Dear Trios,
Its finally friday, and though it has not been a stressful week in the life of me whatsoever my brain is at a loss for thoughts. Tis' quite sad really. I'm not quite sure I should even post...but here I am posting and blabbering.
To remedy all of this I'll to Top Threes...
Actors Who Make Me Uncomfortable:
1) Joaquin Phoenix
2) Jonathan Rhys Meyers
3) Terrence Howard
Spices:
1) Scary
2) Sporty
3) Baby
Capitals I Bet You Didn't Know:
1) Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
2) Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
3) Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
People Who Should Go On Vacay:
1) Timbaland
2) Nelly Furtado
3) Britney
Things I Want To Do This Weekend:
1) Go see a movie, rent a movie, be in a movie
2) Read mi libro
3) Dream of great things
Friday, November 16, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Like flies to poop.
Dear Dr. Couzin,
Ants build bridges, fish swim in schools, locusts move in swarms, and humans both gather and repel each other. Why? Well the reasons behind such behaviour is complex, as is how such results emerge but it can be simplified down to the simple term, "swarm intelligence."
Animals live a great deal of their lives as individuals. Meaning they strive to lengthen their own lifespan, survive, and thus often do what serves their best interests. However, sometimes the most benefits are reaped when joining into a group. By moving in these swarms of thousands and perhaps millions, relatively simple animals can form a single collective brain and move as a stronger unit. Often, these behaviours are said to arise spontaneously or as if the animals' brains are all sending telepathic messages to one another. For ants, the entire colony benefits by creating a highway which brings necessary nutrition to the nest. In contrast, locusts tend to become a devastating force when the density of these flying creatures in a certain area passes a threshold. Upwards of that threshold, each locust begins to align its movements with its neighbour and their infamous attack is put into motion.
Swarm of locusts
What is interesting however, is that an individual's behaviour is governed by their own experiences. Furthermore, the individual seeks to balance 2 instincts:
1) staying with the group
2) move in a desired direction.
Most often several leaders will move the swarm in a singular direction, and these two instincts are automatically balanced. Where it becomes polar is when there are several leaders pulling the group in several directions. When this situation arises, studies show that the group will somehow reach a consensus and choose (by majority) which direction to go. This decision is made without recognizing the others' choices and even without consciously acknowledging one's own.
These trends found in the the insect can be applied to us humans although we are described as, "mediocre swarmers." But it is easy to see that people prefer to stick in groups, and though we may think our decisions are made more consciously it is not necessarily so. Our "inner swarm" -- these aforementioned behavioral patterns on a cellular level, are still very much a mystery.
This is Lillian M. Parsons reporting for Kablamo News. Over and out.
Source: NY Times Article
Ants build bridges, fish swim in schools, locusts move in swarms, and humans both gather and repel each other. Why? Well the reasons behind such behaviour is complex, as is how such results emerge but it can be simplified down to the simple term, "swarm intelligence."
Animals live a great deal of their lives as individuals. Meaning they strive to lengthen their own lifespan, survive, and thus often do what serves their best interests. However, sometimes the most benefits are reaped when joining into a group. By moving in these swarms of thousands and perhaps millions, relatively simple animals can form a single collective brain and move as a stronger unit. Often, these behaviours are said to arise spontaneously or as if the animals' brains are all sending telepathic messages to one another. For ants, the entire colony benefits by creating a highway which brings necessary nutrition to the nest. In contrast, locusts tend to become a devastating force when the density of these flying creatures in a certain area passes a threshold. Upwards of that threshold, each locust begins to align its movements with its neighbour and their infamous attack is put into motion.
Swarm of locusts1) staying with the group
2) move in a desired direction.
Most often several leaders will move the swarm in a singular direction, and these two instincts are automatically balanced. Where it becomes polar is when there are several leaders pulling the group in several directions. When this situation arises, studies show that the group will somehow reach a consensus and choose (by majority) which direction to go. This decision is made without recognizing the others' choices and even without consciously acknowledging one's own.
These trends found in the the insect can be applied to us humans although we are described as, "mediocre swarmers." But it is easy to see that people prefer to stick in groups, and though we may think our decisions are made more consciously it is not necessarily so. Our "inner swarm" -- these aforementioned behavioral patterns on a cellular level, are still very much a mystery.
This is Lillian M. Parsons reporting for Kablamo News. Over and out.
Source: NY Times Article
Monday, November 12, 2007
Point Form = No Skill
Dear Brain Matter,
3 neat things I've come across in the past 3 days:
1) glo Pillow
This pillow was created as a synonym to the familiar BEEP BEEP BEEP of your early morning wake up call. Instead of sounding the alarm at exactly 7:00 in the am, the glo Pillow is programmed to start glowing about 40 minutes before the actual wake up time in order to simulate a natural sunrise. The LEDs slowly become brighter and brighter, carefully bringing the sleeper out of his dreams and into reality helping set the "body clock" for the days to come.
2) 344 992 000 000
Dollars. Wal-Mart, the world's largest company will rack in the aforementioned about of money in the the 2007 fiscal year. That number is so big I don't even know how to say it.
3) Shel Silverstein still has a place in my blood pumper...
This bridge will only take you halfway there
To those mysterious lands you long to see
Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fairs
And moonlit woods where unicorns run free.
So come and walk awhile with me and share
The twisting trails and wondrous worlds I've known.
But this bridge will only take you halfway there --
The last few steps you'll have to take alone.
3 neat things I've come across in the past 3 days:
1) glo Pillow
This pillow was created as a synonym to the familiar BEEP BEEP BEEP of your early morning wake up call. Instead of sounding the alarm at exactly 7:00 in the am, the glo Pillow is programmed to start glowing about 40 minutes before the actual wake up time in order to simulate a natural sunrise. The LEDs slowly become brighter and brighter, carefully bringing the sleeper out of his dreams and into reality helping set the "body clock" for the days to come.
2) 344 992 000 000Dollars. Wal-Mart, the world's largest company will rack in the aforementioned about of money in the the 2007 fiscal year. That number is so big I don't even know how to say it.
3) Shel Silverstein still has a place in my blood pumper...
This bridge will only take you halfway there
To those mysterious lands you long to see
Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fairs
And moonlit woods where unicorns run free.
So come and walk awhile with me and share
The twisting trails and wondrous worlds I've known.
But this bridge will only take you halfway there --
The last few steps you'll have to take alone.
Good Mornian!
Dear Fallen Branch,
Sorry for my absence, I know you must have all thought that I have been under the weather as They say but alas it has been a downed internet connection that has prevented me from connecting with you. See what I did there? I just linked you, me, and the internet together in a web of entanglement. Mhm. Moving on...
A huge branch fell down in my yard, I'm still reading the same book I was a month ago, I have a quiz tomorrow which I haven't studied for, I was partnered with Mean Girl in Muay Thai yesterday, I don't have any pants, I have to go to work today, and my mom still thinks I'm a fat kid. Besides that my wrist is healing with flying colours and my hair looks particularly volumized today (thank my pillow).
This week will be better. My posts have sucked, I will try to jump of the suckage train and onto the new Boeing 777. Get it??? Anybody?? No? Oh.
Pants. My legs are jealous, and cold.
Sorry for my absence, I know you must have all thought that I have been under the weather as They say but alas it has been a downed internet connection that has prevented me from connecting with you. See what I did there? I just linked you, me, and the internet together in a web of entanglement. Mhm. Moving on...
A huge branch fell down in my yard, I'm still reading the same book I was a month ago, I have a quiz tomorrow which I haven't studied for, I was partnered with Mean Girl in Muay Thai yesterday, I don't have any pants, I have to go to work today, and my mom still thinks I'm a fat kid. Besides that my wrist is healing with flying colours and my hair looks particularly volumized today (thank my pillow).
This week will be better. My posts have sucked, I will try to jump of the suckage train and onto the new Boeing 777. Get it??? Anybody?? No? Oh.
Pants. My legs are jealous, and cold.
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