idealawg

Feel a zombie-brain attack coming on? Get mindful, quick!

If you are acting like a zombie, you are probably acting mindlessly. Although they can be scarily entertaining, zombies are apt metaphors for mindlessness, a not so entertaining but sometimes scary state.

In this good post in which you will learn more about zombies "Defeat the Zombie Apocalypse with Mindfulness" (TheNowProject), think mindless person when you read "zombie."

It’s not their fault, don’t blame them, they don’t even know they are zombies, they think they are awake, but they are not really, they are sleeping.  They are so possessed by their minds that they think the dream is real, they think those voices in their heads are who they are and they have forgotten how to live.  They experience everything through words and concepts and have forgotten that the world is a sensory delight.  

Poor lost souls, they think the past and the future are real and they spend their lives there.  Their minds drag them back and they propel them forward, they cannot see the glory of this moment.  They cannot see it because they are not here. The present moment, the only place where life really exists, is cast aside as irrelevant, they miss the miracle of existence and are barely alive at all.

Fortunately there is an antidote for this dismal existence.

But there is hope for some, because most Zombies are not yet completely dead, they still have a chance at life, in fact some of them are even starting to wake up.  Right now quite a few Zombies

Teaching with stories: Motivated by monsters or sparked by stars?

Some of us set goals or make choices based on what we don't want to happen, what we want to move away from; others of us are moved by what we want to attain, or move towards. In any given situation, some people are away-from aroused while others are towards propelled. This away from (prevention)/towards (promotion) preference is called regulatory focus; I have blogged about it before.

While doing some research on zombies and other kinds of monsters, I kept thinking of regulatory focus. If we learn from stories (see my last post which is about whether stories teach), then perhaps our regulatory focus would give a clue as to what kinds of stories are most edifying for each of us. Which stories are most influential are likely not one-size-fits all since we are not monolithic. The type of story that will motivate is probably situational, too: Brian may be motivated by a story about how he doesn't want his life to turn out when looking at finances, but by the story of someone who got it right in the arena of health.

Approaches such as Appreciative Inquiry and Solution Focused seek to find out what has worked in the past and move towards the future with those successes or assets in mind. Their stories don't invite or include monsters from the past. These methods seems to be towards/promotion focused and the stories are, too. The approaches are growing in popularity and who would argue with their spotlight on the positive?

Perhaps Professor Stephen Asma. He writes:

In a significant sense, monsters are a part of our attempt to envision the good life or at least the secure life. Our ethical convictions do not spring fully grown from our heads but must be developed in the context of real and imagined challenges. In order to discover our values, we have to face trials and tribulation, and monsters help us imaginatively rehearse. Imagining how we will face an unstoppable, powerful, and inhuman threat is an illuminating exercise in hypothetical reasoning and hypothetical feeling.

Click to read the rest of "Monsters and the Moral Imagination" (Chronicle of Higher Education).

When we seek to teach through narrative or story, should we include a mix of tales? Both of monsters or mistakes and of pioneers or progress? Look at what could go or has gone wrong, along with what can or has gone right? What do you think?

Note: Next month will see the publication of a new book on regulatory focus. The title is Focus: Use Different Ways of Seeing the World for Success and Influence.

Photo of Edd Nichols taken by Jim Havey.

Answering some questions about the legal status of zombies

It cheers my heart and excites my brain that zombies are finally getting the serious attention they so deserve. For example, look at this article from Forbes.

From "Zombies And The Estate Tax - Law Professor Questions How Dead Are The Undead?":

Zombie awareness is finally sinking in.  Even tax attorneys are getting it. Professor Adam Chodorow is Chair of the Teaching Tax Committee of the ABA’s Tax Section and on the Council of the Tax Section of the State Bar of Arizona.  Wow.  That is like being a tax attorney’s tax attorney.  He recently wrote an article titled  Death and Taxes and Zombies for the Iowa Law Review.  He is clear about what we will be facing and the responsibility of tax professionals in the coming crisis:

Click to read the rest.

What are the tax implications of the zombie apocalypse?

Excerpt:

The only certainties in life are death and taxes, but how do you handle the taxes when death doesn't go quite as planned? Law professor Adam Chodorow takes a stab at estate planning for the undead in perhaps the only legal paper to cite both the Internal Revenue Code and Weekend at Bernie's II.

Chodorow, a professor at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, authored the paper "Death and Taxes...and Zombies," which will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Iowa Law Review. Chodorow notes that, while the CDC is ready for the zombie apocalypse, the United States Congress has shown no such foresight, leaving us to question whether zombies, vampires, and other members of the undead class will have their estates transferred upon undeath or be able to collect income tax. To rectify that oversight, Chodorow looks, in all earnestness, to existing legal precedent.

That's one creative law professor! Click to read the rest of "What are the tax implications of the zombie apocalypse?" (io9).

Perfect! A combo of two of my favorite things: Lawyers and zombies

Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law. She's the main character in two novels, and is both a zombie and a lawyer. Isn't that a rare combination?

The first book featuring Caine is Pay Me In Flesh. From the cover: "How many dead lawyers does it take to defend a living soul? Just one." More:

In L.A., practicing law can be hell. Especially if you’re dead.

In an increasingly hellacious L.A., zombie criminal lawyer Mallory Caine defends a vampire hooker accused of the crime Mallory herself committed, even as a zombie-killer closes in and the love of her former life comes back as the Deputy DA she must oppose. And as Lucifer himself begins setting up L.A. as his headquarters for a new attack on heaven and earth, Mallory slowly discovers she may be the one who has to stop him.

The second book is The Year of Eating Dangerously. On the cover, we read: "More demons. Less filling." Click to read more about the book.

Who wrote these books? K Bennett, also known as James Scott Bell. Bell is a non-practicing trial lawyer who has written many books under his own name, including several nonfiction books on the process of writing. With other mystery and thriller writers, he blogs at The Kill Zone.

Click for my previous posts on zombies.

If there's a zombie in class, let him teach you about your brain

Knowing a zombie can help you know your brain. In this interview (Lab Out Loud) with neuroscientist Dr. Steven Schlozman (photo to the left), he talks about how to use the zombie to teach about neuroanatomy and the chemistry of the brain. From the Lab Out Loud Web site:

This week we talk with Dr. Steven Schlozman, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Schlozman talks to us about his start in teaching, his recent book “The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks from the Apocalypse” and how to use zombies to teach science.

Schlozman says that he works with students to identify characteristics of zombies, such as

• Unsteady gait
• Insatiable hunger
• Confusion

He and his classes then talk about what part of the brain might be involved. For example, the cerebellum likely causes a zombie's problems with walking.

The lively and humorous interview also includes a bit of the history of zombies, other lessons that can be provided to students when working with zombie stories, and how one could theoretically create a zombie.

To explore previous posts about zombies, click here. They are remarkably valuable creatures for teaching lessons about the brain, and about our culture.

Harvard psychiatrist and Stanford grad is a zombie expert

Because I believe we can learn much from zombies, I sometimes blog about them. Often those posts include mention of Harvard Med School prof Dr. Steven Schlozman. In the current edition of Stanford Magazine, Schlozman and the zombie twists and turns of his career are described in an article. From "Zombies on the Brain":

Schlozman, who has authored 70 bona fide scientific articles, uses the premise to make neuroscience engaging for students and, increasingly, for members of the media who crave an actual doctor's take on the well-worn subject. He is partially to blame for a widely read blog post from the usually straight-faced Centers for Disease Control, which earlier this year cited his work in using a "zombie apocalypse" scenario as a pretext for teaching disaster preparedness. Schlozman was as surprised as anyone to find the CDC referencing his fake paper.

Given that his psychiatry practice helps kids work through real nightmares, it may seem odd that the doctor spends his off hours dreaming up imaginary ones. But Schlozman says horror stories can play a role in therapy through displacement. They offer a side channel for dealing with something awful, without having to face the unbearable head-on. The strategy works especially well for kids who lack the maturity and language skills to grapple with complex problems. Most children won't be drawn into direct discussions about their troubles, Schlozman says. "Instead we'll talk about a video or a movie, when we both know what we're really talking about."

Click to watch a video of the zombie doc talking about brains; you will be entertained and learn about both your brain and those of zombies.

Note (added November 6, 2011): Click to read a series on the zombie brain by Bradley Voytek and Tim Verstynen.

So you think zombies are just strange characters in some weird books and films?

Then watch this panel on zombies from Comic-Con 2011. The articulate panelists (which include two neuroscientists) talk about current culture, politics, and science.

I recommend starting with this section of the panel video. Then part 1, part 2, and part 4.

Maybe after you watch, you will see why I am a zombie fan. Let me know.

Image credit: Mail Online.

TV star teaches neuroscience to middle-schoolers, and writes a book about attachment theory and parenting

After reading this article "'Big Bang Theory' actress Mayim Bialik a real-life scientist" sent to me by the wonderful anonymous Ed of Blawg Review, I realized I am in some ways culturally ignorant (at least of pop culture). The article was very interesting, but I have never heard of Mayim Bialik or her shows Blossom or The Big Bang Theory. Please tell me I am not the only one to whom these are new?

Was I surprised to learn that this comedy show star also has her PhD in neuroscience from UCLA! And she has a book coming out next year "about parenting based on the science of hormones involved in parent-child bonding."

"Not that you need a neuroscience degree to be a good parent... but my reflections on parenting are absolutely informed by my understanding of the hormones of attachment, which were the subject of my thesis," she said.

What was most intriguing to me was her teaching kids about the brain.

As if it's not enough to be a mom and an actress on a popular sitcom, Bialik designed a neuroscience curriculum for homeschooled middle-schoolers. She taught 10 lucky kids all about the brain two years

My favorite Harvard psychiatrist cum philosopher talks about zombies again

Because I think we have so much to learn from the concept of zombies, I have several times blogged about them. Those posts often include references to Dr. Steve Schlozman, Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He's my zombie guru.

Today I point out to you an interview he did as a featured scientist for The Science & Entertainment Exchange, "a program of the National Academy of Sciences, [that] connects entertainment industry professionals with top scientists from across the country." One of my favorite quotes from the interview:

Thinking of the next generation of filmmakers and scientists - what message would you like to share with them?
I'd share two of my favorite quotations. In Howards End, EM Forster writes "Only connect the prose and the passion and both will be exalted."  What a beautiful sentiment! The successes of movies like Super 8 right now are based on the willingness to get excited about what's possible.  It seems to me that both scientists and filmmakers have this in common. That leads me to another of my favorite literary references. When facing a skeptical Horatio, Hamlet proclaims that "there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, then are dreamt of in your philosophy." Skepticism is never bad, but nihilistic skepticism becomes avoidance, and avoidance kills creativity and believability.

Click to read the whole interview.