Why your brain has a ‘Jennifer Aniston cell’

Obsessed with reruns of the TV sitcom Friends? Well then you probably have at least one “Jennifer Aniston cell” in your brain, suggests research on the activity patterns of single neurons in memory-linked areas of the brain. The results point to a decades-old and dismissed theory tying single neurons to individual concepts and could help neuroscientists understand the elusive human memory.

“For things that you see over and over again, your family, your boyfriend, or celebrities, your brain wires up and fires very specifically to them. These neurons are very, very specific, much more than people think,” says Christof Koch at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, US, one of the researchers.

In the 1960s, neuroscientist Jerry Lettvin suggested that people have neurons that respond to a single concept such as, for example, their grandmother. The notion of these hyper-specific neurons, coined “grandmother cells” was quickly rejected by psychologists as laughably simplistic.

But Rodrigo Quiroga, at the University of Leicester, UK, who led the new study, and his colleagues have found some very grandmother-like cells. Previous unpublished findings from the team showed tantalising results: a neuron that fired only in response to pictures of former US president Bill Clinton, or another to images of the Beatles. But for such “grandmother cells” to exist, they must invariably respond to the “concept” of Bill Clinton, not just similar pictures.

Wired up, fired up
To investigate further, the team turned to eight patients currently undergoing treatment for epilepsy. In an attempt to locate the brain areas responsible for their seizures, each patient had around 100 tiny electrodes implanted in their brain. Many of the wires were placed in the hippocampus - an area of the brain vital to long-term memory formation.

They first gave each subject a screening test, showing them between 71 and 114 images of famous people, places, and even food items. For each subject, the researchers measured the electrical activity or “firing” of the neurons connected to the electrodes. Of the 993 neurons sampled, 132 fired to at least one image.

The team then went back for a testing phase, this time showing participants three to seven different pictures of the initial 132 photo subjects that hit. For example, one woman saw seven different photos of the Jennifer Aniston alongside 80 other photos of animals, buildings or additional famous people such as Julia Roberts. The neuron almost ignored all other photos, but fired steadily each time Aniston appeared on screen.

Conceptual connections
The team found similar results with another woman who had a neuron for pictures of Halle Berry, including a drawing of her face and an image of just the words of her name. “This neuron is responding to the concept, the abstract entity, of Halle Berry,” says Quiroga. “If you show a line drawing or a profile, it’s the same response. We also showed pictures of her as Catwoman, and you can hardly see her because of the mask. But if you know it is Halle Berry then the neurons still fire.”

Given more time and an exhaustive list of images, the team may well have landed upon other images that spiked the activity of the “Halle Berry” neuron. In one participant, the “Jen” neuron also fired in response to a picture of her former Friends cast-mate, Lisa Kudrow. The pattern suggests that the actresses are tied together in the memory associations of this particular woman, says Charles Connor, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, US.

These object-specific neurons may be at the core of how we make memories, say Connor. “I think that’s the excitement to these results,” he says. “You are looking at the far end of the transformation from metric, visual shapes to conceptual memory-related information. It is that transformation that underlies our ability to understand the world. It’s not enough to see something familiar and match it. It’s the fact that you plug visual information into the rich tapestry of memory that brings it to life.”


By Anna Gosline
Journal reference: Nature (vol 435 p 1102)

... :P

Music is in my head these days... random downloads.. now reached total of 737 MB in 2 days..thats when i love my office DSL :P.. from Faiz by Abida to Jamie Cullum and Phoenix. Here is something I can definately relate myself to.

On a different note..this is really funny... :P
Pulp Fiction in 30 seconds - angry alien productions btw flash required for this.

How I Became A Madman

You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, long before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen -- the seven masks I have fashioned and worn in seven lives -- I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, "Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves."
Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fear of me.
And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-top cried, "He is a madman." I looked up to behold him; the sun kissed my own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sun kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I cried, "Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks."
Thus I became a madman.
And I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.
But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jail is safe from another thief.

Khalil Gibran

I am no fan of rap or bhangra music which is trade mark of Juggy D. But he really surprised me with this. It hit me for some unknown reason.

Laughter and Tears

As the Sun withdrew his rays from the garden, and the moon threw cushioned beams upon the flowers, I sat under the trees pondering upon the phenomena of the atmosphere, looking through the branches at the strewn stars which glittered like chips of silver upon a blue carpet; and I could hear from a distance the agitated murmur of the rivulet singing its way briskly into the valley.

When the birds took shelter among the boughs, and the flowers folded their petals, and tremendous silence descended, I heard a rustle of feet though the grass. I took heed and saw a young couple approaching my arbor. The say under a tree where I could see them without being seen.

After he looked about in every direction, I heard the young man saying, "Sit by me, my beloved, and listen to my heart; smile, for your happiness is a symbol of our future; be merry, for the sparkling days rejoice with us.

"My soul is warning me of the doubt in your heart, for doubt in love is a sin. "Soon you will be the owner of this vast land, lighted by this beautiful moon; soon you will be the mistress of my palace, and all the servants and maids will obey your commands.

"Smile, my beloved, like the gold smiles from my father's coffers.

"My heart refuses to deny you its secret. Twelve months of comfort and travel await us; for a year we will spend my father's gold at the blue lakes of Switzerland, and viewing the edifices of Italy and Egypt, and resting under the Holy Cedars of Lebanon; you will meet the princesses who will envy you for your jewels and clothes.

"All these things I will do for you; will you be satisfied?"

In a little while I saw them walking and stepping on flowers as the rich step upon the hearts of the poor. As they disappeared from my sight, I commenced to make comparison between love and money, and to analyze their position in the heart.

Money! The source of insincere love; the spring of false light and fortune; the well of poisoned water; the desperation of old age!

I was still wandering in the vast desert of contemplation when a forlorn and specter-like couple passed by me and sat on the grass; a young man and a young woman who had left their farming shacks in the nearby fields for this cool and solitary place.

After a few moments of complete silence, I heard the following words uttered with sighs from weather-bitten lips, "Shed not tears, my beloved; love that opens our eyes and enslaves our hearts can give us the blessing of patience. Be consoled in our delay our delay, for we have taken an oath and entered Love's shrine; for our love will ever grow in adversity; for it is in Love's name that we are suffering the obstacles of poverty and the sharpness of misery and the emptiness of separation. I shall attack these hardships until I triumph and place in your hands a strength that will help over all things to complete the journey of life.

"Love - which is God - will consider our sighs and tears as incense burned at His altar and He will reward us with fortitude. Good-bye, my beloved; I must leave before the heartening moon vanishes."

A pure voice, combined of the consuming flame of love, and the hopeless bitterness of longing and the resolved sweetness of patience, said, "Good-bye, my beloved."

They separated, and the elegy to their union was smothered by the wails of my crying heart.

I looked upon slumbering Nature, and with deep reflection discovered the reality of a vast and infinite thing -- something no power could demand, influence acquire, nor riches purchase. Nor could it be effaced by the tears of time or deadened by sorrow; a thing which cannot be discovered by the blue lakes of Switzerland or the beautiful edifices of Italy.

It is something that gathers strength with patience, grows despite obstacles, warms in winter, flourishes in spring, casts a breeze in summer, and bears fruit in autumn -- I found Love.


Source: A Tear and A Smile by Khalil Gibran (1914)

Computer Problem Report Form

:o) .. okay so i got this in email from a friend of mine... finally the day has come that a single form has been designed to solve ALL computer/website related problems :P


Describe your problem: ________________________________________

Now, describe the problem accurately:
_________________________________________________________

Speculate wildly about the cause of the problem:
_________________________________________________________

Problem Severity:
A. Minor__
B. Minor__
C. Minor__
D. Trivial__

Nature of the problem:
A. Locked Up__
B. Frozen__
C. Hung__
D. Shot__

Is your computer plugged in? Yes__ No__

Is it turned on? Yes__ No__

Have you tried to fix it yourself? Yes__ No__

Have you made it worse? Yes__

Have you read the manual? Yes__ No__

Are you sure you’ve read the manual? Yes__ No__

Are you absolutely certain you’ve read the manual? No__

Do you think you understood it? Yes__ No__

If `Yes’ then why can’t you fix the problem yourself?
________________________________________________________

How tall are you? Are you above this line? _______

What were you doing with your computer at the time the problem occurred?
________________________________________________________

If `nothing’ explain why you were logged in.
________________________________________________________

Are you sure you aren’t imagining the problem? Yes__ No__

How does this problem make you feel?
________________________________________________________

Tell me about your childhood ___________________________________

Do you have any independent witnesses of the problem? Yes__ No__

Can’t you do something else, instead of bothering me? Yes__

So according to Budget 2005-2006, every MNA, MPA will get Rs 40,000 as "Entertainment Allowance" ... wtf!!! ..

Sultan Baybars’ Qur’an

Of all the British Library’s collection of Qur’ans, this is the most magnificent. Each of its seven volumes is written in gold and has a superb frontispiece combining intricate geometric patterns with ornamental script. It was made in Cairo between 1304 and 1306 (704-5 in the Islamic calendar) for a high-ranking court official called Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Jashnagir, who later became Baybars II, ruler of the Mamluk Sultanate. This manuscript is the earliest dated Qur’an from the Mamluk period.

And if you you wondering about Sultan Baybars, he was the Mamluk Sultan who defeated Mangols in the famous battle of Ayn Jalut in 1260. As a child he saw his parents killed during a Mangol invasion of Damascus and he fled to Egypt. As a Mamluk Sultan he defeated Mangols in battle of Ayn Jalut and stopped their invasion of Middle East once and for all. This battle is considered by many historians to be of great macrohistorical importance (greatest battle in the history of Mangols indeed), as it marked the highwater of Mongol conquests, and the first time they had been decisively defeated. (where they had previously been defeated, they had always returned and avenged the loss -- this marked the first occasion they were unable to do so) Hulagu Khan never was able to advance into Egypt, and the IlKhanate he established in Persia was never able to defeat the Mamelukes.



The text was copied out by a highly talented calligrapher called Muhammad ibn al-Wahid. Sadly, this Qur’an is the only known surviving example of his work. He wrote in gold, using the ‘thuluth’ style of script usually reserved for ornamental headings. Thuluth is characterised by curved letters with barbed heads, often linking and intersecting in complex flowing forms. Its use throughout a whole Qur’an is very rare – an indication of the high status of this commission.

Ninjam - Skype for musicians

Justin Frankel (the creator of Winamp) has a new project called Ninjam. He announced it here today and it’s extremely cool.

Ninjam allows two or more people to jam through the net with real audio (no MIDI goofiness like past internet jamming software). It’s like Skype for musicians, though the music is delayed a few measures to keep everything in sync. You plug your instruments in, the software provides a beat. Then you find out what a crappy guitar player you are.

Suicide

So today was a birthday party for S. When people started filing into Crystal's room for the party, conversation soon turned to the topic of a freshman who had apparently killed himself. Further inquiry revealed that he had hanged himself, and that apparently he was not doing any schoolwork, which suggests that he had much worse problems than his grades.

I didn't even know the guy and I feel bad for him. If he felt his problems were so great that there were no other way out... I've been in that mindset, and it's not a pretty place to be. I know there was some other way, that he didn't have to go and do this, but I don't even know the guy, so I can't say what.

If any of you reading ever decide to do something like this, you'd better talk to me first. I'm serious.

More people than I expected have referred to the kid who killed himself as a "coward" and refused to express any remorse whatsoever about his death. To some extent, I can understand their point of view. Suicide is considered the "easy out" - the way to make it all go away for good without having to actually solve any problems. And all of the pain from that moment on is left to the survivors.

However, I have two problems with this line of thought. The first is that people don't just wake up and decide, "My toast didn't cook just right today. How depressing - I think I'll kill myself." It takes a LOT to push someone to the point where they feel that the only escape is death. I feel bad for this guy, mostly because I know how it is to be pushed to that edge. I've stared into the abyss, and the only thing that has kept me from going over is realizing how much pain other people would be in from my death - at the worst times, when I felt everyone was against me, only the thought of what my death would do to my mother has stopped me from committing. I know the mindset of wanting to escape, and I know how hard it is to deal with the pain of life when you're at that breaking point. A lot of people downplay the pain from beforehand that the committer had endured, and nobody knows just how much pain that was.

Which leads to my second point: people are too damn self-centered. These people don't think of how much this kid had already suffered. They don't know his point of view and they don't even try to understand it. They can't compare the pain of the one who committed suicide to the pain of those who are left behind. All they see is the present, the here and now and me and mine. All they see is "If I knew this person, it would hurt me right now, and how dare they put me through that?" It takes so much to push a person to commit suicide, but nobody thinks of the before - just the after.

Maybe I'm being a bit self-centered too. Maybe the only reason it bothers me so much is because I used to think of committing suicide myself. Maybe it bothers me to think that if I'd gone through with it, I would be a coward - and I truly believe that suicide is a cowardly act. However, I will never criticize someone who's done it - I don't think I have a right to criticize, after seeing what they've been through. I know how tempting the easy way out can be, and I know that it takes a hell of a lot of strength and/or selflessness not to take it. And while I have that inner strength and devotion not to hurt those that care about me, I know that not all people do. So many people are self-centered as it is, that it doesn't surprise me at all when a person committing suicide doesn't think about the other people it affects. As for inner strength - a lot of my own has been gathered only recently, and I still don't feel that I have enough. I definitely have no right to criticize someone who doesn't have that strength.

Once more, I'll repeat - anyone who wants to kill themselves, come to me first. I won't try and talk you out of doing it - I'll just see if you're making an informed decision. It may be the last one you make, and you may as well check to see if it's the right one.

Anonymous - December 2003

Rapid coloured afterimage

On the right you see a circle of blue-violettish (=magenta) patches, one of which briefly disappears, circling around.

Let your gaze rest on the central fixation cross, but observe with your “inner eye” the patches just when they disappear. With good fixation, you should see a strong greenish colour whenever the violet patch has disappeared.

When you are fixating well, after a few cycles you will actually see a rotating green spot! If your gaze is really steady, the magenta patches will disappear, leaving only a rotating green spot!



Source: Jeremy L Hinton (2005-05-22, personal communication, jeremy dot hinton at bigfoot dot com)

Religion??

Religion is really just a way to pacify ourselves and reduce our fear of the unknown. Because we really don't know and religion acts as a kind of security blanket for humanity. Many people think their religion is better but if you look at most of them, all of them are just as valid. The real truth is beyond our understanding, we just can't fathom the reality of existance and everything else and religion seems to like to tell it to us in a nice simple way how everything is. It treats us like children and tells us what we need to know. I'm sure many people would claim that their religion is true because of some time when they "felt God" or somthing of that nature and they just know that the way they are following is true. But people in every religion have that, and think that their religion is true.
Religion allows us an easier path in life for those who are willing to blindly follow. It gives us meaning and hope and it makes the world a better place but it isn't the absolute truth, there is no religion which has the absolute truth. Religion keeps the masses sedated and works well to organize our world.

Google maps Hacking - lods of lods of useful information

Belle & Sebastian