Shooting Violence: A Reason Why?

November 06, 2009

Horrible news about Fort Hood yesterday. As an alumnus of VA Tech who followed that tragedy from afar, I found this latest shooting extremely painful to watch.  Our hearts go out to the victims and their families and friends.

As we learn more about the identity of the shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, we're wondering what drives someone like that to do something so horrible. And is that thing - whatever that thing is - something shared by all people who commit these crimes? And finally - what happens at the breaking point.

To find out, I asked Clinical Psychologist Jill Weber if she had any insight. (You'll need to have Flash enabled to hear them...)

First of all, are there common elements between Hasan and other people like the Columbine shooters?

Jill Weber Answer 1

But lots of people feel marginalized and isolated and they aren't becoming violent...

Jill Weber Answer 2

Reports say that Hasan was a mental health therapist himself, so shouldn't he have had the knowledge and tools to process those feelings?

Jill Weber Answer 3

I asked Weber if there was anything else to add. She said this...

Jill Weber Answer 4

Home Improvement Tips from the Solar Decathlon

October 23, 2009

My house was built in 1941. It's a great little Cape Cod that has everything you need. My only real problem with it is that, quite frankly, it's dumb.

I recently went down to the National Mall in DC on a rainy, overcast day to check out the 2009 Solar Decathlon. And wow - those houses are smart. And filled with cool, green technology. Radiant heat and cooling, induction stovetops, LED lights, and of course solar panels. The systems in these homes talk to the appliances, which talk back to the systems, which talk to you!

So basically, you know how much energy they're using, where it's going, and how you can manage it to leave a smaller carbon footprint. Awesomeness.

And while photovoltaic panels are - yes - still expensive for the average homeowner, there are lots of other things you can add to your house that won't break the bank. And thanks to the folks at the Solar Decathlon, you can get a complete product list on their web site.

Here's the video I produced with Discovery Tech blogger Alyssa Danigelis. Click on the image!

- Jorge

Can Science Explain Public Outbursts?

September 14, 2009

Nothing new about people behaving badly in public – but lately, news headlines seem dominated by sensational stories of outbursts and temper tantrums. 

Tennis star Serena Williams verbally attacking a line judge during the U.S. Open – costing her the match. 

Congressman Joe Wilson shouting “you lie!” at President Obama during President's health care address last week – leaving political decorum on the House floor.

Musician Kanye West climbing on stage to dispute the results of an MTV Video Music Award – humiliating winner Taylor Swift. 

And this was just in the past week! 

I spoke to University of Maryland psychology professor Michael Dougherty to find out if there’s more than just big egos or bad tempers behind these raw moments.

Dougherty says that our brain’s highly developed prefrontal cortex is what helps us control our mental processes… most of the time. But even the occasional outburst is pretty normal human behavior.

The only difference is most of us aren’t pop music stars, pro athletes or politicians. So that little meltdown you had in your car when the driver on your left cut you off? Yeah… that’s not all over YouTube. 

But could this breakdown in social niceties be explained as vestigial behavior carried over from when early man was in constant fight or flight mode?

That’s still probably no excuse for anyone who's ever thrown a chair across a basketball court or yelled at their colleague. But let’s face it, we're emotional creatures, and sometimes they do get the better of us. 

Of course, not every tantrum has to do with stress or fear…

Hmmm... who does that bring to mind?

(Photos: Getty Images)

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This Is Your Brain Hearing The Beatles In Stereo. Or Maybe Mono.

September 09, 2009

Trying to decide whether to buy the stereo or mono version of the new Beatles album? Well….we asked Daniel Levitin, Professor of Psychology and Music at McGill University AND the author of This Is Your Brain On Music, what the big difference is between the two as far as your brain is concerned…

So for stereo the record producers virtually “place” each source of sound in a specific location that your brain can detect...the guitar sound is coming from 40 degrees off to your right, the bass is 25 degrees off to your left, etc. With mono there's no differentiation - all the sound comes from the same "location".

He says stereo also sounds more realistic to us…

BUT…how does your brain distinguish what’s coming from where?

All this means I should buy the Beatles album in stereo, right?  Because it’ll sound better that way…or NOT!

So the bottom line is that (in general) stereo mimics how we hear things in nature while mono (in this case) is what the Beatles actually intended us to hear. Do you really want to upset the Beatles???  I asked Levitin which version he chose – mono or stereo?

He took no chances. He bought one of each.

For more info on Daniel Levitin's work you can visit www.daniellevitin.com or send him a tweet: @danlevitin.

First US Pres born in a hospital...

November 04, 2008

...Jimmy Carter! Happy Voting Day USA!!!

Here's what he looked like as a baby: