“In humans, information about the body’s state takes a slightly different route inside the brain, picking up even more signals from the gut, the heart, the lungs and other internal organs. The information on bodily sensations is further routed to the front part of the insula, especially on the right side, which has undergone a huge expansion in humans and apes.”
Tag: 02.06.07
Germany’s Incredible Shrinking Population
“There has been a steady exodus over the years, but it has recently become Topic A in a land already saddled with one of the most rapidly aging and shrinking populations of any Western nation. With evidence that more professionals are leaving now than in past years, politicians and business executives warn about the loss of their country’s best and brightest.”
Gherkin Sets Record For London Building Sale
Norman Foster’s iconic Gherkin building has been sold for a record price for a building in London. “The building has rapidly become a London landmark, featuring in TV and films including Woody Allen’s Match Point.”
Sotheby’s Record-Breaking £94.9m Sale
“The night’s top price was £8.75m, paid for Chaim Soutine’s 1921 L’Homme au Foulard Rouge, far surpassing its estimate of £3.5m to £5m. Just 10 years ago the same picture was bought for £1.5m. The figure recorded was the highest ever for a sale of impressionist and modern art in Europe.
Discovery: Racist Textbooks
“A Saudi-run school in London uses textbooks which describe Jews as monkeys and Christians as pigs, according to papers filed with an employment tribunal by a former teacher.”
Apple’s Biggest Deal?
Apple’s deal with Apple might mean big things for the iPod. “The new contract clears the way for Steve Jobs to sell iPods loaded with music. Who cares? Well, the iPod could become the new CD, especially if Apple starts offering cheap shuffle iPods pre-loaded with hot new albums or artists’ catalogs. Imagine a whole range of inexpensive, special-edition iPods branded with popular bands containing a new album, or their whole catalogs.”
Apple Boss Says Scrap Music Copy Protection
In a dramatic turnaround, Apple CEO says recording companies ought to abandon digital rights management schemes. “Jobs pointed out that the vast majority of music bought today — only 10 percent of all music sold last year was through an online store — has no copyright protections and freely allows consumers to copy music to their computers. Attaching digital rights management to music bought online has only limited the number of online music stores, he wrote.”
Chinese Censors Cut, Approve Movie For Berlin
“After rejecting a version of the film submitted last Wednesday, the China Film Bureau agreed to a request from the filmmakers to watch it again on Monday. The story has been redirected. Some relationships have been completely cut out. That version, with more than 15 minutes of footage and an entire story line cut, passed muster.”
Arguments Over Who Did In A Philippine Orchestra
The Philippines’ San Miguel pulled the plug on its corporate sponsorship of an orchestra and chorus. “The San Miguel Orchestra and Chorale came together even when some tried to rip them apart. They performed, they educated, they popularized what once was alien. They held concerts, came out with their albums. And now they’re gone. Oddly enough, the blame game is being cranked up as if that would resurrect what has been laid to rest.”
Princeton Opens Libraries To Google
The university is “the 12th library to open its collection to Google. The libraries of Stanford and the University of Michigan, the alma maters of the company’s two founders, are already being scanned for Google Book Search. Google CEO Eric Schmidt ’76 is a member of the University Board of Trustees. Book digitization at Princeton will take place over the next six years.”