7,000 Year-Old Surgery

I just love reading stories like this that totally turn history on its ass.  I’ve been saying for a while now that history isn’t a linear progression and that our ancestors weren’t as stupid as people think just because they didn’t have widescreen TVs and funny hats.

Evidence of surgery carried out nearly 7,000 year ago has emerged – suggesting our Stone Age ancestors were more medically advanced than first thought.

Stone Age surgery discovered after 7,000-year-old man found with expertly amputated arm

Are we actually smarter than those who’ve come before us?  The ancient Greeks?  The Vikings?  I really don’t think we’re that much more “developed,” but I guess it’s hard to know since someone burned down the Library at Alexandria.   :0(

Have it good,

-Mike

Conan O’Who?

Aw, how can I get my Conan O’Brien fix if he’s nowhere to be found?

The GE unit has removed every episode of the show’s seven-month run from its NBC.com site, as well as Hulu, the site NBC owns with News Corp.’s Fox and Disney’s ABC.

NBC throws Conan down the memory hole, deletes his online content

Reason number#256,141 to not watch NBC.  Awesome.

Have it good,

-Mike

barefoot running=safer?

This is very interesting to those considering their New Years resolutions, such as this humble blogger.  I remember hearing something about thus study a while ago, but apparently the results have been published and the finding is that sneakers have the potential to do more harm than barefoot running.

Runners who wore sneakers ended up landing heel-first 75 to 80 percent of the time. By contrast, barefoot runners usually land toward the middle or front of the foot — a dramatic difference that recalls the more natural foot strike of early Homo sapiens. Needless to say, early humans certainly were not born to run wearing Nike or Reebok.

The heel-landing without shoes means a painful collision force of 1.5 to 3 times human body weight. But cushioned sneaker heels have allowed runners to change their stride to high-impact running, and likely open up a whole world of pain involving foot and leg injuries.

Long-Awaited Barefoot Running Study Finds Sneakers Are Harmful

This is absolutely fascinating since I’m interested in the evolution of humans as well.  But now I guess I’ll have to check out the ‘barefoot-friendly’ shoes they list at the end of the article, I need to dump my too-small pair of running shoes anyway.

Have it good,

-Mike

Monkeys and Aristotle

The timing of a story like this is amusing, given the fact that I just got out of a philosophy class discussion on Aristotle and the function of human beings.  According to Aristotle, the function of human beings which separates them from other entities (plants, animals) is reason/rationality.  I wonder what he would say after reading this?

A German team of neurobiologists has found that rhesus macaques can engage in abstract mathematical reasoning using specific brain cells dedicated to the comprehension of math rules and relationships.

Monkey Brain ‘hardwired’ for Simple Math

I’ve also heard that dolphins are capable of some higher mental functions, so does this blur the lines of reason which Aristotle speaks of in his Nicomachean Ethics?  Or are there more aspects to reason and rationality than abstract mathematical ability?  I would tend to lean towards the multi-aspect definition, but damnit it’s pretty interesting to think about.   The article specifies a distinction between the level of sophistication when it comes to abstract thought, but the other questions raised such as do monkeys or other primitively rational animals consider existential questions is one I’m really curious about, and so is the scientist quoted in the article.

Have it good,

-Mike

…talent?

…I have no words.  I don’t.  Wow.

Vagina Kazoo

 

Have it good,

-Mike

Whither the money, Lebowski?

I now have something to read over the weekend.  Oh god I would pay good money to see this staged.

This befalleth when thou firk’st a stranger ‘twixt the buttocks, Laurence! Understand’st thou? Dost thou attend me? Seest thou what happens, Laurence? Seest thou what happens, Laurence? Seest thou what happens, Laurence, when thou firk’st a stranger ‘twixt the buttocks?!

Big Lebowski rewritten as a work of Shakespeare

And that is today’s epic win.  Enjoy.

Have it good,

-Mike

ah, nostalgia

Now this takes me back to June ’09, touring the west coast in a van a lot like this guy’s.  We slept in it for almost 30 days straight, thanking god for Wal-Mart marking lots and .88 packs of hotdogs.  Showered in the Pacific Ocean, rest stops and a friend’s pool.  Absolute freedom, I loved it.  Saw some amazing things and met some interesting people.

I envy this dude, I really do.

I live in a van down by Duke University

 

Have it good,

-Mike