Brain Computers

  The brain is a great tool that can handle whatever is thrown at it, it can operate on low power, and it can last for one hundred years. For these reasons researchers are now trying to enable computers to use technology that would simulate brain function. These neuro-inspired machines may be the future of computers. I can see many applications for this type of technology, but I just wonder what becomes of humans if computers start operating like we do.
                        I'll start with the good things. I can see this technology being used in things like stocks, seeing where the trends are and determining the best options for investment, ultimately making people earn more money. I could also see the application in robots, if the technology could think like us, I think this would make a robot much more human-like. We may be able to use robots to do our more dangerous jobs, like operate oil rigs, or do construction on a skyscraper. The applications are really endless, if they can think like us, they can probably accomplish the same tasks as us, and maybe do them even better. However this is where I run into the problems.
                       While this technology could greatly improve our lives, we have to be careful how far we develop them. If we take things past a certain point we may be competing with robots for jobs, and lets be honest, we will lose. This could cause a huge problem for us, we may not be able to get a job to support our family. Also think of robot soldiers, if they could fire a gun they could be put into combat, and they may even end up being more effective than humans. This could end up turning our world into an endless battleground. IF we can produce this technology quickly and easily, there would be no stopping us from fighting over every little thing, as humans really wouldn't be in the line of fire, unless of course their home is where the battle is taking place.
                         Now I'm not saying this is what is guaranteed  to happen, this is simply my theory, however it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. If we invent something that could think like a human, the result may be something similar to the images depicted in sci-fi films where robots end up running humans into the ground, this is simply one outcome that I see as a possibility. We could work side by side with this technology to accomplish great things, I am simply urging people to take another look at the dangers, before they say that all of the consequences will be positive ones.

The Science of Fail

When looking at the title of this post you may be wondering what this piece of writing will be about. Everyone fails, so making of a post of how to fail may irrelevant. However this is less about the act of failing, than it is about the mentality we should have about failing. There are some ways I think you can approach failure to make it easier, and ultimately better. So I will mostly be focusing on the benefits of failing, and how it can shape us as people.
                    First we have to realize what I just said. Everyone fails, no one is exempt from this rule, so to fear failure is honestly a waste. Yet we still do it. I think everyone, at some point, is afraid they will fail. It's human nature, we don't want to look bad or feel embarrassed, and it can be hard to force yourself to do something that may lead to this. Sometimes we are forced into these situations, and sometimes we opt out of them, but what I am suggesting is to go for them. When we fail, and feel all of those emotions that come with it, we grow. We learn to cope with it, and then when it's over, we learn that failing really isn't that bad.
                  If we try to avoid doing things that we may fail at there is, without a doubt, things that we will miss out on, things that could even change our lives. If Thomas Edison had feared failure, we may not have light, if African Americans feared failure they may still be in slavery. There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we don't let the fear of failure dictate how we approach a situation. I'm not saying to get rid of this fear, because you really can't, I'm telling you that when you are afraid you need to overcome that.
                 Another benefit to failing, is succeeding. There is, in my opinion, no better feeling than failing at something several times, and the ultimately making it work. Conquering a major challenge is one of the best ways to boost your confidence, and give yourself an advantage in life overall. People who don't let failing get in their way have an advantage over those who do let that happen. Failing is part of us, and if we don't learn that now we will spend the rest of our lives trying to do something that is impossible, trying to be perfect. I encourage you to have a understanding of this concept, because it will not go away, and if you can understand this, you will learn to do things that you would not have otherwise done, and you will ultimately be happier.
                The bottom line is that failure is not something to be feared, but something to be embraced. Look at fear as your friend, one that motivates you, and keeps you doing the things that are new, and exciting, and that may even change the world.

Losing

 Now this topic isn't something that is to much related to science, unless you just include the brain's reaction. However it is something that has interested me for a long time. The reason why we get made over losing, even a simple card game with your family, or in a video game. Sometimes you can shake off the loss, but usually we react very negatively, very angry. 
                         I have my own theory for this reaction. This is obviously my opinion and I haven't done any research to back this up, but it will certainly be plausible. My idea is that it's just because we are born with a very strong sense of pride, which is true. However would this pride really provoke such a response as we get when we lose. There are certain times where I think it would definitely not do this. However I have seen pride get in the way of many things, it is a very strong part of our human nature. It can drive us to do many thing that we would not otherwise be able to do, and I come to the conclusion that it would make us very angry if our pride was damaged, which really what is happening when we lose a game, match, or race.
                      Taking this one step further I want to analyze how some people control this. Certainly not everyone gets mad when they lose, so why would that be. I feel like it's because these types of people actually realize what I don't. They realize that the game really doesn't shape who they are, at least if it's on a small scale. I feel embarrassed when I lose, disappointed in myself, and that's why I get mad. I'm not usually mad at the other players, though I may say I am, If I lose it was a blow to me, and I don't like that very much. People who don't get mad about these types of losses somehow find away to remove themselves from the game. They understand that the game will be forgotten in a short amount of time, as long as they had fun they are satisfied. 
                      While I understand this concept, I still get mad, sometimes even to the point where I just quit. There is no reason to be, but it happens anyway. I think there is definitely a way to control this type of emotion, as there is a way to control all emotions. As I said before it's more about removing yourself from the situation on a personal level, and just be there for the fun of it. Be there because it makes other people happy. If we worry about this more than the score it will probably be a much better outcome for everyone. 
                    Ultimately I guess it just goes back to the mental aspect of life, which is most of it actually. You have to work to improve and get better, maybe to help you win the respective game you are playing in the future, or maybe to just improve the relationships of who you play with. Bottom line is there is really no reason to get mad, and we should think about that every time we feel that we are approaching that state of mind.

Adaptation

  Almost all animals at some point or another learn how to adapt. I've decided to take a look at why this is and how we are able to do it. Some animals are better than others at this, but we all do it. It may be to the temperature, protection, food, the bottom line is that it is for survival. 
                       Survival is an amazing thing. It can be something that saves our lives. Simply the will to live can compel somebody to do something that they may not be able to do otherwise. It is for the same reason that humans, and all animals alike, adapt to our surroundings. We don't just stop there either, we eventually improve our chances for survival, we do it with technology, but other animals do it too. It's fascinating that the will to live could be this motivational.
                        There are 8.74 million species of plants, animals, and insects on this planet. Each one has found a way to survive that works for them. Some mimic others, but in general there is a unique style to each one. The incredible part is that these animals do it with just their physical attributes, they don't have all the technology we have. Whether it is to simply defend themselves, or to hide, or to hunt. They are born with what they have, and they learn to live and survive with it. If they can't find food, or use what they have, they adapt and use it in a different way, or move to a different place. This is all based on instinct and it really is awesome if you think about it.
                        I want to talk about one of the characters from a book I am reading. His name is Bobby. He was faced with a fight between him and an opponent which he had no chance of beating, but he had no other choice but to accept the fight. He was getting pummeled, and then he realized his opponent was trying to kill him. His instinct to survive kicked in, and he started to defend himself, to fight back. He was still defeated in the end, he ended up spending a month in the hospital, however the bottom line is that he went into survival mode, and he survived. When on the brink of death he had to adapt to fight, and ultimately it saved his life. Of course this is a fictional scenario, but it still highlights the point I am trying to make. 
                     The bottom line is that when push comes to shove, all animals choose to survive. It is our very fundamental instinct. Adapting is just part of this instinct, so while it is an art, and it is fascinating, it really isn't hard for animals. It is simply what they are doing to survive and this is their only concern, because it is always survival of the fittest, and that is what every animal is trying to be.

Snakes in Iowa

There are five species of venomous snakes that inhabit Iowa. Anyone who lives in or visits Iowa should make themselves aware of these snakes, and learn how to identify them. Children especially, whom snakes often fascinate, should be made aware of these 5 species. A lot of snakebites occur because people are uninformed about the venomous snakes that inhabit Iowa, and mistakenly think them harmless. The best rule of thumb is, if you don't know what kind of snake it is leave it alone. The species are: Western Massasauga (rattle snake), Eastern Massasauga (rattle snake), Prairie Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, and Northern Copperhead.
                     The spring thaw is the best time to find most of the snakes out here, since they're coming out of hibernation. Right now would be a great time to go looking actually, because a lot of them are in their mating season if not wrapping it up. Some are nocturnal, some are up at both night and day, so if you're looking for a certain species look into that. A few are only nocturnal in the summer. All the snakes here love hiding so you'll have a good chance of finding some by tipping over logs or looking under rocks and in crevices. I have heard people have good  luck when just cruising along country roads, where you can find snakes just basking on the warm pavement, or under debris nearby. Forests with ponds and marshes are good places to look too. Morning is probably a good time to catch things like garter snakes basking since they're warming up for the day. Some snakes like ribbon snakes also go dormant when things get too dry, so going out a day or two after some rain might also be a good idea. However take precaution, Don't go digging under dry leaves and branches, as you will be tempted to do. If you do so, you will be putting yourself in extreme danger. You won't know if there is a snake in the leaves you just pushed aside, or if there is one right under the leaf that you are about to shove over, and you won't know what kind it is, either. By the time you see the snake, it could very well already have assessed you as a danger, and have attacked.

Dog Discipline

 Disciplining Bad Behavior:
            I think a better kind of negative reinforcement is just being cold to your dog. Make it clear you're disappointed with him.
            Dogs are emotional animals, they respond to emotion better than anything. If a dog knows you, and has gotten to know your body language and everything, just make it clear how you feel - like not looking at him, low tone of voice, ignoring him, cold looks, telling him he's a bad dog, etc. Unless your dog has some developmental problems or is really hyperactive, he should pick up on it and feel all terrible.
           Just think to when you were a kid - what you hated more than anything was when your parents let you know they were disappointed in you. It made you feel stupid and guilty and wrong, and you'd swear to yourself you'd never mess it up again. But if they started yelling or getting physical, you'd be confused and angry and rebellious. You'd feel antagonized by them. You wouldn't care about what you did wrong, you'd just be angry at your parents, and would likely defend/repeat your actions out of spite and stubbornness. These are basic emotional reactions, and dogs are basic emotional animals. Their emotional capacity grew from social interaction, like us, and they even adapted to us specifically through millenia. We're both social animals and they're no strangers to human behavior. Just like family members who hit each other instead of communicating, a dog-owner relationship that works largely on physical dominance is wrong and dysfunctional.

Rewarding Good Behavior:
           Rewarding based dog training is about rewarding good behavior while deterring bad behavior. When a dog performs a desired action like sitting when asked to do so, he should be rewarded. Try giving your dog a treat immediately after it follows a command, then this behavior will become linked in the dogs brain with a positive action. Praising them with an enthusiastic "Good boy/girl!" is also a simple reward that'll strengthen your bond as your dog learns right from wrong.
           One hard thing to judge is when to reward your dog, one common time is when your pet is learning a new behavior, reward him every time he does the behavior. This is called continuous reinforcement. Slowly overtime you can decrease how often you give your dog a treat for a certain behavior. Eventually you will be able to decrease the treat down to a simple vocal reinforcement. By understanding positive reinforcement, you'll see that you're not forever bound to carry a pocketful of goodies. Your dog will soon be working for your verbal praise, because he wants to please you and knows that, occasionally, he'll get a treat, too.

Alternative to Animal Testing

For my argument paper last term I wrote about animal testing. I wrote about hot it was wrong and how it was actually inaccurate because of the differences in the genetic makeup of humans and the animals tested. Well thanks to scientists at the King's College London and San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center, along with other members of this international team, a great alternative has been invented. This breakthrough could lead to the end of animal testing all together, which is the goal that I personally want achieved.
                      The team developed the first lab-grown epidermis (the outermost layer of skin). This means that something that is genuinely human can test certain drugs or creams and see how an actual human would react. Before we tested animals, such as cats or mice, and we had to get a rough estimate of whether or not a product  would work for humans. Many times they did not work, which was just a waste of time and effort. While this is a great breakthrough and it will certainly allow reduction of animal testing, I want to press scientists to continue this type of work.
                       While this lab-grown skin is awesome for testing some products, others simply need more to go on than just skin. For example skin cancer could be tested, but there are several other forms that wouldn't be able to be tested without animals, which is what we don't want. However with the type of research these scientists are doing it is plausible that we will soon be able to produce any part of the human body that we want to. This would be a huge step forward in the fight against major diseases, and in the effort to end animal testing. We would be able to get better results more efficiently, and animals wouldn't have to suffer any longer. 
                       I understand that some people will argue that stem cell research is wrong (this is the type of research being used to produce this lab-grown skin) but I encourage you to look at all the benefits that can come out of it. If we have the resources, the people, and the technology to produce something that could prevent both the deaths of many humans (by providing cures for many diseases) and that could stop all animal testing, which is a cruel and unjust practice, why would we not do it? I feel that if we don't utilize this new research we are doing more harm than good, I just ask you to do some research of the pros, as opposed to only looking at the cons. 
                       I am very excited that this type of research has surfaced so soon after I had voiced my concerns of the animal testing situation. This alternative could really be a solution to that problem, and to many others as well. It will definitely speed up the process of making new disease cures, and maybe one day this technology could lead to a disease free world.