Reed Me : brain

I would’ve blogged this yesterday, but...

reedme — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:12:32 GMT

I got distracted. Heh.

The Brain: Stop Paying Attention: Zoning Out Is a Crucial Mental State

I’m not sure I buy the “inebriated zone out less” theory, though. Oh, if I read more carefully, it looks like the researchers agree:

But when we are drunk, that figure doubles. In other words, inebriated subjects report less mind wandering only because they are less aware of their own minds.

I guess I should pay closer attention. Meh.

What will be interesting to me is when they apply this research to:

Autism
Education

In both cases, I think that there are some very interesting lessons to be learned for parents and teachers.

If you finish reading the entire article...

reedme — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:56:49 GMT

If you actually manage to read all the way through the entire article (the first time):

The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation -- New York Magazine

My hypothesis is that:

You need more caffeine in your diet.
You need a [new] job.
A life.
All of the above.

I *think* I got to page 3 before another shiny object caught my attention. It might’ve been an IM or a txt or a tweet. Who knows?

All I know is that unless I close Outlook, Live Messenger, Office Communicator, Internet Explorer, turn off my cell and office phones and plug White Zombie (or its equivalent) into the Zune upwards of 11 on the volume slider, I can’t concentrate enough to get anything meaningful done...

Meh.

Does censorship work as expected?

reedme — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:16:23 GMT

Tihs g0t m3 th1nklng…

Ars Technica, which reported on the patent both when Microsoft applied for it in 2004 as well as now that it has been granted, notes that the technology could be used for more than just censoring profanity, suggesting that perhaps China or another government would want it employed for other phrases, such as Tibet or free speech. Microsoft gets bleeping patent (news.cnet.com)

W3 konw taht t#e hmuan barin is a gaert ptteran mtachnig mchaine, rgiht?

We all know know what the *bleep* stands for because of the context it’s used in. Profanyms are just polite self-bleeps that we insert instead of using Full Strength® profanity… Bleeping out Tibet in news reporting (or Palin, for another timely US-oriented example) won’t change what the news consumers understand. Listeners will still get the full message, plus the added meaning of naughtiness, unless it’s so badly redacted that it carries no meaning whatsoever.

Rather than worry about censors using technology, I think we should be worrying about making sure that those who “might” be subject to censorship still have the technology to communicate!