I stumbled upon these funny yet very very relevant graphical depiction of some of the most interesting scenarios that may happen in one’s life.
Have a look…
Hope you liked the graphs of life…
Do tell about your experiences in the comment space…
If you need more like this, visit http://www.graphjam.com
* This article may not be suited for all age groups. Reader’s discretion is advised.
An interesting article I found upon men and their psyche.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dr. Louann Brizendine. She is a member of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the National Board of Medical Examiners, and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. She is founder and director of the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic. She wrote “The Female Brain” and, just released, “The Male Brain”.
Although women the world over have been doing it for centuries, we can’t really blame a guy for being a guy. And this is especially true now that we know that the male and female brains have some profound differences.
Our brains are mostly alike. We are the same species, after all. But the differences can sometimes make it seem like we are worlds apart.
The “defend your turf” area — dorsal premammillary nucleus — is larger in the male brain and contains special circuits to detect territorial challenges by other males. And his amygdala, the alarm system for threats, fear and danger is also larger in men. These brain differences make men more alert than women to potential turf threats.
Meanwhile, the “I feel what you feel” part of the brain — mirror-neuron system — is larger and more active in the female brain. So women can naturally get in sync with others’ emotions by reading facial expressions, interpreting tone of voice and other nonverbal emotional cues.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the male and female brain is that men have a sexual pursuit area that is 2.5 times larger than the one in the female brain. Not only that, but beginning in their teens, they produce 200 to 250 percent more testosterone than they did during pre-adolescence.
If testosterone were beer, a 9-year-old boy would be getting the equivalent of a cup a day. But a 15-year-old would be getting the equivalent of nearly two gallons a day. This fuels their sexual engines and makes it impossible for them to stop thinking about female body parts and sex.
And so begins the ‘Man Trance’
All that testosterone drives the “Man Trance”– that glazed-eye look a man gets when he sees breasts. As a woman who was among the ranks of the early feminists, I wish I could say that men can stop themselves from entering this trance. But the truth is, they can’t. Their visual brain circuits are always on the lookout for fertile mates. Whether or not they intend to pursue a visual enticement, they have to check out the goods.
To a man, this is the most natural response in the world, so he’s dismayed by how betrayed his wife or girlfriend feels when she sees him eyeing another woman. Men look at attractive women the way we look at pretty butterflies. They catch the male brain’s attention for a second, but then they flit out of his mind. Five minutes later, while we’re still fuming, he’s deciding whether he wants ribs or chicken for dinner. He asks us, “What’s wrong?” We say, “Nothing.” He shrugs and turns on the TV. We smolder and fear that he’ll leave us for another woman.
Not surprisingly, the different objectives that men and women have in mating games put us on opposing teams — at least at first. The female brain is driven to seek security and reliability in a potential mate before she has sex. But a male brain is fueled to mate and mate again. Until, that is, he mates for life.
Despite stereotypes to the contrary, the male brain can fall in love just as hard and fast as the female brain, and maybe more so. When he meets and sets his sights on capturing “the one,” mating with her becomes his prime directive. And when he succeeds, his brain makes an indelible imprint of her. Lust and love collide and he’s hooked.
The ‘Doting Daddy Brain’
A man in hot pursuit of a mate doesn’t even remotely resemble a devoted, doting daddy. But that’s what his future holds. When his mate becomes pregnant, she’ll emit pheromones that will waft into his nostrils, stimulating his brain to make more of a hormone called prolactin. Her pheromones will also cause his testosterone production to drop by 30 percent.
These hormonal changes make him more likely to help with the baby. They also change his perceptual circuitry, increasing his ability to hear a baby cry, something many men can’t do very well before their wives are pregnant.
And a word to the wise for all the young mothers who are reluctant to let your husbands hold and care for your newborn. The more hands-on care a father gives his infant, the more his brain aligns with the role of fatherhood. So, hand over the baby.
His emotions run deep
Although men have earned the reputation for being more stoic than women, they actually have stronger emotional reactions than we do. They just don’t show it very often.
Studies of men’s faces show that the male brain’s initial emotional reaction can be stronger than the female brain’s. But within 2.5 seconds, he changes his face to hide the emotion, or even reverse it. The repeated practice of hiding his emotions gives men the classic poker face.
It’s his poker face and his analytical response to personal problems that can put him in the doghouse. She’s crying as she talks about what’s wrong with the relationship, and instead of hugging her, his mind is racing to find a way to resolve the problem as soon as possible. With practice and because of the way their brains are wired, men use their analytical brain structures, not their emotional ones, to find a solution.
They enjoy this advantage, but women often take affront to it. When you’re telling your husband your problem and he tries to solve it instead of hearing you out, you may think he’s being insensitive. But that’s not what’s going on in his brain. He’s working to solve the problem so he can relieve your pain as quickly as possible. Not because he doesn’t care or doesn’t want to listen, but because he loves you.
‘Lovable Grandpas’ and ‘Grumpy Old Men’
As men age, the male brain hormones change and the male brain and body goes into the stage of life called andropause. The king of male hormones — testosterone — goes down and the queen of female hormones — estrogen — goes up. Whether Grandpa is your kids’ hero or the grouch they hate to visit depends a lot on how he handles these hormonal changes. For example, if his testosterone levels drop to an abnormally low level, he can feel tired, irritable and even depressed. Some men in this condition seek hormone replacement therapy and others find relief in exercise, more frequent sex, and spending more time with other people.
Whether Grandpa is your kids’ hero or the grouch they hate to visit depends a lot on how he handles these hormonal changes. The grandpa that kids can’t wait to see is the one who’s feeling the effects of the hormone oxytocin, often called the “cuddle hormone.” He’s fun and playful and likes to hear what his grandchildren have to say. He’s much more patient with your children than he was with you, when you were growing up. The love circuits of the mature male brain can be hijacked by his grandkids, even more than they were by his own children.
The ‘Lonely Hearts Club’
Not only is the mature male brain more receptive to closer bonds, but it’s also more sensitive to loneliness. Nobody thrives when they’re lonely, but it seems to take a major toll on older men. Sixty percent of divorces in couples over the age of 50 are initiated by women, leaving their husbands shell-shocked and devastated.
Once his wife leaves, unless he makes a point of socializing more with other people, his brain stops getting the social workout it needs to make him feel good about himself. If he becomes a loner, his social-approval circuits don’t get activated. In brain scan studies of older males researchers have found that the brain’s pleasure and reward areas, the VTA and the NAc, remain more active in men who are social. So don’t begrudge the divorcee or the new widower some socializing and seeking female companionship.
The bottom line
The human brain is the best learning machine on the planet and human beings are capable of making major changes in our lives. But there are some things that the male brain and female brain are not likely to change anytime soon. And it makes more sense to deal with these brain realities, than to argue with them or ignoring them.
The best advice I have for women is make peace with the male brain. Let men be men.
Courtesy: CNN
Remember the movie “CORE”, wherein a team that has to drill to the center of the Earth and set off a series of nuclear explosions in order to restart the rotation of Earth’s core.
Nah, nothing of that sort is happening in real world. It still remains a work of fiction. But a week ago, the massive earthquake that struck Chile have shifted the Earth’s Axis which reminded me of this movie.
Result: The length of days has been shortened. Though the change is negligible, it is permanent. According to the preliminary calculations, each day should be 1.26 microseconds shorter.
Amazing, isn’t it?
According to the scientists at NASA, a large quake shifts massive amounts of rock and alters the distribution of mass on the planet. When that distribution changes, it changes the rate at which the planet rotates. And the rotation rate determines the length of a day.
Richard Gross, a geophysicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, used a computer model to determine how the 8.8-magnitude quake that struck Chile on February 27 might have affected the Earth.
He determined that the quake should have moved the Earth’s figure axis about 3 inches (8 centimeters). The figure axis is one around which the Earth’s mass is balanced. That shift in axis is what might have shortened days.
Such changes aren’t unheard of. The 9.1-magnitude earthquake in 2004 that generated a killer tsunami in the Indian Ocean shortened the length of days by a whooping* 6.8 microseconds (*in comparison).
My Point – Hmmm I’ll say these frequent natural calamities are a warning that the mother earth is adjusting herself big time in accordance with the nuisance we are creating. And I certainly don’t feel this adjustment gonna be any good for us. Also this points that all those save earth missions, summits and slogans are still premature and not been followed seriously.
“Jaago Duniya walo Jaago”. “WAKE UP” or if you find comfort in sleeping, so be it. One night we’ll sleep and never wake up. That night will have no dawn.
P.S. – On the other hand, the length of a day also can increase. For example, if the Three Gorges reservoir in China were filled, it would hold 10 trillion gallons (40 cubic kilometers) of water. The shift of mass would lengthen days by 0.06 microseconds, scientists said.
Data Source: CNN
Last weekend, I bought brand new NIKE shoes for me. It was very disheartening to part away with my previous pair of REEBOK for two reasons:
Well, elaborating on the 1st point, it was my first ever Branded shoe. Since my childhood, I had never demanded anything from my parents. Anything that came from them, I accepted heartily. That doesn’t mean that I was brought up under-nourished or under-privileged. My parents provided me and my brother with the best of the facilities that we needed. It’s just that my family was never updated on the fashionable front, owing to the simplicity of living in a small town. So I never ever quite noticed the difference between a low price/high price shoe, until my brother took me to the showroom and got me a pair. (It’s not just the shoes, my first mobile, my first digital diary, my first walkman and likewise many more firsts, I owe it all to my brother who was more than willing to get me those things.) So, the shoes were the best of their league, I wore them to every nook & corner I went to.
Second reason, is in itself a topic for another full length blog. But to cut it short, it accompanied me on every trekking tour I went to. Seasons passed, but it supported me unconditionally and my affection grew stronger & stronger for it. For long 5 years, it was there with me, when I finally realized that it’s getting older and could found traces of wear & tear on it. But I literally put it through ACID test and it excelled. And finally, a fortnight ago, when I went for trekking on Malavali Hills, it proved to be the last journey for my shoes. It couldn’t take the stress any longer and gave up. And I was left with no choice but to get myself a new pair of shoes. It is indeed an event to celebrate but I just couldn’t let my affection towards my REEBOK go away.
Change is inevitable but memories remain forever. I’ll move on but I’ll miss my shoe.
I checked my mail today and got this super duper Ad for all the technical guys who are frustrated, dim, seething over their future in the industry.
Certainly, it was funny and was a mockery of ads which you can found displayed on local trains wherein some baba aur tantrik claiming to solve plethora of problems one is facing. They even define the timeline of 11-12 hours for guaranteed results.
Jokes apart, its implications are very serious if one considers the result they bore. I only wonder what makes people fall prey to such tantrums. In the present world, full of technology and information how can these frauds be accepted and given credibility.
If a person, who is illiterate and superstitious, goes to such places for solutions, I can for once accept the justification of his deed due to his ignorance. But what about educated class strata? How can you improve your conditions by wearing some spell-casted stone ring. I frequently hear news doing the rounds about how people comes under the influence of these bloody anti-social hypocrite TANTRIKs and BABAs and does crimes like guillotining young children, molesting and raping their own children and a number of other such disgusting and ignominious tasks to gain power and fame.
In India only, several cases have been reported. I can remember one case where a person used to decapitate young children and drink their blood. Other case happened in Mumbai only, where a father was raping his daughter and the wife had always known this and was on the side his husband. And the common string that connected these two crimes was the influence of TANTRIKs. What they wanted to achieve with this horrendous act is beyond my ability to comprehend but it doesn’t need rocket science to understand that killing is not a solution to your problems and no sane person will indulge in such demeaning task.
I am pointing towards the mutation of human psyche, the rotting of pneuma to such an extent that provokes human towards cannibalism without scintilla of remorse. The topic in discussion is just a single facet of such mutation. I’m not divulging into other such heinous aspect as that will unnecessary diverge me from my point.
Can I say that even after years of civilization, our DNA still has the nomadic cannibalism dovetailed to it? Is it that our social rules have polished us only superficially? Inside our body, still rest those ogre instincts that come out due to the seemingly inescapable moral or emotional burden, that of guilt or responsibility.
It took centuries for us to evolve in our present form which to my dismay I find no less rustic than our ancestors. I hope if only such estrange souls can ever find the true divine light and be enlightened.
I hope………
“To live, is to risk dying. Live anyway”
This proverb has influenced me with an impact. It has a deep meaning which unfolds to me the secret of life and death. Now I live every moment of my life so that I can die well, too.
We humans, have developed a tendency of greediness for every good thing over time. We prosper, we need it more. We gain power and wealth, yet we ache for more. Simply stated, we want more of everything good we get.We got life, we want to live more. And one day we find ourselves at the dawn of death. Only then we think of questions like: What is this about? Where will I go? What will happen to me?
Most of the people are afraid to even think about death. They simply try to ignore this very simple truth. They fear each day of dying and are not able to appreciate the beauty they can, by living that day. If someone ask me to differentiate between life and death, I would say that there is no difference between them. They are just the two ends of thread. Its just the difference of perception what ends do you see as heads and tails. For instance I can say I’m living but that also means I’m dying too. I’m in the process of dying and one day I’ll die. It is this realization that makes me not afraid of death now. Now I appreciate what life gives to me and enjoy every moment with grace. It’s just that so much of negativity is associated with “death”. But it is a part of life too. One cannot live if he doesn’t wanna die because he’ll always be too busy to be as precautious as he can be to avoid death, which eventually will happen. If one is afraid of death, he is only avoiding life, he cannot avoid death.
Only when one is aware of the mortal nature of life, he’ll not take anything for granted. He’ll try to make the most of every moment in his life and will live purposefully and peacefully.
Eversince I was a child, I have been taught about the Almighty who sees us every moment, who cares for us. But I never saw him. I always wondered if he even exist and if all this is just a mere imagination to control ourselves. Its like a law which prohibits us from doing wrong, which gives us the strength to believe that good deeds will be appreciated and wrong doers will be punished.
Ever since man has discovered intelligence he went on with his spree to find the answer to an ultimate question – What/Who created this magnificent stage, the characters? Who writes the scripts?
He tried to find the answer religiously, spiritually or even technologically but he still don’t have any appeasing answer as to who is his creator.
Whatever religion one may follow, it all leads us to one thing – The God. Its the Supreme Entity to whom we are answerable for all our deeds. Some may see him as an abstract entity – an energy or some may idolize it for convenience. Some gone all the way to abstinence, some tried to search while very much using the facility He provided.
Man even discovered the celestial bodies like our earth and tried to explore them, their cause of evolution or even destruction to device a formula which can give us an idea of how the Life-Cycle of Universe works.
But in doing all this, we got divided by countries, religions and castes. We forgot that He who gave us birth would never have wanted his children to fight among themselves. He would always have wanted us to be happy. But we act like spoiled children who never listens to Him. From all what we gathered about the life cycle of a system, the ultimate truth is that what is created is meant to be destroyed. And we even after boasting ourselves as an intelligent species don’t recognize how we are deteriorating as a species. Though we have the power to think, to analyze we don’t understand the true values of ourselves today. We are too busy making barriers to separate from each other, to misuse the environment He gave us to breed. And in the end we do it all in the name of God and shrinking all the responsibility from our shoulders.
I believe its crunch time for us to realize that true motto. To look into ourselves and find the answer within instead of destroying everything around us in search of something we have never seen or someday we would have nothing left for us.
Virtuosity - Yet another blog 