Archives for 2015

With the premier of Better Call Saul earlier this week, I started to think about spin-offs and sequels. Whether or not they can be considered “original” could turn some people off. Some also think there is a fine line between “selling out” and providing viewers what they want. (The audience does matter, after all.) These shouldn’t be issues, however, because spin-offs are more … [Read more...] about Something Old, Something New: Spin-offs and Sequels

  The issue of “revenge porn” has been around since the dawn of the Internet and the ability to send images over the web or on a cellular device. In fact, “revenge porn” has been around long before it was even acknowledged with a name. Students across America are using laptops at younger ages in the classroom and are receiving cellphones at younger ages as well. These … [Read more...] about Modern Revenge

  The following parable demonstrates my feeble and naïve, but ultimately successful attempt to make it back home amidst the anxiety of being a relatively new driver. Human navigation has been touted as an intrinsic ability: we depend on internalized versions of ‘cognitive maps’ and ‘snapshots’, which capture diverse information about the environment around us and aid us in … [Read more...] about Psychological Phenomena: Human Spatial Representation: A Narrative on How My Misfortune Led Me Home

  In a previous blog post, I discussed aspects of the human microbiome – primarily bacterial roles in our digestion and a few comments on interactions between bacteria and our immune system development. To build upon that, I would like to go further into details that indicate a coevolution between us and our bacterial friends. Studies indicate that disruption of the … [Read more...] about Trust Me, I’m Premed: Partners in Evolution

In late January, Germany watched warily as the Pegida, otherwise known as the Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West, became a force to be reckoned with. Anti-immigration feelings had been rising through the end of 2014, but with the attacks of Charlie Hebdo, suspicion of immigrants rose to a fever pitch. Pegida rallies were held around Germany, with tens of … [Read more...] about Invasion Upon Our Shores: Pegida’s Rise and Fall