On Fake

Behavioural economist Dan Ariely explains his experiment in which wearing sunglasses perceived as designer counterfeits led people to cheat in an economic game. Amusing, nicely produced DIY video, featuring a great wardrobe. Check out more of his vids on Ariely’s YouTube channel (a very funny intro to his work: The Dan Ariely Show), and watch a lecture on irrational behaviour in the archives.

Pink Brain, Blue Brain

Mythbusting sex differences in the brain: author/neuroscientist Lise Eliot discusses her book.

[U Mich library graffiti. Image by quinn.anya]

A Better Brain: The Ethics of Neuro-enhancement

The neuroethics of cosmetic psychopharmacology. Four hypothetical situations (with real parallels) are debated by major thinkers on a panel at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism: a person who wants to take a drug for narcolepsy to stay awake in order to work more, a parent considering giving their child a psych med to help with social skills, healthy students who take “Rememberall, made by Hype Pharmaceuticals” to enhance studying, and memory dampening. Highlights. Close captioned.

Hearing Our Voices: A Participatory Research

Being involved in designing and carrying out an academic participatory research project on housing for people with severe psychiatric challenges. Research team members also reveal their personal experiences and symptoms of schizophrenia, and talk about the group program The Unsung Heroes. Includes video of the Making Our Voices Heard presentation, a powerful theatrical reading from their research findings [PDF script]. Lots more info at a luxe project web site with a photo essay, graphic novel (!), script & performances, travelling exhibit, publications and more. “Back when we started, I never thought we would get that far. I never thought that it would be such a difference, you know, of yeah, we’ve discovered these facts. We’ve discovered that homelessness is a universal problem, and that it doesn’t have to be, and if we have the political will we can make a difference, and that if we lend our voices and our expertise and our experiences, we can put it into a format to make our voices heard.” — Candace Watson.

Connected Minds: Loneliness, Social Brains and the Need for Community

A recent release from the excellent RSA Vision lecture series: the leading expert in social neuroscience explains the subdiscipline.

Office Life

Not to be confused with The Office, this is an amusing series too. Mental health issues and stigma in the workplace are the focus. The Interview, The Breakdown, and The Return.

[Image by BarnyardBBS.]

Postpartum Sleep in Whales and Dolphins

A random brief video: wakefulness in newborn cetaceans and mothers, accompanying a Brief Communication published in Nature, 2005 (PDF). “…unilateral or bilateral eye closure was almost never (for less than 0.4% of 24 h) observed in dolphin mothers during the first 2 months postpartum.” 24 hr video surveillance confirmed human observations of the mothers keeping a near-continuous eye on offspring. Development and parenting occur without much rest “in contrast to the pattern seen so far in other animals, from flies to mammals,” conclude researchers Lyamin et al. Supplemental info PDF here, and the video supplement features a cute baby orca.

Lyamin, O., Pryaslova, J., Lance, V., & Siegel, J. (2005). Animal behaviour: Continuous activity in cetaceans after birth Nature, 435 (7046), 1177-1177 DOI: 10.1038/4351177a

Bring Change 2 Mind

Celebrities and family members of people with mental health issues fight stigma in an energetic new initiative. This slick, high concept PSA directed by Ron Howard launches the campaign and web site, which features video interviews and invites everyone to share your story on social video. Spread the word – embed & email this video and upload your own.

Watch Mad But Glad [Part 2]

Mad But Glad

Very good UK documentary following Nick van Bloss, a pianist who has Tourette’s syndrome and thrives by using the instrument to channel creative energy and manage his condition. Delves into classic questions about the link between creativity and madness (and dopamine), with animated brain scans and comparisons to some creative correlates of autism, mania, and Parkinson’s. Part 1, and part 2.

Twitter Wit: Nick Douglas and Guests

The author of Twitter Wit, a collection of humorous tweets, reads from his book and discusses the medium and how people use it. Highlight: Is Twitter shortening our attention spans?

producer FORA.tv
featuring Nick Douglas, Michael Ferguson, Mike Monteiro, Robin Sloan
format Flash, mp3, mp4
date 24/09/09
length 00:42:58
link http://fora.tv/2009/09/24/Twitter_Wit_Nick_Douglas_and_Guests