Sunday, January 30, 2011

Assorted Links

1) The Neuroscience of Music. Gripping article. A bit says: "Why does music make us feel? On the one hand, music is a purely abstract art form, devoid of language or explicit ideas. The stories it tells are all subtlety and subtext. And yet, even though music says little, it still manages to touch us deep, to tickle some universal nerves. When listening to our favorite songs, our body betrays all the symptoms of emotional arousal. The pupils in our eyes dilate, our pulse and blood pressure rise, the electrical conductance of our skin is lowered, and the cerebellum, a brain region associated with bodily movement, becomes strangely active." You can read the rest here.

2) Napoleon Dynamite, your ligers are real, apparently! Read here.

3) When scientists drink on the job, discoveries are made, apparently.... This is good! Read here.

4)My first reaction upon reading this was what, what?!' The name of the product is Crown Jewels: Condoms of Distinction. The new product was inspired by Prince Williams & Kate's upcoming nuptials. A bit says: "Combining the strength of a Prince with the yielding sensitivity of a Princess-to-be, Crown Jewels condoms promise a royal union of pleasure. Truly a King amongst Condoms."

No, I'm not joking. Read more here. Tip of the hat to Tyler Cowan for the pointer.

2 comments:

Sra said...

There is a stuffed Liger at Utah's Hogle Zoo. Apparently it lived there once, but it's been dead and stuffed ever since I was young. It's kind of creepy.

On the subject of wine and scientists: I remember reading somewhere that the guy who thought up the concept of DNA as a double helix was on acid at the time.

That tacky condom thing reminds me of Old Glory Condom Corp. ("Make Love, Not War"). They were once denied trademark registration for their american flag condom logo, because it was "scandalous".

nk-aquarius said...

Music is older than human civilization.