In this issue: MOZART OR MOTORHEAD? KIPPERS MAKE YOU HAPPY NOT CLIMATE CHANGE AGAIN! And much, much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _ _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 53 - July 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail is a free snack-sized newsletter dedicated to trends, innovations and other miscellany. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the world's best online cache of curiosities go to http://brainmail.nowandnext.com/ Tell the whole world about brainmail - forward this to zillions of friends. ------------------------------------------------------------ > Mozart or Motorhead? A worldwide study of over 36,000 music lovers found that lovers of Mozart and heavy metal have similar personalities - more creative, not outgoing, and quite at ease. Fans of country and western were more hardworking. Ref: The Weekly Telegraph (UK) > When money matters Happiness research shows that money doesn't have much to do with happiness, but friends and family and having time for social activities does. The exception is when someone loses their job, because they lose money, self esteem, and often, the social networks that might help them find another job. Ref: The New York Times (US) > Small robots called MEMS Many new technologies are tiny but achieve big tasks and MEMS is one. MEMS stands for microelectromechnical systems, which combine the brains of electronic circuits with the sensing abilities of eyes and the moveable ability of arms. The Japanese are developing small fingers that can be used to create a hand for doing surgery. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > Ray guns for grown-ups The humble ray gun of science fiction has grown up. The Zeus can detonate bombs from a safe distance of 300 metres, the Laser Area Defence System (LADS) blows incoming shells and rockets apart with laser beams, and the Airborne Laser (ABL), mounted on a plane, can disable a missile after launch from several hundred kilometres away. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Diets are a passing fad The NPD Group claims that, in the dieting heyday of 1990, 39% of women and 29% of men were on a diet. Since 1985, diaries collected from 5,000 consumers show dieting has never been so unfashionable. Only 26% of women and 16% of men are on diets today. Ref: New York Times (US) > Green money gets you on the bus A town in Japan rewards its citizens for environmentally friendly actions, such as street cleanups or weeding flowerbeds, by issuing "green currency" called ef (ecological Fuchu) notes. People can use these notes on buses or in local businesses like supermarkets. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > Something for the carbon counters Carbon labelling has found its way to Japan, after starting in the UK and spreading to Europe. The question is whether consumers will want to count carbon in the same way many like to count calories. After all, calories can make you fat, but what does carbon do? Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > Kippers make you happy Foods like kipper and haddock have mood-changing fatty acids in them and, if you also get a new haircut, spend more time with your friends and practise smiling, you might be able to cure a mild case of depression. Ref: The Week (AUS) > Quick "cure" for diabetes Diabetics with late onset diabetes are advised to walk for 45 minutes a day as this helps the body store sugar and burn fat. It seems like a good habit for anyone, especially the kipper-eaters above. Ref: The Week (AUS) > Eating the menu New Yorkers and Californians can walk into a restaurant chain and see how many calories are in each food item on the menu. This upsets the people who think it smacks of nannyism but it provides a strategic advantage for restaurants that can cut those calories. Only in America? Ref: The Economist (UK) > Justice feels the weight of texting America's civil justice system is starting to groan under the weight of Facebook, Twitter, texting, blogging, and emails. A recent case showed an insurance company demanding to see all the electronic stuff generated by a group of anorexic girls to see whether the condition was biologically based, rather than merely psychological. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Paint that keeps you cool A Japanese company has created heat-insulating paint that reflects sunlight. One manufacturer found the temperature one metre below the ceiling dropped by 14 degrees Celsius and sensory temperature fell by 3 Celsius, by using it on the roof. It won't work in houses yet because of their design. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > A cool haircut The Japanese have invented "cold shampoos" made with shaved ice to give a tingling, cool sensation on the scalp and they keep clients leaving the salon cool on hot days. Some salons give it away and others charge for it. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > Get plastered Another Japanese invention is the biological plaster, made from cultured epidermal cells, which promotes the regeneration of skin while protecting it. Artificial scalps follow the same theory, and are also highly suitable for burn victims. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > Paper drama before bed For parents who don't like putting on voices when they are reading to their kids, and for kids who like to watch a screen, the Japanese Tele-Shibai system will provide all kinds of fun. It literally means "paper drama" and provides all the sound effects and voices that dad probably doesn't. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > The Winglet takes off Toyota has invented the Winglet, a "personal transport assistance robot", which moves up to 6kph and steers using the owner's body weight. It folds up for easy carrying and weighs only a quarter of the US-developed Segway. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > You look like Brando Face recognition technology is very useful for catching perpetrators of crime but the Japanese are using it to show camera phone owners which celebrity they resemble. Not surprisingly, it is very popular! Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > Cheating is cheating It seems that electronic affairs, even on Second Life, still count as cheating in the UK. It doesn't matter that the hapless pair never actually touched each other physically. What next? Life sentence for electronic murder? Ref: The Guardian (UK) > Cognitive surplus alright Clay Shirky, a tech writer, claims that passively consuming media creates a cognitive surplus. If Brits spend 25 hours a week watching TV, they could write ten Wikipedias a week just by turning it off. Scary. Ref: Times Online (UK) > More pure, less moral There is something about the ritual of washing yourself clean that allows you to accept less moral acts. Pontius Pilate may have known this. But a UK study shows that feeling morally unclean encourages ethical behaviour, and feeling cleansed or purified has the opposite effect. Ref: The Economist (UK) > Voting with your senses People who are less threatened by sudden loud noises or gruesome images are more likely to vote liberal. If you jump at the sight of a spider or the sound of a loud bang, you probably vote conservative. It suggests our political views are influenced by biology, but let's hope pollsters don't use this one. Ref: The Week (AUS) > Why women have nightmares Women seem to have more nightmares than men (30% compared to 19%) and are more likely to dream about emotionally traumatic events. This may be because they take their worries into sleep or because of changes in their body temperature during menstruation. Ref: The Week (AUS) > Are we depressed or sad? A book by Horwitz and Wakefield, The Loss of Sadness, suggests the popular idea that westerners are becoming more prone to depression is more to do with our glib diagnoses of depression than any genuine increase. In fact, many of us are merely sad about something that has happened in our lives and this passes all by itself. Ref: Policy (AUS) > The Mini plays vinyl You can now play your old vinyl records using a toy Mini Clubman, which has a built-in needle, amp and speakers, for a mere 55 British pounds. Ref: The Week (AUS) > Wearing the ashes The Japanese can keep their loved ones close by wearing their ashes in a pendant or keeping them in an ornamental pot. Another method is to make ornamental plates or diamonds using the ashes and bones of the loved one. This changes the traditional custom of placing ashes in a family grave far away. Ref: The Nikkei Weekly (JAP) > No more laundry It is interesting that self-cleaning clothes are already being tested in the Army, where soldiers may be forced to wear them for a long time. Chemicals in the fabric can resist fire, oil, water, and bacteria. Many mothers may think it's a pity they are testing it in the Army first. Ref: Scientific American (US) > Smelling trouble Some anxiety patients are hypersensitive to smells and it seems this is because they have a faulty ability to tell the difference between dangerous and harmless scents. Functional MRI scans show strong emotions encourage the brain to learn the subtle differences between them. Ref: Scientific American (US) > Not climate change again! People are becoming fatigued by all the talk about climate change and what they can do about it. Unfortunately, this is because it's all happening too slowly for them to feel as if it has anything to do with them. It is a challenge for governments, who also tend to think no further than the next election. See below. Ref: Scientific American (US) > Curb that urge The august British Medical Journal is recommending that British couples have no more than two children as a way to save the planet. Every birth in the UK produces 160 times more greenhouse gases than one birth in Ethiopia (a curious but useless statistic). Ref: The Guardian Weekly (UK) > Studying the stagger A Welsh university is studying the movement of drunken crowds to help find ways to better design streets so that they get home safely. Researchers found 25% of people were staggering on a Friday and Saturday night in Cardiff between 11pm and 3am. This contrasts sadly with the fact that the UK drinks industry has torn up the voluntary code banning happy hour deals. Ref: New Scientist (AUS) and The Guardian Weekly (UK) > Gadget of the month The Loc8tor (aptly named for the txt generation) can find up to four different objects from a distance of 122m. It was designed in Britain to help people find lost keys, phones and wallets, and is only 6mm thick (may be easy to lose!). In our experience, it is usually easier to ask a woman. Ref: The Week (AUS) > Tattoo the car It had to happen - young people are busy tattooing their bodies, so why not their cars? A San Francisco start-up has commissioned many sought-after underground artists to design fabulous stickers, which are strong enough to survive car washing but easy to remove if you want to sell your car. Even my car has one! Ref: Times Online (UK) > Think rich A US university has found that, when people are primed to think of wealth, they are more likely to work harder at tasks and be selfish and insensitive towards others. This may have implications for advertising, which is always promoting rich and luxurious lifestyles to people on their way to work. Ref: The Times (UK) > The God vote A Texan university found that people who believe in God are less likely to vote, because they think he will intervene anyway. Jews, who think God takes a more hands-off approach, are more likely to vote. We are reminded of the old quote: "Have faith in Allah, but tether your camel first". Ref: The Times (UK) > Tongue in toad cheek How fascinating that the tongue of a toad is providing ideas for the way that muscles work and informing the development of artificial joints and new treatments for Parkinson's disease. A toad's jaw muscles produce forces more than 700 times its body weight, compared to a top electric motor, which produces a third of that. Ref: Times Online (UK) > Car stickers and rage People who put stickers on their car that say "Keep your distance" or "Jesus loves you" are more likely to drive aggressively. A study of 500 drivers found they were more likely to act on their anger by flashing lights or tailgating. Unfortunately, these same people are also more likely to get upset at their children's sporting events. So-called "ego defensiveness" is therefore common in "road rage" and "touchline rage". Ref: Times Online (UK) > Promiscuous friending People who put their intimate information on the Web and disclose it to people they've never met are engaging in "promiscuous friending". They tend to be reality addicts, people who love watching reality TV. They are also more likely to mimic celebrity behaviour (and might like that camera phone gadget mentioned above). Ref: Times Online (UK) > Watts up? The average human's energy needs for travel, food and heating are 2,000 watts, the equivalent of burning a two-bar electric fire 24 hours a day. This compares to 500 watts in Africa and 11,400 in America. A Swiss university says we should be aiming for 2,000 watts but, unfortunately, even driving a Prius 10,000 miles a year uses up 1,000 watts. Ref: Times Online (UK) > Unusual names Don't call your child Ivan or Ernest. This is because kids with unusual names are more likely to get involved in youth crime, according to an American study of over 15,000 people. Researchers are not sure whether the problem is the unpopular name or the parents who choose unpopular names! Weirdly, people with initials like DIE and PIG have worse mortality rates. Ref: Times Online (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : FAST FACTS Many Brits may be passing around a counterfeit pound coin because 2% are estimated to be fake. Ref: The Independent (UK) Since 2004, the number of infections from the drug-resistant staphylococcus "superbug" has fallen 57%. Ref: The Times (UK) Australian retirees are the fourth-poorest in the West with 27% living in poverty (50% of average earnings). Ref: OECD/The Daily Telegraph Some 27% of Australians are most afraid of death, 23% are most afraid of public speaking, and others are afraid of spiders, heights or small spaces. Ref: Newspoll/The Herald Sun The US government's massive bailout of $3.92 trillion is more than the cost of the Iraq, Korean and Vietnam wars combined with the lifetime budget of NASA. Ref: The Independent (UK) Nearly half of British kids aged 7-12 are not allowed to climb trees, 21% can't play conkers and 17% can't play chase. Shame! Ref: ICM/BBC Online Manorexia (anorexia in men) has gone up 67% in the last five years and accounts for 5-10% of all sufferers. Ref: The Independent (UK) Don't play the National Anthem because 37% of Britons find the theme of EastEnders more recognisable. Ref: Performing Rights Society/The Daily Telegraph (UK) The Brits shower for longer than other nations might think - 15% stand for more than 11 minutes and 3% take more than 20 minutes. Other nations apparently take 2-5 minutes. Ref: The Week (AUS) Sadly, nearly a third of kids never see their mum or dad again after a family breakdown. Ref: The Observer (UK) A European study of 260 kidney patients found that 16% of night-time operations had to be redone compared to 6% of daytime ones, because surgeons were tired. Scary. Ref: Times Online (UK) Restaurants that leave out the dollar sign on their menus find their customers spend about $US5.55 more (5.55 in fact). Easy money, you might say. Ref: The Deal (AUS) The average American CEO is 56 and works 6.5 years each for three companies during his or her career, and 38% have an MBA. The average European CEO is 54 and works 5 years for each of three companies, and 16% have an MBA. What's special about an MBA? Ref: The Times (UK) Much-maligned real estate agents only get about 5 hours 50 minutes' sleep a night, compared to media and creative people, who get 7 hours 12 minutes a night. Bankers fall roughly in between. Ref: The Times (UK) Harrison Group says 80% of the wealthy are looking at each category to see what they can save, 77% are buying fewer big-ticket goods and 78% are waiting for the sales before they buy. Ref: The Economist (UK) In Russia, the number of billionaire oligarchs has halved and the ten richest tycoons have lost two-thirds of their value. Do we care? Ref: The Economist (UK) In America, the number of millionaires has fallen from 9.2 million to 6.7 million between 2007 and 2008. Do we really care? Ref: The Economist (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : BOOK OF THE MONTH This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin ------------------------------------------------------------ : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH It's old but it's solid gold: http://www.hatsofmeat.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking." - Dorothy L. Sayers ------------------------------------------------------------ : STILL HUNGRY? If this snack-sized newsletter still leaves you feeling hungry feed your brain with something a little more substantial at www.nowandnext.com (and yes, that's free too). ---------------------------------------------------- : LOOKING FOR AN INSIGHTFUL AND ENTERTAINING SPEAKER? If you are looking for an inspiring speaker for your next event ask your speaker agency about Richard Watson or contact him direct via http://nowandnext.com Recent speaker clients have included IBM, McDonald's, Virgin, Commonwealth Bank and Disney. ----------------------------------------------------- : SMALL PRINT The stories, statistics and 'facts' appearing in brainmail are sourced from a variety of reliable publications worldwide. However, brainmail cannot guarantee the truthfulness of stories and a degree of commonsense should be applied before quoting or using any of this material in a commercial context.