Inspiration • Check out this brief article describing the story of a boy born very poor in Haiti who met US Army troops and had a dream to become a helicopter pilot. That young man is Second Lieutenant Alix Schoelcher Idrache and he just graduated from West Point in the top of his class, studying physics. The powerful photos show how proud Alix…
Gravity and Time • Check out this video of acrobat / choreographer Yoann Bourgeois performing a mesmerizing routine. Think about the hours of practice, the precise physical control of the body, the flow state he must be in. What a cool video and accompanying description. Leg Matrix • Simple but deadly leg exercise that takes less than 10…
Night shifts and appetite • A recent study on sleep and appetite looked at 63 shift workers, mean age 36.7 years, 59% women. 84% of subjects reported weight gain since starting shift work.• “Worse sleep quality and shorter sleep duration were associated with more food cravings, and worse sleep quality and hygiene were associated with higher appetitive drive to consume palatable food…
Bullsh!t • Carl Bergstrom has become well known during COVID-19 (esp on Twitter) with many posts on epidemiology, the economy, the future. He is an evolutionary biologist at U of Washington and has studied epidemics for many years. Written before the pandemic, his (and Jevin West’s) book Calling Bullshit is full of information and graphs, but overall accessible. •…
Hey everyone! Hope you had a fulfilling month. Here are some ideas for wellness practice. Big Concerts at a Tiny Desk • Here is a music recommendation you cannot pass up. If, like us, you have been out of the loop since 2012 on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, immediately check them out on the NPR website, YouTube, or in iTunes podcasts.• These…
Hey everyone! Hope you had a fulfilling month. This has been a crazy year so far. People have pointed out that clearly no one in the future invents a time machine, because if they did they would have come back to prevent 2020.For those in academic medicine, July is the real start to chaos. It is as important as ever…
Hey everyone! 2020 Continues to challenge the world, now with the US facing new turmoil. Stay safe and take care of yourselves. I have come across several profound quotes recently, so half of the content this month will be quotes. Take a few minutes to reflect on these and to find some stillness in the middle of the chaos. Genius…
Abstainer or Moderator I was surprised I had never come across a concise explanation of two different methods for maintaining good health. This very brief article talks about how people would approach any habit or behavior (most relevant for the unhealthy ones). If your office had a huge box of donuts sitting out, how could you best resist overindulging? Would…
Optimizing Your Immune System The human immune system does not yield to easy explanation. We have multiple different defenses against foreign intruders, and must limit attack on self. This desired golden mean of immune response illustrates why we can suffer from viral and bacterial infections or from lupus and psoriasis. The immune system is generally divided into innate and adaptive…
Think Deeply • Do statements have to be true or false? Could they be neither, or even both? This piece in Aeon explores ancient Greek logic, ancient Buddhism, and modern philosophy/mathematics. If you start here with this quote, “The nature of things is to have no nature; it is their non-nature that is their nature. For they…
