See v Observe

Sherlock Holmes isn’t what you’d call a traditional psychologist. In fact, he isn’t even real (despite the letters that to this day arrive at 221B Baker Street). But we’d be well advised, as decision makers who want to gain better insight into our minds and the processes that lie behind our choices, to take a few pages from the playbook of Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation.

Sherlock Holmes teaches us to be constantly mindful of our surroundings

If you're crazy, maybe you live in a city.

The fact is that there is a higher concentration of psychiatric illness in the city than in the country. There is increased risk for anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. 

Of course, there are lots of possible reasons for this. There is a greater socioeconomic divide in cities, and people of low socio-economic class have a higher risk for psychiatric disease. There is also better access to health care in cities, and someone who might pass as just “very odd” in the country is more likely to get diagnosed in the city. Finally, it is often easier to function in a city with a severe mental illness, with some better access to shelter, care, and emergency medicine.

But there is also some evidence that living in a city can “bring on” mental disorders. 

While many mental disorders are thought to have a genetic component to some degree, the addition of stress may be able to bring out an underlying mental illness. And of course, cities are stressful. 

Specifically, cities produce social stress, the stress of living around and being seen (or feeling you’re being seen) by lots of people, constantly.

READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE

Is it just my eyes?

Yes ... it IS just your eyes!

 This image is not actually moving

Be forewarned if you are subject to severe visual motion sickness! (Linda)

The apparent movement in this static image is called the 

Fraser-Wilcox Illusion, 

and you can see more examples of it 

H E R E

Fire from ICE

This guy will teach you how to start a fire with just clear ice. Think of it as Basic Wilderness Survival Bushcraft

Stunning data visualization

This video ... and the technology it describes ... is
Blow-Your-Mind COOL !

Dive into the brain, feel electron spin, hear the music of the elements ... and detect previously unseen patterns that could lead to new discoveries.

... to bring together arts. science and engineering into a new age of math, science and art.

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin demos the AlloSphere, a new way to see, hear and interpret scientific data. 

 

GoogleTrike rides into Canada

Jonathan Chang, 27, rides the Google Street View trike around
Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto. (Amber Hildebrandt/CBC News)

After photographing cities around the world with its fleet of camera-mounted cars for Google Street View, it is now deploying tricycles to tackle locations otherwise inaccessible.

"Basically this gets us off the roads and onto trails, university campuses, hopefully theme parks, places like that, that let people experience and really get inside those places on Google Maps," says Mike Pegg, a senior product marketing manager with Google.

Unlike the cars traversing publicly accessible streets, the harder-to-reach locations targeted by the trike are often located on private property and require special permission to photograph.

Google didn't immediately reveal specific locations photographed by the camera-mounted trike in Canada, saying it was still awaiting permission to release details about the private locations.

The company later released a list of 17 locations visited in Toronto and in nearby areas, including Toronto Island, Canada's Wonderland, Hamilton's McMaster University and a number of conservation areas.

Guitar Oscillations Captured with iPhone 4

There are a few theories as to why we see this effect, but the most sensible seems to be interaction between the vibrations and the 'shutter speed' of the iPhone's camera. Whatever causes it, it's really cool!

OPEN LETTER TO STEPHEN COLBERT

The following letter was posted by me today in the community forum of The Colbert Nation website today:

TV Pundit and Class Clown Stephen Colbert proudly flies the
LGBT Community's Pride Flag UPSIDE-DOWN!

UPSIDE-DOWN Gay Pride Flag ?!? ... SCURRILOUSSSSS
(Colbert Report: July 21, 2011)

Dear Mr. Colbert,

I have watched your show since its inception (ie. idea was planted in the sleeping American Public's mind) for no other reason than to get mad at you for the heterosexist War you continue to wage against the LGBT/Gay community.

You have pissed me off in the past with your turgid tirades against gay rights and the losing battle (Ha Ha!) against gay marriage, but THIS TAKES THE (beautifully decorated) CAKE!

HOW DARE YOU display the LGBT flag upside-down in your recent piece about/against teaching gay history in schools?!? (See the episo)

I cannot believe that this was merely an oversight on the part of your Graphics team. No, rather, I am now convinced that such deep-seated disdain for the LGBT Community are really just pathetic attempts to obfuscate your own same-sex attractions.
Come out of the closet Stephen and stop looking at the Gay Pride Flag as if you were hanging upside-down in a kinky restraint device in your basement!

If you don't stop disrespecting the LGBT Community, we may be forced to organize a fun and colourful march to protest you, your medieval attitudes and perverse propaganda, STEPHEN!

Truculently Yours,
iDouglas
(Ottawa, Canada)


FOLLOW THIS LINK to the correct version of the Internationally accepted LGBT Community Flag

OR HERE FOR THE WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE

VIEW THE OFFENDING EPISODE IN CANADA HERE

This is how the LBGT Pride Flag SHOULD appear!

The True North GAY and Free!!!

Obama officially ends ban on gays in military

United States Marines attend a training session to familiarize them with the military's new position regarding gay and lesbian service members and the repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy at Camp Pendleton. (Lenny Ignelzi/The Associated Press)

Last Friday, President Barack Obama fulfilled a 2008 campaign pledge and formally ended the ban on gays in the military. 

After meeting with Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the president certified to Congress that repealing the ban would not jeopardize the military's ability to fight.

"As commander in chief, I have always been confident that our dedicated men and women in uniform would transition to a new policy in an orderly manner that preserves unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness," Obama said in a statement. "Service members will no longer be forced to hide who they are in order to serve our country."

Obama's action means that effective Sept. 20, gay service members will be able to openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. And it opens the door for those discharged over the past 17 years under Clinton's policy to re-apply to the military and possibly serve again.

Public Health, Private Lives

I watched this show on CBC yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see the story of Dr. Jeff Myers, his work and the depiction of his same-sex relationship.

• WATCH THE VIDEO

Dr. Jeff Myers (left) with palliative care patient Donald Burnett.(CBC)Jeff Myers runs the palliative care program at Sunnybrook and is a driving force behind palliative care in Canada. He passionately believes in a dignified end of life, and that how we treat the chronically ill and dying reflects on all of us.

He is a strong believer that every Canadian should have access to outstanding pain symptom management. He sees his role as that of an advocate in the field of palliative care — to make it more visible, credible and understood. He's worked in palliative care since 1999.

Myers admits that there is an emotional toll to his job. He never allows himself to "lose it" in front of his patients but when alone or with his husband — Jeremy — he allows himself to grieve. However, what keeps him going is the chance to witness moments of amazing humanity.

Myers is also an assistant professor and the newly appointed associate head of the University of Toronto's Division of Palliative Care.