September 29, 2007
Another great couple of Radio Labs from the IPod. Sleep, and now Time.
The Sleep program mentions how maladaptive sleep is-which it is, if you really think about it. It wonders why humans have evolved to sleep deeply, whereas other animals sleep “with one eye open,” as James Hetfield once put it. It occurs to me that the evolution of human society allows for deep sleep-since others from the tribe can stay on guard, humans can more fully rest. Plus the increased rigor of human mental activity must require the near total shutdown of physical processes and the cleanup of the mental junkheap.
Jocelyn Ford probably has the loveliest voice in radio.
Listening to all these smart, courageous, funny people doing all this great work reminds me of how much I have wasted. The co founder of Wired Magazine (I heard on On The Media) has put a reminder on his computer desktop of how much, according to the actuarial tables, life he has left to live. Mine would be even shorter, due to all my health issues. And I’m wasting so damn much of it.
September 30, 2007
Great story on Bill Moyers’ Journal with the founder of the Vanguard Group on the turning of health care,and all of business, really, from focusing on patients/clients to focusing on profits to the exclusion of duty.
More from the Journal…$90+ Billion Dollars of fraudulent defense contracting? Why should anyone be surprised, with the kleptocrats we elected? Weren’t these people supposed to be the business geniuses? The MBA Presidency?
Then again, most of the MBAs I have met have been out of touch morons, so there you go.
“It shouldn’t be hard for a veteran who has served his country to get health care.” (From PBS’ NOW program.) I’d love to hear the Administration defend their treatment of Iraq War veterans.
Another great Radio Lab-Musical Language, with the story of Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”, with its discordant, riotous first performance and its much more accepting later performances. Lots of good neurotransmitter talk about variations in dopamine activity and the ‘ol fine line between genius and madness. I love public radio.