Learning

Learning new knowledge comes from rigorous repetition and time. Human beings learn new concepts based on knowledge that they previously know. A reorganization of previously learned knowledge intuitively is how we grasp a new concept. A step by step foundation of knowledge is built from childhood to adolescence and finally to adulthood.

When we are infants, we are like empty canvas's solely seeking items necessary for survival. It is food, water, and the nurturing presence of our Mother's that occupy our simple minds. A foundation of knowledge which helps us gain more knowledge is what we build as children. The first words we learn are usually "Mom" and "Dad" because they are the ones who give nourishment for survival. These words which are one syllable each are easy for a child to manipulate muscles in their lips and vocal chords to produce the sound. After a making the sound "Mom" or "Dad", a reaction occurs from a respective parent producing a neural arrangement that solidifies the manipulation of muscles in the vocal chord and lips. Physiologically, a cluster of neurons work together to transmit acetylcholine(ACH) to the muscles in the vocal chords and the mouth to pronounce a synchronized sound. An astounding way this could have been learned is through the mirror effect. A rigorous observation of the bay analyzing an external human saying "Mom" or "Dad" could attribute to its learning of the word.

Symbols

Everything in the universe which contains a certain mass contains a symbol of representation. History has changed these representations or symbols of these pieces of mass, but the objects themselves have remained constant. With our ability to tie vision, sound, smell, and taste for survival, these objects have been given symbols to therefore adhere to languages.

A room filled with people at a party contains a number of conversations which represent numerous subjects and emotions. Thousands of symbols are perceived as sound waves varying in amplitude represent different symbols. An abundance of unique sounds stemming from our vocal chords represent an overall subject in a sentence by eclectically placing together individual sounds of letters, words, and sentences. A sentence such as, "Wow, your family is amazing, I love the way each person carries themselves and smiles" contains fifteen words to carry out a message of gratification. Our brains are phenomenal at decoding sounds like this previously stated sentence and it acts as a computer processing sounds at an astounding speed. It pieces together each sound of a letter that makes up a word which represents a symbol to place the symbol in the context of a sentence. For example, "Wow" is a symbol for excitement, "your family" is a symbol that makes your brain feel excitement about your family, "is amazing" augments your previous thought by adding positivity about your family, etc.

Body language has an astounding correlation with symbols. One could pose as being sad, happy, depressed, mad, etc. If we observe someone, we make a conclusion based on their body language on whether they are happy, sad, or angry. These symbols(happy, sad, angry) in our brain contain a number of responses based on our conclusive observation. It is like a program which contains "if" statements. This has much to do with language decoding because observing one's body language and decoding various sounds both contain learned response.

Physiologically, a unique set of neurons represent a sentence in where we could understand every word. This is why when we do not know what a word means, we figure out what it means in context of words we understand therefore realigning a new set of neurons that represent this newly learned word. To test this theory of a unique set of neurons representing a sentence, I used my EPOC neuroheadset. I played the first ten seconds of a song called "Say Hello to Heaven" to see how the sensors responded. I did ten trials of listening to the first ten seconds of the song to see if the headset responded and it did.

This gives into the argument that our brains act as extremely complex programs which run through our memory just as a computer runs through it's hard drive. Symbols associated with language are learned in the early years of a human being's life. The abundance of symbols and associations in language make it hard for neuroscientists to come up with a correlation between clinical observation and physiological explanation.

]The human brain weights 1.35kg(3 lbs). It consists of the forebrain (prosencephalon), the midbrain (mesoncephalon), and the hindbrain ( rhombencephalon). All vertebrate brains contain these three structures.

Natural selection not only sifted out physical characteristics, but also selected mental characteristics for future survival. The brain's evolution was carried out in three steps. The first mental aspect to evolve was its increase in volume. The relative size of a brain of a mammal and a reptile are proportionately different. For example, a 100g mouse contains a much larger brain than a 100g frog. The second aspect of the brain that evolved was compartmentalization of the brain. With time, distinct areas in an organism's brain carried out distinct functions. For example, the cerebellum is involved with the coordination of body parts. The third and most astounding evolutionary trait of the vertebrate brain is the development of the forebrain. When amphibians began venturing on land from water senses such as vision and hearing became more important in their survival. Hence, natural selection chose organisms with a larger midbrain and hindbrain. More complex behaviors parallel the growth of the forebrain, or the cerebrum.

The hindbrain and the midbrain make up the brainstem and they form a cap on the spinal chord that extends to about the middle of the brain. Development stems from these two areas which is located anterior end of the spinal chord. It consists of three parts that serve to maintain homeostasis, balance movement coordination, and signal conduction. The pons and the medulla oblongata both serve to carry out autonamic and homeostatic functions. These include breathing, heard and blood vessel activity, swallowing, vomiting, and digestion.

The midbrain, or the upper portion of the brainstem contains centers for processing sensory input. All fibers involved with hearing either terminate or pass in the inferior colliculi, and the superiors colliculi is involved with visual input. The major nuclei in the midbrain are involved with a sector called the reticular formation which regulates arousal.

The most intricate section in the brain is the forebrain where most thought such as emotion, learning, and memory occur. Integrating motor and sensory pathways allow image perception. The two major portion of the forebrain are the diencephalon, and the telencephalon. The diencephalon contains the thalamus and the hypothalamus. The upper portion of the telencephalon contains the cerebrum

Playing Around With the Emotiv Headset

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a Emotiv Epoc headset thanks to my older brother Pankaj. At first after experimenting with its given interface I came to the conclusion that this entire product was a bit of a scam due to its inaccuracy in reading my thoughts. The interface contains three modes which are the following expressive suite, attentive suite, and the cognitive suite. The attentive suite outputs graphs that monitors you mood, the cognitive suite responds to a given thought, and the expressive suite mimics your facial expressions. These three features are very basic and there is only a limited amount of things you can do with them.

My second day of experimenting with this product and its interface was much more successful than my first. The cognitive suite contains a floating box that represents your brain's thought. It first asks you to record a neutral thought for eight seconds to keep the floating box in one place. It then asks you to record a non-neutral thought to either lift, rotate, or push the box in any direction (your choice). The first time I used this suite I chose to push the box away from me by thinking of constantly pushing a box. I attempted this and the box's response to my "neutral" thought and "pushing" thought was completely out of sync. I did not rule out the possibility of my thoughts being inconsistent and volatile causing the Epoc headset to irregularly respond so I attempted to trick the headset for more consistency. For a neutral thought I decided to add a two to every integer starting from zero. Hence, 0+2=2, 2+2=4, 4+2=6, and so on. It is a simple mathematical calculation which allows your brain to focus on one task and not meander off into a thought cluster. Then to push the box I decided to rapidly wave my hands. Believe it or not waving your hands back and forth is a cognitive task. With these more concrete brain tasks the box accurately stayed in one place when I computed the mathematical calculation in my brain, and it moved away from me when I swayed my hands back and forth. I came to the final conclusion that this product is extremely accurate in recognizing cognition.

Unfortunately, the software development kit costs the consumer 750 dollars. A hacker has put up a series of code called the Emokit to intercept the information the headset sends the USB receiver. The information from your brain is represented by a series of graphs each depicting a sensor on the headset. This means that a certain cognitive function such as adding contains a unique eclectic depiction of these graphs. In the given software, these unique graphs are recognized by your computer every time you add and it outputs the box being neutral. This exemplifies the powerful nature of this piece of technology's potential to recognize a unique cognitive function.

With that being said, a number of feats can potentially be accomplished with this headset.

1) Concentration. With its ability to respond to a certain function, one could easily practice concentration on a task such as reading by using the headgear and reading. When the user digresses away from processing words(recognized cognitive function by unique sets of graphs) a ringer can go off to remind the reader to stay on track.

2) Perfection. With its ability to recognize physical cognitive function an athlete can perfect his golf swing by recording a perfect shot(represented by a unique set of graphs) then continue to mimic this swing by wearing a headset and ringing a bell whenever he perfects his swing.

Neuron Arrangement

Our brain is involved with every form of thought we experience. Our brain also contains ten to one hundred billion neurons that represent our thoughts. This abundance of neurons must have direct correlation to our different thoughts. Neurons communicate with one another through synapses and different thoughts are represented by unique arrangements of neurons.

A person who is presented with the word ball and whose thoughts are tracked for ten minutes after this initial exposure to the word is an example of arrangements of neurons representing different thoughts. If a person who watches and plays many sports is presented the word ball then he experiences a chain reaction of thoughts. For example, after his brain decodes the sound and comprehends the word and realizes that it represents a ball then his brain could go through a chain of thoughts just like this one: ball-football-San Francisco 49ers- funny incident at 49er game- same funny incident at dinner- favorite meal at dinner(potatoes)- the versatility of potatoes- french fries- Irish potato famine- the movie departed- Jack Nicholson. As you can see this list can go on forever but there is one aspect of this list that caters to the idea of a unique set of neurons and it the bridges between the ideas ball, potatoes, and Jack Nicholson. The bridges are respectively funny incident and Irish.

The fact that our brain contains a range of ten to one hundred billion neurons gives to the fact that there are arrangements of neurons which represent our diverse sets of thoughts. A regular person must experience tens of thousands of thoughts per day pertaining to his or her's surroundings. Many thoughts that differ in subject matter are linked by one common denominator which is emotion. In the chain reaction of the thought process of a ball to Jack Nicholson the bridges which are a funny incident and Ireland are bridges because of strong emotional feelings. A funny incident and Ireland represent happiness from an incident that caused laughter and food that caused satisfaction. Thoughts that bring out emotion bridge our knowledge which connect two very distinct ideas.

Neuroplasticity is a major player in the way we think. Neuroplasticity is defined as "the changing of neurons, the organization of their networks, and their function via new experiences". New experiences which bring about new emotion cause a rearrangement of neurons or a new arrangement of a set of neurons representing this experience. It is Neuroplasticity that gives our minds its ability to be so malleable in and also so sensitive to an experience that follows large emotion. For example, if I see a baseball bat slam into a person in a crowd after a batter accidentally lets go of a bat then then an emotion of fear bridges the set of neurons representing a person at bat and being a baseball game. Seeing and containing new feelings towards this experience rearrange my neurons to judge the game of baseball in a whole different manner my previous view of baseball being great and fun.

Central Nervous System

Our central nervous system consists of our brain and our spinal chord. The two main cells that populate the central nervous system are neurons and supporting cells. Neurons are cells specialized for transmitting signals from one location in the body to another. The two types of neurons are sensory neurons and motor neurons. They complement one another to allow the smooth process of perceiving and responding. Sensory input and motor output of the nervous system are integrated by interneurons which are located inside of the central nervous system. Creating a backdoor into any of these cells to allow communication with computer chips will enable human beings to take technology to the next level.

Sensory neurons communicate information about the external and internal environments from sensory receptors to the central nervous system. Signals transmitted along the length of neurons from the dendrite to the axon depends on electrical currents . Communication occurs between the dendrite of one neuron and the axon of a separate neuron. This area between an axon and dendrite of two neurons is called a synapse. It is here where neurotransmitters are transmitted between cells to carry out a specific message to carry out a specific function. A disease like Schizophrenia is prevalent because of excess dopamine, a neurotransmitter. If a backdoor is established to allow a sensory neuron to connect to a resistor to stop excess dopamine then excess dopamine could be eradicated.

Motor neurons send impulses from the central nervous system to output gestures such as hand movement and speech. Parkinson's disease is an example of the degradation of the motor neurons of the central nervous system. It impairs motor skills, cognitive processes, and other functions. Symptoms result from insufficient dopamine caused by the midbrain. If synthetic dopamine were to be made then it would have to be implemented into the brain by a foreign object. Again, a backdoor into neurons would have to be established in order to feed the neurotransmitter dopamine into the brain.

The Motherboard of the Brain

An important area in the brain associated with language development is called Wernicke's area. Wernicke's area is located on the left side of the brain in the temporal lobe and is responsible for speech comprehension. Because of its function of language comprehension it is located near the part of the brain that is associated with decoding sound input. Contrary to Wernicke's area, Broca's area is related to the production of speech and the production of facial expressions. These two areas simultaneously work together giving us our ability to communicate.

Speech comprehension is one that is very complex. You could notice its complexity by listening to a foreign language and paying attention to all the various sounds the speaker is making through is vocal chords. The first level of decoding a speaker's flow of words is understanding that the sound that you are hearing is a language from another person and not from a foreign object. The second level consists of sound discrimination. It is here where the listener associates the acoustic characteristics of each word and associates meaning to them from their memory. The third level of speech comprehension is correlating the message from the language to previous memories associated with the prose of the message. If another person is talking to you about a chair the following is what your brain will process:
-All of the instances of chairs in existence anywhere
-Instances of chairs and exist in your imagination
-All the characteristics of chairs
-All the things you may do with chairs
-All the other concepts you may link with chairs


The fourth level of understanding a given piece of language is relating the message's meaning with an emotional association. For example, if a person were to talk to you about a dog and you were a dog owner feelings of compassion and love would eventually consume your mind because of your personal relationship with your dog.

Following the fourth level of language understanding is the final and fifth level of language comprehension. This new message which has been decoded by your brain either contains previous relative memories associated with this message or does not have any any associations. If your memory has relative information to this new message then then previous information will now be tainted by this new message. For example, if someone told me about an issue with their dog and my thought process had made it to the fourth level then this person's pet problem would forever be ingrained in my memory. All previous connections in the brain are modified because of this story.

The five stages of understanding language and response to understood language can only be carried out because of the simultaneous bond of Wernicke's area and Broca's area. The corpus callosum creates a bridge between these two areas and allows them to work together to create a flow of synapses amongst neurons giving us the ability to smoothly communicate. The corpus callosum acts as a motherboard for the brain connecting many different components to carry out different functions.

Corpus Callosum

Our brain's cerebellum contains two distinct hemispheres. There is the right and the left hemisphere each carrying out a distinct function. The left portion of the brain is responsible for language, mathematical calculations, and critical thought while the right brain is responsible for our sensual experience. Fortunately, our dynamic brain can process more than one piece of information at a time not limiting it to one side. Our Corpus Callosum connects our left and right hemispheres together allowing information to be processed through each sphere. Our capability of applying a specific function of our left hemisphere to an observation in our right hemisphere is an extremely powerful one that gives us unique cognitive abilities.

Combining our left and right hemispheres allows us to make hypotheses on situations and draw pragmatic conclusions on them. Our hypothesis is generated from the right side of our brain while the conclusion is made from our left side due to its ability to calculate. Hypothesizing and concluding can be attributed to a number of situations in our brain from memories to present experience.

Our ability to imagine by creating scenarios in our head, and then drawing conclusions in these scenarios is one that must be because of our corpus callosum. This bridge between the two realms of knowledge in our right and left brain gives our mind its ability to imagine certain situations. Our imagination is an extension of our learned memory. Memory does not have a designated area in our brain. Instead it is pervasively spread throughout by the connections made between neurons. Our neurons that cater to our memory are connected through the corpus callosum giving us the ability to imagine scenarios.

Along with reference our practical perception of objects that are around us is attributed to the function of our corpus callosum. The fact that our memory contains knowledge of previously learned objects and our left hemisphere makes conclusions based on our memory gives us an understanding of our visual perception and the role the corpus callosum plays on it. This is another example of how the bridge between our left and right hemispheres cater to our known reality. I believe that this portion of our brain is the answer to many of the unsolved mysteries of our brain.

Pons

Our brain controls more than just our thoughts. Like a central computer,a minute aspect of our brain called the pons is computing simultaneous calculations that control our sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, posture, and facial sensation. The pons is located at the top of the brainstem acting as a mediator between the brain and the body. Its location is key to its purpose in the brain.

Just as birds are imitated by planes, the pons is imitated by computers. A brain contains various areas that carry out different functions. The pons is analagous to one computer controlling several aspects human body's system. For example, a car's carburetor which controls the gasoline and air mixture to produce a optimal solution to fill the volume of a piston is something the driver never notices. Computers in planes, cars, and many other systems simultaneously control certain factors in each respective system to maintain equilibrium performing like the pons.

Mental diseases which occur in the pons contain the potential to disrupt a human's basic vital functions and daily life. A pons that does not fully carry out it's job can be replaced by a computer that can monitor its responsibility like respitory rate and bladder control. If a central processing unit can control several processes on a computer, then it sure can be manipulated to control basic bodily functions. There are two barriers to this solution. First, a connection between the neurons and electric signals from a computer chip needs to be established in order for this work. Secondly, a source of energy for this chip would be necessary . A battery that constantly needs to be changed would not be a viable source of energy due to its need to be changed with time.

Neurons transmit information between each other through electrical impulses called synapses. With the discussion of electricity, there must also be discussion of a potential difference to allow a flow of electrons amongst two different neurons. If the location of this potential difference can be pinpointed then its establishment will enable access to a foreign object with charge. This will finally allow the transmission of electrons and therefore communication can be established. This missing piece of the puzzle of neuroscience is an extremely important part of the picture that will solve many of the diseases associated with the brain.

The only option for the energy source of a CPU ingrained as the pons would be from surrounding cells. Cells utilize ATP to maintain homeostasis. A bridge would have to be constructed between the cell and the CPU to transfer the ATP from the cell to the CPU. This bridge would either utilize osmosis or diffusion to transport the ATP. After moving from the cell to the CPU, the adenosine triphosphate(ATP) would have to somehow be converted into the energy used by a CPU. ATP is not the only source of energy from a cell that could be diffused across the bridge. There could also be the utilization of glucose for energy. Again, glucose would need to be transported through a bridge that would convert it from its base molecular state to a state that would fulfill a potential difference for energy for a CPU.

Cell Division

In our bodies there are cells which are constantly dying and and multiplying. Cells do not merely appear from thin air, instead dividing themselves through a complex process called mitosis. Mitosis consists of various step by step stages that occur from within the cell. The six stages are called the interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis.

The interphase is a preliminary stage for mitosis where chromosomes inside the nucleus duplicate. The duplication of chromosomes inside the nucleus is accompanied by two pairs of centrioles outside of the nucleus which are surrounded by an aster.

In the prophase there are multiple forms of development occurring in the cell. First inside of the nucleus the chromatin becomes bundled into chromosomes. These chromosomes are bundled in two's for the preparation of the final split to form two cells. The second change that occurs in this phase is the separation of the centrioles which are connected by a mitotic spindle made of protein and microtubules. After these two processes occur, a final stage completes the prophase by ridding the nucleus and attaching the sister chromosomes to the mitotic spindle. They are attached to the spindle by a structure called the kinetochore fibers.

The metaphase solely organizes the chromosomes from being scattered throughout the cell to being a perfectly perpendicular to the opposite spindle poles. The chromosomes appear as a dashed horizontal line after the completion of the this stage.

Next, the anaphase separates the sister chromosomes through the motion of the spindle apparatus. Each separated sister chromosome contains an identical chromosome on the opposite side of this cell. The poles of the cells move farther apart displaying two distinct and ready cells still unified but ready for separation.

Technology in the Brain

Technology adapts just by fixing the faults of its predecessor to create a near perfect successor. As we all know nothing is perfect and it is impossible to not find faults in a piece of technology therefore making it an entity. Like evolution, technology follows the guidelines of the rule of "survival of the fittest". A specific organism with a mutation survives due to its advantage over other organisms. The best and most efficient form of technology to facilitate a given situation is the one that society chooses and therefore buys. The advantage in a mutated organism runs analogous to technology's constant improvements.

Our brain is constantly adapting to its surroundings by creating new connections. Connections are made by the brain cell's neurons making new connections through its dendrites. The site of a connection to another neuron is called a synapse and there are billions of synapses in a human brain. When we learn a new concept or relate two things to one another there are a plethora of neurons connecting to one another. Unique concepts that are understood in a brain are represented by unique connections between neurons. When we mentally adapt to a routine or situation I believe that through repetition and time new connections between neurons are made.

The engineer for the BMW M3 took the previously made model, found its flaws, and fixed them. What does this look like in the brain? My theory is the following. As previously stated, certain concepts in the brain contain a unique collection of neurons connected through synapses. The must be at least a million in the amount of neurons connected through synapses. These millions of neurons that represent the knowledge of a model like the 1990s M3 are given and then through processes like work and time(drawing boards, testing, finding the best fit pieces for improvement on the new M3) are then rearranged to form a new design such as the 2000s M3 model. After this, the new M3 model like the one created in the twenty first century has its own set of unique synapses.

Strokes

Strokes are a major and very prevalent problem in medicine today and many mental disorders occur from the effects of strokes. A stroke refers to a problem with the oxygen flow to the brain. Oxygen is brought to the brain by blood flow through arteries that become smaller as they get farther from the heart. There are two types of strokes, ischemic and hemorragic.

An ischemic stroke is one that directly halts the flow of oxygen to the brain due to a clot in an artery that stops the flow of blood. Eighty three percent of strokes are ischemic. Neurons (brain cells) die when a stroke occurs because their oxygen source has become dissipated. Brain cells cannot regenerate after death causing stroke victims to lose certain brain functions after enduring a stroke. Causes of an ischemic stroke can be due to blood clotting in an artery, lack of sufficient blood supply, and an embolus somewhere in the blood supply. The following is what a ischemic stroke looks like.
The second type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke. This is caused by an aneurysm in the wall of the blood vessel which causes blood to come in contact with neurons. Blood is extremely toxic to neurons therefore causing them to die within seconds of contact. The following is a visual representation of a hemorrhagic stroke along with a ischemic stroke.

Absorbed Light in Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis consists of two simultaneous processes that produce food for an organism like a plant. There is a process involved with light reactions and there is a process called the Calvin Cycle. The light reaction converts solar energy to chemical energy that a plant uses to maintain homeostasis. Chloroplasts are the regions in the mesophyl cells that contain thylakoids transform light energy to the energy of ATP. The following is a Chloroplast's thylakoid:

The sun is powered by four hydrogen atoms that bond to form a helium atom. When these four atoms fuse together the mass of the helium atom is slightly less than the mass of merely four hydrogen atoms added together. Therefore, this lost mass has been converted to energy which follows the equation founded by Einstein E=mc^2. On the sun there are about 120 million tons of solar matter converted into energy every minute and only a fraction of this energy travels to the Earth.

Light behaves as a wave and as a particle. Its wavelike properties are described by the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is described by all the colors in the rainbow and also invisible radiation such as gamma rays and x rays. The following is the electromagnetic spectrum. They vary in due to their wavelength. The atmosphere acts as a filter to eradicate certain forms of radiation by the sun allowing life to survive on Earth. Radiation in the visible light, mainly blue and red contribute in the photosynthesis of plants.

Light also behaves as if it consists of individual particles called photons. Wavelength is inversely related to the amount of energy in photons. When a molecule absorbs a photon, one of it's electron's is elevated to an orbital where it contains more potential energy(elevated state from a ground state). The electron temporarily is in this high state of potential energy and due to instability this potential energy is converted into heat. This is why cars become hot in the sun because their individual electrons are elevated from photons and then returned to a ground state finally releasing heat.

Emotiv EPOC Software Development Kit

Here is the first generation computer-mind interface created for the public. This allows anyone to sync their minds to a basic interface that gives the user the ability to think of something to get a reaction from the software. The software works by the detection of unique electric impulses of a unique thought from the brain.

The mere fact that there can be a connection established to a computer from electrical impulses from the brain is the basis for computer brain interfaces. This technology is in its infancy due to its lack of consistency and acuteness of the detection of impulses. You can view a preview of this invention at http://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_a_headset_that_reads_your_brainwaves.html. I am a firm believer that this technology will be improved and it's purposes will have great influence on the future of technology.

A batter has .4 seconds to act to a 90 mile an hour fastball. Any normal person could easily comprehend the fact that the pitcher has the upper hand in this battle. This means that the batter's electrical impulse of a decision to swing the bat + energy transferred from the muscle to the swing of the bat has to be done in a time less than .4 seconds. Now that is an amazingly fast reaction time for the man at the plate. A batter could merely practice his decision making by a computer simulated pitcher to tell him when he should have swung the bat due to the location of a pitched ball during practice. This is a decent way to practice, but an exceptional way to practice would be to integrate this Emotiv Software kit into this situation. Instead of a computer only telling the batter that the pitch was appropriate for a hit, this headset could also program what a home swing decision would look like in the brain therefore reminding the batter when he should have used his home run swing pinpointing the sweet spot for a solid hit(Every batter is different and contains a different pattern of electrical impulses). A good batter is a good decision maker, and software like this would allow a batter to monitor when to make that "home run decision" swing.

This is only one form of application of this device and software. Once a thought and the computer interface are synced, there are unlimited possibilities for this device. Think about the possibilities that can be accomplished in terms of control and the perfection of skilled activities.

Reference

Today I was sitting and studying the physics of electricity and I noticed a pattern. Everything I have learned so far in electricity up to resistance has been reliant of potential difference. Potential difference is an electric force that drives an electric current between two points. Every other concept I have learned so far in electricity including previous topics are based on this fact. Potential difference is a kind of a reference point to learning new ideas in electricity.

Reference and relative points are everywhere around us. It gives us a perceivable way of understanding our surroundings. For example, when I am sitting in my family room at home I see a table with an elephant, a candle, and a ceramic bowl all around similar size and color. As a matter of fact, everything in this room around me is of similar size, shape, and color giving each a viable reference point to one another.

This made me think. If I were to sit in a room with absolutely nothing and infinitely white in all directions than I would have no reference point at all and it would be the same exact thing as being blind. On the other hand, if there was a black dot in a certain distance from me in this infinitely white room then it would act as a reference point that our memory would constantly revert to when lost. This is why I believe that we remember landmarks instead of street names when we drive in foreign places because they act as reference points to our relative base point(where we spend most of our time). This also gives me an vague understanding of our visual intuition and the way we perceive objects. If I were to draw a cube with lines then it would look like this:
It appears as though is box is a three dimensional object but in reality it is two dimensional. There are certain points in this object that are eyes perceive in reference to other points that cause this object to trick our brains to be three dimensional. Our brains automatically see this third dimension due to the accurate relativity of the lines.

Objects that are out of proportion are hard for our brain to perceive. We are somewhat of learned creatures. Whenever we walk into an office with a abnormally large pencil, our brains are immediately shocked about its size. Most objects we observe are already hardwired into our memory and fast conclusions are made by our brain to make a decision on what they are. Hence the quote "Its a bird, a plane, superman!" Our brain at first immediately looks up into the sky and comes to the conclusion of a bird then a plane.

Blood

The average human body contains about four to six liters of blood. All vertebrates contain blood which is in our bodies for many vital functions. There are four constituents that blood is composed of: plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

If you were to take a centrifuge ( a tool that spins mixtures to separate its components) with blood as the sample, two layers would form as the ending result. The top layer which would appear to be a clear and yellow fluid which is called plasma. Plasma consists of many solutes dissolved in water which are inorganic salts, plasma proteins which sometimes act as escorts for lipids(commonly known as fats) which are insoluble in water but only travel when bound to a protein, nutrients, waste products, and gases.

Each cubic millimeter of blood contains about five million red cells(erythrocytes). For oxygen to be transported, it must diffuse through the plasma membranes of red blood cells. This transfusion occurs due to molecules of hemoglobin, a protein containing iron, located in the red blood cells. As oxygen passes through gills or lungs, oxygen passes through membranes and binds to the hemoglobin. Erythrocytes are produced in the red marrow of bones particularly in the ribs, vertebrae, breastbone, and pelvis. If tissues are not receiving the correct amount of oxygen, a hormone called erthropoitin stimulate s the production of red blood cells in red blood cells in bone marrow.

White blood cells (leukocytes) fight infections in our body. There are a great concentration of white blood cells in lymph nodes and other parts of the lymphatic system which include the spleen, thymus, tonsils, adenoids, and lymph nodes. One type of leukocytes fight infections by eating bacteria, and the other produce antibodies to react against foreign substances.

Computers to Diagnose Injuries and Sickness

Every year there are many mistakes made by physicians for the diagnosis of a patient's illness. In surgery, if this error is made the consequences can be extremely fatal. Making mistakes but limiting them to a small number is part of being a physician according to Atul Gawande in his book Complications. Inaccurate diagnosis is a problem that should be conquered by the availability of computers.

In his book Gawande states there are new machines made for anesthesiologists for the purpose of reducing an error that cause people to die due to an excess of amount of anesthesia. The error was brought out by two different types of anesthesia machines that were placed in a hospital. One machine contained a dial that countered the dial of the other machine meaning the dials were inconsistent in the way they distributed anesthesia. This was one issue in the technology in a hospital that caused many deaths To prevent this the dials on the anesthesia machines became consistent.

Personal opinion and learned knowledge is how physicians diagnose patients who complain about their body. Like a car our body contains various systems that work together to form a well oiled machine. The modern day mechanic diagnoses the problems of a system by syncing it to a computer. If this can be done to a car then why can't it be done to the human body? A bridge between our biological body and an electrical interface needs to be built so solutions like this one can be created.

With the consistency of machines, and the a perfection in practice error can be limited in medicine. Today, physicians and surgeons obtain their practice on actual patients who are underprivileged in their payment methods. Anesthesiologists can practice their jobs in computer simulators where they can be presented a number of different situations that can come across them in the field. Simulations like this where computers are involved is one way computers can make a dramatic impact of medicine.

Like problems experienced by anesthesiologists, doctors in every field experience problems in their daily jobs. Computer simulation to sharpen the skills of various physicians should have a more prominent role in the world of errors. The fact that residents train on actual patients to gain experience is not safe for either the patient or the resident's job security. A company that specializes in software to diagnose illness by scrutinizing the variables of the human body would be the perfect way to solidify accuracy in a diagnosis.

Cell Membranes

Cell membranes regulate what enters and exits a cell through its construents and their respective properties.They are constructed from lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. These three complement eachother to give to the cell's function of semi permeability(allows what enters and exits). In cell membranes there are sides, a hydrophilic( ability to bond with water) and hydrophobic(inability to bond with water).

In a cell membrane there is a lipid layer and a protein layer as stated earlier. The lipid layer (phospholipids)symmetrically face eachother with the fatty acids lined up to create a hydrophobic zone. There are two models that describe membranes and they differ in where the proteins or hydrophilic zones are located.

The first model of the membrane is the Davson-Danielli model proposed in 1935. It is a sandwhiched phospholipid bilayer between two protein layers. This model was widely accepted until 1970. The following is the Davson-Danielli Model:

In 1972 S.Singer and Nicolson created a new model for the membrane proposing that proteins were dispersed and individually inserted into the phospholipid bilayer with only their hydrophilic portions being exposed to water. It is called the fluid Mosaic model.

This model gives to the reason why certain molecules enter the cell which are not permeable to the phospholipid bilayer.

My Chosen Profession

As a world human beings have accomplished many astounding accomplishments. We have come from being hunter's and gatherers to partaking in organized monarchies, to organizing ourselves into governments driven by capitalism. Like various types of government changes through revolutions for the right and wrong reasons, technology has also improved. We have come from inaccurately navigating the seas with constellations to navigation through satellites in space. Adaptation is the common denominator and the reason of the breakthroughs amongst human beings.

It is now 2010 and as a society we have learned, created, and extensively explored the universe and placed our attention to many different fields defining us as an advanced society. One could look at Earth from the third person and say wow these humans are very intelligent animals who have come a long way from being single celled organisms. One could also look at the human race and say wow we have a long way to go in terms of efficiency, morals, politics, and science.

Earth would look like Jurassic Park without the unique brain of the human being, yet we still know so little about this three pound piece of jelly sitting in our head. Neurology is a subject that contains as many or even more questions as that of the cosmos and I personally believe that with a fundamental physiologically understanding of our brain, we will be able to understand our perception of the universe and how our perception has brought us to where we are today as a society.

Artificial Intelligence is a field that is younger than infancy, but the seed has definitely been planted and a more solid foundation will need to be set for AI. In order to mimic our brain through machines we will need to have a better understanding of it. This gain of knowledge will give into the fields of syncing our minds with various interfaces and AI. A breakthrough in any of these two fields will change the world and human society forever and most likely for the better.

Certain societies in the world are fortunate enough to have nutrition for their entire lives which causes them to live longer. An engine that lasts long also needs a transmission to partner it in it's longevity. Like a car's engine, the human body's heart's extended life also needs a brain to complement it in its elder years. This will be an extremely prevalent topic for our current young generation who will eventually become the elderly. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease's presence will rise amongst people in the next sixty years. Just as we have adapted in the past, Neurologists and Neuroscientists will have to eclectically team up to cure these dreadful diseases for future of generations.

In my past I have bounced around and chosen a couple of majors to study in college. At first I chose computer engineering where I had no hope in passing after I contained absolutely no interest in it. I then realized that I want to be a Neurologist so I decided I would take the route of Economics/Pre-med(thinking it would be smart to have a "broad background for med school"). After intermediately studying Economics, another subject that did not interest me, I realized that the only way to get through college is to study a major of my interest. My final decision is cognitive science/Pre-med. I want to be a neurologist because I want to be a pioneer, I want to be a philanthropist, and because I simply love the human brain.

Healthy Diet Broken Down

These days society is all about being healthy and keeping our bodies fit. While the slow transition from inorganic hydrogenated food to natural and healthy foods become prevalent amongst people, a more fit brain will also become common amongst people. Face it, a healthy body equals a healthy brain.

The problem with food that contains an extra hydrogen atom is that it attempts to make unsaturated fat saturated. Saturated fat contains a glycerol molecule that is bonded to three different chains of fatty acids. There are no double bonds in these fatty acids therefore meaning they are completely straight. At room temperature, saturated fats are solids because of these straight fatty acids. Like saturated fats unsaturated fats contain the same glycerol molecule bonded to three separate fatty acids. Instead, one of these fatty acids contains a double bond that creates a bend in the molecule making it liquid at room temperature. When stores attempt to preserve foods, they add a hydrogen atom to unsaturated fats creating a double bond and a bend. This makes an unsaturated fat like corn oil a solid at room temperature. This preserves shelf life, but it does not support a healthy human life. Enzymes in our stomach are not programmed to break these molecules down, therefore giving them no nutritional value. The following is an unsaturated fat.


Everything in our body is composed of cells. These individual cells have individual systems that contribute to our overall body's homeostasis. Ribosomes create proteins which are sent to the Golgi Apparatus to only be sent to certain parts of the cell to carry out specific functions. The cytoskeleton maintains the shell shape, protects the cell, enables cellular motion, and allows intracellular transport. Cells obtain their energy from a molecule called adenosine triphosphate which is synthesized through breaking down lipids and carbohydrates (food we eat) by enzymes in our stomoch. This is why it is so important to eat a healthy diet which contains nutrition for cells to maintain a healthy homeostasis. The following is a ATP molecule or "the currency of life".


Games which cater to train specific functions of the brain like memory and speed are exceptional ways to keep a healthy brain. This gives into the quote " If you don't use it you lose it". Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to compensate damaged areas of the brain through extensive therapy and training. These games are the foundation for the future of driving the power of neuroplasticity. We are only in the beginning stages of understanding how to drive this amazing aspect of the human brain and games that tune specific functions are hitting the wrong demographic. I believe that once these games are built for mentally ill or mentally damaged patients then they will solidify their existence in science.

The Diversity of Personalities

Unlike the ability to locate specific daily functions to certain areas of the brain, personality is a cognitive aspect that contains no set physiological definition.There are two ways neuroscientists delineate a brain and they are both contrary meaning one side sees the brain as being holistic whereas the other as segregated. The holistic side thinks the brain's amazing traits are explained by its size and the collaboration of neurons from different hemispheres. The segregated side believes that there designated areas for specific function and that these functions are limited to these areas. One's personality has much to do with a combination of his environment, genetics, and reoccurring patterns or thoughts in his brain. Two out of the three of these can be related to the brain's plasticity due at an early age as well as the combination of the two views of neuroscience.

Lewis Goldberg proposed a five dimension personality model:
1. Openness to Experience: the tendency to be imaginative, independent, and interested in variety vs. practical, conforming, and interested in routine.
2.Conscientiousness: the tendency to be organized, careful, and disciplined vs. disorganized, careless, and impulsive.
3.Extraversion: the tendency to be sociable, fun-loving, and affectionate vs. retiring, somber, and reserved
4.Agreeableness: the tendency to be softhearted, trusting, and helpful vs. ruthless, suspicious, and uncooperative.
5.Neuroticism: the tendency to be calm, secure, and self-satisfied vs. anxious, insecure, and self-pitying.

Sigmund Freud divided personality into three components which are id, ego, and super-ego. The id's demands are represented by the pleasure center demanding immediate gratification regardless of one's external environment. The ego then realistically meets this demand from the id by observing its environment's practicality. Finally, the super-ego practices moral judgment and implements societal rules on the id's demand. The super-ego is the last portion of a personality to develop and is the embodiment of the parent's ideals during childhood.


We physiologically are all the same, yet we differ so much in the way we act. Our emotional stability and experience have everything to do with our overall personality. Differentiation in our brain's reactions to certain situations defines our personalities which is correlated to our memory. Our memory is linked to our temporal lobe which is the portion of the our brain that retrieves vital memories from taste, sound, sight, and touch. An eclectic grouping of our memories is associated with our overall knowledge and experience which in turn leads to our unique reactions to certain situations. This is an example of the segregated view of the brain.

Connections between memories and certain emotional reactions must be made to define personality. Freud's three component description also states something relevant to that. This would physiologically be described as unique connections between the hypothalamus and our temporal lope giving reason to the holistic view of our brain. When we see something foreign or new, our initial reaction to it is a question. We attempt to gain knowledge of that foreign object only to make an opinion of it for future use which define our personality. For example, if you take one child and observed his every experience to detail(from birth), and simply placed another child into his situation where the second child experience the same exact as the stuff as the first(from birth), they would have identical personalities unless people are born with different personality. This idea gives to the idea of being the "product of one's environment".

Lightening

There is an abundant amount of potential energy associated with electricity. Electric field lines describe the direction and behavior of an objects charge. A visual way to understand this is imagining a machine constantly blowing out confetti in <---- direction and a vacuum sucking in air in -----> direction(imagine no gravitational force). The confetti will constantly will be entering the vacuum creating a field of confetti around both objects. This field of confetti is similar to magnetic field lines, and the positively charged object is the confetti blower and the negatively charged object is the vacuum. The following black lines with arrows are electric field lines of two oppositely charged objects.


Potential energy in electricity is imagined by placing a charge(d1 -) from infinity to another charge(P -). As charge d1 which is negative is brought from infinite closer to P which is also negative, work must be done in order to continuously bring this charge closer or even hold the charge at a certain point in the vicinity of the electric field of P. Therefore, wherever there is work there also must be potential energy. The potential difference is what we see everyday in our homes and it is described by the units of Volts or Joules/Coulomb. It is the energy required to move a charge to a particular place in a static electric field.

Creating this potential difference for uses of other energy is the challenge we face in 2010. We indirectly use techniques like burning fossil fuels, and harvesting wind and solar energy. What ever happened to using lightening as a means of energy?

Storm clouds are arranged like giant capacitors in the sky; the upper cloud being positively charged and the lower cloud being negatively charged. Due to large masses of clouds with opposite charge, an electric field of large proportion is produced. This electric field is so enormous that the lower negatively charged clouds cause the earth's electrons in its ground to move away and become positively charged at the surface(Earth contains charge). When the electric field is strong(tens of thousands of volts per inch), the molecules(air) between the clouds becomes ionized or separated into positive ions and electrons. This means that electrons can move more freely than they previously could before when the air was not ionized. The immensely complex electric fields of the two clouds cause the ionized air(plasma) to create step leaders or ionized air to create paths through the sky and into the ground. Objects on the Earth's surface, or the Earth's surface itself become attracted to the ionized air which causes an eventual meeting between the two. After the two meet, current flows from the ionized air into the Earth, and a discharge of current is exploited to neutralized the charge separation. The enormous amount of current in that flows in the charge separation causes the flash of light. The thunder is caused by the flash(which is hotter than the sun) exploding the air.


One lamp consumes 150 volts, while there is 100 million volts of potential difference in lightening. There are 16 million recorded lightening storms in the world every year. If we could harvest this energy for domestic use you could do the math on how much we could save.

Subtlety of Inventions

The problem of pinpointing longitude plagued ship captains for hundreds of years causing a steep death toll of ships, cargo, and men. The inability to access accurate navigation in longitude bounded travel and exploration due to ships only utilizing one route for known destinations. This problem of the past parallels our current problem of finding an alternate energy source for our high maintenance society.

Longitude is the imaginary lines drawn from North to South causing them to criss-cross each other at the North Pole and the South Pole. In the past when there was no form of communication via electromagnetic waves and satellites, a ship navigator used relativity to pinpoint his location. Relative positions of celestial patterns in the sky compared to the position of the moon or a planet like Jupiter was one way of figuring out one's longitude. Many famous astronomers and mathematicians like Galileo, Robert Hooke, and Isaac Newton formulated thousands of pages of data mapping out the positions of stars to seek an accurate mathematical way of finding position. In theory this method sounds impeccable, but when in use on a ship under the circumstances of weather, pressure, and the lack of a mathematical mind makes this method faulty. Another way of locating longitudinal position is keeping track of the respective time on a traveling ship and the ship's land of departure and the difference in the time is then converted into degrees. The issue with this method was finding a clock that was able to withstand the conditions of a ship at sea.

The prior method of accurate navigation through celestial patterns was the main focus of most qualified mathematicians and astronomers. They merely ignored the second method of keeping time at two locations, but this was not their fault. The challenges of the prior method was more applicable to their backgrounds and their expertise, and this reflected on the abundance in time that it took to solve this problem. The latter method was ignored by the abstract thinkers, but was kept in mind by a professional who was an expert with his hands. John Harrison, who was an exceptional handyman and clock maker constructed a a series of clocks that stood up to the challenges of the latter method of keeping track of time on a ship. His first design, the H-1 contained parts which did not expand to the rapid changes in temperature, causing the accuracy of time to be more acute. He submitted this design to the Committee Board(mathematicians, ship captains, astronomers, government officials) and to them this clock was flawless, but Harrison carried the characteristic of the perfectionist as every visionary does. After the submission of the H-1, the unknown handyman was now employed in research by the British. He received funding and for the next twenty years he constructed the H-2, H-3, and finally the H-4.
Some characteristics of the H-4 are still used in modern clocks today.

I have noticed a pattern in great innovations and ideas that drive the future. Subtlety. John Harrison came out of nowhere and stood amongst the greatest minds on the world because of the boldness in his product which was something completely different than the idea of celestial patterns. While society was surrounding the success of the primary method, John Harrison changed the world with a method which contained no support. Like the problem of Longitude, subtlety will also solve our problem of finite and inefficient energy.

The Significance of one Molecule

Proteins are the single most important and structurally sophisticated molecules known. Their variation in shape and constituents separate their specific functions in nature. A polymer is defined as a molecule that is composed of multiple monomers and a protein contains 20 different amino acids which act as its monomers. An amino acid's structure is described as an asymmetric carbon which contains four open slots that consist of a hydrogen atom, a carboxyl group, and an amino group. The fourth slot is what separates one type of amino acid from another, and this is what we call the R group or side chain.


Above is a structure of an individual amino acid. A polypeptide chain consists of two or more amino acids linked together with the carboxyl group bonded to the amino group.
A protein is defined as one or more polypeptide chains twisted, wound, and folded upon themselves to form a macromolecule with a definite three dimensional shape. The function of a protein(its ability to bind to some other molecule) depends on its unique structure which in turn depends on its unique sequence of R groups. This is an amazing observation because one molecule and its polarity in the end determine determine these following functions occur in our body:

1)Structural Proteins: Support-tissues, tendons, hair, horns, feathers, quills, skin appendages
2) Storage Proteins: Storage of amino acids- Casein protein of milk is a major source of amino acids for baby mammals
3) Transport Proteins:Transport of other substances-Hemoglobin, the iron-containing protein of blood transports oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body.
4) Hormonal Proteins: Coordination of bodily activities- Insulin, a hormone created by the pancreas that helps regulate sugar in the blood.
5) Contractile proteins: movement- Actin and myosin work together to contract muscles in the body.
6) Antibodies: Defense- Fight against bacteria and foreign substances
7) Enzymes: Aid in chemical reactions- speed up chemical processes.

Visual Intuition

College tests separate those who intuitively understand a concept from those who don't. Intuition is what separates the "B" students from the "A" students. Students who achieve A's in their respective classes understand everything behind the process learning, whereas the B student merely memorizes a process to obtain a solution to a question. This only applies to technical classes such as Calculus or Physics because a class like History or Anthropology is purely based on memorized knowledge.

The way we learn is by listening, practicing, and reading and everything we learn in the sciences is a description about some phenomenon in nature. For example, if you derive a function of position you obtain a function of velocity, and if you derive a function of velocity then you obtain a function of acceleration. Students memorize this sequence of derivatives and never understand why and what this looks like graphically. The way we are taught in school(listening, practicing, and reading) is to memorize for a test and not understand the visual underlying reason for a concept.

A computer program where a concept in presented with a visual representation can be one way to instill intuition in students. A good example where this would come in handy is obtaining the volume of certain object through integration. When obtaining volume through integration you subtract one function(higher) from the (lower) function to obtain area. After doing so you integrate about a certain axis (x or y depending on the problem) to obtain the function for final volume. Our ability to intuitively understand this solely through practice, listening, and reading is extremely difficult due to the diversity of situations that which can be presented. Because of the diversity of situations, a concept like this one requires intuition because there is no one way to solve various types of problems. Rather than memorizing a process, these types of questions require This computer program would allow Professors to teach students by changing functions and parameters of various problems. With this in mind, if each step contained a visual representation on why it was taken, then instilling intuition would not be such a challenge for professors. The main perk about this program would be the responsiveness and speed of the visual representation to the changed function or parameter of a problem. This responsiveness would allow students to find patterns which in turn would help them with their understanding of the concept.

With almost everything becoming under the influence of computers and the internet, educational instruction has yet to have a breakthrough. Computers are used for their speed, and this would be an excellent way to take advantage it.

Neuroplasticity and Love

Love is inevitable. With all the distinction, variation, and opposing ideologies in the societies of the world one similarity we all contain is our passion for love. Love is an interesting drive, it can lead us an extreme spectrum of emotions which can be explained through chemical processes in the brain.

Helen Fisher, an anthropologist at Rutgers University, conducted brain scans on a number of students to physiologically explain what love looks like in the brain. She found that when shown a picture of a romantic partner the brain scan looked different than when shown a picture of a close friend. Romantic love is activated by dopamine receptors in the brain, the chemical that is tied to pleasure, euphoria, craving, and addiction. The first biological attraction, "love at first sight", and the bond between partners is explained by surging dopamine receptors which in turn leads to the behavior of heightened attention, short term memory, hyperactivity, sleeplessness, goal oriented behavior, and pleasure in small details of each respective relationship.

A pattern is shown here. One who is in love is constantly around their significant other to feel this release of dopamine therefore becoming dependent on them for pleasure. The power of this dependence to the dopamine pleasure system is shown with this following experiment. It asked a number of people to list all the people they love, all of their friends, everyone they thought was attractive, and who they ultimately love. The last list(person they romantically loved) which was one person was on all the other lists.

Neuroplasticity is our brain's ability to adapt to replicate a lost function of a region of our brain. For example if we lose our hearing ability, which we are so dependent on, our brain with enough practice and time will eventually adapt to not being able to hear and daily tasks will become normal without sound. This is so because our brain's neurons adapt and our other senses like sight and smell become strengthened to compensate for our loss of hearing. This feeling of normality after the loss of hearing only happens through heavy training to strengthen your other senses.

As previously explained, losing a significant other (one you are actually in love with) would then in turn result in losing your uncanny ability to release dopamine when around this person. The fear of losing this person who gives one pleasure ultimately finalizes in the realization of dependence. This dependence runs parallel to a drug addiction, or loss of a motor function such as one's hearing.

How an individual deals with the loss of a partner is similar to how an individual deals with the loss of a function like hearing. As human beings we are dependent on our brain's functions which consist of hearing, smelling, etc , and eventually loving someone special. To end this post with a question...Can heartbroken individuals who cannot overcome their depression about losing their significant other be given treatment through neuroplastic exercises instead of antidepressants to get rid of their dependence? If so, neuroplasticity would open up a whole new entire field of treatment just for sake of love.

Relationship between Scientific Method and Art Form

The formal aspect of a piece of artwork has the ability to change a person's thought process from being on one side of the spectrum to the other. For example, one could quickly glance at scene from a movie and come to conclusion that this piece of work contains x amount of information which caters to the viewer's perception of the plot. Contrary to this quick glance, one could take time to look at this same scene and break it down pixel by pixel. Analyzing every detail of this scene creates an infinite amount of ideas which caters to the depth and meaning of what visually lies beyond and how it relates to the character, story, symbolism etc. The act of slowly analyzing the details of art is described as critically thinking about its respective form and meaning. The scientific method and our analytical capability of scrutinizing every minute detail of art (form) are both very abstract and very similar. They both seek truth and depth for phenomena.

Creating depth from form is a trait of our imagination. Nature's form has continued on a steady behavior cycle, yet our interpretation of nature has changed dramatically over thousands of years. At first, we analyzed the form of nature and how it treated us as individuals therefore using our emotions to seek for depth. Due to our emotions, we turned to God to give us explanation for nature's predictable, but volatile behavior. The Pope was the source of our depth, and therefore society was controlled by religion. Our imaginations were catered to God, and this also reflected on art from this time period. Paintings and sculptures were solely depictions of religion. Like art, the depth and analytical aspect of explaining natural phenomenon was placed on the will of God. The lack of depth in art and God's explanations for nature's phenomena ran parallel. God's explanation to every phenomena bounded the ability to seek for further truth and create art that depicted any form of underlying depth.

Due to Conciliarism, the belief of limiting the Pope's power because of corruption, a new way of analyzing the form of nature was born. This was the Scientific Method and it began to first become prevalent in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Copernicus, Newton, and Galileo. Analyzing the form of nature with the scientific method was a new way of seeking answers of nature. It relied on theories based on evidence instead of a symbolic higher power of God. Analyzing the form of nature previously was explained by God, but this new scientific method contained explanations with theories that lead to new questions which in turn lead to new theories( An unending cycle of depth). Art was created to depict aesthetic beauty which in turn gave each piece new meaning to each detail (also an unending cycle of depth).

Scrutinizing the form of nature through the scientific method contains the same exact analytical aspect of imagination that is applied to analyzing a piece of art. From a minute detail on a painting, to a new scientific discovery, seeking the truth about the unique natural form of anything and being conscious of form gives us the ability as humans to be capable of critical thought.

A Car that can Drive Itself

If technology is characterized as living in human years , our technology is about to hit puberty in efficiency and speed. As intelligent mammals it is an interesting fact that communication and transportation were the two first aspects of technology we thrived in (besides technology in warfare which will always have an upward sloping y=4x, x being time, y being advancements in guns, ships, etc relationship). For example, the telegraph was an innovation which brought a new meaning to the word efficiency. We no longer waited days or even months to obtain messages from across the world. Trains transported goods in days rather than utilizing carriages driven by horses. The internet allowed individuals from across the world to face time with each other. Innovative ideas that once changed the way the world operated are now history. Communication and transportation have both hit a wall in terms of advancement in technology(what can they possibly do after the Iphone 4's face-time capability? Petroleum is still the main source of energy used in cars and has been for the past eighty years). It is surprising to me that we have not hurdled past our issue with dependence on petroleum.

Newton’s first law states that an object in constant velocity or equilibrium does not experience an external net force. This first law is then complemented by his second law which states that an object with a certain mass that accelerates contains a net external force to overcome its state of equilibrium. An extra source of energy is required to create this external force needed for acceleration. When we are driving and are maintaining a constant speed, we are in equilibrium and therefore are in a state of efficiency. Contrary to a car moving with constant velocity, a car in stop and go traffic is at a peak in inefficiency because it is accelerating. This car which stops and accelerates at a high rate is constantly creating this next external torque force through a great usage of fuel. Stop and go traffic is a source of inefficiency.

Our first option is to seek an alternative source of energy other than petroleum to power torque or we could limit our constant use of acceleration. I believe that limiting acceleration through halting the frequency of stop and go traffic can patch our problem of efficiency. Cars which control themselves will cause a halt to stop and go traffic (This only fits the situations for freeways where human mistakes are the most prominent cause of traffic).

There are two parameters that are to be met if this implementation is placed into society. First, a self driven car will have to be programmed to know the road ahead of it in order for it to know when and where to turn and at what speeds it could handle each change in direction. Second, each car will have to be in constant communication with every car in its vicinity. This automatic communication between cars will have to translate to the control(speed and direction) of each individual car to avoid contact. These basic parameters of a self driven car are only vague technical aspects of the actuality of them being placed into society. Financially, not everyone will be able to afford a self driven vehicles and therefore the second parameter of the technical aspect will be met. To facilitate this, the government will add toll roads to cater to individuals who own self driven vehicles. These toll roads which are built for self driven vehicles will limit accidents which will carry over to a chain reaction of a halt to stop and go traffic and inefficiency.

The Cerebellum and its Possibilities

The cerebellum is an interesting portion of our brain. It is responsible for a clear and quick response for motor signals. It is divided into sub areas which are know as the archicerebellum, paleocerebellum, and the neocerebellum. Each is respectively responsible for vestibular balance, muscle control, and coordination. Hypothetically, if we could imagine the brain as an airplane, the cockpit would be the cerebellum. It acts as a regulator and coordinator for the nerve impulses in the muscles which drive our bodies to carry daily physical functions.

If the cerebellum can control every muscle in our body, I wonder if its purpose for control will ever exceed its limitation to human body. Before artificial intelligence becomes prevalent in society(something we very far from) I believe that the unification of our brain with foreign systems such as computers will come about. This will give us the ability to control external objects without even moving anything in our body which will benefit us in exploration in space, oceans, wars, etc. There are almost an infinite number of reasons why the unification of the brain with external objects won't ever happen but 1000 years ago there were almost an infinite reasons why the Iphone was not possible.

Inputs and Outputs

What all computer scientists learn in their first programming class is the idea of inputs and outputs. The basic idea behind computer technology consists of inputs ( which is human beings interacting with a keyboard, mouse, or touchscreen interface) and outputs ( a program that takes an input and through a program outputs something for your personal purpose). The brain is our natural form of technology. Over the course of thousands of years our brain has been the medium between us and our surroundings. Our surroundings are inputs, our brain is the computer, and how we react to our surroundings is what is perceived as output. I carefully chose the word "perceive" because our perception has everything to do with our brain.

What obviously distinguishes a computer from our brain is the fact that our brain can react to an infinite number of situations whereas a computer can only react to a finite number of situations(situations that are programmed in the operating system). Our ability to think about the future, and to take a problem and think of a solution fit into the category of abstract thoughts. How can the human brain picture an event that it has never encountered? What is instinct? Are all animilia related in terms of instinct? Can human brains and computers one day be synced? Why do we feel emotion? How and why do we get emotionally attached to people and material items? Are all people born with the different emotional stability or is emotional diversity amongst humans gained throughout life? These questions give into the fire of the obscurity of our society and even how we view the universe. Why do we feel embarrassed? What does awkwardness look like in our brain? What does love look like in our brain? Are emotions complementary(Does one emotion rely on other emotions)?

A Cognitive Competition

For years society has been attempting to find a competitive way to gauge which individual a more apt brain. The first test that comes to mind when thinking of this subject is the IQ test. The human brain is an extremely complex organ which consists of many different regions that cater to various respective daily functions. With this in mind, the IQ test can be thought of as a vague, not a structured way of testing who contains better brain regions.

With social media networks such as Facebook and Foursquare at their peaks why not create a social game where people can compete on who has a better Temporal lobe, Occipital lobe, cerebellum, etc? Cognitive Scientists know tests that fire these distinct parts portions of the brain. If these tests can be turned into a game format the competitive nature of society will take over the prosperity of this idea.