fallen verses

I would like to think most of us are aware of HIV/AIDS and realizes these are a Bad Thing, but I don’t know. There are a lot of crazy people out there who believe the strangest things for no apparent reason (and, even worse, when shown they are wrong!). I can’t begin to understand that view, and I’ll simply say that I hope they are not participating in Blogger’s Unite: World Aids Day.

Tara from the Scienceblog Aetiology has written quite a bit about the science of HIV/AIDS, and anyone interested in learning some of the more technical information might want to check out her posts on HIV/AIDS. Information is also available at the National Institute On Drug Abuse and at AIDS.gov. (It may somewhat belabor the point, but the administration for the past 8 years has had a habit of lying presenting information in an unusual light, so government websites may warrant scrupulous fact-checking).

And remember, if you’re going to be engaging in potentially risky sexual behavior, use a condom.

from TED

This video is about this guy with the unpronounceable last name’s research into the mental states of creativity, etc., which he calls “flow.” An interesting look at the psychology of creativity in relation to the “normal” world.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives. A leading researcher in positive psychology, he has devoted his life to studying what makes people truly happy: “When we are involved in [creativity], we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.” He is the architect of the notion of “flow” — the creative moment when a person is completely involved in an activity for its own sake.

Er, if you don’t see a video, click one of the gray bars and it should load the player.