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Monday, November 30, 2015

New Research: People Who Sleep In Aren't Lazy, They're Smarter

New Research Says
People Who Sleep In Aren't Lazy
They're Smarter And More Creative Than You 
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Let me guess, someone you're close to sleeps in until 11am and stays up until 2am. They probably come off as pretty lazy, but according to science, you couldn't be further from the truth. 

Research published in the Huffington Post says that people who deviate from a normal sleep schedule tend to be more intelligent. 

The finding is supported by a wealth of research that suggests that people who create new evolutionary patterns, like sleep patters, are the most progressive and intelligent.

In a way, it makes sense. Those who are the first to change tend to be the most progressive and intelligent. Researchers analyzed the sleeping patterns of 1,000 students and found that those who stayed up later and went to bed later scored higher on inductive reasoning tests. 
These tests placed the students with above normal average intelligence.

It's true, early birds do tend to be more productive than us sleeping in types, but we late risers are better suited for creative pursuits
Many early risers do things like go to the gym or get to work early, but late night people take advantage of the night more effectively.

 
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Sunday, November 29, 2015

Reasons To Be Proud Of Being A Night Owl

7 Reasons To Be Proud
Of Being 
A Night Owl

By Renee Jacques  - Posted: 10/23/2014

It's been said that early birds get the worm, but night owls also reap a whole lot of benefits just by being who they are. And it's time they got some praise.

Please don't get us wrong: We are definitely sleep advocates. And it is very important for you to make sure that you get the right amount of sleep (seven to nine hours for the average adult) every single day in order to stay healthy. This is not permission to stay up late and skimp on sleep. But if your lifestyle can allow for a later wake time, you might feel inclined to stay up a bit later, too.

While there has been a lot of praise for being a morning person (those health benefits are real and very good), there hasn't been much to tout the perks of being someone who works best at night. Behold -- an ode to those who love to burn the midnight oil.

1. Night owls might have a higher IQ.
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Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary scientist at the London School of Economics and Political Science, found a connection between intelligence and adaptive behaviors that are "evolutionarily novel" -- meaning they deviate from what our ancestors did. He wrote that "routine nocturnal activities were probably rare in the ancestral environment and are thus evolutionarily novel." The study concluded that "More intelligent children are more likely to grow up to be nocturnal adults who go to bed late and wake up late on both weekdays and weekends." 

Yet, while night owls may have a higher IQ, those who wake up in the morning may be in a better position for success. Christoph Randler, a biology professor at the University of Education in Heidelberg, asked 367 students about the time of day they felt most active. Randler found that "a higher percentage of the morning people agreed with statements that indicate proactivity."

2. They also benefit from having "night strength."
Night owls may have a physical advantage over early birds. Researchers at the University of Alberta tested the leg strength of nine morning people and nine night people and found that the early birds' strength remained consistent throughout the day, but night owls' strength peaked to higher levels at night. Olle Lagerquist, the co-author of the study, told CNN that the reason for this may be because at around 9 p.m., evening types "show increased motor cortex and spinal cord excitability."

3. People who work at night appear to be more creative.
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Researchers from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan found that night people are more likely to develop original and creative solutions to problems than morning people. Marina Giampietro, the lead author of the study, hypothesizes that night owls might be more creative because staying up late "may encourage the development of a non-conventional spirit and of the ability to find alternative and original solutions.”

4. Night owls score higher on general intelligence tests.
Researchers at the University of Madrid released a study last year that looked at the sleeping patterns of around 1,000 teens. The study found that night owls scored higher on inductive reasons tests, which is related to general intelligence, than their morning bird counterparts. But, the same study also found that morning birds get better grades.

5. They're in good company. After all, even the president of the United States is a night owl.
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In 2009, President Obama told Newsweek that he likes to stay up late and says that even when he’s done working, he stays up even later reading.
I'm a night owl. My usual day [is]: I work out in the morning; I get to the office around 9, 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.; work till about 6:30 p.m.; have dinner with the family, hang out with the kids and put them to bed about 8:30 p.m. And then I'll probably read briefing papers or do paperwork or write stuff until about 11:30 p.m., and then I usually have about a half hour to read before I go to bed … about midnight, 12:30 a.m. -- sometimes a little later.

6. Night owls can remain mentally alert for more hours after waking up than early birds.
A 2009 study by the University of Liege in Belgium monitored 15 “extreme night owls” and 16 “extreme early birds” and had participants stay on their normal sleeping schedules. Researchers measured their brain activity after participants first woke up, and then once again 10.5 hours later. The study found that participants scored similarly on the first test, but that "10.5 hours after waking up, the early birds had lower activity in brain regions linked to attention and the circadian master clock, compared to night owls."

7. There's a group called "The Night Owl Society" dedicated to creative freelancers who stay up at night.
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Von Glitschka, an illustrative designer, says he created "The Night Owl Society" after working for 12 years as a "creative hired gun" for agencies across the globe and noticing that he, and many other designers like him, work so much better at night. "I enjoy the solace and the uninterrupted aspect of working late at night," Glitschka wrote in an email to The Huffington Post. "I know many other creatives like me, and this was an excuse to share our work online through a Facebook group and recognize each other."
The society's manifesto on Glitschka's website sums up who they are pretty aptly:
Our nocturnal tribe soars at midnight. We are the night owls -– whose pixels, presses, polygons and projects flourish best under obsidian skies.
Fellow night owls can sign up for a membership, and upon being inducted, will receive a "Night Owl Creative Pack" that includes a sketch pad, a set of keyboard characters and a membership certificate among other things. 

They will also get access to "The Night Owl Society" Facebook page.


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Saturday, November 21, 2015

Artist Riusuke Fukahori 3D Goldfish in Resin

Riusuke Fukahori’s
Lifelike Goldfish
Painted in Acrylic
Between Layers of Resin
Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori paints three-dimensional goldfish using a complex process of poured resin. The fish are painted meticulously, layer by layer, the sandwiched slices revealing slightly more about each creature, similar to the function of a 3D printer. I really enjoy the rich depth of the pieces and the optical illusion aspect, it's such an odd process that results in something that's both a painting and sculptural. Wonderful.

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Kingyo Sukui (The Ark). Wood, net, aluminum, epoxy resin and acrylic, 2015. 73 x 75 x 38 inches. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery

Japanese artist Riusuke Fukahori (previously) returns to Joshua Liner Gallery this week for his second solo show, Goldfish Salvation. Fukahori has become widely known for his depiction of aquatic life painted with acrylic within layers of resin, most frequently the forms of goldfish as they swim through small wooden boxes or inside bamboo hats. He references dozens of live fish kept in aquariums in his studio as he works, with some pieces taking several months to gradually complete, layer by layer.

The exhibition’s title, Goldfish Salvation, is a personal reference to a time of self-doubt in Fukahori’s own artistic career, and an important revelation that led him out of it. Goldfish have since become a symbol of identity that represent both the strength and weakness of himself and rest of humanity. He shares:
In the aquarium, similar to human society, there is a story of birth and death. As long as they live, these goldfish will continue to soil the fish tank, and if not changed, the water will only get tainted leading to death for all the goldfish. This is quite true for the human species as well… The goldfish that I paint are not really goldfish, but representations of people. I feel as though the fish tank is only foretelling what would happen to the earth in the future. We as human beings are the main source polluting our own air we breathe.
You can see all of the pieces here, plus a number of large acrylic paintings by Fukahori at Joshua Liner Gallery in New York through December 19th. (via Hi-Fructose)

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Kingyo Sukui, detail.

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Kingyo Sukui, detail.

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Kingyo Sukui, detail.

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Four Seasons of Rain – Bosan (Autumn). Japanese bamboo hat, epoxy resin and acrylic on iron stand , 2015. 16 x 7.5 inches. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery

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Four Seasons of Rain – Setcho (Winter). Japanese bamboo hat, epoxy resin and acrylic on iron stand , 2015. 16 x 7.5 inches. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery

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Iwashirogamatsu. Epoxy resin and acrylic, 2015. 5.5 x 3.5 x 1.75 inches. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery

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Tsuzuki. Japanese Cypress sake cup, resin, acrylic, 2015. 3.5 x 3.5 x 2.2 inches. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery


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Kingyo-sake Kochomatsu. Japanese Cypress sake cup, resin, acrylic, 2015. 3.5 x 3.5 x 2.2 inches. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery

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Spring of the Moon. Tub, ladle, epoxy resin and acrylic, 2015. 13.78 x 12.6 x 9.84 in. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery

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Spring of the Moon. Tub, ladle, epoxy resin and acrylic, 2015. 13.78 x 12.6 x 9.84 in. Courtesy Joshua Liner Gallery


Artist Riusuke Fukahori
Paints Three Dimensional Goldfish
Embedded in Layers of Resin


 
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Thursday, November 19, 2015

The Attention-Sucking Power of Digital Technology

The Attention-Sucking Power
of Digital Technology
 Displayed Through Photography

Soul Sucking by Antoine Geiger

by Kate Sierzputowski on November 11, 2015

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Making eye contact, a once unavoidable feat when packed into a crowded train car or museum, is now a nearly impossible mission as those around you are almost guaranteed to be sucked into their phone’s screen while scrolling through Facebook or killing digital zombies. 

Our increasing dependence on the information devices constantly stuck to our hands was the inspiration for artist Antoine Geiger’s series SUR-FAKE, a group of digitally altered photographs depicting random people being sucked into the screens of their phones.
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The images show children, businessmen, and tourists with their faces completely lost, the forms stretched like taffy into the portals we use for selfies, email communication, and mindless gaming. 
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The blur imposed by Photoshop completely masks any emotion once seen on the subject’s face, rendering each a personality-less drone. With this altering of the body the artist explains that the project is “placing the screen as an object of ‘mass subculture,’ alienating the relation to our own body, and more generally to the physical world.” 

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All images courtesy Antoine Geiger
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http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/11/cellphone-attention-antoine-geiger/

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Chansons - Edith Piaf

Best Sleep 🛌Positions For🌛Your Aches & Pains

The Best Sleep Positions
For All Your Aches And Pains
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Amy Capetta - February 4, 2015
A restful night of shut-eye can be next to impossible when you’re dealing with some sort of chronic pain or ailment. And depending on the way your body is positioned when you sleep, it can actually make your condition feel worse.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 15 percent of adults experience chronic pain, yet that number rises to more than 50 percent in the older population. And nearly two-thirds of these people report “poor or un-refreshing” sleep.

“Sleep and pain exist in a complicated relationship to one another,” sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, the host of the upcoming podcast Secrets to Sleep Success, tells Yahoo Health. “Pain — both chronic and acute — can interfere with sleep, making it harder to fall asleep and to stay asleep. Poor quality and insufficient sleep contribute to pain in several ways, decreasing tolerance for pain, increasing its intensity and discomfort, and in some cases raising the risk for the development of chronic-pain conditions.”


So just how should you sleep when something ails you?

Breus explains how to take it lying down:
For the first sleep position, “imagine yourself in a bed that you can adjust, where you can raise the head and raise the feet, putting you in what is called a zero gravity position,” explains Breus. “By raising the legs at the knees, you can actually pull all the weight off the pelvis. And by increasing the height of torso between 17 and 20 degrees, you can absolutely neutralize any low back strain.”

For the second sleep position, Breus explains that it helps to rehydrate the disks in the back. “In between each of the bony spinous process [the bone you can feel when running your hand up and down your back] are disks, and you lose fluid from them every day,” he says. “They naturally rehydrate as you sleep, and the only way to rehydrate them is to have them in an open position.”


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“If you have upper back pain, or pain in the shoulder blades, using a flat pillow is critically important,” says Breus. “If your pillow contains too much stuffing, it will slowly push your chin towards your chest, which actually puts more strain on your upper back.”
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“These special pillows — some people refer to them as wave pillows, others call them cervical pillows — have a form to them, which enables you to press up on the back of the neck to allow the head to slightly tip backward,” explains Breus.
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https://www.yahoo.com/health/the-best-sleep-positions-for-all-your-aches-and-109217597242.html
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