You’ve probably heard the bit about how we only use 10% of our brain, an idea I’ve long thought was nonsensical.

ZME Science points out how some research was most likely misinterpreted to come up with that idea. The research found that rats could relearn tasks even when parts of their brains were removed is one of the possible areas where such a misinterpretation could have occurred.

I’ve never understood how people can so easily believe that so much of the brain is just wasted. Even if you assume they’re talking about simple information processing and not including autonomic processes.

As the article notes, brain scans show activity in all parts of the brain. Not a huge dead area.

Certainly many people don’t use their mind to its full potential. We get lazy and don’t learn new things sometimes. It’s been shown that keeping the brain active throughout life has a benefit in old age. But sometimes it’s easy to be lazy and not try to learn new skills or work on things that make you think a little harder than usual. But once you get into the habit, it’s fun.

And certainly uses more than 10%.

Technorati Tags: brain, brain use, thinking

Oh where, oh where could it be?

Sorry about all the off key singing. I get inspired and lose track of what I’m doing.

I came across tech bargains today and just had a little fun wandering around. As a geek, even a geek on a tight budget, looking at all the fun tech toys out there is fun. Even if I do sometimes just about whimper from wanting things I can’t have.

Techbargains has a lot to offer, including a newsletter that tells you about each week’s best deals, deal alerts that you can customize to your interests, and RSS feeds for those who just don’t want to mess around with waiting for email.

The site allows you to search for the lowest price on products. I clicked on a link for the Fuji FinePix F480 Black Digital Camera and it came up with several different stores offering it, with prices ranging from $135.99 - $180.70.

Of course, by the time you add in shipping, lowest price may not be lowest overall expense, but this gives you a great point to start off.

Sometimes the site doesn’t read so well, but if you’re looking for the best deal that may not matter as much as other times. Getting a good price comparison can save you quite a bit when you’re shopping.

Eep. No, it is not too soon to start thinking about Christmas. After all, it’s almost Halloween. Get with the program.

As a general geek, there are some things I find nearly irresistable when it comes to Christmas shopping. Some things would have general appeal, while others are strictly for geeks.

The 15″ Gigantor Digital Photo Frame, for example. I would think a lot of people would enjoy being better able to display their photos. 15″ may be a little large for some purposes, but there are smaller digital photo frames available.

I couls also picture myself enjoying a Palmsize R/C Helicopter, making it zoom around and driving people nuts. Size matters at times, and smaller can be better… or at least more annoying when you fly it around the house or office.

These Bi-Color LED Blow On-Off Candles I really adore. A really cool idea for candles. Blow on, blow off. Potentially romantic, yet geeky, yet no worries about fire.

The Soldius 1 Solar Charger appeals to the greener geek in me. I don’t have much that would need one, but given my habit of forgetting to charge my cell phone, it could be really, really useful. Unfortunately, my cell phone isn’t on the list, so I’d have to check the specifications pretty carefully.

I bought one of the Fuze Necklaces for my sister for her birthday. She loves it.

I like the Flying Alarm Clock, but not for its usual use. Oh no. I’d much rather try to sneak it into someone room and have it set for just a minute or two before their regular alarm clock goes off. Is that wrong of me?

Then there’s my more practical side, which says that if you’re going to use a laptop and an Internet hot spot, you need a good firewall. The Yoggie Gatekeeper Pro meets that notion nicely. It’s a hardware firewall that connects to the laptop but doesn’t need to be plugged into the wall.

That’s the trouble with sites like ThinkGeek.com. I can shop at them all day. It’s much, much worse than heading out to the mall.

Technorati Tags: geek, geek gadgets, thinkgeek, christmas, christmas gift ideas

So what do you do if you’re the child of an astronaut, but not really inclined toward things that would qualify you for a spot on the Space Shuttle?

Earn enough to get into space anyhow, natch!

I can’t say I blame Richard Garriott for wanting to find a way to get into space. I’d go, given a chance, although I would be much surprised if I ever had the money to spare for such a trip. But I also found it inspiring reading about his mother:

The pinnacle one was with my mother’s return on investing in my first software company. She and my dad went back to their hometown of Enid, Oklahoma, and invested their millions into something called Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse, a hands-on children’s art and science museum, but they built it completely with volunteer labor from the community.

It was my mother who organized this specifically: 10 percent of the entire population of the city — that’s 40,000 people — volunteered and physically came out to help my mother build Leonardo’s Discovery Warehouse.

Wow. I’m utterly impressed with that. It’s some very impressive organizing. How often can you get 10% of the people you ask to do something, especially if you don’t know them?

Can I say how impatient I am for that to be reality. Or at least wish that I could afford the envisioned $200,000 ticket price?

The New Mexico Spaceport Authority has unveiled plans for their spaceport, which is to be home to Virgin Galactic and the X Prize cup.

The plan is to have the spaceport be a vision of the future. Let’s see, by old visions of the future we should all have flying cars, personal jetpacks and robot servants. Maybe they’re waiting for us at the spaceport.

Really, the images they show for the plans look quite attractive. But it will be interesting to see how the designs hold up. Old science fiction shows had a certain look for the future that is completely absurd now. I wonder if this design will hold up. It doesn’t seem to be absurd now. Just very clean and lots of windows.

Technorati Tags: spaceport, new mexico, New Mexico Spaceport Authority, Virgin Galactic, x prize

I read over on Slashdot that UC Santa Cruz is going to be putting all of Robert Heinlein’s archives online.

The first collection released includes 106,000 pages, consisting of Heinlein’s complete manuscripts - including files of all his published works, notes, research, early drafts and edits of manuscripts. The documents offer a window into Heinlein’s creative process and provide background and context for his work.

That’s going to be pretty impressive for fans. However, they’re not available for free, and I suspect much of this will be more of interest to researchers.

I’m a Heinlein fan from way back. I see his books differently than when I was younger, and don’t enjoy them all. Some just don’t have the same quality as others. But he did a lot to establish science fiction as a legitimate genre, and the science in his stories can be quite deeply buried.

And I’ll never forget the college roommate I had who didn’t understand why I loved science fiction. She was quite the naive sort, but had heard of Stranger in a Strange Land, and wanted to read it so that she could understand my interest. Those of you who have read that may be laughing at her already.

I didn’t let her read Stranger.

Instead, I gave her a much, much tamer book, StarBridge. It was hilarious. She was completely and utterly shocked that there could be sex in science fiction. Can you picture if she had read Stranger?

Could’ve been fun.

Technorati Tags: heinlein archives, heinlein, robert heinlein