flynn012

The fact of the matter is that c orrelation dies not necessarily imply causality . Just because two things tend to be correlated positively (one usually accompanies, or is associated with the other), doesn't necessarily mean that a 'cause and effect' relationship exists. In the extreme case, take this correlative study, which I just conducted myself in the The Braintenance Blog Laboratories (located in a concrete and lead bunker located deep below the desert in Area 52 -- as Area 51 was already spoken for when we were working with the realtors in our search for cheap laboratory space.): In my experiment, I found out that in excess of 95% of all heroin addicts were given milk or formula when they were babies. Therefore, milk and/or formula, given to someone as an infant, will cause eventual that infant to graduate to heroin addiction. Stupid, yes. Bad science always is. Numbers don't lie, but the inferences drawn from them can be manipulated or interpreted in many, ...

In science, we are always looking for rules and "common denominators" which allow us to understand how things happen (a reverse engineering process), allow us to build or duplicate things, and allow us to predict things -- sometimes to intervene in events and to actually shape the future instead of passively trying to predict it. Fans of The Braintenance Blog are the most curious of all.  All forms of life are constructed of nine basic designs. The nine designs are listed below and are often combined as composite forms that can include all nine or any combination of several.  From a probability and possibility standpoint, this is fascinating and vast. The number of possible combinations is unfathomably enormous, yet finite .  Here is a listing of these fundamental shapes: the sphere and spheroid the circle and ellipse the cube the cylinder the spiral the undulate the pyramid and triangle the lattice the frond Identifying the world's shapes can be a fascinating e...

Perception IS Reality - as we experience it. The video which follows (which involves some forces applied to a simple, commonplace mixture of cornstarch and water) may alter your perception of physical reality as you've been conditioned to understand/expect it. I find it useful for several reasons: 1 ) It opens the mind to accept that it has been brainwashed or conditioned; 2 ) It creates and increased hunger for learning; 3 ) It forces us to question many of our own accepted truths, and has the added psychic/psychological bonus of making us detach from ourselves and our ordinary robotic thinking to instead stand outside of ourselves and view ourselves from a more objective, analytic perspective. You'll enjoy this video tremendously. Just click on the link for instant transport. PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY - ALTERING AND OPENING THE MIND [Douglas E. Castle] See you very soon. Douglas E Castle for The Braintenance Blog and for The Deeper Consciousness And Altered States Blog ....

Plasticity, specifically neuroplasticity , has to do with the brain's: 1) Ability to expand its capacity and capabilities; 2) The ability of neurons to continue to grow and adapt to environmental changes, both within us and outside of our physical bodies but perceivable to our senses, both acknowledged and being discovered; 3) The ability of one neuron to assume the responsibilities and functions of another neuron, should that second neuron be either damaged or otherwise compromised by an increased workload. 4) The longevity of a neuron's life and functioning; 5) The ability (in terms of speed and accuracy) of one neuron to signal or connect with its neighbor intersynaptically. Frankly, increased or enhanced neuroplasticity are highly desirable in terms of both brain functioning and anti-aging (i.e., maintaining a positive, youthful state. The following article excerpt appears courtesy of BigThink 's Weekly Newsletter, which is an excellent source of information and inte...

Scan of the poem "Anagram" from the 1633 edition of George Herbert's The Temple. Source: http://www.ccel.org/h/herbert/temple/Anagram.html (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) As my English Literature Professor at State University once told us in a lecture, " They ain't no disputin' da facts! " Working with anagrams , finding analogies, as well as performing some deciphering tasks [often cleverly disguised as games !] will build your associative intelligence. Your associative intelligence has to do with 1 ) your ability to generalize from an example; 2 ) your ability to recognize similarities among objects in groups; and 3 ) the sped with which your miraculously Braintenance-enhanced mind is ability to make these identifications, generalizations and associations. Anagrams (paired with secret de-coding keys) have been the basis for numerous encrypted messages through the ages. For you Harry Potter fans , how about Lord Voldemort ? So doggone obvious. There is eve...