The Absence of Rules Camus said “there are no rules.” Amorality, or the lack of any moral code, is thought to be growing globally. People prone to amorality include Vladimir Putin, dictators, politicians and political advisors, rapacious business chieftains, and the more prosaic bank robbing sociopath or serial rapist. Yet most of these at least […]
All Coked Up (8/25/14)
Coke Channels Its Inner Monster Stoked and coked. The coca in Coca Cola was cocaine until 1929. Now the corporate giant has bought about of fifth of Monster Energy Drinks for $2.15 billion, hoping to further caffeinate its products and profits – and us. Why Did Coke Buy Monster? Money. The energy drink “niche” is […]
Using Big Data Effectively (7/28/14)
Supporting Serendipity Has nothing important happened in psychiatric research in the last 25 years? Some believe so. Here’s a quote from the science writers Carl Zimmer and Benedict Carey in the July 22, 2014 New York Times “Despite decades of costly research, experts have learned virtually nothing about the causes of psychiatric disorders and have […]
Preferring Electric Shocks to Solitude (7/14/14)
Shocking Thoughts Is it uncomfortable to spend time alone with your thoughts? Is thoughtful solitude painful? For a lot of people, it is. A recent study run by University of Virginia Timothy Wilson had people spending time entirely with themselves. Alone. Many short experiments were tried. Each lasted only six to 15 minutes. Since […]
Can We Regulate Food Like Tobacco? (7/7/14)
Obesity and Health Many groups, like the Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation, argue food should be regulated as strictly as tobacco. Their claim (BBC News, May 18th) is that deaths from obesity are rising rapidly – about 30% globally from 2005-2010 – and that obesity promotes so many chronic diseases – from diabetes […]