Our first topic for you, as requested by our readers, is the biology of brains!
Tell us everything you know about brains– how they’re structured, and how they work. A few questions to get you thinking:
What’s the history of the biology of brains?
How are brains organized?
How do brains function?
How do brains differ across species?
Where do you think science is headed with regard to the biology of brains?
Note that all of these questions can be answered at many different levels and in thousands of different ways, not to mention that we encourage thinking outside of these guiding questions! We’re just asking you to give us a tiny bit of anything you know.
Again, the rules, for those new to our game:
Reblog and add anythingthat comes to mind regarding the topic– facts you know, things you learned in school, questions you have, links to an article, papers you’ve read– we mean anything!
If you don’t think you have anything to contribute, just reblog and pass the thread along to your followers.
That’s it! SciNote will be reading every single one of your responses, and given enough responses, we will combine your contributions, citing your work, in one big comprehensive article to be posted on SciNote.org.
Client:Please visualize how this existing page of our website would look if this text was changed from “buy our product here” to “buy this product here.”
Client:Edit this screenshot of our homepage and replace this picture here.
Client:Change it back to the old picture, but zoom in a bit.
Client:Can you show us different options? What would it look like with the new picture and old text; as well as old picture and new text in a different font size?
Every single change, no matter how minor, needs to be ~visualized~ in an edited screenshot first. It usually takes about five revisions with at least three alternative versions until a minor edit gets signed off on. This also usually happens mere days before a big launch of a new product, which, of course, also needs its own subsite. Said subsite will go through the exact same process.
They always pay on time and don’t have any problems with paying for three hours of work for a simple text change that could’ve been done in five minutes. So really, money is not the issue, but this is taking years off my life.
You know what? I do graphic design work for pay, and *I* can’t visualize everything that has been listed in this post.
I may be able to SUSPECT that a layout would probably work better if I made that bit over there smaller and this other bit over here bigger and perhaps pushed this third bit somewhat to the left. And make the font a few points larger. Or that the overall color scheme would work better if this green part to the right was a bit more blueish than it is now. But I still have to MAKE these changes to SEE if I’m actually right. Because of my years of experience, I often am indeed right, but not always. Sometimes the new version is still like, “Ew, ew, my eyes hurt, change that back immediately (and perhaps try something else)!” (And yes, if I was the client in this picture, I would need to SEE the options so I can judge them.)
I’m not sure (and I also don’t care) if that means I have a brain that deviates from the norm in how it processes images and visual ideas. I just know that this is how things work for me. And, apparently, for my clients.
So, a) don’t assume that your skills/capabilities are (or should be) universal (because they’re not, not even amongst graphic designers), and b) find a new client if it bothers you to do what this one IS PAYING YOU FOR (bonus side effect: they won’t have to work with someone who thinks they’re having the wrong kind of brain). Because it doesn’t sound as if there’s any other issue with this client besides your unwillingness to accept that other people’s brains don’t work exactly like your brain and that THAT IS PERFECTLY OKAY.
Jeff looked at Brains hoping his son was on to something.
“I’ll check to see if it’s been activated.” Brains hit a few buttons on his computer and after a few moments looked back at Jeff and Scott. “Right, I can see here that Virgil’s transmitter is still viable, but it’s not been activated… If you are right Scott then it’s probably still in his chain, and unfortunately Virgil hasn’t been able to get to it and use it.”
“So, can you do anything from here to get it to activate?” Scott asked, praying he was onto something.
“Well… Err… I’m afraid that unless Virgil swallows it then there is no way we can use it to track his location.” Brains answered.
“And there’s no other way you can activate it?” Scott questioned, the desperation now evident in his voice.
“Unless the trackers circuit board receives an electrical input then I’m afraid not.” Scott and Jeff both felt themselves deflate. Brains looked at them, wanting to keep their hopes alive he added. “I’ll keep checking the transmission feed… Just in case.”
“Thanks Brains.” Jeff replied.
“I really thought that would help.” Scott said sadly.
“I know son… For a moment, I did too.” Jeff guided Scott to the pile of blankets and pillows that were piled on the floor. “Now, come on Scott. I want you to try and get some sleep.”
“But dad.”
“No buts… Sleep!”
Scott grabbed a pillow and blanket and sat himself down, leaning against the sofa, Jeff sat down on the floor next to Scott and held him, stroking his head softly until he fell asleep.
Gordon made his way into the lounge with a hot chocolate in his hand while munching on a sandwich. He stopped and looked at his dad stroking a sleeping Scott’s head. “His he okay?” The last time I saw him I thought he was on to some sort of big breakthrough.”
Jeff glanced up at Gordon and beckoned him to come and sit down. Gordon sat down carefully on the settee so as not to disturb Alan, who was still sleeping soundly. “He remembered that Virgil kept his edible transmitter in his chain.”
“Oh, yes… Scott mentioned that the other day when we were in Virgil’s room.” Gordon added. “So, can Brains get it to work?”
Jeff shook his head. “No, not unless Virgil activates it himself.”
“Oh.”
“Here,” Jeff said, passing Gordon a blanket and pillow. “Try and get some sleep.”
Gordon grabbed the blanket and pillow from his father, finished his drink and sandwich, covered himself with the blanket and sat watching John and Brains working away, until he found himself drifting off to sleep.
2 hours Later:
Jeff woke to find himself leaning against the sofa, his oldest son was curled up in a tight ball next to him and was fast asleep, while Gordon and Alan were both passed out on the settee. Rubbing his tired eyes, Jeff stretched his aching legs, and stood up and made his way over to both Brains and John who were still working away at the computer. “Any luck.” Jeff asked quietly, so as not to disturb his sleeping sons.
John turned to face his dad, his face was pale and the bags under his eyes were evident. “No dad. Nothing. We… We can’t even get past their tracking system.”
“Boys, why don’t you leave this for a few hours and try and get some sleep.”
“Dad… But… Virgil… He… He might not have a few hours.” John replied, tears appearing in his eyes.
“I know son… I know… But you’re not going to be any help to him in this state.” Jeff checked his watch and continued. “Now, we’ve got about 10 hours until the Hood contacts us back, so come and get some sleep… Even if it’s only for a short time. Hopefully fresh eyes will be able to help.”
“Dad, I’m not stopping!” John snapped, turning back towards the computer.
“John Glenn Tracy, I’m not asking you again.” Jeff demanded. “Now stop what you are doing and get some sleep, that goes for you too Brains!”
Brains stopped what he was doing and nodded. “I’ll head to my own room. I’ll let you and the boys have some time together.”
“Thanks Brains.” When Brains had made his way quietly out of the room, Jeff guided John out of his chair. “Now son, are you going to join us all and get some sleep?”
John shrugged his shoulders and looked down at the floor. “Suppose so.”
Jeff shook his head, steered John to the sofa and made him sit down on the floor next to a sleeping Scott. “Now come on you… Sleep!” Jeff said sternly as he placed a warm blanket over John and handed him a pillow. John made a huffing noise, made himself comfortable, shut his eyes and fell asleep within seconds. Jeff smiled as he took in the sight of his four sons sleeping soundly. Turning to his desk he picked up one of the many photos he had of Virgil and made his way over to the sofa. He sat down on the settee next to Alan and Gordon and pulled the remaining blanket over himself. Clutching the photo tightly in his hands, Jeff looked at it intently. “Night son,” he whispered, feeling the tears slide down his face. “Don’t worry, you’ll be home soon!” Jeff clutched the photo to his chest and drifted off to sleep.
“Forty-one million IQ points. That’s what Dr. David Bellinger determined Americans have collectively forfeited as a result of exposure to lead, mercury, and organophosphate pesticides. In a 2012 paper published by the National Institutes of Health, Bellinger, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, compared intelligence quotients among children whose mothers had been exposed to these neurotoxins while pregnant to those who had not. Bellinger calculates a total loss of 16.9 million IQ points due to exposure to organophosphates, the most common pesticides used in agriculture.”
This “silent pandemic” of toxins is believed to be “causing not just lower IQs, but ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.”
I mean i quite like my brain, i’m really very fond of it i just think it’s a design failure that i can’t pop it out of the ole skull basket every night and plug it in to recharge. travesty really
we share one collective braincell and that braincell desires a bath apparently
