BRAIN SEX

just another interesting British documentary. this one is about the physiological differences of the brain depending on gender. i thought the part about the size of ones ring finger in relation to prenatal testosterone levels especially interesting.

its approximately 50 minutes long.




UPDATE: i found 2 more videos from the BBC's 'Secrets of The Sexes' series. this one is about a study into attraction:



this one is a study about love:

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

the human brain is an amazing machine.
any real research on what we know about it shows how truly ignorant we still are. we're the most intelligent species on the planet, responsible for countless achievements and capable of so many spectacular things, and yet the principle organ that runs us is still so mysterious.

i found this video of an episode of a show called "Horizons" which airs on the BBC. it deals with the effects of confined isolation and sensory deprivation on the mind. i find it totally fascinating. makes one wonder which is actually more inhumane - solitary confinement or the death penalty.

is it more of a punishment to destroy one's mind or one's body?

PLANET QUARK

one time, when i was a boy, my dad offered a suggestion to help me fall asleep. my issue wasn't so much of a rebellion against bedtime but an overactive brain. dad told me i needed to stop thinking. he told me to close my eyes and think of the color black, like i'm suspended in an infinite sea of blackness. sure enough, before long, i was out.

about a week ago, i was lying in bed, exhausted and kicking the blankets in a mixture of confusion and frustration. i couldn't sleep. i closed my eyes and tried my dad's trick. as i focused on the darkness behind my eyelids, i imagined myself moving beyond the light spots that are forever in my periphery. seeking only black. mentally, i was moving forward into the endless void. i stopped thinking of black and just drifted. until it all backfired and i started thinking...

as i floated through an infinite fantasy, i thought of the quark.

an atom is, as far as we know, almost entirely empty space. a hydrogen atom is (i had to look this up) approximately 1/10,000,000th of a millimeter in diameter. the proton in the center of that atom is approximately 1/100,000th the size of the atom. the sole electron orbiting the proton is 1/1,000,000th the size of the atom. the distance between these two particles is enormous. to help grasp the scale, if an electron was as big as i am, the proton i circled would be almost 60,000 miles away.

these aren't even the smallest parts. they're made of smaller things. enter the quark.

the behavior of both atoms and galaxies are fairly similar. at least when you break it down to its simplest. the electron spins around the nucleus like the moon around the earth. like planets around our sun. like our solar system around the center of our galaxy. like our galaxies around yada, yada, yada... and on and on and on. there isn't a whole lot of difference between the big bang and the splitting of an atom, short of scale.

so, if we were all quarks, we couldn't comprehend something larger than an atom. it would be like how we can't comprehend something larger than the universe.

what if the universe, the biggest thing we can imagine, is actually like the atom - a finite piece of a much bigger puzzle that's simply too grand for our scope?

what if the we're just quarks hitching a ride?

i'm sure that any intellectual analysis of this idea of absurd insignificance would crumble it to it's foundation. i see holes in the logic already. i can't claim to be a scientist or a mathematician or a physicist. just a guy lost in a tangent of thought. still, the notion perplexed me for hours as i lay in my tiny bed, in my tiny room, trying to think of black.

2007: THE TOP NOTCH

once again, its the close of a year and the birth of a crisp new calendar.
what lies below is cliche, i know. another typical summary of the year just passed. more best of lists. blah, blah, blah, right? honestly, i was hesitant to throw in my two cents. i'm hardly an expert or any sort of professional critic. that said, here's my personal top lists for 2007, in case you missed anything or just want recommendations for your next trip to Blockbuster or Best Buy.

TOP 7 BEST FILMS

1. Ratatouille - it was a toss up for the top two slots. in the end, it came down to the fact that i can't really find any flaws with this movie. the skill of the artist is a spectacle (as is with all Pixar's work to date) that sucks you into an imagined Paris. Brad Bird (writer/director of this and two of my other favorite animated movies of all time, The Incredibles and The Iron Giant), possibly the best writer and director for animated feature in the business, does it again. i reviewed it here shortly after seeing it in theaters.
   
2. No Country For Old Men - finally, the Coen brothers made a film that lives up to their potential after a couple of lack luster movies. it cleverly tells the story of an aging sheriff yet makes him a secondary character to a story about the evolution of evil personified. its a movie that sticks with you and makes you think about it's layer upon layer of subtle themes, it's sparse soundtrack, it's beautiful cinematography (Roger Deakins, D.O.P.) and perfect casting choices.
   
3. Superbad - the best of the low brow comedies this year from Judd Apatow and company. its not only laugh out loud funny throughout (every scene with McLovin and the cops was gold), but the best and most accurate portrayal of high school kids i've ever seen in a mainstream teen comedy.
   
4. The Darjeeling Limited - not Wes Anderson's best film, but still worthy of its place in the top list. its less of a story than it is a character analysis. his work leans more in that direction with each subsequent movie. still, it pulls you in with all its quirkiness and Anderson's beautiful cinematography and almost religious attention to detail.
   
5. 300 - as varied as the reviews for this movie were, it was a bold display of the capabilities of computer generated imagery in a live action movie. beautifully stylized and as visually jaw dropping as anything since the first Matrix movie (and The Matrix even had the benefit of getting credit for their bullet time special effect, which they stole from Michel Gondry and passed off as their own innovation) or the other Arthur Miller project, Sin City.
   
6. Into The Wild - i was eager to see this movie as it was adapted from one of my favorite books. its sort of an On The Road for generation x. the beauty, majesty and freedom of abandoning the material world and reconnected with nature strikes a cord within me and Sean Penn's treatment did the book justice, both aesthetically and thematically.
7. American Gangster - primarily here for the acting performance of Denzel and the gritty, based-on-true-events vibe that Ridley Scott brings to the table.
   

VERY HONORABLE MENTIONS: there's a handful of movies worthy of mentioning, but i'll limit it to two films that have just been released to theaters but I haven't had the chance to see yet. trust that i will, a.s.a.p. Juno is the second movie from director Jason Reitman, who's debut film ('Thank You For Smoking') was both refreshingly original and artfully done. There Will Be Blood is the newest film from director P.T. Anderson, one of my favorite director. its only in limited release and already being heralded as a big contender for the all the major awards. additionally, it stars the always magnificent Daniel Day-Lewis and a soundtrack by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, which segues perfectly to...

TOP 7 BEST ALBUMS

1. Radiohead's "In Rainbows" - my favorite band made big news this year. out of nowhere, they announce that their next album is done and will be release in approximately a week for download. their asking price? whatever you want to pay. and the best part is that its turned out to be the best studio recording since OK Computer, finally marrying their electronic manipulations with their rock music songwriting sensibilities in a perfect balance. then, when you thought it couldn't get any better, 8 bonus tracks came out earlier this month, just to sweeten the pot.
   
2. Menomena's "Friend & Foe" - i've listened to these 12 tracks more than any other this past year. if you're a regular visitor to the combustible engineer, this should come as no surprise. if not, check out my album review here and my thoughts on seeing them live (for the second time) here.
   
3. Bjork's "Volta" - the amazing thing about my little icelandic princess is her ability to continually be new and unique. she harbors no fear for the experimental. though i wouldn't call this her best, its the fastest and most aggressive since Post. big fat heavy beats a plenty and a voice comparable to none.
   
4. Elliott Smith's "New Moon" - the saddest and arguably most talented indie singer songwriter for nearly a decade. his mysterious suicide brought an end, but he left behind a vault of unreleased material and unused b-sides. New Moon compiled most of these from '94-'97, and though they are primarily b-sides, the emotions and songwriting that he put out is evident and sorely missed.
   
5. The Shins' "Wincing The Night Away" - James Mercer writes some of the most poetic lyrics in indie music today. "Wincing..." shows the boys developing much fuller arrangements and even straying a bit from their polished folk-rock ways. every time you hear it, you'll like it more, plus, its an album you can recommend to your mother.
   
6. Battles' "Mirrored" - Battles' instrumental debut LP is the soundtrack of an art party. groove heavy with lots of computer assistance. it took a few listens to grow on me, especially for me to get over a semi irritating synthesized vocal trick, but it pays off in the end.
7. Amy Winehouse's "Back To Black" - they say you need the right life experiences to truly sing the blues or to belt out true soul and i have no doubts that Amy has lived through some of the worst of it. her open drug use and 70's biker chick image make that pretty clear.

VERY HONORABLE MENTIONS: Caribou's "Andorra" - a modern and melodic ode to the psychedelic 60's. The National's "Boxer" - not as rockin' as their last album, "Alligator", but it makes me imagine a cross breed of The Shins and Joy Division. The Good, The Bad & The Queen's "The Good, The Bad & The Queen" - while i love this album and have been known to keep it on my iPod for long stretches at a time, there's a handful of so-so songs keeping it out of the top 7. The White Stripes' "Icky Thump" - jack and meg put forth another great effort. Bloc Party's "A Weekend In The City" - if it lacks anything, its the catchiness of their debut. Arcade Fire's "Neon Bible" - a strong sophomore album that needs to be heard as whole to appreciate it. Liars' "Liars" - there most accessible album to date from a band who keep defying all expectation. Explosions In The Sky's "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" - another great post-rock disc from one of the best in the genre. Wu Tang Clan's "8 Diagrams" - Rza's production is less grimey and the album is bit more musical and melodic overall.

TOP 7 BEST SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS:

1. Global Warming Research - a team of climate researching scientists and Al Gore shared the Nobel peace prize this year for their work in studying and raising popular awareness to the imprint of mankind on the environment. this finally forced the U.N., many world powers and a lot of skeptics to finally take this issue seriously and consider what changes need to be implemented to reverse, or at least slow down the damage we're doing.
2. Stem Cells - bogged down and held back for years by religious zealots, a team of Japanese geneticist have successfully been able to bypass all the controversy. they've reverted skin cells into their unlimited state, so they act as foundation building stem cells. this had just recently been announced so the true aftermath of their work isn't yet evident, but hopefully, work into the research of stem cells can continue again at full steam.
3. New Animals - call it evidence of widespread ADD among biologists, evolutionary mutation or just some creatures highly skilled at hide and seek. this year many new species were discovered. the Mangabay is a tree swinging monkey in Africa. there's a new clouded leopard in Borneo. a toad with black and purple rings. a new giant squid with fins like elephant ears and giant rats in New Guinea that get as big as small dogs.
4. Giant Bird Dinosaur - a prehistoric bid bird finally explains a little more about the mysterious Snuffalupagus. archaeologists found the largest bird dinosaur in Mongolia. its theorized that many dinosaurs evolved from reptiles into birds and these fossils help bridge some evolutionary gaps. the largest bird dinosaur before this discovery was about the size of a horse. this new/old beast, called the Gigantoraptor, is almost 16 feet tall (equal to the tyranosaurus rex) and looks like a cross between the velosiraptors from Jurassic Park and an ostrich.
   
5. Earth II - a planetoid has been discovered approximately 20 light years away near Gliese. Its believed to have water in its liquid state and temperatures similar to our own planet. in other words, it seems to possess the same building blocks that made life possible here.
6. The Chimpanzee Stone Age - researchers observed wild chimps making tools and weapons and using them for hunting for the first time. remember when we made the wheel?
7. Pluto Demoted - Pluto was discovered to be much less massive than previously thought, knocking it's stauts from hefty planet to mere planetoid.

...look for my worst of 2007 list, coming very soon!

ARTIFICIAL LIFE

here's an excerpt of an interesting article i read yesterday. its amazing what this research could potentially produce, and by the sounds of it, within the very near future. i was aware of the miller-urey experiments and some other biochemical research on amino acids and their part in the foundations of early organic molecules, but this is gargantuan leaps and bounds ahead of that. the greatest unknown still on this planet is on the verge of discovery.

Artificial Life Likely in 3 to 10 Years

Aug 19 11:52 PM US/Eastern

"Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they're getting closer. Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of "wet artificial life." "It's going to be a big deal and everybody's going to know about it," said Mark Bedau, chief operating officer of ProtoLife of Venice, Italy, one of those in the race. "We're talking about a technology that could change our world in pretty fundamental ways—in fact, in ways that are impossible to predict."

That first cell of synthetic life—made from the basic chemicals in DNA—may not seem like much to non-scientists. For one thing, you'll have to look in a microscope to see it. "Creating protocells has the potential to shed new light on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."

And several scientists believe man-made life forms will one day offer the potential for solving a variety of problems, from fighting diseases to locking up greenhouse gases to eating toxic waste..."

SETH BORENSTEIN
WASHINGTON (AP)

quite frankly, i'm pretty shocked to only be hearing about this now. i would have thought this would've been huge news. even more surprising is that i've learned about it from an unbiased article interviewing some of the leading scientific researchers and not from any one of the major religions who have got to be sweating it out about all of this. i'd have thought that they'd have tried to make a preemptive strike against these advances like they did with stem cell research or with cloning.

...just something to ponder...

THE INK DIET

"hello!"

"i'm dr. tyler. i've recently developed a new weight loss plan that people are talking about nationwide! excited? well, you should be! it has been hollywood's best kept secret...until now! so sit back, get comfortable and prepare yourself for..."

"The Ink Diet!"

"someone great probably once said 'the great achievements require only great motivation.' hell, sounds pretty profound, right? some of the biggest success stories in history were brought upon by some driving force. desperation. fighting for a better life. easing hardship. recovering from poverty. the simple struggle to survive. and the stronger the motivation, the better the result."

"not so long ago, while sitting pool side by the solarium of my plush estate one sunny afternoon, i got to thinking. then, suddenly, it struck me like an uppercut from the mighty hercules himself! i quickly assembled all the scientists i knew. now, with nearly 5 hours of restless work concluded, i'm ready to share my results with the public! we've devised a new diet plan based off of this motivational principle. i've titled it..."

"The Ink Diet!"

"obesity in america has become a enormous problem (pun intended). every year it seems to be worse then its predessessor. everyone knows how to lose weight. intake less calories then you burn and exercise more. simple, right? or is it? the problem lies in the drive. who's with me on that one? alright, let's hear it! you folks in the back know what i'm talking about!!"

"...but right now, i'm prepared to propose an exclusive offer brought to you with the help of McDonald's, makers of the succulent, mouth watering, all beef Big Mac. make it Mac tonight! this is a limited time offer, so rush to that phone! you'll need to act fast! for just 16 simple payments of $29.95, i'll provide the drive for you. that's right! motivate yourself no longer!!!"

"...and it couldn't be easier. here's my patented Ink Diet (in 3 easy steps)*:

• choose a design from a catalog (included in the package!!!)**
• using a photo of your bare abdomen and advanced computer technology, i'll create a digital 3-D model of your belly as it would appear at your goal weight. i'll then place the design in the 'target zone'. with the help of space age technology, i'll animate this slender version of you into the hefty body you now occupy, all the while, distorting your hand picked design with the changing form as though it were a part of your ACTUAL SKIN. then, i'll arrange for my skilled team to permanently tattoo the newly deformed artwork on your stomach.
• motivated by the urge to show off your new ink, yet embarassed by its seemingly poor execution, you'll swiftly muster the self discipline you need to shed those unwanted pounds.

"don't just take my word for it. see the results for yourself!"

Christina A.
BEFORE AND AFTER

Gwyneth P.
BEFORE AND AFTER

"it couldn't be easier. in virtually no time, you'll quickly receive our tattoo design catalog***. simply make your choice and then watch that cellulite fall off."

YOU CHOOSE IT, THEN YOU LOSE IT!!!

YOU'LL BE LOOKING YOUR BEST AND YOU'LL BE HIP TO BOOT, OR YOUR MONEY BACK!****

*(plan not legally patented)
**(catalog sold separately)
***(catalog shipped after receipt of all payments. allow additional 6-8 weeks shipping)
****(not a guarantee. no refunds will be granted)

FINE TUNING MY DOUBLE HELIX

hip, hip hooray for modern science!

the brainiacs have mapped out the human genome. we now have a fully detailed blueprint of the double helix that is homo-sapien. they are currently utilizing this information to get to the root of diseases, to get to the base of what make us what we are, and that's swell. really, kudos to them. still, i'd like to think that somewhere there is an outcast group of genetic engineers working on splicing genes from animals into humans. its 'how to make superheros 101', people. spider man, for instance, was nothing more than a spider-human cross breed. aqua man swam with the fishes, chatted with them even. hawk man...you get the point. so this post is for them.

i've got some ideas i'd like to share.

1. Wings - eagle wings, bat wings, dragon fly wings. whatever. i'm not picky. if it results in me being able to stay in midair for as long as i want, i'm cool with it.

2. Gills - i'll admit, they may be a bit unsightly, but it's a sacrifice i'd be willing to make. the oceans cover most of our planet and we still don't know a whole lot about them. biologists discover new animals in the sea all the time. plus, we haven't had a worthy and notable explorer since Magellan. it wouldn't be so much for me, more for the sake of humanity.

3. Chameleon Skin - i'm sick and tired of running from predators.

4. Super Vision - hawks and eagles would make for terrific donors. i have a friend who i'm nearly certain will soon discover she can see microwaves. i, too, would like this ability. hummingbirds can see a broader range of the visible spectrum, including ultraviolet. i'm not sure how i could take advantage of it yet. let me worry about that afterward.

5. Shark Teeth - again, maybe not that attractive a feature, but it would be nice to never need a steak knife again, or really any cutting tools at all. dentist visits would be a thing of the past. cavity? chipped tooth? yank that sucker out! there's 20 more behind waiting to bite stuff.

6. Ultrasound Skills - bats, dolphins and whales use it like radar to map their surroundings in a radius of up to hundreds of miles. you could "see" around solid objects. vision is far too limited these days. i feel i need something more, like sonar.

7. Cheetah Legs - i could sell my car and save tons of loot on gas if i could just run 70 m.p.h. in addition, we wouldn't have to endure any more geico advertisements.

8. Ant Strength - they can lift ten times their own body weight. that means a 200 lb. man could lift a ton with ease. we could hammer nails with our fists. no jar would ever be tough to open. sports would be far more interesting. i could throw out all my nut crackers, or i would if i had any.

9. Octopus Flexibility - i've seen an octopus the size of a watermelon get through a hole the size of a baseball. with this sort of contortion, people would be fighting for the middle spot in the backseat, making shotgun all the more easier for me to secure.

10. Monkey Tail - i think its slender enough to tuck away for a day at the office, and then break out at night for some tree swinging fun. i'd use mine all the time. it'd be like having a third arm. also, this would crank up my balance points big time.

GET ON IT, SCIENTISTS!
i'm available sundays for medical testing.