The word depression is used as a “catch-all” term to describe a “spectrum of symptoms.” I am wary of the medical standard which of late seems to prefer to medicate first and diagnose later, especially in children. Jonah Lehrer helps us to see that depression should not be dismissed so quickly:
“If depression didn’t exist — if we didn’t react to stress and trauma with endless ruminations — then we would be less likely to solve our predicaments. Wisdom isn’t cheap, and we pay for it with pain.”
A hefty price. However, it’s not always that simple, either:
“To say that depression has a purpose or that sadness makes us smarter says nothing about its awfulness. A fever, after all, might have benefits, but we still take pills to make it go away. This is the paradox of evolution: even if our pain is useful, the urge to escape from the pain remains the most powerful instinct of all.”
Read more about Depression’s Upside on the New York Times website.
Reading, writing, seeing, giving: Thinking for a Living.
The Phuse Taxonomy of Type A certain web designer at The Phuse put on his science hat and came up with an altered Taxonomy for his gazillion fonts. It is ambitious. I helped him to fine tune the article, to fix a few grammar issues, but the man knows his typefaces. The article is beautifully rendered, which alone makes it worth viewing, but there’s also a little giveaway contest included, so head over to check it out and win yourself a prize.
Archaeological Dig Reshaping Human History. “All our theories were wrong.” “First the temple, then the city.”
by Matt Herron
Here’s a fun fact.
My dentist told me that flossing your teeth is the oral equivalent to wiping your ass. Then he described, with liberal hand gestures, the terrible things that happen when they have to surgically remove your sphincter; and the necessity for colostomy bags, despite their frightful malfunctions.
We really bonded.
Chart Porn! Don’t worry, it’s safe for work. There are no boobies (I agree, that’s kind of disappointing, because charts would be better with boobies).
William Shatner to Play Dad in Shit my Dad Says, the new pilot sitcom based on a twitter profile.
This is beautifully designed map of predictions for our future. It was made for WIRED by Density Design. The concept comes from research done by a non-profit organization, a sort of seer collective for science. Unsurprisingly, they are called The Institute for the Future. —Read on »
