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So, Lis's birthday is tomorrow.
Jun. 20th, 2012 01:32 pmI still have no clue what I'm doing for Lis's birthday. She's going to be The Answer To Life, The Universe, and Everything, so I ought to do SOMETHING.
Jun. 20th, 2012
Cats are aloof. And independent.
Jun. 20th, 2012 02:28 pmSo, it being very hot, I took a nap midday today. Nicky saw me lie down on the daybed, walked over to me, lay down next to me, and snuggled into my side.
He's like that. Any time I take a nap, he curls up next to me, rolls in, rests his head on my upper arm, looks up, and licks my face, then snuggles down and goes to sleep.
This is because cats are so aloof and aren't affectionate or anything like that.
He's like that. Any time I take a nap, he curls up next to me, rolls in, rests his head on my upper arm, looks up, and licks my face, then snuggles down and goes to sleep.
This is because cats are so aloof and aren't affectionate or anything like that.
In a recent episode of RadioLab about Guts, they reported on a recent finding that massive doses of lactobacillus can lead to a calming effect during stress. At least, in mice. But some initial studies suggest that it might hold true for humans, too.
We've got, what, three pounds of non-us bacteria living within us? And we know that they have various symbiotic relationships with us, helping us digest food, and stuff like that -- but this suggests that gut bacteria can have effects on our personality. I mean, sure, the toxoplasmosis parasite can have effects on our personality, but that lives in the brain. Now we find out that things that live in our gut might, too?
It's becoming clearer and clearer that the very notion of "me" is not as clear as one might think it is. A person is a committee of not only our own glands and endocrine system, but apparently some of the critters that are just along for the ride get a vote, too.
So, let's say you upload your mind to a computer.
Then what?
Without your own personal mix of neurotransmitters and glandular stuff, it's not going to act like you. And, apparently, if you don't get the extra flora and fauna living within you right, too, it's ALSO not going to be you.
The more I learn about people, the less I know. The more I find out, the more complicated we seem. I just can't imagine that simply duplicating someone's brain would actually make a copy of the person, any more.
We've got, what, three pounds of non-us bacteria living within us? And we know that they have various symbiotic relationships with us, helping us digest food, and stuff like that -- but this suggests that gut bacteria can have effects on our personality. I mean, sure, the toxoplasmosis parasite can have effects on our personality, but that lives in the brain. Now we find out that things that live in our gut might, too?
It's becoming clearer and clearer that the very notion of "me" is not as clear as one might think it is. A person is a committee of not only our own glands and endocrine system, but apparently some of the critters that are just along for the ride get a vote, too.
So, let's say you upload your mind to a computer.
Then what?
Without your own personal mix of neurotransmitters and glandular stuff, it's not going to act like you. And, apparently, if you don't get the extra flora and fauna living within you right, too, it's ALSO not going to be you.
The more I learn about people, the less I know. The more I find out, the more complicated we seem. I just can't imagine that simply duplicating someone's brain would actually make a copy of the person, any more.
About drinking water:
Jun. 20th, 2012 08:39 pmI know a fair number of people who think that 1. bottled water is basically a scam (I pretty much agree), and 2. filtering tap water is kind of silly (although nothing like bottled water)
If you are in Category 2, of feeling that it's kinda silly to filter your perfectly safe tap water, I have a question: to you, does filtered and unfiltered tap water taste the same? If so, where do you live?
I mean, sure, if you live in New York City, home of the best tasting tap water in the United States, or Rome, home of some of the best tasting tap water in the world, or Wayland, MA, where my parents live, which, for some reason, has their own wells just for that town, and the tap water is almost as good as NYC or Rome. . . sure, in THOSE places, I'd agree that filtering tap water is maybe silly.
What about other places? Is filtered and unfiltered water basically the same where you live?
If you are in Category 2, of feeling that it's kinda silly to filter your perfectly safe tap water, I have a question: to you, does filtered and unfiltered tap water taste the same? If so, where do you live?
I mean, sure, if you live in New York City, home of the best tasting tap water in the United States, or Rome, home of some of the best tasting tap water in the world, or Wayland, MA, where my parents live, which, for some reason, has their own wells just for that town, and the tap water is almost as good as NYC or Rome. . . sure, in THOSE places, I'd agree that filtering tap water is maybe silly.
What about other places? Is filtered and unfiltered water basically the same where you live?