Nerdy Science Blog

ScienceDaily:

ScienceDaily (Mar. 28, 2008) — Maybe when we were their age, we walked five miles to school, rain or shine. So why don’t most children today walk or bike to school?

It’s not necessarily because they’re spoiled, lazy or over scheduled. According to a University of Michigan researcher, concerns about safety are the main reason that less than 13 percent of U.S. children walked or biked to school in 2004, compared to more than 50 percent who did so in 1969.

“These concerns are strongly linked to the kind of physical environment children navigate between home and school,” said Byoung-Suk Kweon, an environmental and landscape architecture researcher at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR).

“The greener the route, the more likely it is that children will walk and bike.”

I’m still walking to campus today because:

• It’s within walking distance (15 minutes).
• I don’t have car.
• It’s cheaper.
• The environment is green and the air is fresh.
• The air is cool and dry (I don’t sweat easily in Australia).

[pic]

Popularity: 3% [?]

ScienceDaily:

ScienceDaily (Feb. 8, 2008) — Crude historical depictions of African Americans as ape-like may have disappeared from mainstream U.S. culture, but research presented in a new paper by psychologists at Stanford, Pennsylvania State University and the University of California-Berkeley reveals that many Americans subconsciously associate blacks with apes.

In addition, the findings show that society is more likely to condone violence against black criminal suspects as a result of its broader inability to accept African Americans as fully human, according to the researchers.

The African Americans did enrich America’s culture.

Do you know in ancient China, the Chinese called the whites as Yang-Gui-Zi (洋鬼子）, which literally means ghost?  This is because the white dudes have red beard, green eyes.

Popularity: 7% [?]

David Schlundt and his colleagues, who are Vanderbilt University psychologist made a very interesting connection.

“We found that when weight goes up, seatbelt use goes down,” Schlundt, associate professor of psychology and assistant professor of medicine, said. “This is an additional public health problem associated with obesity that was not on the radar screen. We hope these new findings will help promote awareness campaigns to encourage people to use their seatbelts and that additional resources, like seatbelt extenders, will be made more readily available.”

Yes, the more obese you are, the less frequent you will use seatbelt. I don’t know if all vehicles have a standard seatbelt length, but I do notice sometimes some seatbelts of certain cars are shorter (maybe it’s just my imagination). What really matters is on the plane, different airlines company do have different seatbelt length. When the obesity group (I used to be one) taking the flight, the seatbelt is totally suffocating my stomach. This reminds me of Chinese dumpling (made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves).

(news [pic])

Popularity: 2% [?]

In every one thousand people, you can find one who has synesthesia.

ScienceDaily (Dec. 30, 2007) — Surprising as it may seem, there are people who can smell sounds, see smells or hear colours. One person out of every thousand has synesthesia, a psychological phenomenon in which an individual can smell a sound or hear a color. Most of these people are not aware they are synesthetes: they think the way they experience the world is normal.

Is synesthesia abnormal? I don’t think so. My definition for normal is common behaviour practised by the majority. Says who that majority is always correct? Sometimes I don’t like election, it shows the violence of majority.

Popularity: 1% [?]

New Zealand’s kids will hate you if you stressed their parents:

“We found that young parents are less likely to smack or use more severe physical punishment methods if they are caring for fewer children, have low levels of financial and relationship stress, and have had positive parenting role models on which to base their own.”

This research was published in New Zealand Medical Journal. Asian kids always got bitten by their parents, I guess they’re just stressed out.

Russell Peters urged white parents hit their kids, or else they’ll be discriminated by other races in school as every kids got smacked by their parents. Guess what my parents told my school teachers when I was in elementary school? “If you found that he’s naughty, just hit him, the harder the better.”

Rotan (in malay) a.k.a. rattan was the weapon that my parents use to smack me. The thinner it is, the more painful you would feel. This rotan thing is amazing. It very flexible, no matter how much you bend it, it won’t break into half. It’s not bamboo as it’s not hollow inside.

[news (pic)]

Popularity: 1% [?]

When I was reading the about how movies affect teens in smoking behavior, I recalled the movie “Thank You for Smoking” directed by Jason Reitman.

This movie was about a tobacco industry lobbyist, Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart), whose job was to promote smoking cigarette, which included getting their cigarette onto the big movie screen. In the movie, what Nick told the pretty reporter why he helped tobacco industry was because of the population control.

I love Nick’s philosophy though, everyone should have that kind of philosophy (including scientists) to sell themselves and their products without losing values.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I confess, I watch TV and online before I sleep.

Nearly half of the respondents associated their lack of sleep with electronic media use before bedtime. Those reporting longer electronic media use were also more likely to report insufficient sleep.

But many lecturers are boring, you can’t deny that. I notice that even though some lecturers present in an attractive way, but their voices are just dull.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I haven’t see sun for a long time. My activities start after sunset, and stop before sunrise. I do my works, studies, haave funs during night time, the darker it is, the more hyper I am. People say my genes mutated.

If you think that the idea of a morning person or an evening person is nonsense, then postgraduate student Martin Sale and his colleagues from the University of Adelaide have news for you.

—— Science Daily: Brains Learn Better At Night

This piece of news is nonsense, different people has different body and brain. There are still lots of people learn better in the morning. I can learn good in both time, just that I’m easily fall asleep in the morning and easily got distracted at night.

Now you might caught me waking up this early morning writing this post, the fact is I haven’t sleep for days without the help of caffeine. Just doing my assignments and reports.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Did your mother alwyas nag you and you can’t even spoke back? While you mom is nagging, your dad remains silent? This gives you the thinking that woman talks more than man? Dude, you are wrong, and it’s proven by researchers from univeristy of Texas.

In general, they found that women tend to talk more about relationships. Their everyday conversation is more studded with pronouns. Men tend to talk more about sports and gadgets, and their utterances include more numbers.

—— NPR: Study: Men Talk Just as Much as Women

Maybe after your mom finished, you may turn and kick your dog to release your anger, and the words you spoken to your dog might be as much as what your mom nagged you. Haha, just kidding.

Politicians are one good example of talkative men, they talked, mostly crap, and i guess more than their wives. But one thing i must tell the guys, women share things, so when you are telling your beloved one something, don’t expect her to keep it as secret, women share among women.

(Picture 1)(Picture 2)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Do you have an imaginary friend?

The imaginary friends a child dreams up, naughty or nice, are good to have around. They have emotional, social, and cognitive benefits, and they help prepare children for real life, scientists say.

—— LiveScience.com: Imaginary Friends and Enemies All Good, Scientist Say

I did not have imaginary friend, but I did have imaginary monster and I myself playing a very powerful role to defeat those monsters. By the way, I had my imaginary friends when I’m bored in the lab, they are my gloves.

I am quite happy and relieved that neither my teachers nor my parents try to kill my imagination, but I felt sorry for those who said “but the book/teacher/dad/mom/postman said that…”.

Popularity: 1% [?]