Super Brain Yoga?!!!! Its Thoppu Karanam......

Well sorry for the late late very late article . I have been working around , I mean I was quite busy nowdays, and believe me there is a lot of articles in my draft box waiting to be completed.



Anyway, today's post is about an activity done by Americans to maintain brain health and stay or get smarter. Its something about the blood vessels and neurons in brain. Browse the link below in youtube.com, then you will understand what I am trying to tell all of you. I am happy for this but its really frustrating to see "west" people replicate our cultural and traditional values and doing it in a different way, their own style huh?!!! Here is the link. What you think?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnxcOYVzQTw




Frustrating or Happy?

FROM 'ROBO COP' TO 'ROBO CUP'

What you think about robotic technology? Cool, amazing or whatever word you would like to phrase to describe the fast growing robotic world.

Well, robots never fail to fascinate me. I even own my team with my friends, formed since our form 5 school season till now, working on small robots such as automatic -human grass cutter and one of our greatest invention is 'semi-robot arm wrestler'.

Our design never win any award or prizes but its enough to keep us proud. The idea of creating robots fired up inside us when we went for a educational trip to National Science Centre.
.

I dont want want to drag futher. Since I read an article on robotic technology I came across a topic called ' Robo Cup'. What actually is this "Robo Cup"?, you may wonder





Its a tournament(football competition) where scientists from all over the world compete each other putting the robots they designed to play soccer without human control. Amazing? Oh yeah for me! The long-term goal is to develop the underlying technologies to build more practical robots.




I wish one day my group also can compete in the tournament.



Maybe when you hear about this Robo Cup competition you will feel amused, but you might have to think again as there is another few amazing facts about these robots:

1) By mid-21st century, a team of fully autonomous humanoid robot soccer players shall win the soccer game, comply with the official rules of the FIFA

2) That's right; they plan on the robots beating the current, human World Cup champions. Can you believe it?

Anyway thats technology, practical application of science really rocks!!! Rite?




Due to decelerating streamyx connection, I am not able to upload some videos, so please kindly click on the youtube link shown below to watch it by yourself. Its really funny, try to watch it. If you can't click on it kindly copy and paste the URL
address and search.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMM_XQXJUUc&eurl=http://video.google.com/videosearch?sa=N&hl=en&tab=nv&q=robocup%202008&feature=player_embedded


You see, even with my average style of living and limited cost to do anything I wish for, I do have this sense of concern with latest breakthroughs in techno world and also constituted with my curiosity about it, I manage to learn so many of things. So thats why these topic attributed my attention to write about it.










From the first video you can watch a match between two teams of robot, and if you already watch it I believe you might laughed as you were watching it. Am I right? Well, they are not as fast as Stevie G, Thiery Henry or even it can't match our local soccer players from Telekom... Thats just a joke. But what the other values that you can sense from that?

In my point of view, I intend this is just another future-entertainment waiting to roll on just like Playstation and other gaming stuff. Researches and experiments are being conducted by scientists, to train these robots to imitate exactly a normal human soccer player.








WOW! Doesn't that sound to be like a playstation version became reality?. This is not just about materialize someone's idea, its also about us, the people. Imagine how many job opportunities will be available, and will be offered in future. At least our future generations have something to focus about seriously, and this can produce a positive outcome then. Don't you think so?


If you think robot which looks like human is the only one,which can perform this task,well watch the second video. Observe, at the ending of the clip robots shaped like "boxes" playing soccer. That's COOL!! Scroll down at the more related videos section and you will witness more sensational performances by these robots.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASsbCufbn2I&feature=related

Before ending, sake of informing you, from the article I read, I perceived another sub-title about robots which sounds like this,

"ROBOTS WILL BE USED FOR SEX BY 2050"



Hhmm..Thats a title with a funny twang. Want to talk about it? I'd love to but due to slumberous eyes which is indicating that I have to go to sleep now I'd rather talk about it some other time.

Take Care...Cheers

Seven Medical Myths Even The Doctor Believe

As I were reading this section in a medical website, I was surprised after reading a column where they are some statements which I would like to classify as 'interesting'.
As my curiosity rises, I began to read it and decided to post it here. Remember, the reason I pin point this matter is even doctors out there still practice and believe all these myths. I am not against doctors here. I do have some respect for them personaly. but trust me this not to insult anyone here.So this time I will try to explain one by one about all these interesting facts or as some of the experts classified as 'myths'. If you feel bored, just go through the facts, but if your own curiosity urges you to read further, why not? (especially to those going-to-be-doctors)




Seven medical myths even the doctor believe:

1. People should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
2. We use only 10% of our brains
3. Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death
4. Shaving hair causes it to grow back faster, darker, or coarser
5. Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight
6. Eating turkey makes people especially drowsy
7. Mobile phones create considerable electromagnetic interference in hospitals

If I leave this post till here, I mean if I stop writing here, this post are most probably will look like a "mastercopy" of another site. So, I decided to run some surveys and researches on how far all these facts are true.I am not a scientist, but as I told you earlier, it's my curiosity,got it..?

First of all,;

8 glasses of water a day?


In an invited review published online by the American Journal of Physiology August 8, Valtin, professor emeritus of physiology at Dartmouth Medical School, reports no supporting evidence to back this popular counsel, commonly known as "8 x 8" (for eight, eight-ounce glasses).There is another scientist group, who are sought to find the origin of this to examine the scientific evidences.

How did the obssesion starts?

1) Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended approximately "1 milimeter of water for each calory of food"

2) Two to two-and-a-half quarts per day (64-80 ounces)

3) In it's next sentence, the Board stated 'most of this contained in prepared foods'

4) this last sentence of the statement might be missed, so that the recommendation was erronously interpreted as how much water one should drink a day.

Why this is a myth?

1) no scientific studies in support of 8x8

2) large amount of fluid intake is not needed for everyone (healthy adults)

3) caffeinated drinks (coffee,tea,and soft drinks) may indeed be counted towards the daily total

4) the capability of human body for maintaining proper water balance

5) But still scientists and even Valtin himself emphasizes that, this conclusion is limited to healthy adults in a temperate climate leading a largely sedentary existence

At the same time , he stresses that large intake of fluid, equal to and greater than 8x8 are advisable for;

1) treatment and prevention of kidney stones

2) under special circumstances, such as strenous physical activity

3) long air plane flights

4) hot weather



But barring these exceptions, he concludes that we are currently drinking enough and possibly even more than enough.

Dailyscience








10% Of Our Brain?






Alright, does this one sounds familiar. You see, we do have this common understanding about humans use 10% of their brain . Maybe any of our friends discussed it in front of us or maybe anyone might asked you this question, "Do we really use only 10% of our brain"?. Recently I asked my girlfriend(medical student) about this and she also answered 10%, but to sound better than that, few seconds later she said "less than 10% I think", so the answer she gave me, still it doesn't proves anything rite? Like I said it is a common understanding among us and for those who don't know, it became a fact!! If we want to clarify this over, try to reverse the question, what will happen if 90% of our brain is not used or not functioning?





Why people believe in this myth?

1) Among the believers, if we used more than of our brain, then we could perform super memory feats and have their fantastic mental abilities

2) So obsessed with "moving an object by just putting a single thought on it"

Again, there is no scientific data to support this.

Ok, back to the question I asked earlier. What will happen if 90% of our brain was removed? Does this mean that we would be just fine?


Why this is a myth?

Observe this simple calculation

Average Human Brain--1,400g (3lb), and if 90% of our brain removed, that would leave 140g (0.3lb) of brain tissue. Well, that is a sheep's brain size.

The message here is:

1) Its well known that damage to the brain caused by stroke, may cause devastating disabilities

2) Certain neurological disorders, such as Parkinson Disease, also affect specific area of the brain.

3) So, the damage done by these conditions is far less than damage to 90% of the brain

Still. functional brain imaging, shows that all parts of the brain function. Even during sleep the brain is active.

-- the brain is still being 'used', it is just in a different active state

Finally, talking about nervous system, many new synapses are formed during the development process of the system.



Many studies have shown that:

1- if the input to a particular neural system is eliminated, then neurons in this system will not function properly.

2- visual system proves the fact which is stated above ( complete loss of vision will occur)

3- this will happen because visual information is prevented from simulating the eyes (if we only use 10% of our brain)

So it's seem reasonable to suggest if 90% of our brain is not used, then many neural pathways would degenerate.They are incredible examples of succesful brain recovery in young childrens, who have had large portions of their brain removed to control seizure.

The next time you hear someone say that they only use 10% of their brain, set them straight, tell them...

"NOT TRUE,WE USE 100% OF OUR BRAINS"

Ultimately, its not that we use 10% of our brains, merely that we only understand about 10% of how it functions.

SCIAM







Hair And Fingernail Continue After Death



I really think that I should try to keep it short when I write after this. Nothing much can be discussed about this..



Hair and fingernails aren't actually growing. Dead is dead. The only things growing after you're dead are worms, bacteria, and flowers. What is happening, however, is that the skin around the hair and fingernails will desiccate (i.e., lose water) and thereby shrink. When the skin shrinks, it retracts, making hair and fingernails look longer, as if they'd grown


snopes.com






Shaving Hair Causes It To Grow Back Faster?





In reality, shaved hair is little more than a waste material formed from excess protein and keratin, the same substance found in fingernails. It has no nerve endings, and no other way to signal a faster growth rate to the glands that excreted it.
Hair grows at a specific and steady rate for each person, although there may be a slight increase during the summer season.





The act of shaving only removes the ends of the hairs at or slightly below skin level. The actual roots of the hair remain in the follicles or pores deeper in the skin. When shaved hair begins to grow back at its normal rate, the first part of the hair to emerge is the former root, not a tapered shaft. Because the hair root is thicker than the shaved hair, it appears thicker to the human eye. What makes it appear to grow faster is its darker appearance against bare skin.

Soon after adolescent males begin to develop facial hair, many of them will shave it off quickly, believing the shaved hair will grow back thicker and faster. In some cases, there is actually some measurable growth in facial hair, but shaving is not the root cause. As more and more adult hormones are released into the adolescent's body, there is an increase in the number of active hair follicles. More facial hair appears, but it is not growing at a faster rate than any previous beard or moustache.
The same theory holds true for other body hair growth as well. Some people may have faster hair growth rates than others because of their diets or an inherited genetic factor, but the shaved hair itself has no control over that rate.

Women who shave their legs often may experience a stubbly feeling as the coarse root hairs grow out, but they are not forcing more hairs to appear or causing them to grow back faster. Shaving armpit hairs, chest hairs or pubic hairs also does not affect the actual rate of regrowth, but the skin irritation and itching as the hairs emerge may cause some people to notice those shaved areas a little more than usual.






online search







Reading In Dim Light Ruins Your Eyesight?







The majority of eye experts believed it was unlikely to do any permanent damage, but it might make you squint, blink more and have trouble focusing, the researchers said.







Our eyes simply can't focus as accurately in dim light as they can in bright light.Why? The retina is the part of the eye that detects light, it's covered with cells called cones which see colour, but only when the light is bright. As we move from bright to dim light, the pupil enlarges to maximise the amount of light coming in. Our cones are still working, but not as well as in bright light. Smaller letters are now more difficult to read so we compensate by bringing the text closer to our eyes. Therefore, you get into a cycle where it's getting closer and closer and it's getting harder and harder so you get more and more tired and eventually you'll get headache, tired eyes and give up.








Reading in dim light is not in itself going to ruin your eyes. But if you bring the book closer to focus better, then this is the thing that's going to cause problems, with the possibility of exacerbating short-sightedness.

MSN






Eating Turkey Makes people Feel Drowsy?




Turkey does contain trytophan, an amino acid which is a natural sedative. But trytophan doesnnnnnnnnnrain unless it is taken on an empty stomach with no protein present, and the amount gobbled even during a holiday feast is generally too small to have an appreciable effect. That lazy , lethargic feeling so many are overcome by at the conclusion of a festive season meal is most likely due to the combination of drinking alcohol and overeating a carbohydrate-rich repast.

snopes.com







Mobile Phones Create Considerable Electromagnetic Inteference In Hospitals



Again, Vreeman and Carroll found scant evidence to substantiate the myth that mobile phones cause substantial interference with hospital equipment. They tracked down one journal article that listed 100 reports of suspected electromagnetic interference in medical equipment from mobile phones before 1993, which the Wall Street Journal made into front page news, after which hospitals banned the use of mobile phones.





But there is little evidence to support this policy said the researchers. In the UK early studies showed mobile phones interfered with as few as 4 per cent of the equipment and only when within one metre, while less than 0.1 per cent showed serious effects. Rigourous testing at a number of other laboratories and medical centres have also come up with very small percentages and again only when within 1 metre of the equipment.

A more recent study carried out this year found no interference in 300 tests in 75 treatment rooms, and in contrast the authors give an account of a survey of medical staff where use of mobile phones to stay in touch with each other was linked to reductions in risk of medical errors and injury resulting from delays in communication.




Vreeman and Carroll concluded that:

"Despite their popularity, all of these medical beliefs range from unproved to untrue."

Conceding that their review was not systematic of all the possible myths around, or of all the evidence relating to them, they did find a large number of references to show that some of the myths had no supporting evidence and others even had evidence to disprove them.





"Physicians would do well to understand the evidence supporting their medical decision making," suggested Vreeman and Carroll.

"They should at least recognise when their practice is based on tradition, anecdote, or art," they said, and:

"Speaking from a position of authority, as physicians do, requires constant evaluation of the validity of our knowledge."

snopes.com

Conclusion


Finally, there is one thing we can realise now, there is no scientific data to prove or support all these facts. So just one word, FALSE!

Good Day.

Cheer Up For A While

I would like to share some jokes here. Just for cheering up purpose. Hope you all will like it.







FIRST DATE

On our first date, I asked my girlfriend where she'd like me to take her to. She said, "Take me to an expensive place".

So I took her to a petrol station!!



Marry Him

The trouble with some women is that they get all excited about nothing and then they marry him.


Will You Love Me?

After five years of marriage, Shanti asked her husband, Will you still love me when I am hagged and wrinkled?"

"I already do" came the answer.




When we get married


Parames: When we get married, I want to share all your worries.

Muthu : Thats very kind of you, darling. But I don't have any worries or troubles.


Parames: Well, thats because we aren't married yet.





A Lot Of Confusion


The girl said, "When we get married dear, we'll be part of each other.You will be a part of me and I will be a part of you.

The boy protested, "There'll be a lot of confusion when we get up in the morning to get dressed up".




Good Bye


"May I see you again pretty soon"? Suresh asked as he said goodbye to his girlfriend.


"Why?" she replied in a hurt tone. "Don't you think I am pretty now?"







Embarrassing Moment


John is a very shy boy. He goes into a bar and sees a beautiful woman sitting at the counter. After an hour of gathering up his courage, he finally goes over to her and asks timidly, "Excuse me, would you mind if I chatted with you for a while?"

She responds by yelling, at the top of her lungs, "No, I won't sleep with you tonight!" Everyone in the bar is now staring at them.

Naturally, John is hopelessly and completely embarrassed and he slinks back to his table.

After a few minute, the woman walks over him and apologises. She smiles at him and says, "I am sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I'm a graduate student in psychology and I'm studying how people respond to embarrassing situations."

To which he responds, at the top of his lungs, "What do you mean by two hundred ringgit?"














Angel


First Guy(proudly): My wife is an angel.

Second Guy : You're lucky. Mine is still alive




Jealous Wife

My wife's jealousy is getting ridiculous. The other day, she looked at my calendar and wanted to know who May was.








A Man's Best Friend

A dog is truly a man's best friend. If you don't believe it, just try the following experiment. Put your dog and your wife in the trunk, behind of your car for an hour.When you open the trunk, who is really happy to see you?









Mother In Law

A guy brings in his dog to the vet and says, "Could you please cut my dog's tail off?" The vet examines the tail and says, "There is nothing wrong. Why would you want this done?" asks the doctor.

The man replies, "My mother-in-law is coming to visit, and I don't want anything in the house to make her to think that she is welcomed".










The Four Stages Of Life


1- You believe in Santa Claus

2- You don't believe in Santa Claus

3- You are Santa Claus

4- You look like Santa Claus










The Human Race

A little girl asked her mother, " How did the human race begin?"

The mother answered, "God made Adam and Eve and they had children and then all mankind was made."

Two days later the little girl asked her father the same question.

The father answered, "Many years ago, there were monkeys from which the human race evolved."

The confused girl returned to her mother and said, "Mom, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed fom monkeys?"

The mother answered, " Well, dear, it's very simple, "I told you about my side of the family, and your father told you about his."













Where Did I Come From?



One day, our little niece Diwya went to her mother and asked,"Amma, Where did I come from?"

The mother stammered a bit, but finally gained her composure. She thought perhaps it was now time for her little girl to know the facts of life. So she told the little girl how the expression of love resulted in the beginning of life, how life developed in the womb and finally how a child was born. As she gave the whole story, Diwya's eyes got wider and wider.

When she was finished, little Diwya said, "Wow, that's fantastic! Uncle Rama told me something else. He said he is from Kuala Selangor!"







Bandaged Arm

Little Hamid visited a doctor for a vaccination. After the doctor gave him an injection, he tried to bandage the boy's arm.

"I think you'd better bandage the other arm, doctor!" said the boy.

"But why? I am supposed to bandage the injected part of your arm to let your friends know not to touch it."

"You don't know about my friends, doctor!" exclaimed Hamid.






First Day At School

Navin came home from his first day at school. His mother asked, "Well, what did you learn today?"

Where Navin replied, " Not enough. They want me to come back again tomorrow."











"Isn't the principal a Dummy!"


Boy : "Isn't the principal a dummy?!"

Girl : "Well, do you know who I am?"

Boy : "No"

Girl : " I am the principal's daughter."

Boy : " Do you know who I am?"

Girl : "No"

Boy : "Thank Goodness" (sigh of relief)









My Mother Ate It


For weeks, a five year old child kept telling his kindergarten teacher about the baby sister or brother that was expected at his house.

One day, the mother allowed the child to feel the movements of the unborn baby. The five year old boy was obviously impressed but made no comment. Moreover, he stopped telling the teacher about the anticipated event.

Finally, the teacher sat the child on her laps and said "Appu, whatever has become of the baby you were expecting at home?"

Appu burst into tears and confessed, " I think my mother ate it!"










Lost Dog

Manikam : I've lost my dog

Muthu : Have you tried putting a message on the Internet?

Manikam : Don't be silly, my dog never reads e-mails.









Look Around

Look at the world around you, you'll see God's creativity;

Look at the dinner table, you'll see God's providence;

Look at the mirror, you'll see God's sense of humour.






Job Interview


Interviewer : What is you birth date?

Kumar : 13 th October, sir.

Interviewer : Which year?

Kumar : Every year, sir.






Work Station


If a train station is where the train stops and a bus station is where the bus stops, what is work station?






Success formula



Be nice to people until you make your first million. After that people will be nice to you.






Lawyer's Fees

A new client had just come to see a famous lawyer.

Client : "Can you tell me how much you charge?"

Lawyer : "Of course, I charge RM200 for three questions".

Client : " That is a bit expensive,isn't it?"

Lawyer : "Yes, it is. What your third question."










Plastic Surgeon

The hospital had called Madam Zakiah to inform her that her eight-year-old son, Nizam had been hurt in a soccer match. She hurried over and saw that although his head and face were bruised, he'd be all right. The doctor said he'd have to call a plastic surgeon.

On hearing this, Nizam wailed, "I don't want a plastic surgeon,! I want a real one!"











Doctor's Exam-Definitions



Have you heard of Valliamma, applying to medical school to become a doctor? Needless to say , she never made it. Do you know why?

These are the answers she wrote in her entrance exam:

Antibody ------ against everyone

Artery ------ the study of paintings

Bacteria ------ back door to a cafeteria

Caesarean section--- a district in Rome

Cardiology------ advance study of poker playing

Cat scan ------- searching for lost kitty

Chronic -------- neck of a crow

Coma -------- punctuation mark

Cortisone ------- area around local court

Cyst ------- short for sister

Diagnosis ------- person with slanted nose

Dislocation ----- in this place

Duodenum ------ couple in blue jeans

Enema ------ not a friend

Fake labour------ pretending to work

Genes ------ blue denim

Hernia ------ she is close by

Impotent ------ distinguished/well-known

Labour pain------ hurt at work

Lactose ------ people without toes

Lymph ------ walk unsteadily

Microbes ------ small dressing gown

Obesity ------ city of Obe

Pacemaker ------ winner of Nobel Peace prize

Proteins ------ in favour of teens

Pus ------ small cat

Red blood count--- Dracula

Secretion ------ hiding anything

Tablet ------ small table

Ultrasound ------ radical noise

Urine ------ opposite of you're out

Varicose ------ very close











Doctor's Advice

A patient called his doctor:

Patient : Doctor, doctor, my son has swallowed my pen! What should I do?

Doctor : Use a pencil till I get there.











Lamppost

After the accident, I told the police at the balai polis( police station) I thought the driver of the other vehicle was drunk.

He told me the other vehicle was a lamppost!!!













Source

He , Who Laughs, Lasts by David Tong

One of my favourite books.