Easily digestible tech news... http://www.techdirt.com/ en-us http://www.techdirt.com/images/td-88x31.gifhttp://www.techdirt.com/ Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:00:00 PDT Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100408/0928168935/dailydirt-making-memories.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100408/0928168935/dailydirt-making-memories.shtml forget. Here are just a few interesting links on making (and un-making) some memories.

• People with superior autobiographical memory can remember an amazing amount, but they're not savants, nor do they have photographic memories or use common memory tricks. Many of them also exhibit obsessive-compulsive tendencies, but researchers have only extensively studied about a dozen subjects with this ability so far. [url]
• Currently, implanting false memories in lab mice involves some combination of genetic engineering, boxes, electrical shocks, brain implants and drug injections, and these procedures aren't recommended for humans (yet). Ten points for re-writing that sentence as a Tom Swifty. [url]
• Erasing painful memories could be helpful for some people, but if reliable techniques are developed to make people forget certain events, what would people choose to remove? Therapeutic forgetting has some obvious benefits, but there could be unintended consequences for criminal trials and witness testimonies. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100408/0928168935 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100302/1024488362/dailydirt-misty-water-colored-memories.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100302/1024488362/dailydirt-misty-water-colored-memories.shtml

Older brains don't remember stuff as well as younger brains because the pathways leading to the hippocampus degrade over time. Now we just need to figure out how to rejuvenate those connections -- or grow completely new ones. [url]

The "doorway effect" is a fairly common phenomenon in which you walk into another room and then realize you've forgotten why you're there. The effect works in virtual environments as well as in real life, but don't blame the doorway -- it's more likely that your brain is pre-programmed to purge your working memory after a triggering event. [url]

Connecting our brains to computers could, if done right, extend our memories and computational abilities. Some predictions say it'll happen in about 100 years, or maybe sometime in 2100. [url]

To discover more interesting articles on the human mind, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100302/1024488362 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 PDT Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110215/19431113118/dailydirt-stuff-that-literally-changes-way-we-think.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110215/19431113118/dailydirt-stuff-that-literally-changes-way-we-think.shtml

Experiments with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) can turn people into Rain-Man-esque idiot savants. There's a new movie adaptation for Flowers for Algernon somewhere here.... [url]

Metaphors are influential to how we interpret and understand all kinds of concepts. Hopefully, the "planetary" description of atomic structures is being phased out in science. [url]

Monogamy in mammals could be turned on/off with some chemicals. Pharma labs are probably working on love potions that don't involve little blue pills. [url]

One of these "love" chemicals, oxytocin, can also make people more trusting and cooperative. Results may vary. If gullibility lasts more than 4 hours, consult a doctor. [url]

To discover more interesting articles on the human mind, check out what's currently floating around the StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20110215/19431113118 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110104/13410312517/dailydirt-mind-body-interactions.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110104/13410312517/dailydirt-mind-body-interactions.shtml

Stress might be able to affect your genes. So far, just yeast cells have been shown to have genes changed by stress. Maybe larger organisms' genes are affected by stress, too? [url]

In a 1997 survey, 18 million Americans reported having a near death experience (NDE)... and neurologists are studying the states of consciousness that can "blend" during an NDE. They might figure out how Inception really works while they're at it. [url]

Conquer your fears and self-doubts with acceptance. Easier said than done! [url]

Does ESP exist for predicting sexy pictures? Statistics don't lie... err, yes they do all the time. Guessing something right 53% of the time doesn't sound like ESP. [url]

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]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20110104/13410312517 Thu, 23 Dec 2010 17:00:00 PST Michael Ho http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101220/19084512345/dailydirt-playing-tricks-with-mind.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101220/19084512345/dailydirt-playing-tricks-with-mind.shtml

A woman who knows no fear has been studied at the University of Iowa. Researchers say, "It is quite remarkable that she is still alive." [url]

One Vietnamese man hasn't slept in decades. Unfortunately, he doesn't like taking MRIs, so it's tough to say what's going on with him. [url]

A few people have really really good memories. Not being able to forget things doesn't quite seem like a comic book superpower, but maybe it should be. [url]

Harvard researchers show that the placebo effect works even when patients are told they're being given sugar pills. This study actually just proves how bad doctors are at running control experiments (... or maybe that some patients really don't trust anything a doctor tells them.) [url]

Transcranial magnetic stimulation sounds like a cool way to turn off parts of your brain. But becoming an idiot savant probably isn't as appealing as it sounds. [url]

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