Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Deja Vu: Explained(?).

Just wanted to share something interesting that I've been reading about.

I love thinking about the human brain, and though I don't know the intricacies of how it works, I enjoy trying to figure it out, and it never ceases to amaze me. Allow me to geek-out psychology style for this one.

One of my favourite experiences related to the brain is deja vu. We've all experienced deja vu, right? You know what it is: you're experiencing something and you could swear that you've experienced it before. It's as though you see things before you, and you're recalling the exact same images from your memory as it happens. Well, contrary to popular belief, it's not a glitch in the Matrix.

I hate to shatter the mystery for any readers, but researchers are saying that the experience of deja vu is actually the brain's memory functions confusing itself. Occasionally, for some reason, as you're experiencing a situation, the brain will attempt to write the information to it's short memory, which is completely normal. Some type of "error" will occur, though, and it will be written to the brain's long term memory as well. This means that as you are going through the experience for the first time, the brain is recognizing what you're seeing as being from long term memory, meaning that it will mistake these new images as something you've seen long ago. Hence the "unsettling" feeling of deja vu, and feeling like you are unable to place exactly where and when you've felt this way before. That's because you have no other information to attach to the memories, you're seeing it all for the first time.

Amazing, isn't it? Never underestimate the power of your own mind.

-AM

Super Cool.



Dogs are awesome.

-AM

Friday, May 21, 2010

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Thursday, May 13, 2010

My Favorite Part.
























-AM

I'm Speechless.



Also: does he say, "Have a slice of wine"?!

-AM

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Texture Like Sun.



-AM

Rainy Days.

One thing some people need to learn is that when it's raining, you just can't drive like the roads are still dry. I know you like to drive fast, but sometimes you just have to suck it up. It's no wonder that whenever it's raining hard we're getting called to car accidents resulting from hydroplaning. Seriously, you can never know when your car will start to slide and when it does you're just along for the ride. There's no stopping it.

The other day it rained for a couple of hours and we were sent to a car that had slid into the trees off of the highway. As we were approaching the accident, we passed a car in the opposite lane that had also hydroplaned into the guardrail, then into the median barrier. It was torn to pieces on both ends, but the passengers were fine. If this guy hadn't been on a kind of overpass where there were barriers on either side he could easily have ended up in the oncoming lanes, or rolling across the ditch into the trees. The driver even told me he had just installed "Hydroplane Resistant" tires. The other driver was also fine, he had slid and spun off the road but luckily there were no trees in his path. I want to get into "seatbelt importance" at another time, but these folks were all wearing their seatbelts, and escaped injury because of it.

Yet as we drove back to base along the highway after checking everyone out, there were cars flying past us doing at least 130km\h. These were drivers who had just passed these mangled cars on the highway, but it didn't sink in. If there's one thing I've learned in this job it's that when I get called to a car accident on the highway, where speeds are always high, I expect the worst. And I've seen the worst-case scenario. Trust me, you don't want to go out like that. Please, just cool it until the roads clear up. Oh, and seatbelts.

Sincerely,

-AM

Monday, May 10, 2010

Today In History.

I'm a day late, but on May 9, 1962, The Beatles secured their first recording contract! In honour of this, here's a track from their failed(!) audition for Decca records in early 1962, led by George Harrison(who was 18 at the time). George Martin and EMI were a little more impressed, signed the band, and Decca records would be infamous for rejecting The Beatles.



-AM

"Epic Troll".



Apparently this guy somehow manages to get booked on local TV news shows as a "Yo-Yo master", and then proceeds to make a fool out of himself, not to mention the news anchors who think he's for real. He's brilliant.

-AM

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Friday, May 7, 2010

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Sounds Good.



"This photo was taken by photographer Jack Bradley and depicts the exact moment this boy, Harold Whittles, hears for the very first time ever. The doctor treating him has just placed an earpiece in his left ear. Date unknown."

The look in his eyes is priceless! That's something that can't be faked. Brilliant photo.

-AM

Paul Rudd's Computer.



-AM