New Thinking on Cause of Alzheimer’s
Healthy (top) vs Alzheimer's Brain
All I will need to do is come back and take another look at the image above whenever a solicitation for a contribution regarding Alzheimer’s research lands in my mailbox.
If you’re interested in the some of the latest thinking about the cause of Alzheimer’s, Laura Sanders has written a good article in Science News called Memories Can’t Wait.
Necktop Computer
Saw a reference today to the brain as a “necktop computer“. Then the question following was “what software do I use on my necktop and where did I get it from”?
Interesting question when you think about it. And how do we find and download updates?
MindApples – One a Day for Your Mind
Came upon an interesting site today called Mindapples. Normally I’ll pop into a site like this, look around, and pop back out.
But today I created an account, contributed 5 Mindapples, and look forward to the daily interaction that may develop from an association with this site. I find that spending a lot of time on the web (the nature of the job) causes my mind to turn to twisted mush sometimes. I can get so far out there following link after link that a need real breadcrumbs to find my way back. My daily mantra? Focus, focus, focus. Success rate? Sketchy.
Could someone toss me a mindapple? I don’t know if I’ll stick with the site or not, but topics having to do with the mind interest me. Especially in light of my mom’s difficulties with memory loss and whether I’m previewing my own future when I’m with her.
While I was reading through the Mindapples blog, I read an entry with the following quote by Steve Jobs:
“I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
That’s is a Mindapple that I’ll savor for quite a while.
The “I Write Like” Craze
I couldn’t resist. I had to find out. Now I know.
Intention & Connection
In thinking what it means to live with intention, or to determine what one’s intentions are in any given situation, I decided to look up the exact meaning of the word.
From Merriam-Webster Online:
Intention – noun
Date: 14th century
1: a determination to act in a certain way: resolve
2: import, significance
3a: what one intends to do or bring about; b: the object for which a prayer, mass, or pious act is offered
4: a process or manner of healing of incised wounds
5: concept; especially: a concept considered as the product of attention directed to an object of knowledge
Synonyms: intention, intent, purpose, design, aim, end, object. Intention implies little more than what one has in mind to do or bring about. Intent suggests clearer formulation or greater deliberateness. Purpose suggests a more settled determination. Design implies a more carefully calculated plan. Aim adds to these implications of effort directed toward attaining or accomplishing. End stresses the intended effect of action often in distinction or contrast to the action or means as such. Object may equal end but more often applies to a more individually determined wish or need.
Hmmmm. Interesting. When you find yourself in a immersed in a situation filled with ambiguities, and you’re not exactly uncomfortable there, you eventually have to stop and ask yourself what your intentions are with regard to your part in it.
Intention and connection. How are these related?
Bout Dang Time!
Finally another comet
Finally, there’s a new comet out there. The photo above was taken by a guy in Austria on June 6. Comet McNaught. Hale-Bopp was pretty cool when it showed up in 1997. My favorite was Comet Hayutake in 1996. I remember looking for it each evening. During that time, I was in Hawaii for a couple of weeks. Hayutake in the Hawaiian sky was pretty amazing. Doubt I’ll ever forget it.
But back to Comet McNaught – here’s a nice little reward for us weirdos who are up at 3:00 in the morning getting ready for work:
“If you want to get a view of the comet, you’ll have to get up early in the morning. Set your alarm clock for at least two hours before sunrise. For most people that will mean around 3:30 a.m. local time. The comet is currently moving through the constellation of Perseus, the Hero, which at that early hour will be low in the northeast part of the sky.”
Okay. You gotta love that.
It’s nearly past it’s prime brightness now, but it’s still visible in the morning sky.
More Good News for Coffee Drinkers
I love coffee. Addicted to it. If I decided to give up coffee for Lent, I’d probably keel over because my head would explode. (Of course, it may be my best shot at heaven…) So it always makes me happy when I read stories about the health benefits of coffee.
A Semester At Sea
My friend Luana and her husband Bob decided late last year to take advantage of a great deal offered by the Semester At Sea program. She’d been laid-off from her job several months back, and had been unable to find another, and Bob had taken reluctant early retirement in the midst of layoffs taking place where he worked.
Bob & Luana
I think this was the best decision ever. When given the gift of time – willingly or not – the precious gift of time, a person ought to take advantage of it by doing something life-changing. Which Bob and Luana have done.
Anyway, they’re keeping a great blog of their journey. Both are wonderful writers and have captured in both photos and prose the essence of a bunch of places around the world. I’ve been keeping track of their progress both by map and by blog. I’m looking forward to the next time Lu and I meet up at Peet’s. I want to hear the stories.
Oh, and did I mention I’m envious? Yep, I sure am. Here’s the deal: there’s plenty enough time for work. What there’s not nearly enough time for is living. Of course you never find this stuff out until, well, you know.
Cow Pies
Ganges River
Cheetahs in the Wild
The Ghana Bread Lady
Foreshadowing a Lasting Marriage
On the news that other night, there was a story about a couple in the UK who just gotten married. The bride and groom were Wilma & Fred Flintstone respectively, and the entire wedding party was attired in Flintstone get-up.
Yabba-dabba-doo wedding.
It occurred to me as I was watching the story that this couple would probably have a very successful marriage. They share the same sense of humor and playfulness, can probably laugh at themselves, and agree on approaches to important decisions. They must also generally be surrounded by equally blessed friends and family who – even if they don’t completely feel comfortable with an approach, support it nevertheless.
There must be certain signs or good omens that signal a successful long-term relationship in the same way that you can just tell when a couple is not meant to be. I think these kinds of weddings signal something big, something grand and wonderful about a relationship.
- Flintstone Wedding Party
This story reminded me of the wedding video from the Dancing Bride and Groom (Jill & Kevin’s Wedding) – one of the best wedding videos of all time. Here again, the same set of factors in play. I imagine these two will be together for a long, long time.
A Little Trip Through the Universe . . . and Back
This is a cool thing I came across today.
“What would it look like to travel across the known universe? To help humanity visualize this, the American Museum of Natural History has produced a modern movie featuring many visual highlights of such a trip.”
MemeSeeker 