiddly business.
Now available in: 19 languages
This post was written by Katja Tongucer, who translates TED Talks into German. She is passionate about finding the appropriate word and believes that living abroad should be a basic part of anyone’s education.
Grab The Quora e-book that Answers over 100 Popular Questions
The Quora team have created a thank-you gift for you to download. It’s a collection of over one hundred of the best answers from the top writers on Quora. You can grab the “Best of Quora 2010-2012? PDF for free from their website. Here are the complete list of questions contained in the book. Enjoy!
Download “Best of Quora 2010-2012? PDF
Food
Yoav Perry’s answer to Food: Why is it safe to eat the mold in Bleu Cheese?Brian Lee’s answer to Food Industry: How do supermarkets dispose of expired food?Jonas M Luster’s answer to Cooking: If there were ten commandments in cooking what would they be?Madeline Puckette’s answer to Wine: Why do American winemakers produce mostly varietals, while French winemakers produce blends?Andrew Roberts’s answer to Food: Why are the chocolate chips in chocolate chip ice cream generally “chocolate-flavored chips”?Education
Jae Won Joh’s answer to Medical School: What is one thing that you regret learning in medical school?Joshua Engel’s answer to Education: Are general requirements in college a waste of time?Melinda T. Owens’s answer to Choosing Colleges: How does a star engineering high school senior choose among MIT, Caltech, Stanford and Harvard?International
Wael Al-Sallami’s answer to Iraq: Is Iraq a safer place now compared to what it was like during Saddam Hussein’s regime?Anon User’s answer to Misogyny: Is Islam misogynistic?Kaiser Kuo’s answer to Chinese Culture: Do the Chinese people currently consider Mao Zedong to be evil or a hero?Mark Rowswell’s answer to Learning Chinese: Why do so many Chinese learners seem to hate Dashan (Mark Rowswell)?Navin Kabra’s answer to Indian Diaspora: How do Indians feel when they go back to live in India after living in US for 5+ years?Adrianna Tan’s answer to Travel and Tourism in India: Is it safe for a single American woman to travel in India?Yair Livne’s answer to Investing: If developing countries are growing faster than developed countries, why wouldn’t you invest most of your money there?Ryan Romanchuk’s answer to North Korea: What is it like to visit North Korea?Domhnall O’Huigin’s answer to Irish People: What are some common stereotypes about Irish people that are largely untrue?Patrick Collison’s answer to Irish People: Do Irish immigrants to the Bay Area feel guilty for living in such an amazing place?Law
Ryan Lackey’s answer to 99 Problems (2004 song): How valid is the implied legal advice in Jay-Z’s “99 Problems”?Ani Ravi’s answer to Iron Man (2008 movie): In the movie Iron Man, could investors sue Tony Stark for acting against the interest of the shareholders?Ti Zhao’s answer to China: Is it true that in China, you can hire someone to serve your prison sentence?Antone Johnson’s answer to Attorneys: Why are lawyers so expensive even with the excess supply of lawyers?Life Advice
Lee Semel’s answer to Human Behavior: What are some stupid things that smart people do?Kat Li’s answer to Dating and Relationships: What are the disadvantages of dating highly intelligent men?Alison Stone’s answer to Love: How do you know if you’ve found “the one”?Dave Cheng’s answer to Dating and Relationships: How do I convince my girlfriend (possibly future wife) that a diamond engagement ring is a waste of money?Lex Cooke’s answer to Dating and Relationships: How do boys feel about girls who don’t expend much effort on appearances (e.g., clothes, makeup)?Brandon Gregg’s answer to Security: What should you do if you suspect a car has been following you?Alecia Li Morgan’s answer to Motherhood: What is some advice every new mother should know?Jimmy Wales’s answer to Parenting: My kids (11 and 8) have started learning chess. Is it a good idea to let them beat me sometimes to encourage them?Matt Dotson’s answer to Economics: How would you explain to a five-year-old that higher taxes on the rich don’t fix everything?Andy Johns’s answer to Bereavement and Mourning: When should someone be finished grieving?Matthew Manning’s answer to Tips and Hacks for Everyday Life: How can you overcome your envy of people who are your age but are far more successful than you?Literature
Cristina Hartmann’s answer to Attraction (interpersonal): What book should I read to make girls think I’m smart in a hot way?Stephanie Vardavas’s answer to Jane Austen (author): Which Jane Austen heroine most embodies feminist principles?Shan Kothari’s answer to Jane Austen (author): What is so great about Jane Austen?Danielle Maurer’s answer to Harry Potter Book 5: Order of the Phoenix: Toward the end of Harry Potter Book 5: Order of the Phoenix, why don’t the kids just gang up on and overpower Umbridge?Tyler Borchers’s answer to The Hunger Games (2008 book): Is The Hunger Games a pro-girl / pro-woman story, the way Brave is?Monika Kothari’s answer to The Hunger Games (book trilogy & creative franchise): Does race or ethnicity play a role in The Hunger Games series? If so, how?Music
Aaron Ellis’s answer to Jay-Z: What is so great about Jay-Z?Josh Siegle’s answer to Music: Is it possible at this stage of human culture to create a new genre of music?Mark Rogowsky’s answer to Mobile Phones: Why don’t cell phones work at music festivals?Jess Lin’s answer to Violins: How do you know when to switch positions on the violin?Daniel Rosenthal’s answer to U2 (band): Why is U2 so popular?Professions & Careers
Michael Janke’s answer to Snipers: What is it like to be a sniper?Tim Dees’s answer to Law Enforcement and the Police: What have you learned as a police officer about life and society that most people don’t know or underestimate?Justin Freeman’s answer to Law Enforcement and the Police: What’s the best way to escape the police in a high-speed car chase?Michael Shinzaki’s answer to Poker: What is it like to earn a living through poker?Lou Davis’s answer to Doctors: Why does it seem most doctors are not compassionate?Yank Rutherford’s answer to Aircraft Carriers: What is it like to be the commanding officer of an Aircraft Carrier?Michael Forrest Jones’s answer to Hotels: How do good hotels always feel so clean and fresh?Anon User’s answer to Venture Capital: What is the worst part of being a VC?Anon User’s answer to Airlines: What are some things that airline pilots won’t tell you?Anon User’s answer to Recreational Drugs: What’s it like to be a drug dealer?Science
Matan Shelomi’s answer to Insects: If you injure a bug, should you kill it or let it live and not die?Brad Porteus’s answer to Black Widow: What does it feel like to be bitten by a black widow spider?Marc Srour’s answer to Spiders: How does a spider decide where to put up its web?Jay Wacker’s answer to Higgs Boson Discovery and Announcement (July 2012): If I want to look smart, what do I need to know about the Higgs Boson discovery?Alia Caldwell’s answer to The Universe: How has our understanding of the universe changed in the last 100 years?Oliver Starr’s answer to Animal Behavior (Ethology): Would a lone adult wolf be able to take down an athletic adult human?Nan Waldman’s answer to Mind Hacks: Does bouncing your leg improve cognition?Bradley Voytek’s answer to Neuroscience: What is the neurological basis of curiosity?Paul King’s answer to Life: Why do living things die?Ben Golub’s answer to Economics: What are the economics of lying?Anon User’s answer to Mathematics: What is it like to have an understanding of very advanced mathematics?Movies
Mark Hughes’s answer to Superheroes: Given our current technology and with the proper training, would it be possible for someone to become Batman?Mac Booker’s answer to The Dark Knight (2008 movie): In The Dark Knight, how did the Joker really get his scars?Marcus Geduld’s answer to Actors and Actresses: How do actors’ spouses feel about love scenes in film and TV?Oren Jacob’s answer to Pixar Animation Studios: Did Pixar accidentally delete Toy Story 2 during production?JJ Abrams’s answer to Movie Making: How do directors conceive and think through monster and action scenes?Richard Stern’s answer to The Godfather, Part II (1974 movie): Why does one of the goons trying to kill Frank Pentangelli in the bar say “Michael Corleone says hello”?Neville Fogarty’s answer to Jeopardy! (TV game show): What is it like to be a contestant on Jeopardy?Sean Hood’s answer to Screenwriting: How do screenwriters feel about bad reviews, in particular claims of formulaic writing?Ashton Kutcher’s answer to Movie Making: What determines whether an actor is cast in a part in Hollywood?Politics
Jennifer Miller’s answer to U.S. Presidential Elections: How early do politicians and presidential political campaigns begin quietly promising/planning cabinet seats and vice president positions?Peter Marquez’s answer to Air Force One: What’s it like to fly on Air Force One?David Hood’s answer to 1968 U.S. Presidential Election: What if Richard Nixon had won the 1960 Presidential election? How would history have been different?Craig Montuori’s answer to U.S. Immigration: Should highly skilled international students (including Bachelors, Masters, Doctorate) be given Green Cards?Paul Ryan’s answer to Economics: What are the chances of a debt crisis on the scale of Greece hitting the United States?Prison Life
Tommy Winfrey’s answer to Murder: What does it feel like to murder someone?James Houston’s answer to San Quentin State Prison: Do inmates in San Quentin have access to computers and the Internet? What kind of access?Kenyatta Leal’s answer to Incarceration: What does the first day of a 5+ year prison sentence feel like?David Monroe’s answer to Incarceration: Do you remember when the gavel dropped in court with the verdict and what that felt like at that moment? Flash forward to today looking back on that moment — how have you changed your life behind bars?Sports
Peter Cipollone’s answer to Olympic Games: What is it like to be an Olympic athlete after winning (or not winning) the Olympics?Carly Geehr’s answer to Olympic Games: Do Olympic or competitive swimmers ever pee in the pool?Daryl Morey’s answer to 2012-13 NBA Season: Why is Jeremy Lin so turnover-prone and how can he fix this?Drew Housman’s answer to Jeremy Lin: What’s it like to play on the same basketball team as Jeremy Lin?Hung Lee’s answer to UEFA Euro 2012: What makes the Spanish national football team so dominant right now?John DeMarchi’s answer to NFL: How effective would sumo wrestlers be as NFL linemen?Anon User’s answer to Professional Wrestling: Is wrestling fake?Technology
Paul DeJoe’s answer to Startups: What does it feel like to be the CEO of a start-up?Steve Case’s answer to 1995-2000 Dot-Com Bubble: What factors led to the bursting of the Internet bubble of the late 1990s?Kevin Systrom’s answer to Instagram: What is the genesis of Instagram?David Cole’s answer to Video Games: Am I missing out by not playing any video or console games?Ramzi Amri’s answer to Steve Jobs: Why did Steve Jobs choose not to effectively treat his cancer?Tim Smith’s answer to Steve Jobs: What are the best stories about people randomly meeting Steve Jobs?Peter Clark’s answer to Silicon Valley Company Culture: Which of the Hogwarts Houses does each of the Gang of Four companies correspond to?Women
Anne K. Halsall’s answer to Physical Appearance: What does it feel like to be an unattractive woman?Gayle Laakmann McDowell’s answer to Pick-Up Artists: Why are women so negative about the “picking up women” school of thought?Shannon Larson’s answer to Attractiveness and Attractive People: As a young woman, how can I shake the feeling that being good-looking is the primary thing that males will acknowledge and praise my existence for?Rebekah Cox’s answer to Women in Technology: What is it like to be a woman working in the tech industry?Nora Mullaney’s answer to Women in Technology: What advice would seasoned women in tech give to younger girls deciding to make a tech career for themselves?The United States
Ashton Lee’s answer to 9/11: What did it feel like to be inside the World Trade Center at the time of the 9/11 attacks?Marq Hwang’s answer to Asian Americans: What does it mean to be Asian American?Matt Schiavenza’s answer to New York City: Why is NYC so great?Max Cohen’s answer to Travel and Visiting in New York City: What are good tips for hailing a taxi in Manhattan?Laszlo B. Tamas’s answer to Lincoln Assassination: How likely would Abraham Lincoln be to survive his wounds today?Chris O’Regan’s answer to RMS Titanic (ship): How could the sinking of the Titanic have been prevented?Anon User’s answer to Hipsters: What do hipsters know that I don’t know?Ben Newman’s answer to Burning Man: What facts about Burning Man do virgin burners not believe until they go?Gary Teal’s answer to American Culture: Why does the USA insist on doing things differently than the majority of other developed nations?Work Advice
Ambra Nykol Benjamin’s answer to Recruiting: What do recruiters look for in a resume at first glance?Ian McAllister’s answer to Product Management: What distinguishes the top 1% of product managers from the top 10%?Kah Keng Tay’s answer to Productivity: How can you increase your productivity on side projects at the end of the day when you’re tired from work/college?Michael O. Church’s answer to Management: How do you fire an employee that just isn’t good enough?Michael Wolfe’s answer to Business: What are telltale signs that you’re working at a “sinking ship” company?Edmond Lau’s answer to Career Advice: How do you know when it’s time to leave your current company and move on?Personal Experience
Faisal Abid’s answer to Trains (transportation service): What is it like to be in a train crash?Flemming Funch’s answer to Scientology: What is it like to leave the Church of Scientology?Anon User’s answer to Kidnapping and Ransom: What is it like to be kidnapped?Dan Holliday’s answer to Drug Addiction: What does it feel like to be addicted to drugs?Karen Opas’s answer to Alcoholism: What is it like to be an alcoholic?Alex K. Chen’s answer to Asperger Syndrome: What does it feel like to have Asperger’s Syndrome?Laura Copeland’s answer to Asperger Syndrome: What is it like to be in a relationship with someone who has Asperger’s?John Clover’s answer to Family and Families: What does it feel like to have your sibling die?John H. Hillman, V’s answer to Wealthy People and Families: What’s it like to come from a billion-dollar family?Anon User’s answer to Intelligence: What does it feel like to be stupid?Anon User’s answer to What Does It Feel Like to X?: What does it feel like to be both very physically beautiful and very academically intelligent?Anon User’s answer to Attraction (interpersonal): What does it feel like to be unattractive and desired by none?Anon User’s answer to Sex: What’s it like to pay for sex on a regular basis?Anon User’s answer to Weddings: What does it feel like to cancel your wedding?Drew Young Shin’s answer to Heroism: What is the most heroic thing you have ever done?
Brian is a Lifehacker who covers all sorts of tips for life. He is also fascinated with new technology. Contact Brian at brian@lifehack.org, Google+ Back to the old school
It’s a fascinating subject because so much of developmental psychology has focused on childhood and yet our adolescent school years are probably the most formative for our view of the social world.
Not everyone feels the sustained, melancholic presence of a high-school shadow self. There are some people who simply put in their four years, graduate, and that’s that. But for most of us adults, the adolescent years occupy a privileged place in our memories…
Yet there’s one class of professionals who seem, rather oddly, to have underrated the significance of those years, and it just happens to be the group that studies how we change over the course of our lives: developmental neuroscientists and psychologists. “I cannot emphasize enough the amount of skewing there is,” says Pat Levitt, the scientific director for the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, “in terms of the number of studies that focus on the early years as opposed to adolescence. For years, we had almost a religious belief that all systems developed in the same way, which meant that what happened from zero to 3 really mattered, but whatever happened thereafter was merely tweaking.”
The piece is focussed on the American high school experience, with its weirdly formalised social structure – like a teenage Brave New World, but you can see the universal parallels.
Either way, it’s an excellent article that explores an oddly under stage of development. Recommended.
Link to New York Magazine on ‘Why You Truly Never Leave High School’.
BBC Column: Are we naturally good or bad?
My BBC Future column from last week. The original is here. I started out trying to write about research using economic games with apes and monkeys but I got so bogged down in the literature I switched to this neat experiment instead. Ed Yong is a better man than me and wrote a brilliant piece about that research, which you can find here.
It’s a question humanity has repeatedly asked itself, and one way to find out is to take a closer look at the behaviour of babies.… and use puppets.
Fundamentally speaking, are humans good or bad? It’s a question that has repeatedly been asked throughout humanity. For thousands of years, philosophers have debated whether we have a basically good nature that is corrupted by society, or a basically bad nature that is kept in check by society. Psychology has uncovered some evidence which might give the old debate a twist.
One way of asking about our most fundamental characteristics is to look at babies. Babies’ minds are a wonderful showcase for human nature. Babies are humans with the absolute minimum of cultural influence – they don’t have many friends, have never been to school and haven’t read any books. They can’t even control their own bowels, let alone speak the language, so their minds are as close to innocent as a human mind can get.
The only problem is that the lack of language makes it tricky to gauge their opinions. Normally we ask people to take part in experiments, giving them instructions or asking them to answer questions, both of which require language. Babies may be cuter to work with, but they are not known for their obedience. What’s a curious psychologist to do?
Fortunately, you don’t necessarily have to speak to reveal your opinions. Babies will reach for things they want or like, and they will tend to look longer at things that surprise them. Ingenious experiments carried out at Yale University in the US used these measures to look at babies’ minds. Their results suggest that even the youngest humans have a sense of right and wrong, and, furthermore, an instinct to prefer good over evil.
How could the experiments tell this? Imagine you are a baby. Since you have a short attention span, the experiment will be shorter and loads more fun than most psychology experiments. It was basically a kind of puppet show; the stage a scene featuring a bright green hill, and the puppets were cut-out shapes with stick on wobbly eyes; a triangle, a square and a circle, each in their own bright colours. What happened next was a short play, as one of the shapes tried to climb the hill, struggling up and falling back down again. Next, the other two shapes got involved, with either one helping the climber up the hill, by pushing up from behind, or the other hindering the climber, by pushing back from above.
Already something amazing, psychologically, is going on here. All humans are able to interpret the events in the play in terms of the story I’ve described. The puppets are just shapes. They don’t make human sounds or display human emotions. They just move about, and yet everyone reads these movements as purposeful, and revealing of their characters. You can argue that this “mind reading”, even in infants, shows that it is part of our human nature to believe in other minds.
Great expectations
What happened next tells us even more about human nature. After the show, infants were given the choice of reaching for either the helping or the hindering shape, and it turned out they were much more likely to reach for the helper. This can be explained if they are reading the events of the show in terms of motivations – the shapes aren’t just moving at random, but they showed to the infant that the shape pushing uphill “wants” to help out (and so is nice) and the shape pushing downhill “wants” to cause problems (and so is nasty).
The researchers used an encore to confirm these results. Infants saw a second scene in which the climber shape made a choice to move towards either the helper shape or the hinderer shape. The time infants spent looking in each of the two cases revealed what they thought of the outcome. If the climber moved towards the hinderer the infants looked significantly longer than if the climber moved towards the helper. This makes sense if the infants were surprised when the climber approached the hinderer. Moving towards the helper shape would be the happy ending, and obviously it was what the infant expected. If the climber moved towards the hinderer it was a surprise, as much as you or I would be surprised if we saw someone give a hug to a man who had just knocked him over.
The way to make sense of this result is if infants, with their pre-cultural brains had expectations about how people should act. Not only do they interpret the movement of the shapes as resulting from motivations, but they prefer helping motivations over hindering ones.
This doesn’t settle the debate over human nature. A cynic would say that it just shows that infants are self-interested and expect others to be the same way. At a minimum though, it shows that tightly bound into the nature of our developing minds is the ability to make sense of the world in terms of motivations, and a basic instinct to prefer friendly intentions over malicious ones. It is on this foundation that adult morality is built.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
2012-01-18 Spike activity
Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:
Yes, it’s the return of Spike Activity. As I no longer spend time in the jungle (no not that one) and 140 characters are just not enough for respectable levels of sarcasm, the weekly roundup is back.
Cross-dressing meth priest liked sex in rectory, reports The Connecticut Post. Bishop looking forward to public defrocking.
Neuroskeptic covers the disappointing DSM5 field trial results which have just been released. Thankfully the manual was finalised first. Close call.
Can people really grow out of autism? asks Forbes.
Time magazine has a truly heart-breaking obituary for US military psychologist Dr Peter Linnerooth.
Is It Time to Treat Violence Like a Contagious Disease? asked Wired Science
Ten Percent Of U.S. High School Students Graduating Without Basic Object Permanence Skills reports The Onion. The other 95% lack conservation of number. Yes folks, we’re your number one source for Piaget jokes.
The Guardian has a brilliant review of Jared Diamond’s new book The World Until Yesterday by anthropologist and explorer Wade Davis.
At the DSM5 launch conference, a missed opportunity in getting Bill Clinton as keynote speaker for the scientific programme. They could have got Beyonce for the same money.
The Neurocritic covers a fascinating study finding that the letter-colour mapping in many cases of synaesthesia is the same as Fisher-Price kid’s letters.
There an excellent review of the books ‘Coming of Age on Zoloft’ and ‘Dosed: The Medication Generation Grows Up’ at the ever-excellent Somatosphere.
The New York Times has an obituary for influential psychologist Susan Nolen-Hoeksema.
A new study analysed DNA from 34,549 people and found no genes related to vulnerability to depression. Science News covers the results.
How to Increase Concentration – The 5 Key Steps
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Boost Self-Improvement Results with 20 Minutes a Day Exercises
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10 Killer Ways to Rock the New Year by Making Resolutions that You’ll Really Keep
You know the drill—it’s always the same. Every New Year, millions of people get all ramped up to start the New Year off with a bang, setting all kinds of resolutions, making all sorts of promises to themselves and others, and by the beginning of February, the only thing that’s banging is their heads against the wall.
Things really shouldn’t be this way, but alas, for most of us, they are. It’s not that we don’t want to make changes in our lives, but most of us are unaware of how keying into a few old-school tactics can help us to rock a new year in with resolutions we’ll actually keep. Here’s the secret: there is no special formula; no magic wand to wave over ourselves that will transform us into rock stars that actually do what we say, and no, there isn’t a pill for it yet either.
The secret is this: it takes good old fashioned American work to succeed at anything!
It may be a New Year, but you’re the same you, and if you want to rock the New Year in with some killer success strategies that’ll stick, you have to be willing to work hard and believe you can make it happen. Here are ten strategies that will help get you on track, and keep you there:
Most people are gung-ho at the beginning of the year, all “Yippee!Go get em! Live the dream, set new goals, lose that flab, and get that makeover”, but hype won’t get you anywhere. That’s why most of us fail to do much of anything. The only thing that will work for you—whether you’re trying to lose weight, start a new business, or set new goals—is to realize that anything of value, anything that’s worthwhile takes time and perseverance to achieve. There are no shortcuts. No guts, no glory.
Most of us fail at keeping our resolutions because we lack passion, we’re too general in defining our goals, and we’ve had way too many failures on the front end of things. In other words, we expect to fail. To succeed, you have to dig deep and find out what’s really important to you. People who are passionate about what they’re doing don’t burn out as easily. That doesn’t mean they don’t get tired; it means they something more powerful is driving them. This could be a cause, a belief, a need, or the love of something. Find your own passion, and there will be no stopping you.
Most people who are successful pour into the lives of others. They’re generous with their time, and they want to build value for others. If you want to succeed in anything, learn to be a giver: don’t think about what’s in it for you—think about giving others what they need, and everything else will fall into place.
Don’t overlook the importance of building relationships. Whether you’re working on a new business, trying to lose weight, or trying for that promotion, relationships can provide the client base or support you need.
Successful people are always learning: they look to other successful people to mentor them they are teachable, and they don’t try to re-invent the wheel.
Whatever you want to do, you have to invest in it. That means time, money and plenty of effort. Buy the right food if you’re trying to lose weight and make a lifestyle change. It may be more expensive to go organic, but you’re worth it. Spend the money on that great online course by a reputable teacher; you can’t make money if you won’t invest it your own business. You have to be willing to do things others won’t do.
We’ve heard this one forever, but how many of us actually do it? Most people aren’t aware of how their negative internal monologues affect their abilities. Start noticing what you tell yourself on a daily basis: if you’re prone to negative self-talk, learn to replace it by building positive counter-statements. For a list of thinking errors to watch out for consider this:
Nothing keeps you from reaching your goals like stinkin’ thinkin’.
Don’t skip this exercise! Get a piece of paper and write down a list of what is motivating you to lose the weight, continue with your writing, start a blog, create a new business, or whatever else you may be wanting to do in the New Year. You can do this on 3 x 5 cards. When your motivation waxes and wanes, pull ‘em out and read them—slowly. If you want to lose weight and you’re tempted to overeat, remind yourself why this is an important lifestyle change for you. Ask yourself the following:
How do you want to feel about yourself at the end of the day?Will this action help or hinder your ability to reach your goals?What do you need to do to re-focus on the bigger picture?What next steps might you need to take to do that?How will you plan for future obstacles?Winston Churchill said this years ago, but it still holds true: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Most successful people have seen the bottom drop out plenty of times, but they suck it up and keep going anyway. When you want to quit, just take a break, regroup and come back into it when you feel ready.
When trouble or difficulty arise it’s easy to get discouraged: those last ten pounds that won’t come off, the rejection of another article, or the financial hit the new business took, for example. Discouragement can lead to despair—no bueno! Try looking at the obstacles through the lens of possibility, and see your challenges as opportunities for new growth or a change of direction. If you throw the towel in, you’re done.
So, now that you’re aware of some old tried-and-true ways to make your New Year’s resolutions stick, what the heck are you waiting for? Bring in 2013 with a bang!
Back at you: What have you tried that’s helped you to turn a New Years resolution into a reality?
Featured photo credit: Umbrella woman jump and sunset silhouette via Shutterstock Rita A. Schulte is a licensed professional counselor in the Northern Virginia/DC area. She is the host of Heartline Podcast and Consider This. Her shows air on several radio stations as well as the Internet. They can be downloaded from http://www.ritaschulte.com/category/podcasts. Rita writes for numerous publications and blogs. Her book on moving through the losses of life will be released in Fall 2013 by Leafwood Publishers. Follow her at www.ritaschulte.com. Packable philanthropy: Donate a TEDx in a Box
Global Issues TEDx
What is a TEDx in a Box, you ask? It’s a suitcase stuffed with everything an economically marginalized community needs to host their very own TEDx event — a projector, an iPod preloaded with subtitled TED Talks, a sound system, camcorders to capture fresh talks, and a how-to guide. TEDx in a Box was an idea that originated at TEDxKibera, a vibrant event held in the slums of Nairobi. With TEDx in a Box, individuals in the developing world and other underserved areas are delivered all the resources they need for an event, packaged into a portable box designed by IDEO. So far, boxes have been shipped to organizers in Ecuador, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, India and Pakistan — and counting.
In a new twist, members of the TED community can now donate a TEDx in a Box, which costs $2,000 USD, including shipping. It’s a great outlet for anyone who wants to inspire learning in an underserved community. It’s also a fantastic way for TEDx organizers who find themselves with leftover funds to pass the baton. Find out how to donate a TEDx in a Box »
Do you live in a economically marginalized community where a TEDx in a Box would help you host an event? We’d love to match you with a donor. Read the requirements for receiving a TEDx in a Box here and then apply for a license through the TEDx website »
How to Go from Mediocre to Great
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Monday, January 28, 2013
A brain of warring neurons
This section is particularly striking:
The question is, what happens to your ideas about computational architecture when you think of individual neurons not as dutiful slaves or as simple machines but as agents that have to be kept in line and that have to be properly rewarded and that can form coalitions and cabals and organizations and alliances? This vision of the brain as a sort of social arena of politically warring forces seems like sort of an amusing fantasy at first, but is now becoming something that I take more and more seriously, and it’s fed by a lot of different currents.
The complete talk is over at Edge.
Link to Dennett talk at Edge.
War stories: Read Janine di Giovanni’s powerful coverage of conflicts around the world
Global Issues TEDx Journalist Janine di Giovanni has covered wars in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Iraq and most recently in Syria — and, yet, she has noted that they all seem to begin in the same way.
“This is how war starts—one day you’re living your ordinary life. You’re planning to go to a party, you’re taking your children to school, you’re making a dentist appointment,” says di Giovanni in today’s talk, given at TEDxWomen. “The next thing, the telephones go out. The TVs go out. There are armed men on the streets. Your life as you know it goes into suspended animation.”
In today’s gut-wrenching talk, di Giovanni describes some of the moments that have stuck with her over her years as a war correspondent, and shares what she has learned from covering many of the bloodiest conflicts of the last two decades. She says that her mind often wanders back to Sarajevo.
“I had the honor of being one of those reporters who lived through that [three-year] siege. And I say I had the honor and privilege of being there because it taught me everything — not just about being a reporter, but about being a human being,” says di Giovanni. “Even in the midst of terrible destruction and death and chaos, I learned how ordinary people could share food with their neighbors, raise their children, drag someone who’s being sniped at from the middle of the road, even though you yourself were endangering your life.”
In 2004, di Giovanni had a son. And in this talk, she explains why she opted to cover the war in Iraq despite having a baby at home. She also shares why, less than a week after speaking at TEDxWomen, she headed back to Damascus to continue covering the conflict in Syria.
“I believe it needs to be done. I believe a story there has to be told,” she says. “What I see is incredibly heroic people fighting for things — like democracy — that we take for granted every single day … All I am is a witness. My role is to bring a voice to people who are voiceless … To shine a light in the darkest corners of the world.’”
To hear what an important and heart-breaking job this can be, watch di Giovanni’s talk. And below, read some of the incredible stories that she has written about wars over the years.
“Christmas in Sarajevo,” The Sunday Times, Dec. 1992
On Christmas eve, the city of Sarajevo was pitched into darkness except for the occasional flare from the tracer rounds and the sound of the sporadic shells. On this day, like so many others before, The Susko family went to bed at about 9pm their only escape from the unlit cold.
On Christmas day light snow began to fall again and the temperature dropped to -5C. Mario Susko awoke to the sound of shelling in the borrowed unheated room where he lives with his wife, Maria, and his daughter Alexandra, 17. Wrapped in blankets on the floor where he sleeps, he could feel the detonations, but for some time now the 52-year-old Catholic Croat has not felt frightened.
“After three weeks without water, one month without electricity and eight months of total siege, I no longer feel fear,” he says. Keep reading »
“From the Kosovo Frontline,” March to June 1999
It was the heaviest night of the Nato bombing here in Kosovo. The commander with the kind face, a former hero of the war in Bosnia, told me and the soldiers in my tent to sleep with our boots on.
He was right. At 3am, the blackness of night was shattered by the terrifying crack of a Serb MiG dropping cluster bombs on us. “Go. Go. Go,” ordered the Swede, a former UN soldier. We tumbled in the darkness to a nearby muddy ravine and threw ourselves on to the ground. It was not easy, the trench is used by soldiers as a latrine. Keep reading »
“Goodbye to All That,” The Times Magazine, December 2004
I am not a big television fan, but recently a friend rang and told me to watch Prime Suspect. It was a two-parter in which Helen Mirren was investigating the murder in London of a Bosnian refugee who had witnessed a brutal massacre during the Balkan conflict. I watched it. The next night I stayed home to watch the second part. There was an actor I knew from Sarajevo playing the bad guy, and there was Helen Mirren, slowly going mad as she became more and more embroiled in the case. Eventually, she became obsessed. She disobeyed her boss, sacrificed her job and flew to Bosnia at her own expense to investigate the massacre. Strange behaviour. But I recognised that look in her eyes.
My friend rang me after the second part ended. “What was it with Bosnia,” he asked, “that made people so obsessive?” I could not answer, but I have been thinking. I began reporting the Bosnian war in 1992, and while I am fortunate enough not to have been injured or to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, not a day goes by in which the conflict does not enter my mind. I met my husband in Sarajevo. I forged some of my closest friendships in Bosnia. And, in a horrible way, my most powerful memories come from those years. Keep reading »
“Dark Days in Sierra Leone,” The Times of London, May 2000
West of Petitfu Junction, where the road turns to red dust and the bush grows darker, the villagers fly white neutrality flags over their mud shacks. It is their way of saying that they are peaceful civilians, a feeble protection from the Revolutionary United Front rebels, who are quickly advancing into this territory.
Further up the road that leads to Port Loko, there is real panic. The people who live in this bush are simple people who farm potatoes, grow rice and tap the palm trees for oil. This area was once held by the RUF, and the rebels know what the rebels will do if they come back. So the people are fleeing, walking quickly in the heat of the day, or pedaling on rusty old bicycles, their children walking alongside them. Keep reading »
“Nobody’s Children,” The New York Times Magazine, February 2002
Early morning, Mogadishu. The wet equatorial heat is rising from the chewed up streets, and the gunmen are already working. Truckloads of militiamen, hanging off the back of pickup trucks cruise the neigbourhoods of South Mogadishu. They chew quat, the bitter narcotic leaf imported from Kenya; wave Kalashnikovs above their heads, and stand defiantly in position behind anti-aircraft guns chained to the back of the trucks.
The American marines used to call them Skinnies, and it still makes the gunmen laugh, because it makes them seem innocent and sweet, like a cappuccino at Starbucks, which they are not. They are young men, some of them boys. They wear dark Gucci-style sunglasses, bandannas around their heads and Homeboy gear – jeans slung low, t-shirts, flip-flops. Some of them are barely into their teens, their weapons bigger than their tiny frames, but they know how to shoot and kill and ambush and raid. Keep reading »
“A Civil Tongue: South Sudan Tries to Learn English,” Harper’s, March 2012
When South Sudan, the world’s newest country, was born in July 2011, after nearly half a century of on-and-off civil war that left as many as 2.5 million dead, it was greeted with enormous expectations. A contest for a new national anthem was sponsored. Beauty pageants for Miss South Sudan were held. Carpetbaggers and scalawags from all over East Africa and as far as China, India, and even the United States descended on the capital, Juba.
Last autumn, I visited the country during a brief respite before another flare-up of looting and massacres that killed, as of this writing, an estimated 3,000 people. Driving past a quarry every morning, I saw exhausted-looking women wearing ripped nightgowns and rubber shower caps over their heads crouched roadside, pounding large rocks into smaller rocks, inhaling noxious dust. Keep reading »
“The Last Days of Iraq,” Vanity Fair, April 2003
On Ash Wednesday, a few weeks before war was declared on Iraq, I went to mass in St. Mary’s Church on Palestine Street in Baghdad. The mass was in Armaic, the ancient language of Jesus, and around me the Iraqi Christians knelt and prayed for peace. On their faces was etched all the fear and anxiety of the past few weeks as the diplomatic process unravelled and the world fought over whether or not their country would be bombed. A few of the women, wearing lacy white mantillas on their heads, were crying.
Towards the end of the mass, three American peace activists, stood and addressed the congregation. Over the past few months that I had been in Baghdad, there had been a flurry of pointless peace activities, beginning with the arrival of the actor Sean Penn in December, to a host of human shields from Seattle and Michigan, to men of the cloth spreading words of faith. One of the priests, from Washington D.C. said slowly, “We hope we carry the hopes and fears of the people of the world in the quest for peace.” It was meant to be reassuring, but the congregation looked wary. Keep reading »
“Gateway to Jihad: Pakistan’s Phantom Border,” Vanity Fair, June 2008
It has been more than 60 years since Pakistan was carved out of India by the British as a moderate, Muslim nation, a refuge rather than an Islamic state. For most of those six decades, Pakistan has been a friend of America’s. Since 9/11, it has been a so-called partner in the war on terror.
Up to a point. Newsweek recently called Pakistan arguably the most dangerous country on earth, harboring as it does a lethal combination of mostly foreign-born al-Qaeda terrorists and a native-born Taliban movement that is supported by its Taliban brethren across the border in Afghanistan. (American intelligence calls them “Big T” and “Little T.”) Given that the border is ridiculously porous and difficult to patrol, Pakistan has become a kind of haven for potential terrorists eager to be set loose into the wider world. Keep reading »
“On Reporting from Syria,” The New York Times, October 2012
I took the first of several visits to Syria in June 2012, legally, with a rare journalist’s visa, to report from the government side.
I flew from my home in Paris to Beirut, then got a driver and traveled to Syria. Damascus, the world’s oldest inhabited city, seemed to carry on business as usual — though there were already the car bombs, and the wounded soldiers in the hospital. I could look out the window of my hotel, the Dama Rose, and see women in bikinis drinking beer to hip-hop music at pool parties, then see the smoke of bombings in the background. I had worked in the Middle East for two decades since I was a cub reporter, but this was my first time in Syria. Keep reading »
“Denial is Slipping Away as War Arrives in Damascus,” The New York Times, October 2012
Rifa was growing frantic. Her husband had called to say that he and her brother were stuck on their way home from work outside the Syrian capital, normally a 25-minute drive. There was fighting in a northern suburb, he said, and traffic was frozen.
Tensions rose as the hours passed. It is never good to be out after dark in Damascus now, especially trapped in a traffic jam, unable to flee. Finally, Rifa’s husband called again. They had escaped and returned to their workplace to pass the night, another concession to their changing world. Keep reading »
And read much more from di Giovannie at her website, JanineDiGiovanni.com.
10 Hacks That Can Change Your Day Immediately
As human beings, we have an amazing ability to overestimate what we can do in the next year and totally underestimate what we can do in the next 15 minutes. In these early days of 2013, it’s more important than ever to emphasize just how much of a difference the next 15 minutes can make in your day.
So, for now, forget the long-term and instead of focus only on what is right in front of you. The next year is not guaranteed: this moment right now is all you have.
SEE ALSO: How Saving $5 A Day Can Change Your Life
Featured photo credit: Dad and child on the beach at at sunset via Shutterstock Robert D. Smith is the author of "20,000 Days and Counting," a crash course in living every single day with maximum intensity and purpose. For over 30 years, he has managed the career of New York Times best-selling author Andy Andrews. He blogs about entrepreneurship, personal growth, and more at TheRobertD.com. Comments we loved this year: The polite critique
TED Talks often get 100 or more comments — a mixed bag of kudos, critiques and questions. Looking back on the year, here are a few comments that wowed us.
Every video on TED.com is carefully selected, but not every TEDster will like every talk. Disagree with a speaker’s logic, methods or sources? We want to hear why. This comment begs to differ without getting hostile, leaving the door wide open for anyone — maybe even the speaker himself — to feel comfortable responding.
Below, commenter Anthony Townsend gently critiques Jon Ronson’s “Strange answers to the psychopath test”:
“A visually striking and rhetorically powerful talk. However, I’m afraid that I must forward my opinion that this talk is peppered with gross oversimplifications and distortions of psychiatric and psychological diagnostic procedures and practice. Blind adherence to criteria and checklists has never been the practice of mental health professionals nor are grey areas overlooked.
The DSM-IV-TR is here presented as a ‘bible’ of mental health when, in fact, it is simply a descriptive taxonomy intended to supplement professional assessment and treatment planning rather than exclusively inform it. I did enjoy this talk but I feel that Ronson fell into the very trap that he mentioned at the outset: He took a misinformed and superficial glance at the mental health profession and explored those fringe elements unaided by trained professionals who could speak to the contrary.
As a practicing clinician I can attest to the value of diagnostic manuals, but it should be noted that professional judgement, recognition of the subjective meaning of the patient’s experiences and sources of collateral information all work together to create a picture of an individual’s mental state. While Ronson pursued an interesting topic, I feel that his sources were misinformed, his data biased and his motives perhaps misguided as he came to pursue that which is interesting rather than that which is true.”
7 Effective Ways to Deal with Rejection in Relationships
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What We Lack in a Hyperconnected World
Is it strange that many of us these days feel hyperconnected and yet disconnected?
This is what Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple explores in his new book, The Primal Connection: Follow Your Genetic Blueprint to Health and Happiness. It’s a fascinating look at what we need as humans, what we lack in this age of distractions and speed.
Mark published The Primal Blueprint a couple years ago, and this new book looks like it builds on top of that. In this interview, Mark answers some key questions about what we lack in a hyperconnected world.
Q: How is The Primal Connection different from The Primal Blueprint?
Mark: The Primal Blueprint focused almost entirely on the evolutionary underpinnings of proper human nutrition and exercise. In short, as animals, we function best eating the diet and doing the exercises that humans evolved eating and doing, so an evolutionarily concordant diet and exercise plan is a good place to start a healthy lifestyle.
The Primal Connection is about all the other environmental and social factors that shaped who we are today as a species. It’s about how sun exposure and proper sleeping patterns are absolutely critical for optimal health. It’s about the importance of real social contact with other humans, face to face – not through words on a screen. It’s about adopting and adapting all the other behaviors of our ancestors that made them healthy, because it all shaped our evolution – just as the ancestral diet and exercise habits did. In short, if The Primal Blueprint was primarily concerned with the body as a meat vessel requiring certain dietary inputs, The Primal Connection explores the body as a mind and emotion meat vessel requiring certain social, environmental, sensual, and sensory inputs for optimal functioning.
Q: What’s the most glaring deficit in the modern human psyche?
Mark: A lack of mindfulness. It’s ironic, because we’re inundated with information, data, and knowledge that purports to fill our brains. Everything you could ever want to know about anything is right there at our fingertips.
But what’s really going on? What are you missing with your face buried in that smartphone?
We’re so focused on devouring the latest gadget or article or Tweet and moving on to the next one that we’re never really “here.” We’re like the NFL receiver who starts his fake-out move before he catches the ball and ends up dropping it. Before we’ve even perceived, noted, appreciated, and fully experienced the sensory and emotional input that make up everyday experiences, we’re moving on to the next thing.
The present is, by definition, extremely fleeting – here in an instant, gone in a second. But it’s also all we truly have. The future is “out there” and the past is “back there”; the present is right here. If we want to experience the present in any meaningful way, we have to be mindful of it. We have to consciously and diligently (at least at first, until it becomes second nature) stop, smell the roses, and then ruminate on what we’re smelling.
Q: What’s the most glaring deficit in the modern human body?
Mark: A lack of physical touch. Humans are social animals, as people often like to say. social contact between humans should not be sterile and stand-offish. Most social animals spend much of their days touching other members of their group. They sleep together, groom each other, wrestle with each other, and sniff each other. They need constant physical touch, and, because they’re not beholden to social norms, they get to satisfy that need.
Humans are also social animals who need physical touch, but social contact between humans tends to be sterile and stand-offish. It’s too bad, because physical touch has immense physical and mental benefits. Quite literally, the welcome touch of another person – a hug, a kiss, a massage – enacts beneficial changes in gene expression at the molecular level, changes that reduce stress, release oxytocin, and lower inflammation. Babies who experience “touch deficit” have disrupted growth hormone, stress hormone, and bonding hormone secretion.
When you see your friends, hug them. Dads, hug your children. Pet owners, pet your dog and scratch your cat behind the ears. After all, you’re their family, and they may not have another outlet for touch.
Oh, and people: have sex. Often, and with someone you care about. Sex feels good, strengthens bonds, improves our immune system, and may even boost growth in the neurocampus.
Q: What is one quick tip that anyone can do to better align the expectations of their genes with the realities of modern life?
Mark: Make the effort to really disconnect from electronic stimulation at least twice a day. No phones, no computers, no Facebook, no email, no television. This sounds scary and hard, but there are a few simple ways to go about doing this.
Go for a walk on your lunch break and leave the smartphone at the desk. Just walk, preferably through a place with some greenspace.
Set a tech cut-off time before bed. Shoot for at least an hour before you go to sleep, but strive to extend that period to two hours.
Turn your phone off when you’re with people. It used to be that only old couples who’d been together for fifty years would be out to breakfast with their noses buried in their respective newspapers, but now everyone’s doing it. The oldsters earned the right, because they’ve lived life, but the 22 year old out with his buddies? I think it’s a shame that he can’t find anything more interesting than his phone.
Q: What don’t we get enough of, and why is it such a problem?
Mark: Play. People don’t play enough.
It’s funny, because when I talk to people, I find that playing is the hardest hurdle to overcome. How’s that? Play is, by definition, fun. Why wouldn’t you love to do more of it?
Play isn’t fun when you feel guilty or self-conscious about it. It’s not play if you’re holding back and looking around to see who’s pointing and laughing at you. Play must be carefree. For it to really “count,” play must be free. You have to commit to it. You can’t go out and begrudgingly toss the Frisbee around. Your body knows the difference; it can’t be tricked that easily. You have to really play. You have to give yourself over to the moment (remember, be here now).
The people you’re with also know the difference. If you’re outdoors tossing a ball with your kid (or even your dog) and you can’t help but gaze into the soulful eyes of your iPhone every minute, whomever you’re with will know that you’re not really playing with them. That you’re not really engaged in the activity. And that’s not playing. That’s acting.
Be a kid again. A kid who pays the bills, takes care of responsibilities and duties, and knows when to buckle down and do the things that matter, but a kid nonetheless.
Mark Sisson’s new book The Primal Connection was released today. Visit MarksDailyApple.com to see how you can get a bunch of free gifts for ordering a copy today.
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