Neuroscientist Dean Buonomano: “[H]umans suffer … consequences of living in a time and place we didn’t evolve to live in. … And by peering into the brain, we can learn a lot about why we are good at some things and why we are not very good at others.”
Tag: 07.14.11
Stealing Art Is A Vastly Uncreative Act
Art crime, you see, is a dumb crime. With masterpieces in particular, it’s virtually impossible to find a buyer for a stolen work. As the authors write: “A Rembrandt, real or imagined, is far harder to sell than it is to steal.”
Sculptor Finds Fakes Of His Work Manufactured In China
“It seems the alleged copy, which has been given the title Human Natures: Many Faces, 2005, may be one of several made by an anonymous Chinese stone carver in Beijing.”
Does It Matter If The Internet Remembers For You?
“Some people are troubled that information gleaned online plays too large a role in their fact-access process, yet this reliance on external memory seems to bother them less if the information resides in the brain of another person.”
Is The Internet Changing The Ways We Think?
The subjects were significantly more likely to remember information if they thought they would not be able to find it later. “Participants did not make the effort to remember when they thought they could later look up the trivia statement they had read,” the authors write.
‘Monday Blues’ Are A Myth, Says Study
“U.S. residents have roughly the same levels of happiness, enjoyment, and laughter–not to mention worry, sadness and anger–from Monday through Friday. The real difference lies between weekdays and weekends.”
Owning A Pet Leads To Higher Self-Esteem (Some Of Us Knew This)
“Most studies looking at the psychological effects of pet ownership focus on individuals experiencing health issues or overcoming hurdles in life such as recovering from an illness or injury. … Overall, researchers found pet ownership to be associated with higher self-esteem, higher levels of fitness and lower reports of loneliness among participants.”
Testing The West End’s New High-Tech Theatre Seats
“Last month Ambassador Theatre Group, the UK’s biggest theatre operator, announced that it will be upgrading each and every one of its 49,000 seats, 11,000 of them in the West End.” The first of them are in place, and Matt Trueman is impressed.
Ai Weiwei Accepts Job In Germany – But Will China Let Him Go?
“The leading Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has accepted a teaching post at a Berlin university, a month after he was released from detention. But it is uncertain whether the Chinese authorities will allow him to leave because he remains under tight surveillance.”
Melbourne’s Second Orchestra Fears It May Be Cut In Half
“Rumours are circulating that Orchestra Victoria, which supports performances by opera and ballet companies in the Arts Centre, risks being cut in half because of continuing operating losses. … This would abandon the current program of regional touring and education programs by the orchestra.”