Reading is good for the brain

I may have mentioned it before, but I am a science nerd. Now that that is out in the open I'd also like to remind you that I'm also a thriller writer with muscles, so sand kickers; you will need to think twice about that.

What I love about science is the way it goes about trying to understand the universe. In fact science even came up with a few studies on how reading is fantastic for you. Psychologists from Washington University used brain scans to see what happens inside our heads when we read stories. They found that ''readers mentally simulate each new situation encountered in a narrative''. The brain weaves these situations together with experiences from its own life to create a mental synthesis. Reading a book leaves us with new neural pathways. Read more here. Nicole Speer, also from Washington University, utilized brain-imaging to look at what happens inside the brains of participants while they read. She discovered that as people read, they are constructing a virtual reality inside their heads every time they read. Read more here.

A reader's brain in action.

I think this is fantastic evidence to wave at people, "See, you should read the book instead of only watching the movie." Rather than readers having this inkling that their brains are running like a well oiled machine, we have actual evidence of this. Without evidence, claims are not worth the air they consume, just ask anyone who has tried to get conspiracy theorists to provide evidence for their claims.

Need more proof? Well how about this article. So not only is reading good, but exploring and interacting with what you are reading is even better. Surfing the net, getting lost in a fictional world.... wait that is the same point twice. Anyway, it leads to even more brain activity.

Surfing the net brain in action.

Now before you all go in search of internet porn to enlarge your brain, I just wanted to air a gripe I have with science reporting in the media: IT SUCKS. Yes, that's right. Reporters are probably the least reliable avenue for the dissemination of science to a wider audience. Scientists themselves often rank just as poorly of course, with their annoying habit of wanting to tell you about the 10 years they have just spent looking down a microscope so that you appreciate how much work went into the facts they are about to impart.

So as part of growing your brain with reading and internet browsing, please spend some time searching for and reading the original scientific papers that are reported. If it wasn't peer reviewed, then it could have been made up, like that rubbish about us only using 10% of our brain.

Social media

In internet terms I'm somewhat of a noob. I was late to Facebook, I held out on joining message boards and forums, I even had a personal campaign to avoid the vapidness of Twitter. Now, of course, I am happy to admit that I was wrong. Social media is awesome.

There are some down sides of course. I'm not a huge fan of the salespeople posing as real people on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and the various forums I frequent. There are only so many times per day that I need to be told that my penis is not big enough, that I could be making money on Twitter by being a douche, or that someone I've never conversed with has a book for sale.

What I love about social media is the friends I've made, the great conversations I've had and all the catching up I've managed to do with friends I don't get to see regularly. I have just joined Linkedin and discovered a friend of mine has two start up companies (check them out: http://www.cockjox.com/ http://tidyclub.com/). How would I have found that out between now and the next time we catch up for a beer?

Anyway, you can join me on the links below. We can chat, I'll be funny, quote some science and talk books.

Your reading chair

Here's mine.

What does yours look like?

E-reader screens: better than a paperback.

Have you ever wanted to know more about your e-reader? This is an interview with the vice president of E Ink, Sriram Peruvemba. E Ink is the company that makes the displays for all the leading e-book readers worldwide.

I found this interview on e-reader displays very interesting. Did you know that:

• E ink Pearl display panels are only 200 microns thick.
• The newer Triton displays are half as thick as the Pearl displays.
• E ink expects to sell between 25 and 30 million e-reader displays this year.
• That's up 10 million from last year and 3 million the year before that.
• Current displays are 167 dpi and they are hoping to increase that to 300 dpi soon.
• Current displays actually have better contrast than a paperback book!
• Older displays were only better than newspaper.

In case you didn’t know, E Ink also makes screens for a bunch of other things besides e-readers. They have E Ink watches, advertising signs, secondary displays on cellphones, USB sticks, and they are even moving onto credit cards. Essentially anything up to a kilometre long, they can make it!

Better than paperback contrast! Imagine the future of these displays.

A Break From Work

I'm going on holiday for a little while, and as such I am unlikely to post.

What? Don't you find blogging to friends and comrades fun?

Well of course. But, you see, I have a simple holiday rule that I think makes relaxation better.

Holiday Rule: Only do things that can be done whilst horizontal.

That's right, unless I can be laying down during the activity then it can be crossed off the to-do list while on holiday. Internet is mostly a sitting activity, thus the likelihood of being able to view the internet, let alone post, will be limited. I'm sure that if I prop my laptop in the right position and find the correct cushion I could use the internet, but it even sounds uncomfortable to me.

Activities that could be done on holiday:
Sleeping - the King of prone activities.
Reading - rather obvious really.
Eating - have to keep the energy levels up.
Drinking - fluids are important for that fuzzy feeling around noon.
Writing - Truman Capote preferred writing whilst prone.
Bench press - not really exercise if you are laying down.
Sex - much easier laying down.
Guitar playing - it's still practice, even if you fall asleep, as long as you are still holding the guitar.
Playing fetch with the dog - our little bundle of energy wouldn't let us lay down for long if she doesn't get to play fetch!

Activities that are definitely ruled out on holiday:
Anything that could be accidentally construed as work - this includes reading non-fiction, sorry.
Running - far too active.
Squatting - loading a barbell with double bodyweight is too much like hard work.
Listening to social commentators - I can't stand them, they are usually wrong.
Adopting a stance on anything - mainly pun related.