A Wired article on how placebos are gaining in efficacy. Some interesting history, research, and some of those things They(tm) don't want you to think about or know. (grokked from Jay Lake with acknowledgement to Matt Jarpe who works in the industry whom I'm sure knows this stuff better than I or the author of the article)
FAIL blog is one of my private indulgences. Normally I just chuckle at the boneheadedness that leads to some of their photos, or the "lost in translation" moments. Some, though, are near genius in their social commentary. Take the doll fail from today. WTF were they thinking? Okay, people use dance polls as exercise like men buy Playboy for the articles (sure, it happens, but I'm willing to bet 90% of the magazines go unread or are "flip through pages" just as Ohio is "fly over country").
What's a finger between friends? The craziness continues with reports of the biting off of fingers. A classic "he said/she said/the finger said" issue here. So who do I believe? Well I believe that walking in the middle of a hostile crowd (or at least hostile to your views) and that randomly punching someone while in the middle of that crowd is not necessarily a Good Idea(tm). My guess is that if the pro-reformer swung first, the rest of the anti-reformers would have ganged up (the throwing of a punch being unexpected, but within most people's realm of experience - they've seen others throw punches, have been punched themselves, or have punched others so there's no "freeze reaction"). However that the bitting off of a finger is so outside the norm that there would be a "freeze reaction" (basically the brain says, "I can't believe I just saw that, shutting down to process") and be a large escalation that would give pause to any assistance allowing escape. Final judgement will need to wait for the sheriff's report.
5 comments:
I had read that Wired article, I think through Slashdot (though maybe not). There definitely needs to be more research into the placebo effect, because getting the brain to convince the immune system to attack and destroy when faced with disease is the ideal way of treating disease.
FAILblog is a favorite of mine as well. It's in my Google Reader, and I get a kick out of the of wierd things pictured there.
As for the finger biting, things are getting out of control out there. Sheesh!
Vince, yep, harnessing the body's own immune system and dopamine production is best. However, it also borders on what's considered "quackery" (because people make money by dissuading you from them).
Hmmm... Playboy and cannibalism.
Those definitely qualify as non sequiturs.
Michelle, yep, that's why the links are so random. They were all interesting, but not related.
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