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The 16th-century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe did not die of mercury poisoning, according to a team of researchers who have analysed the scientist's remains. His death at the age of 54 is more compatible with the progression of a severe bladder infection

Are We Nearing the Maximum Capacity of the Human Brain?

Are We Nearing the Maximum Capacity of the Human Brain?:
How “the cleverest organ in the known universe could suddenly become one of the dumbest.”
“If you ever feel lazy or dull,” neuroscientist David Eagleman wrote of the human brain, “take heart: you’re the busiest, brightest thing on the planet.” But are you, or at least are you for long?
Much has been said about the perils of information overload and what we can do about it. But what if the issue was not simply one of will over wiring? In The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning (public library) — which also gave us this fascinating look at the science of “chunking” and how pattern recognition fuels creativity — Cambridge neuroscientist Daniel Bor turns to the potential hard-wired limitations of our human brains as they grapple with the rapidly proliferating influx of available information:

Human eyes have around 100 million photoreceptors, each of which can pick up about ten visual events every second, so our eyes are effectively receiving a billion pieces of information each second. If you include the information pouring in from our other senses, that’s a staggering quantity of data for our brains to sift through every moment of our waking lives.
[…]
If we had an infinite resource of energy by which to crunch the numbers, and an infinitely fast brain by which to make the calculations, then there would be no problem, as we could analyze every scrap of data to its fullest capacity and never miss an opportunity or be caught by a threat. But, of course, in reality, it takes time to process anything, and human brains consume a frighteningly large proportion of our body’s total energy resources.

Computing pioneer Charles Babbage's brain
Public domain image

Then, Bor adds in a footnote:

Even though the human brain is a mere 2 percent of total body weight, in newborns this single organ requires a staggering 87 percent of the body’s total energy. A five-year-old has a brain that greedily guzzles nearly half of all the energy the child consumes, and even in adults this figure is at least a quarter, though that proportion can rise dramatically if we’ve had a mentally taxing day — for instance, when studying for exams. In fact, some biologists have suggested that the energy demands and complexity of a human brain are nearing the endpoint of what is biologically possible and that if you started trying to cram even more neuronal wires into the brain, the additional miniaturization that this would entail would turn all brain signal into random noise — and the cleverest organ in the known universe would suddenly become one of the dumbest.

Of course, for those of us who believe it’s less a matter of what machinery the skull houses and more a matter of how we use it, this is merely of curiosity rather than of concern.
Babbage’s brain image via Public Domain Review

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What retired people do to make their life interesting...

Yags Jedi Master

Yags Jedi Master:

Someone posted this clip on Facebook. Really funny and very clever. Enjoy.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCtQM...feature=fvwrel

Oz the Great and Powerful: First Full Trailer [Video]

Oz the Great and Powerful: First Full Trailer [Video]:


I just love that awesome “retro” look they gave to the footage. Now we’ll have to wait until the movie gets released to see if it’s going to be as awesome as it looks.

The full trailer for Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful” starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff. Directed by Sam Raimi (The Spiderman Trilogy).

[WaltDisneyStudiosUK]
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Food and Drink Recipes for that Geeky Holiday Party You’re Probably Planning

Food and Drink Recipes for that Geeky Holiday Party You’re Probably Planning:

‘Tis the season of holiday parties, and there’s no better time to let your geek flag fly. Get a group of friends together for some Magic or a LAN game, and throw together some of these tasty, formerly-fictional goodies.

Food

Fish Fingers and Custard

When the eleventh Doctor finds himself famished and in the company of a young Amelia Pond, the only thing that will satisfy his palate is a stack of fish fingers dipped in custard. While such a combination would appall anyone with taste buds, the new rules of Eleven’s new mouth approved. But Matt Smith admits that the “fish fingers” used in filming were really just breaded cakes, and that makes it a bit easier. Here’s a great easy-to-make version from a die-hard Whovian.

Lembas or Waybread

We can’t promise that a human-made lembas will fill the stomach of a grown man with just one bite or stay fresh for months just wrapped in a leaf. But tasty approximations of the elven staple featured in Lord of the Rings do exist, and while they may not be the super-nutritious powerhouse Legolas enjoys, your party guests will undoubtedly appreciate the nod to an enduring symbol of Tolkien’s work.

(If you’re going with a solid LotR theme, this recipe database is hands-down the best available.

ChickieNobs

It might be difficult to get your hands on the nightmare-fuel creature that gave Oryx and Crake their beloved ChickieNobs, or transgenic meat as we know it outside of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future. Short of a trip to McDonald’s, you probably won’t find “chicken” with the proper spongy texture, but a good chicken nugget isn’t difficult to make and the people you’re feeding them to will appreciate that you’re concerned about things like that. Try this Buffalo version, and get a little back story on ChickieNobs if you’re unfamiliar. (Warning: You will never feel the same about chicken nuggets. Apologies in advance.)

Spoo

If you’re a fan of Babylon 5 then you already know that herd-traveling spoo worms are the most universally loved and reviled species in the universe. But man, they taste great… according to aliens. Over at Tor, Jason Henninger has devised a pair of recipes for Earthbound spoo. They’re far more appetizing than “meat Jello,” which is how spoo has been described, and that must mean that they taste better than actual spoo. Win!

Soylent Green

If you thought you were getting out of here without reading “Soylent Green is people!”, you were wrong. But we’ll let you go easy on this one: Soylent Green Crackers exist, they’re for sale, and we’re reasonably certain they do not contain people. If you’re into the DIY route, try these easy spinach crackers. Set them out with some hummus and veggies and you’ve got yourself a no-fail sci-fi setup.

Drink

Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

When Zaphod Beeblebrox invented his famous drink, he (and Douglas Adams) probably never intended for us to mimic it. But they should have known that no towel-carrying hoopy frood can have a party without very carefully sipping one evenly sized Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. An easy Earth approximation follows, but there are many variations. Choose whichever makes you feel most like you’ve had your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick.
To a chilled glass with two or three ice cubes, add one part each (of your favorite brand): Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Gin, Orange juice, Lemon juice, Coca-Cola. Drop in an olive and drink… very carefully.

Butterbeer

If you’re going to be home from Hogwarts for the holidays, you should probably get some butterbeer a-brewing. (Unless you’re going to Universal Orlando soon, where you can just buy a cup). While Universal isn’t giving away any recipes and J.K. Rowling insists there’s no real-world predicate, a few enterprising Potterheads have put together these ten variations on the theme. (#2 is the one I would go with, methinks.) The easiest recommendation is just to mix some butterscotch syrup into a glass of cold cream soda, but for best results you should try one that incorporates a bit of butterscotch schnapps.

Slurm

I saw you cringe. Listen, Slurm is highly addictive, it’s true. And it comes from the business end of a giant, fabulous worm, I know. But it’s all natural and apparently quite tasty, and those are features we can work with. So goes the thinking behind this interpretation from YouTube duo, feastoffiction, which is super-simple and bound to create a couple of new addicts. (Bonus Bachelor Chow recipe, too, no dog food included.)

What’s one food from pop culture that you always wanted to try? Any recipe recommendations?

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Man Finds His Doppelganger at Philadelphia Museum of Art

Man Finds His Doppelganger at Philadelphia Museum of Art:
The painting, "Portrait of a Nobleman with Duelling Gauntlet" (1562) by an anonymous artist, bears an uncanny resemblance to New Jersey man.

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#424 Brun

#424 Brun:

Count Ketchup spread head

Count Ketchup spread head:

The Count Ketchup looks a bit horrifying! But it's easy to use. Users simply squeeze the bottle and ..(Read...)

John Keats’s Porridge: The Favorite Recipes of Beloved Poets

It was a good soccer match...

Canning Meatloaf Balls

Be Wary of Pickpocket Warning Signs (and Other Tips to Avoid Getting Pickpocketed)

Be Wary of Pickpocket Warning Signs (and Other Tips to Avoid Getting Pickpocketed):

Expert thieves have a lot of tricks up their sleeves to rob hapless travelers and natives. If you want to be less of a target for pickpockets, Gene Turner, "America's friendliest pickpocket entertainer," offers several tips, including being wary of pickpocket warnings. More »

The Glass of Fashion

The Glass of Fashion: I found this amusing but informative booklet inside a Winslow Homer art book. It's titled "How To Be Best Dressed Anywhere" and it was put out by The News Corp. sometime in the 1950s, I would guess. Take a look:

-Click to enlarge photos-