"My yoga classes are going great."
How Do We Select What to Pay Attention to?
How do we select which sounds to pay attention to? When we walk down a street we ignore the sounds of cars passing by, the gossip of people, and on, but we pay attention to a short, sharp whistle. Even little children know the sound of the ice cream truck.
Psychologists have been trying to find out how we select some things over others. Our brains record everything. Hypnosis has shown this to be true. We could not possibly take note of everything around us. Attention allocation operates by combining two functions: the predictive principle and the uncertainty principle.
The predictive principle is logical in that the brain searches for the more meaningful from the background "noise".
With the uncertainty principle the brain looks for the unusual, the odd thing out.
Animal research has shown that they do use both principles. However, tests on humans had clearly shown the predictive principle at work but not uncertainly. New tests show humans use a variant of the uncertainty principle called negative transfer. This involves ignoring new associations (outcomes) to a cue once a particular association has been learned. In other words new associations take longer to register in humans. The more "severe" the new association the quicker the uncertainty principle kicks in.
Psychologists have been trying to find out how we select some things over others. Our brains record everything. Hypnosis has shown this to be true. We could not possibly take note of everything around us. Attention allocation operates by combining two functions: the predictive principle and the uncertainty principle.
The predictive principle is logical in that the brain searches for the more meaningful from the background "noise".
With the uncertainty principle the brain looks for the unusual, the odd thing out.
Animal research has shown that they do use both principles. However, tests on humans had clearly shown the predictive principle at work but not uncertainly. New tests show humans use a variant of the uncertainty principle called negative transfer. This involves ignoring new associations (outcomes) to a cue once a particular association has been learned. In other words new associations take longer to register in humans. The more "severe" the new association the quicker the uncertainty principle kicks in.
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Society
Plastic Resin Pellets Pollute Western Australian Beaches
Western Australian beaches are in the throws of an ecological disaster. Tiny pellets of plastic resin are in the environment which absorb industrial chemicals particularly pesticides. The pellets are a bi-product of plastic drink bottle manufacturing.
There is real danger that Bisphenol A will create estrogen leading to infertility. Bisphenol A was first found in plastic in the 1950s. Such plastic is now found everywhere. It is not known how or even if marine animals consume the plastic. Other chemicals, many estrogenic, are put into bottle plastic for flexibility, color and other properties. The chemicals are not fully absorbed in the plastic, so they migrate to the surface and escape. It was established several years ago that PCBs, DDT and HCH chemicals. all hormone disruptors. were in plastic resin pellets.
Australia is playing a "waiting game", watching to see what other countries do in regard to these pellets. Many people are not worrying because the pellets blend into the sand being small and a similar color. Stopping production in Australia will not do any good: many pellets drift here from other countries.
There is real danger that Bisphenol A will create estrogen leading to infertility. Bisphenol A was first found in plastic in the 1950s. Such plastic is now found everywhere. It is not known how or even if marine animals consume the plastic. Other chemicals, many estrogenic, are put into bottle plastic for flexibility, color and other properties. The chemicals are not fully absorbed in the plastic, so they migrate to the surface and escape. It was established several years ago that PCBs, DDT and HCH chemicals. all hormone disruptors. were in plastic resin pellets.
Australia is playing a "waiting game", watching to see what other countries do in regard to these pellets. Many people are not worrying because the pellets blend into the sand being small and a similar color. Stopping production in Australia will not do any good: many pellets drift here from other countries.
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Science
Aboriginals Had Knowledge of the Stars
Aboriginals had knowledge of movements of the Moon, Earth and Sun. This is not surprising. Ancient people had nothing better to do at night than to look up and note movements of those tiny spots of light. Apparently it was known that tides were linked to the moon and seasons came and went cyclically.
Aboriginal culture revolved around movements in the heavens. They used it for guidance on long hunting expeditions, for marriage ceremonies, and knowing when types of fruit would appear. Eclipses were bad news. They believed something bad would soon happen. This is probably due to the moon turning red, like blood, during an eclipse. Like ancient religions Aboriginals saw the heavens as a canopy held up by spiritual pillars
Human beings tend to interpret things in a similar way though they may be from different tribal groups or live in varied parts of the world. First there were many Gods, now there is one. This has happened as beliefs became factual knowledge over eons of time.
Aboriginal culture revolved around movements in the heavens. They used it for guidance on long hunting expeditions, for marriage ceremonies, and knowing when types of fruit would appear. Eclipses were bad news. They believed something bad would soon happen. This is probably due to the moon turning red, like blood, during an eclipse. Like ancient religions Aboriginals saw the heavens as a canopy held up by spiritual pillars
Human beings tend to interpret things in a similar way though they may be from different tribal groups or live in varied parts of the world. First there were many Gods, now there is one. This has happened as beliefs became factual knowledge over eons of time.
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Science
"Crocodile Headed" Dinosaur Found in Australia
A dinosaur with a head remarkably like modern crocodiles has been found in Australia. It didn't walk on all fours though. It stood upright on two legs like a T.rex. In the Cretaceous 146 million years ago they wandered over most of the Earth. This is the first time they have been found so far south.
It seems this group of dinosaurs, spinatosaurids, were really mobile. This find confirms that all dinosaurs travelled long distances populating great area of the planet. The fossils were overlooked since they were found in the 1990s. Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum London was examining samples at the Museum of Victoria. He noticed that the vertebra was the same as Baryonyx walkeri a long clawed spinatosaurid found in Europe.
A new look at other dinosaur specimens showed examples in old Gondwana which included Australia and Laurasia, so millions of year ago different species of dinosaur lived alongside each other right across the globe. At the end of the Cretaceous the land mass separated and species began to differentiate much more because of isolation.
It seems this group of dinosaurs, spinatosaurids, were really mobile. This find confirms that all dinosaurs travelled long distances populating great area of the planet. The fossils were overlooked since they were found in the 1990s. Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum London was examining samples at the Museum of Victoria. He noticed that the vertebra was the same as Baryonyx walkeri a long clawed spinatosaurid found in Europe.
A new look at other dinosaur specimens showed examples in old Gondwana which included Australia and Laurasia, so millions of year ago different species of dinosaur lived alongside each other right across the globe. At the end of the Cretaceous the land mass separated and species began to differentiate much more because of isolation.
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Science
Australia - Proprietor of Absolute Mechanical Beats Elderly Lady to the Ground
I received a disturbing email. I have checked the names of persons involved and the facts.
A motor car was taken into Absolute Mechanical, Beerburrum Road, Caboolture, Queensland for the air conditioning to be repaired. The business was off to a bad start by replacing two items in the air conditioning system that were already working perfectly. They couldn't understand why the system was still leaking badly. They then proceeded to remove the dash to test the evaporator. Removal of the dash was unnecessary because the evaporator can easily be checked for leaks by dying the gas, re-gassing and looking up from underneath the vehicle with the car on a hoist. After determining that the evaporator was indeed leaking they decided, "Oh heck we'll stop here the job is too tough." At no stage did the customer tell them not to continue.
In hindsight they were incapable of doing the job and should not have taken it on in the first place. They were very capable, however, of handing out the bill even though the air conditioning had not been repaired.
Not satisfied with their complete failure to complete the job they did the following damage to the car out of pure vindictiveness:
1) Intentionally smashed conduits, clips, globes and strengthening plastic inside the dash.
2) Cracked the dash fascia.
3) Discarded the boot opening relay because they broke the boot opening button inside the glove compartment; if the relay had been in position the boot would have been permanently open.
4) broke the illumination globe inside the radio.
On entering the office to pick up the vehicle the Proprietor set upon the 87 year lady beating her to the ground. She had to be taken to hospital for treatment. No action was taken because there was no "independent" witness. A relative was there but obviously his testimony didn't count. It seems to get action one has to get a complete stranger to come in from off the street to witness what goes on in a business office.
Claiming through Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) is too complicated and stressful for the lady whose health has deteriorated. This case shows how the public is at the mercy of predatory businesses.
A motor car was taken into Absolute Mechanical, Beerburrum Road, Caboolture, Queensland for the air conditioning to be repaired. The business was off to a bad start by replacing two items in the air conditioning system that were already working perfectly. They couldn't understand why the system was still leaking badly. They then proceeded to remove the dash to test the evaporator. Removal of the dash was unnecessary because the evaporator can easily be checked for leaks by dying the gas, re-gassing and looking up from underneath the vehicle with the car on a hoist. After determining that the evaporator was indeed leaking they decided, "Oh heck we'll stop here the job is too tough." At no stage did the customer tell them not to continue.
In hindsight they were incapable of doing the job and should not have taken it on in the first place. They were very capable, however, of handing out the bill even though the air conditioning had not been repaired.
Not satisfied with their complete failure to complete the job they did the following damage to the car out of pure vindictiveness:
1) Intentionally smashed conduits, clips, globes and strengthening plastic inside the dash.
2) Cracked the dash fascia.
3) Discarded the boot opening relay because they broke the boot opening button inside the glove compartment; if the relay had been in position the boot would have been permanently open.
4) broke the illumination globe inside the radio.
On entering the office to pick up the vehicle the Proprietor set upon the 87 year lady beating her to the ground. She had to be taken to hospital for treatment. No action was taken because there was no "independent" witness. A relative was there but obviously his testimony didn't count. It seems to get action one has to get a complete stranger to come in from off the street to witness what goes on in a business office.
Claiming through Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) is too complicated and stressful for the lady whose health has deteriorated. This case shows how the public is at the mercy of predatory businesses.
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Absolute Mechanical
Australian UFO Files Lost
Don't bother doing research on UFOs in Australia: the files have disappeared. The Sydney Morning Herald put in a freedom of information request to write a story. It is feared that the files have been destroyed. Data only remains for UFOs at Woomera.
It is not really a problem because the Australian Government stopped collecting new data in 2000. Much of the interesting stuff has already been published in books. UFO buffs are of course calling it a government conspiracy.
If there are aliens out there please make your presence known to all of us. It is so silly playing hide and seek. If you did visit our leaders it had no effect. They obviously feel you are not worth talking about.
It is not really a problem because the Australian Government stopped collecting new data in 2000. Much of the interesting stuff has already been published in books. UFO buffs are of course calling it a government conspiracy.
If there are aliens out there please make your presence known to all of us. It is so silly playing hide and seek. If you did visit our leaders it had no effect. They obviously feel you are not worth talking about.
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Society
Surely Australia Could Pay a Little More for a Cleaner Planet
It is so strange how support for Kevin Rudd's Emissions Trading Scheme has totally evaporated. Kevin Rudd rightly claims that his backing down from trying to pass the legislation cost him leadership of his party and the country, so great was public support for it then. Times have changed. With big rises in water charges and electricity charges across the country people just don't want a bar of it anymore.
The proof of global warming is considerable. Ice is disappearing from the North and South Poles. Those who still contend that it is made up just to get money out of the public must be living on another planet - in their minds at least. No one wants to be paying higher prices for essential items than consumers in other countries, but the world is changing. China is making major changes. to reduce pollution. Finland introduced the world's first carbon tax in 1990. That is two decades ago. Sweden followed in 1991. Great Britain brought in a climate change levy in 2001. Boulder in Colorado has had a carbon tax on electricity since 2007. There has been a tax on all fuels in Quebec from 2007. British Columbia initiated the most efficient carbon tax in 2008 with $10 tax per metric ton rising to $30 in 2012. So Australians would not be alone in paying higher prices.
Young Australian families today have never known hard times. Economies go in boom and bust cycles. Australia has been lucky in avoiding the busts due to a small population "owning" a tremendous resources base. It is the only country in the world with this economic advantage. Surely Australia can do it a little tougher and help show the way to a better world.
The proof of global warming is considerable. Ice is disappearing from the North and South Poles. Those who still contend that it is made up just to get money out of the public must be living on another planet - in their minds at least. No one wants to be paying higher prices for essential items than consumers in other countries, but the world is changing. China is making major changes. to reduce pollution. Finland introduced the world's first carbon tax in 1990. That is two decades ago. Sweden followed in 1991. Great Britain brought in a climate change levy in 2001. Boulder in Colorado has had a carbon tax on electricity since 2007. There has been a tax on all fuels in Quebec from 2007. British Columbia initiated the most efficient carbon tax in 2008 with $10 tax per metric ton rising to $30 in 2012. So Australians would not be alone in paying higher prices.
Young Australian families today have never known hard times. Economies go in boom and bust cycles. Australia has been lucky in avoiding the busts due to a small population "owning" a tremendous resources base. It is the only country in the world with this economic advantage. Surely Australia can do it a little tougher and help show the way to a better world.
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Society
Young Australian Student Discovers Missing Mass in the Universe
A young 22 year old Australian lady finds the answer to missing mass in the universe. Amelia Fraser-McKelvie is not even a post-graduate researcher. She is studying for an Aerospace Engineering/Science degree. She was in a research team when the mysterious substance showed up in her data.
In theory, there should be a lot more observable mass in our local universe. It was thought to be "hidden" in shoelace-like filaments. When the data were first analysed they were dismissed in the usual manner as not showing anything, but Amelia suggested they check it again and the strings were there for all to see in the X-ray wavelength.
Though the achievement was mainly her's, Amelia gives credit to Dr Kevin Pimbblet and Dr Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway the other members of the team. This is a dream start toward a future career for the young student.
In theory, there should be a lot more observable mass in our local universe. It was thought to be "hidden" in shoelace-like filaments. When the data were first analysed they were dismissed in the usual manner as not showing anything, but Amelia suggested they check it again and the strings were there for all to see in the X-ray wavelength.
Though the achievement was mainly her's, Amelia gives credit to Dr Kevin Pimbblet and Dr Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway the other members of the team. This is a dream start toward a future career for the young student.
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Science
New Treatment for Asthma With Beneficial Side Effect
A new method of treating asthma has been discovered. Formoterol is a synthetic form of catecholamine. This is a hormone that regulates metabolism, heart rate and breathing. It increases metabolism without raising the heart rate. Tests on animals have been promising.
The drug is selective in that receptors in the lungs take on the catecholamine but receptors in the heart do not. A positive side effect it that it burns fat from the body. Eight men without asthma were given the medication for a week. Their energy metabolism increased by 10 per cent. Fat was burned off by 25 per cent. Protein only fell by 15 per cent. This means people can do more with leaner bodies.
We may be entering a new age where obese people no longer have to suffer. They can have healthy bodies in the normal weight range. Tests on those with asthma will set the stage for this. Subjects will be closely monitored to determine long term effects. Hopefully they will all be beneficial.
The drug is selective in that receptors in the lungs take on the catecholamine but receptors in the heart do not. A positive side effect it that it burns fat from the body. Eight men without asthma were given the medication for a week. Their energy metabolism increased by 10 per cent. Fat was burned off by 25 per cent. Protein only fell by 15 per cent. This means people can do more with leaner bodies.
We may be entering a new age where obese people no longer have to suffer. They can have healthy bodies in the normal weight range. Tests on those with asthma will set the stage for this. Subjects will be closely monitored to determine long term effects. Hopefully they will all be beneficial.
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Health
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