Another great article from Brainz that shows us psychological experiments in real life can be just as bizzare as the ones practiced Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. Many early psychological studies crossed the line with their experimentations and lead the the strict rules and guidelines for research today. The results of these studies can teach us a lot about ourselves. The top 3:
"1. 'Lord of the Flies': Social Identity Theory The Robbers Cave Experiment is a classic social psychology experiment conducted with two groups of 11-year old boys at a state park in Oklahoma, and demonstrates just how easily an exclusive group identity is adopted and how quickly the group can degenerate into prejudice and antagonism toward outsiders.
Researcher Muzafer Sherif actually conducted a series of 3 experiments. In the first, the groups banded together to gang up on a common enemy. In the second, the groups banded together to gang up on the researchers! By the third and final experiment, the researchers managed to turn the groups on each other.
2. The Stanford Prison Experiment: Power Corrupts This infamous experiment to plumb the depths of evil in human hearts ended up affecting its lead researcher as much as its subjects. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo divided his participants into two groups labeled "prisoners" and "guards." It was conducted in a mock-up prison in a Stanford University basement. The prisoners were subjected to arrest, strip search, de-lousing, head shaving and other abuses. The guards were given clubs.
The prisoners rebelled on the second day, and the reaction of the guards was swift and brutal. Before long, the prisoners were behaving meekly and with blind obedience, while the guards fully embraced their roles by taunting and abusing their charges. This one might be scientific confirmation of the idea that humans harbor evil tendencies. The planned 14-day experiment was halted after only 6 days due to increasing levels of abuse.
3. Obedience to Authority: Human Capacity for Cruelty In 1963 psychologist Stanley Milgram set out to test people's propensity to obey authority when ordered to hurt another person. The world was still wondering what happened in Germany during WW-2 that caused so much horror. Milgram's subjects were told they were to be the 'teachers' of a 'learner' (who was secretly in on the experiment). They were to deliver electric shocks to the 'learner' if he or she got an answer wrong. Worse, they were told to increase the shock if the 'learner' continued to get the answers wrong.
Despite the screams and moans of pain from the unseen 'learner', the subjects continued to deliver ever more severe shocks if ordered to do so by the experimenter in the lab coat. They continued even when told they had rendered the 'learner' unconscious! The conclusion? Looks like we humans are quite easily able to set aside moral and ethical considerations when ordered by authority to violate them."
Other lists of unusual psychological experiments: - 5 psychological experiments that prove humanity is doomed - Top 10 Unethical Psychological Experiments - Brave, Stupid and Curious: Dangerous Psychology Experiments from the Past
What will the future be like? Microsoft has the answer, at least for the digital world, and it is cool. It's an interesting glimpse into the future of technologies such as Surface and the myriad of applications they have.
"Microsofts Business Division president Stephen Elop unveiled the latest production from Microsoft Office Labs called Office Labs 2019" at the Wharton Business Technology Conference, starring stock photo men, women and children playing with the next-generation of communication, collaboration and production technologies."
GameDaily was nice enough to list the top 25 games you shouldn't play unless you are a glutton for punishment.
"Most of today's video games are pushovers lasting a few mere hours. The following top 25, however, are the most difficult games you'll run into and not easily beaten. We dare you to play any of the following without cursing, throwing controllers or kicking chairs."
I however am disappointed they didn't have Mission Impossible for Nintendo on the list. That game was impossible... so I thought until my now hero beat it. Here's the ending. TheMeanArena - YouTube
Fans of the popular Valve video game Half Life 2 will definitely enjoy this short film series made by The Purchase Brothers. It uses live action footage mixed with in game animations. Remember, this is independently made which makes it all the more impressive. Kudos to The Purchase Brothers.
The video is violent so Viewer Discretion is Advised.
If the site or video is loading slowly here is an alternate link:YouTube
"As the world's population continues to skyrocket and cities strain under the increased demand for resources, skyscraper farms offer an inspired approach towards creating sustainable vertical density. One of three finalists in this year's Evolo Skyscraper Competition Eric Vergne's Dystopian Farm project envisions a future New York City interspersed with elegantly spiraling biomorphic structures that will harness cutting-edge technology to provide the city with its own self-sustaining food source."
"If you are a smart shopper, it is not that easy to persuade you to actually buy something. There is the science behind how the products are organized, labels are written and sections are ordered to guide you through to making a purchase. That's a wealth of tricks based on psychological theories and practices that in the end "convert" you from a regular visitor into the buyer."
A 42-year-old HIV patient with leukemia appears to have no detectable HIV in his blood and no symptoms after a stem cell transplant from a donor carrying a gene mutation that confers natural resistance to the virus that causes AIDS, according to a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Miro is a free full-screen, open source interface for HD video from sites like YouTube and Hulu. There are several new features in 2.0 including a new interface, video playlists, and faster performance and torrent downloads.
