Neuro News Nanos: Mega Nanos

Image by James Jordan via Flickr

I missed two days last week, so here are some extras:

* The bank-as-lottery gains momentum in Michigan — a savings nudge — more than 11,000 Michigan residents opened accounts through the contest, saving $8.6 million throughout 2009

* A sarcasm mark — you can pay $1.99 for lifetime use of this new communications tool — yeah, right

* The uselessness of testing kids as gifted — what percentage of 4-year-olds who scored 130 or above would do so again as 17-year-olds? — about 25 percent

* The economics of supermarkets in snowstorms — people are forced to visit the store, more or less — the previous calculations of mass vs. niche goods are no longer appropriate for the new emergency

* Why won’t the University of Washington release its TV data? — the founders of Baby Einstein sue — “If the University stands behind the research, it should be more than happy to release the raw data right down to the last decimal point.”

* Standing in line — the case for our least-favorite activity — our ability to wait in line, to not squabble and bite each other as we approach the desk or counter or velvet rope, is a triumph of what anthropologists call “stable cooperative equilibrium”

* Paul Romer on charter cities — forget aid — people in the poorest countries like Haiti need new cities with different rules, and developed countries should be the ones that build them

* Horizontal evolution — genes are exchanged from other organisms, not from ancestors — not your father’s evolution

* How to make good experiences even better — and bad ones worse — interruption

* To feel good, reach for the sky — upward physical movement inspires positive memories — more embodied cognition

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