Similar to WinPooch, Trust No EXE, and InCTRL 4 (but altogether new and different) VerifyMyPC will monitor your PC for changes and log them. Set it to run every day and it will let you know what files changed and on what day, allowing you to track down the source of problems once they occur. Shareware, $15.
Read: CubicleSoft VerifyMyPC
(via Cubic)
It seems that - at least in mice - all it requires is one relatively minor manipulation of a tiny bit of brain and you can turn female mice into aggressive “pelvic thrusting lotharios.” We’re not sure yet if the reverse is true too.
“All the thinking until now was that female brains can produce feminine behaviors while male brains can produce masculine behaviors, with little or no cross talk between them,” says Marc Breedlove, a neuroscientist at Michigan State University in East Lansing. “These results do suggest that, at least for mice, the brain retains circuitry to display both masculine and feminine behaviors into adulthood.”
Inside Every Girl Mouse Brain Is a Swaggering Boy Mouse [Video]: Scientific American
It seems that emotionally charged memories are the most difficult to lose. (A fact that I don’t find particularly surprising.) Another recent study (whose link I seem to have lost) suggests that writing down negative memories helps to alleviate their burden - and writing down positive memories seems to remove the positive effects as well. Though writing down small notes on what you’re thankful for reinforced them. Perhaps we should all be keeping journals of our most negative memories, and keeping post-its of our happiest ones.
“Our findings add to accumulating evidence that emotion places limits on the ability to control the contents of the mind,” Payne said. “Our results suggest that even a relatively mild emotional reaction can undermine intentional forgetting. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that emotional memories can never be intentionally forgotten. If the motivation to forget is powerful enough, individuals might be able to overcome the effects of emotion by enlisting additional coping strategies.”
Read: The Memories You Want To Forget Are The Hardest Ones To Lose
It turns out that the so-called education videos such as Baby Einstein that show lots of trippy visuals with little to no dialog may actually hinder a baby’s linguistic abilities. Even shows like Spongebob Squarepants were better for children than these videos.
It seems that there are only so many hours in the day, and with a developing baby’s brain constantly growing new connections and pruning old unused ones, during infancy it’s very important that children be exposed to language.
The researchers believe the content of baby DVDs and videos is different from the other types of programming because it tends to have little dialogue, short scenes, disconnected pictures and shows linguistically indescribable images such as a lava lamp. By contrast, children’s educational programs, which make up the largest viewing category at this age, are, crafted and tested to meet developmental needs of preschool children.
Read: Infants’ Language Development May Be Hindered By Baby DVDs
I’ve long noticed the “date the exciting guy when you’re younger, find the radically opposite stable nerdy guy when you’re ready to settle down and have kids” phenomenon amongst my friends. Books like Sperm Wars posit a Richard Dawkins-esque “sexy sons” evolutionary reason for this. Women are attracted to men who will produce attractive children, making the woman’s genes more likely to continue on to future generations. However, these sexy men aren’t necessarily the type to stick around and raise the kid well, so the female will find a more stable man to raise the kids, sometimes tricking him into believing that the child is his own.
I’m not sure I agree with this theory, but it’s fun to mention at parties. Still, it’s hard to deny that my female friends often do make a very sharp turn from rock star to school teacher about the time that they have, or decide that they want to have kids.
Women see masculine men as unsuitable long-term partners, new research suggests. Conversely, the psychologists from Durham and St Andrews Universities found that men with feminine facial features are seen as more committed and less likely to cheat on their partners.
Read: Women Prefer Less Macho Men For Long-Term Relationships
I’m never having fruit juice again…. even brushing your teeth after having fruit juice can damage them.
Read: BBC NEWS | Health | ‘Health juices’ harm baby teeth
Though it looks like Cranberries can block tooth decay - just make sure no sugar is added and you eat them in small quantities with meals. Eventually they’ll extract the helpful bits & add it to mouthwash & toothpaste.
Excellent advice from Jerry Seinfeld on productivity.
Years ago when Seinfeld was a new television show, Jerry Seinfeld was still a touring comic. At the time, I was hanging around clubs doing open mic nights and trying to learn the ropes. One night I was in the club where Seinfeld was working, and before he went on stage, I saw my chance. I had to ask Seinfeld if he had any tips for a young comic. What he told me was something that would benefit me a lifetime…
Read: Motivation: Jerry Seinfeld’s productivity secret - Lifehacker