Explaining Why It's Not Just Déjà Vu (All Over Again)

A new study reveals the psychology behind the phenomena

No matter how many times you experience déjà vu in your life, it never ceases to be a bizarre occurrence. While science has pretty much explained all the mystery out of awesome and strange things like the Northern Lights, eclipses, and those Magic Eye posters, it has failed to come up with a thorough explanation for déjà vu. Anne Cleary, a psychologist at Colorado State University, decided to put to the test that strange feeling where you could swear you had already experienced a present situation.

Cleary's theory is that déjà vu is connected to human recognition memory, which allows us to recognize that something happening right now has also happened before. There are two forms of human recognition memory: recollection and familiarity. As you may have guessed (or could you almost swear somebody had told you this before?), recollection memory means you know why a particular moment seems familiar—you can pinpoint the exact time or place when it happened before. For instance, a song comes on in a club and you recognize it because you remember dancing to that same song at a different club the Saturday before. Familiarity-based memory is that nagging feeling that you know something is familiar but can't name why. That would be having a song come on in a club that you know you've heard before but have no idea when or where (perhaps you've had one too many cocktails at that point). The latter is where déjà vu falls.

To test familiarity-based recognition, Cleary gave her subjects a list of celebrity names. Later, they were shown a variety of celebrity photographs. Some of the faces had been on the list of names and some had not. Subjects were asked to identify the people in the photographs and indicate how likely it was that the celebrity's names had been on the earlier list. According to the report, "Even when the volunteers were unable to identify a celebrity by photo, they had a sense of which names they had studied earlier and which they had not. That is, they couldn't identify the source of their familiarity with the celebrity, but they knew the celebrity was familiar to them." Clearly ran the test again using names and photos of famous landmarks in place of celebrities and had similar results. A bit of the memory was there, but, like our friend one too many martinis in at the club, it was hazy and subjects were unable to connect it to the new experience.

Cleary worked off the idea that memory is often stored in our brain as individual elements, like a jigsaw puzzle. When you fit all the pieces together correctly, your brain produces a complete, coherent memory. Oftentimes though, if certain elements of a new situation match certain elements of a previously stored memory, your brain will mix up the puzzle and convince you that you have actually experienced the present situation before. The more the elements overlap, the bigger the sense of déjà vu.

The second prong in the study was to find out what these trigger elements are. Cleary designed an experiment in which she gave volunteers a list of words to study. Afterward, they were given a word-recognition test. Some of the words had been on the list, some not, and some simply resembled words on the list (for example "lady" in place of "eighty"). When confronted with a new, similar-sounding word, subjects identified a sense of familiarity with it, even when they could not remember what the original, similar word on the list was. A parallel experiment using geometric shapes instead of words led to similar results. Cleary's conclusion is that visual and audio fragments are able to create the sensation that an entire scene has been viewed before, even though it is actually brand new.

"Many parallels between explanations of déjà vu and theories of human recognition memory exist," Cleary concludes. "Theories of familiarity-based recognition and the laboratory methods used to study it may be especially useful for elucidating the processes underlying déjà vu experiences."

Maybe science is catching up, after all. But don't worry. Have another martini and you won't remember a thing. [via popsci]

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Tapping Into What a Deer Sees, and Doesn’t

Approximately 30,000 years after hunters took to adorning cave walls with their image of a deer, it occurred to them it might be more productive to consider the deer’s image of a hunter.

This was not an easy task. Deer have not left cave paintings of any humans, much less of hunters in camouflage. Those manly overalls and caps splotched with green leaves and brown branches may have looked invisible in the catalogue and impressed the other humans back at the lodge, but what did the deer think of it? Were they just rolling their eyes at each other?

Eventually, though, a few deer were bribed to reveal their secrets. They were given food pellets in return for taking vision tests. The results were not good news for the camo-clad hunters — but ultimately not really good news for the deer either.

For now, thanks to decades of research into ungulate vision combined with the latest in military concealment technology, hunters can don a computer-generated camouflage with fractal designs that look nothing like a shrub or a tree, at least not to the human eye. Named Optifade, it’s being introduced this fall by W.L. Gore (the makers of the breathable Gore-Tex rain gear) and promoted as the first camouflage scientifically designed to make hunters invisible to deer.

The deer, as usual, are not available for comment, so these claims of invisibility cannot be directly verified. But the psychologists who worked with Gore to develop it — Jay Neitz, an animal-vision expert at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and Timothy O’Neill, who pioneered the United States Army’s digital camouflage as a researcher at West Point — say they’re confident the deer will be fooled.

“A camouflage that makes a person look like a tree can work if you’re in a place where other trees look like that,” Dr. Neitz says. “But what if you’re somewhere else, or if the deer sees you move? This new camouflage is a totally different approach. It fools the deer’s vision system at its roots, so that it doesn’t recognize the person as anything.”

At Dr. Neitz’s laboratory, he tests some animals’ vision by training them to press touch screens, but the deer weren’t quite ready for the computer age. He and researchers at the University of Georgia showed them three cards at a time and rewarded them with food pellets when they picked out the right pattern by pushing a button with their noses.

“We can measure in animals anything you can measure in a human being and every bit as accurate,” Dr. Neitz says. “The difference is that a vision test that might take 10 minutes in a human can take six months.” The research revealed that deer vision is a little blurrier than human vision — about 20/40 — and that deer see the world roughly like a human with red-green colorblindness. Their eyes have only two color receptors (unlike the three in the human eye). Fortunately for hunters, they have a hard time seeing blaze orange.

But they’re more sensitive than humans to light at the blue end of the spectrum. And thanks to the eyes on either side of the head, they can see a field of vision covering 270 degrees.

Once they had assessed the deer’s visual strengths and weaknesses, Dr. Neitz and Dr. O’Neill worked out colors, textures and shapes with Guy Cramer of HyperStealth Biotechnology, a company that designs military camouflage. Mr. Cramer’s computer algorithms create fractal patterns that exploit a couple of ancient tricks used by animal predators.

The first and most obvious trick is to fade into the background, as a leopard’s spots enable it to do while it’s patiently waiting to ambush a prey. The spots aren’t shaped like leaves or branches, but they form an overall “micropattern” matching the colors and overall texture of the woodland background.

That trick, though, won’t work for a predator on the move, which is why a tiger doesn’t have spots. It has a “macropattern” of stripes that break up the shape of its body as it’s stalking or running.

“The prey can detect the tiger’s movement,” Dr. Neitz says, “but if the shape isn’t recognized as the outline of a tiger, nothing registers in the higher center of the prey’s brain.”

After 19th-century naturalists and 20th-century psychologists analyzed these camouflage techniques, military researchers worked out formulas for the optimum patterns. Before he retired from the engineering psychology department at the United States Military Academy, Dr. O’Neill developed the type of pixelated digital camouflage — made up of tiny colored squares — adopted in the past decade by many armies.

“The essence of digital camouflage goes back to the old question: Is the purpose of camouflage to match the background or to break up the shape of the target?” Dr. O’Neill says. “The answer is yes — you do both. You create a micropattern that matches the ‘busyness’ of the background and makes it harder to detect the target, and you overlay it with a macropattern that makes it harder to recognize the shape of the target once you’ve detected it.” (For a look at these patterns, go to TierneyLab.)

But no matter how carefully the patterns have been computed, no matter how precisely the new hunter’s digital camouflage is calibrated to deer’s vision, there remains one large uncertainty: Will hunters wear overalls covered with pixelated squares that look like computer-generated abstract art? Or will they stick with their traditional preference (see cave paintings) for representational art?

Getting soldiers, at least the male ones, to switch to digital camouflage wasn’t easy, Dr. O’Neill says, because for many men camouflage is less about invisibility than fashion. Some soldiers hung on to the old-fashioned designs because of what Dr. O’Neill called the C.D.I. factor: Chicks Dig It.

If male hunters feel that way about their old overalls, there may still be lots of shrubs and trees toting guns and bows during hunting season. These guys may or may not be right about women going for this look. But the deer probably appreciate it. [via nytimes]

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Teens in Fatal Crash Have Fast Food Delivered to The Scene

A GROUP of teenagers involved in a crash that killed an 82-year-old man and left his 72-year-old partner fighting for her life had fast food delivered to them at the crash site, a witness says.

The elderly couple were in a van involved in a collision at a Gold Coast roundabout with an unregistered car allegedly driven by a disqualified teen driver on Saturday, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

Residents who lived near the roundabout in Miami said that as they rushed to help the couple, the five teenagers in the Subaru WRX got out and watched.

Resident Stephen Waymouth said the van was still rolling when he looked over his fence.

When he reached it he saw the man was unconscious and the woman was "wailing".

While residents comforted the distressed woman, the five teens stood motionless on the footpath, he said.

Mr Waymouth and another man, Fabian Atzori, said none of the youths attempted to help.

Mr Waymouth said he was "disgusted" by their behaviour.

"They just stood there, and then they sat down and then someone dropped Maccas off to them," he said.

"What is it with young people where they can just turn off to human injury?" said Mr Atzori.

Fire crews used the jaws of life to cut the roof off the van and the elderly couple were taken to Gold Coast Hospital.

The woman suffered abdominal and leg injuries and the man had chest injuries. He died later in hospital.

Broadbeach police Sergeant Brendon O'Reilly said the Subaru and its owner were known to police - the vehicle had been impounded for 48 hours on November 13 in relation to hooning offences.

Police interviewed the five youths at the scene. The driver was charged with obstructing police while three of the others were handcuffed but not charged.

No other charges had been laid last night. [via news.au]

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Holiday Gifts to Employees May Be Followed by Tax Man

The holidays come early for law firms. As much as it pains my husband to think about Christmas before Thanksgiving arrives, there is much to do: holiday cards to be ordered, parties to plan and decorations to be installed. Even more importantly, there are gifts to buy.

There's no rule that says that you have to buy year-end or holiday gifts for employees, but they certainly are appreciated. A quick survey on Twitter revealed that employees are generally enthusiastic about receiving gifts that show some personal thought. Popular gifts include small electronics such as computer speakers, tricked-out cell phones and MP3 players (our firm handed out personalized iPods one year). Also high on the "wish list" were gift cards to popular restaurants and department stores; one employee suggested a membership plus gift card to a warehouse store like Sam's Club.

And then there's cash. Everyone loves cash, right? You'd be surprised. Cash gifts and bonuses are received with mixed feelings: Some employees are put off by the perceived lack of thought that goes into a cash gift, others are disappointed by the amount. Employees who received their cash gift or bonus in the form of a contribution to ordinary payroll were most disappointed. Those who seemed happiest with cash as a gift received significant gifts or bonuses that were clearly distinct, delivered as separate checks or gift cards (such as Visa check cards).

Surprisingly, my admittedly unscientific survey revealed that many employers do not issue end-of-the-year or holiday gifts and bonuses or make other plans to show appreciation for their employees. This is surprising: Holiday gifts or other acknowledgments can make employees feel valued and keep them motivated. In a tight economy, a small investment in the form of a thank-you at the holidays could translate into increased productivity and loyalty.

But be careful. Just like the ugly, red sweater that you get from your Aunt Erma, there can be consequences to your employees as a result of your company's generosity. Chief among them are tax consequences.

For starters, no matter what you call it -- a gift or a bonus -- cash or checks given to employees are considered compensation as far as the Internal Revenue Service is concerned. That means that the gross amount of the gift or bonus must be included in the employee's income for tax purposes and employers must withhold the proper amounts for income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Depending on the amount of the gift, this can be quite a surprise for the employee. A $100 check can quickly become a $70 check, with an additional cost to the employer for matching FICA contributions.

But what about those gift cards, turkeys and electronics? The rules for non-cash gifts vary depending upon the type and value of the gift.

The IRS has made it clear that it considers gift cards and gift certificates taxable. This is because gift cards and gift certificates are considered cash equivalents. In other words, they act the same as cash and are therefore taxed just like a few bills slipped into a card or a check at payroll.

Turkeys, hams, small electronics and the ubiquitous fruit basket may actually escape taxation. Small gifts that are considered de minimis from the IRS are not considered taxable. The idea is that accounting for these kinds of gifts is administratively impractical, so the IRS gives you and your employees a "pass." However, if you make non-cash gifts which are clearly not de minimis, such as a trip, expensive jewelry or major appliance, you must report the value of the gift as taxable income to the employee.

Whether you distribute cash, checks or taxable gifts, make sure that your employees understand the tax consequences of the "gift." If the employee does not understand that the gift is taxable, you may be stuck with an unhappy employee once you make year-end adjustments to payroll. All of that holiday cheer may go right out of the window when an employee is stuck with an unexpected tax bill.

To avoid these kinds of issues, you might consider nontaxable holiday and end-of-the-year perks. For example, the IRS allows you to throw a firm holiday party with no tax consequences to the employees. Instead of giving gift certificates to a local restaurant (taxable), why not take your employees out for dinner (not taxable)? Or consider hosting an all-day buffet at the office. Reasonable holiday parties are not considered taxable to the employee and, unlike other business lunches and dinners, you don't have to "talk business" at any time in order to make it deductible to the employer.

Another alternative is to give employees an extra day off for the holidays. Assuming that there are no human resources issues (check your employee handbook), this could be a great way to give employees an extra holiday perk without breaking the bank. Hourly employees who are not compensated for days off may appreciate an extra day or two of rest, and there are no tax consequences to the employer or employee. If you choose to compensate the employee for the time off (or are required to do so by law or the terms of employment), the tax consequence to the employer and the employee is the same as if the employee had put in a normal workday. For salaried employees, there may be no change to compensation and no tax consequences to the employer or employee as a result; again, you would need to confirm the specifics of your individual employees' arrangements first.

From small gifts to holiday parties, there are a number of ways to make your employees happy this holiday season. Don't limit yourself to gift cards or employee checks: Think outside of the box to maximize the "wow" factor and limit the tax consequences. Thinking ahead at the holiday season ensures that your employees feel appreciated and that the joy at being remembered as part of your team isn't overshadowed by the "surprise" that could follow at tax time. [via law]

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Moto RAZR Stops Bullet, Saves Man's Life

This may be the first good news Motorola's had in a long while: A feller named RJ Richard down in the New Orleans suburb of St. Tammany Parish was on his lawnmower in his backyard when something struck him hard on the chest. When he pulled his Moto RAZR out of his breast pocket to see if it had been damaged by what he presumed to be a pebble, a damn .45 caliber bullet fell out! Having saved the man's life, the phone fell apart.

“I stopped and I lifted up my sweatshirt and I took out the cell phone to check it to see if it was damaged and this bullet falls out,” Richard told the local CBS affiliate WWL. He said the shot—which was strong enough to tear a hole in his sweatshirt—felt like a punch to the chest.

Investigators said that the bullet could have come from as far away as a quarter of a mile, and that people shoot guns in that area all the time.

“We have no reason to believe that there was any type of criminal intent,” Sheriff Jack Strain told WWL. “That this truly was just an incident where someone discharged his weapon, whether it was target practicing or hunting." He did add though, "To have such an impact at such a vital location and to be saved by your cell phone, I'm sure has given [Richard] time for pause, and to be thankful.”

Well, Motorola, it seems this Thanksgiving at least one customer is going to thank you for saving its life—probably one more than Samsung, Nokia or even Apple can claim. [via gizmodo]

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Why some are more likely to try out new, exciting experiences than others

Whether you are the adventurous type or one of those who sticks to what you know is all down to how your brain is wired, say scientists.

They have found that the strength of links between two key parts of the brain affect how we respond to new experiences.

German researchers asked 20 young men and women to gauge their attitudes to change or ' novelty seeking'.

Scans showed the easily bored on-the-go types had strong connections between the hippocampus (the memory hub) and another part of the brain called the ventral stratium.

It is thought that when the memory hub fails to recognise an experience it sends a message through the white matter - fibreladen tissue which carries messages - to the ventral stratium. This releases chemicals which produce a feeling of pleasure.

And in those who constantly seek new experiences, the Bonn university team found the connections between the two areas were particularly good. [via dailymail]

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Nose cells may heal spine

People paralyzed by spinal cord injuries could soon be "repaired" using cells from their own noses, say Otago University researchers.

The Health Ministry's ethics committee has just approved an application by the Spinal Cord Society to open the way for a clinical trial involving 12 patients, which could start next year.

The society's president, Noela Vallis, said there was no shortage of volunteers ready to take part.

"Some have already gone overseas out of a sense of frustration that they can't access it [the experimental treatment] here," Mrs Vallis said.

About 5000 Kiwis are in wheelchairs as a result of accidents - the highest rate of any country in the developed world.

Research director Jim Faed, who heads the the Spinal Cord Society's lab at Otago University, has spent five years developing laboratory methods for growing cells potentially useful for spinal cord injury repair.

His team is focusing on two promising cell types: one is a kind of adult stem cell produced by a patient's own bone marrow.

However, researchers are likely to begin trials using olfactory (scent receptor) cells from the patient's nose, injecting them into damaged spinal cord.

"The olfactory tissue in the nose is unique because it is the only place in the body where there is constant replacement of nerve cells throughout life," Dr Faed said.

"There is growing medical opinion that these cells can help overcome the blocks that prevent nerve cells regenerating after damage to the spinal cord."

The nasal tissue acts like "nurse cells", providing growth factor hormone to nerve cells, enabling them to make "meaningful connections".

Internationally, several research groups have done animal trials using the cells, but there has been only one human trial - in Portugal in 2006. The Otago group is in contact with Portuguese neuropathologist Carlos Lima, who pioneered that trial.

Dr Faed said some participants experienced side-effects, but they were "few and manageable" and none had been fatal.

Positive benefits for patients included return of some muscle function and sensation in parts of the body which previously had no feeling.

Dr Faed said the Dunedin lab hoped to get full approval for the trial before Christmas, and would then begin recruiting patients. The first 12 could start treatment next year.

Mrs Vallis - who founded the society after her late husband was paralysed in an accident - said the group aimed to raise $1 million to fund the trial, in addition to the $300,000 it finds every year to run the lab. "We should be at the forefront of developing this medical treatment, given the number of our citizens in wheelchairs."

Feilding man Iain Scott, a quadriplegic since dislocating his neck while playing rugby 19 years ago, said the possibility of the treatment was "huge" and gave hope to people with spinal cord injuries. "If nothing happens, at least you had a go ... you don't want to die wondering." [via stuff]

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Taste Test: Pepsi White

Here at Taste Test Labs, we heartily regret missing the last two flavors of limited-edition Japanese Pepsi: "ice cucumber" and "blue Hawaii." Neither got very high marks from the world of Internet tasterati, but still—we'd like to know. And then there are the other Japanese Pepsi flavors from days gone by: Pepsi Gold (with ginger), Pepsi Red (spicy), and many more. Here's a dang Wikipedia page with all the craziness. Anyway, when we saw that Pepsi White was being released, we thought this would be as good a time as any to swear to you, dear readers, that we would never miss another—God and eBay willing.

That said, we used eBay—always more reliable than God when we're looking for unusual snacks—to procure a couple of bottles of this fascinating new product. The bottle is delightfully cute (like everything in Japan! Just kidding, dude who thinks we don't take Japan seriously enough), with a white label and a bunch of little Pepsi logos swirling around. The word "white" is in silver, and the label proclaims "Pepsi & yogurt flavor." That's right, friends, Pepsi and yogurt, together at last. (And yes, we're aware of Calpis Soda, a.k.a. Calpico, but it doesn't have the word Pepsi in it.)

The liquid itself would qualify, I guess, as a "suspension." It looks cloudy, not quite mixed, though perhaps that's just some trick of the manufacturing process. There's something a little off-putting about the color, to be honest. And the name seems a little Jim Crow to me. But let's put it to the test—the Taste Test, that is.

The taste: Pretty damn not-bad, I have to say. No one spit it out in disgust, and given how strange it looks (we eat with our eyes first, remember), it had an uphill battle. That said, it doesn't taste anything like yogurt, which isn't too surprising considering it doesn't have any yogurt in it. (I'd provide the ingredients list, but it's in Japanese, and even our resident speaker couldn't accurately translate for us.) There's definitely a hint of lemon and a slight aroma of vanilla, which led more than one Taste Tester to declare that it reminded them of cream soda. (As a cream-soda aficionado, I disagree—it's nowhere near as sweet.)

There's also a very slight hint of baking-soda flavor, which led some to remark that it tastes medicine-y. Tasha found it incredibly sweet, but I actually had the opposite reaction: It seems almost tart to me. (Then again, I like Jones Cream Soda, which will screw up your face into a twisted pile of sweet.) There was little to no cola taste, which is surprising, since it's billed as "Pepsi & yogurt." (Unless in Japan, that translates to "no Pepsi and no yogurt.")

But overall—a new soda flavor that's isn't disgusting and isn't more of the same. And way better than Red Bull Simply Cola. Maybe someday the American PepsiCo will free itself from the bondage of boring flavors and introduce some of these wacky styles to this great land of ours. In the meantime, it's gonna be Coca-Cola Classic—red, white, and you.

Office reactions:

• "It tastes kinda soapy."

• "It's kinda cream soda-ish, but not as sweet."

• "Do the Japanese realize they are being sold mislabeled cream soda?"

• "Ooh, it's weirdly sparkly as you pour it."

• "It smells like Slice or one of those fruity sodas. And initially it tastes exactly like that: a generic lemon-lime soda. But there's a strong secondary taste that's much harder to pin down."

• "I really can't get over the smell. I feel like I'm sticking my face in a scented candle every time I take a sip, and it's throwing me off."

• "The carbonation bubbles are iridescent! I think I like looking at this more than drinking it. It's the prettiest pop I've ever seen!"

• "Tastes like Crystal Pepsi plus white."

• "It starts off fine, but afterward, the distinct flavor of Maalox lingers in my mouth."

• "Usually we say everything tastes like cough medicine, but this actually tastes more like Pepto."

• "It tastes like when they sneak vitamins into food and drinks."

• "There's a disconcerting cloudiness to it."

• "Still, it's pretty sweet. I think America's ready for it."

• "It just has to be relabeled as something else... I'm not really getting the yogurt."

• "I think this is pretty refreshing and tasty. Maybe a little too sweet to drink a whole bottle of. I bet it isn't any sweeter than normal Coke or Pepsi, but because the flavor is so odd, we aren't inured to it like we are with stuff we drink all the time."

• "When you first taste it, you're like, 'Hey, this isn't bad at all, especially for a Pepsi product.' Then that aftertaste just hangs around saying 'Fuck you.'"

• "It tastes like the Big Boob Jellies. It tastes like white."

• "Not bad, but I don't think I'd want it again. And I immediately had two Tic-Tacs afterward to cleanse my palate."

• "Koski, what booze would this work with?" "I dunno, take your pick. It's too odd a flavor to think of an easy complementary booze option. It's going to overpower whatever you put in it. So vodka, I guess."

• "It wasn't unpleasant, but it's probably not the first thing I would reach for in the fridge."

• "It reminded me of Crystal Pepsi mixed with some sort of berry. 7-UP with a little less fizz—but more sugar."

• "Overall, it's not quite 'meh' but also not tasty. It might make a good complement to goldfish crackers, but I think I might get sick if I had a full glass/can."

• "Smells a little perfumey. Tastes nothing like yogurt, which I think is a good thing. I think it tastes like Sprite with a fruity twist, but I can't quite place the fruit. Decent."

• "Not as sour as actual yogurt, and definitely not as slimy. Put both in front of me, and I'd reach for this every time."

• "There's a Japanese dessert called nata de coco, jellied coconut water, which is similar in taste and appearance. We used to eat it with fruit salad."

• "Calpis Soda is another mass market beverage in Japan which is supposedly yogurt flavored. Pepsi White tastes like regular Pepsi and Calpis combined."

• "It's more like yogurt milk plus club soda. Slightly sweet, tangy, but a little chalky. I think it's pretty good, but it would probably not be a big seller in America."

• "It's not truly white like milk, it's a cloudy white. They should have named it Pepsi Fog or Pepsi Haze. I'd drink Pepsi Haze."

• "It smells and tastes a little like potpourri, so I can't imagine drinking it in a large volume."

• "It has a curiously faint taste, almost nonexistent. It's kind of like carbonated sugar water with a slightly yogurty aftertaste. It's surprisingly not bad, but it's not what I'd call good either."

Where to find it: eBay, or your local 7-Eleven, if you happen to live in Japan. [via avclub]

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Top 10 Things You Can Do with a DVD

The proliferation of thumb drives and external hard drives has made optical media like DVDs seem a little less handy—but there are still plenty of ways to put DVDs to good use. These shiny, multi-gigabyte discs can run entire operating systems, put movies on your computer and vice-versa, host a robust copy of Wikipedia, and do so much more, if you know how to work them. Check out some of our favorite hacks and tips for getting the most out of DVDs, whether released by Hollywood or purchased at OfficeMax.

10. Boot a custom operating system from a DVD.

It's certainly not a trick you can't pull off with a CD, but putting a live-booting operating system on a DVD gives you a lot more space to fit the apps you really want and use, along with any files you keep going back to. You can roll your own Ubuntu system with Reconstructor, or back up your particular Linux desktop by making a live DVD with remastersys. You can even make your own live-booting Windows XP CD with this guide from TackTech. And when you're tired of pretending to get things done in live operating systems, try out some racing, shooting, volleyball, and ten other free Linux games on the linuX-gamers.net Live DVD.

9. Smooth over disc scratches with household items.

From the files of the Can't Believe It Really Works Department: If you've got a DVD (or CD) that your drive skips on or refuses to play, and it doesn't look like it was dragged from the bumper on a cross-country trip, get out a little standard white, non-gel toothpaste, rub a little in the scratched portions, and buff it off. The stuff might just polish the disc enough, and smooth out its surface, to let a laser do its thing. If you're not sure that the tube in your bathroom cabinet passes muster, try reaching under the sink and polishing the disc with Pledge. The light wax can fill in the cracks and crevices and get you back to, uh, being productive, of course.

8. Mount ISO files as virtual drives.

If you've backed up a favorite game disc, flick, or other DVD to ISO, or just happened to grab one from the ether of the web, you might not always want to spend the time, or spare DVD-R, on burning that image—and, besides, it'll run a lot faster from a hard drive. Mounting an ISO image as if it were a real disc in a drive is an established hack, and one that's pretty darned handy. We like Virtual CloneDrive for Windows, the built-in Disk Utility in Mac OS X, and AcetoneISO2 for Linux. They'll all save you a disk, and lend you that clever feeling that you've pulled a fast one on your system somehow.

7. Put Wikipedia on a DVD.

To make the vast wealth of Wikipedia data available to schools without constant internet access, the SOS Children's Villages group created a 2.9GB, 5,500-article edition of the user-edited encyclopedia, Wikipedia school edition, that puts 20 million words at the fingertips of anyone who wants them. Great for on-the-go research (that you'll want to double-check and properly source, of course), actual school use, and it's one BitTorrent download you'll want to keep seeding after you're done grabbing it.

6. Create ISOs from DVDs.

Need a copy of a DVD but lack for a blank? Want to re-create that perfectly ripped DVD of Space Ghost episodes for multiple friends? An ISO file is your best friend, because it works on any system in a ton of software apps. Windows users have, for example, the Free ISO Creator, Linux users can hack one together from the terminal, and Mac users can create disk images using the built-in Disk Utility. Grab a few DVDs you'd never want to lose to the ravages of time and create an ISO you keep backed up—one day, you'll be really glad you did.

5. Automatically catalog your DVD collection

If you're a film nut, pack rat, or some mix of both, it can be all kinds of convenient to know what you've got on the shelf to watch, trade, or rip—or just print out and brag to your friends about. We've previously highlighted two free apps that can do that—Eric's Movie Database for Windows and DVD Hunter for Macs—but the $40 Delicious Library (Mac OS X) and DVD Profiler ($30, Windows) won out in our Battle of the Media Collection Managers for their intuitive interfaces and cataloging power.

4. Easily play ripped DVDs.

There are lots of tools to rip video files from DVDs, but most of those videos take a hit in quality for smaller file sizes. On the other hand, getting those VIDEO_TS folders to just up and play isn't half as simple. At least, until you download Lifehacker's own DVD Play tool, which thumbnails Amazon cover art for any rips you've got stashed in a folder and plays them using that multi-tool of multimedia, VLC Media Player. If you've only got a few discs ripped onto your drive, or you just like to do it yourself, you can also check out Hackszine's guide to playing ripped DVDs with VLC.

3. Get your DVDs on your iPod or iPhone for free.

The idea of watching TV episodes or entire movies from your iPod sounds like an air travel veteran's dream, until one realizes that Apple entirely expects you to pay separately for an iTunes copy of the flick. Skip that noise by using some really simple workarounds. Rick Broida explained a while back how to copy DVDs to our iPod using the free DVD Decrypter and Videora iPod Converter for Windows, and the mighty HandBrake for Mac OS X. There's since been Windows and Linux versions of HandBrake released, but two of your current Windows-using Lifehacker editors have found the free version of the Freez iPod Video Converter to be a fast, reliable converter to iPod-friendly formats.

2. Burn any video file to a playable DVD.

In most cases, the idea of burning nearly any flick to a playable DVD is a lot easier than the implementation. Adam's run down an app and a method, however, to burning any video file to a playable video DVD, using the DVD Flick app for Windows. More than just converting data from any of 45 video file types, DVD Flick also allows for custom menu creation and subtitle insertion. If DVD Flick doesn't agree with you, there's also DVD Creator, also for Windows and also free.

1. Rip DVDs to video with little fuss.

Let's guess that more than 90 percent of anyone trying to back up a DVD or play its video files on another platform don't want to mess with bitrates, audio codecs, or answer any questions about "passes"—just the playable file, thank you very much. Adam Pash feels very much the same, and created a one-click tool for DVD ripping. We've run down the more involved process for DVD ripping in Linux, while any user can rip DVDs with Handbrake or MacTheRipper. If you never want to choose single bit-anything, these tools won't make you do so.

What magic can you work with a blank (or media-stuffed) DVD or an ISO file? What tricks would you like to pull off, but need explained? Post your tips, and requests, in the comments. [via lifehacker]

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Forgotten But Not Gone: How The Brain Re-learns

Thanks to our ability to learn and to remember, we can perform tasks that other living things can not even dream of. However, we are only just beginning to get the gist of what really goes on in the brain when it learns or forgets something. What we do know is that changes in the contacts between nerve cells play an important role. But can these structural changes account for that well-known phenomenon that it is much easier to re-learn something that was forgotten than to learn something completely new?

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology have been able to show that new cell contacts established during a learning process stay put, even when they are no longer required. The reactivation of this temporarily inactivated "stock of contacts" enables a faster learning of things forgotten.

While an insect still flings itself against the window-pane after dozens of unsuccessful attempts to gain its freedom, our brain is able to learn very complex associations and sequences of movement. This not only helps us to avoid accidents like walking into glass doors, but also enables us to acquire such diverse skills as riding a bicycle, skiing, speaking different languages or playing an instrument. Although a young brain learns more easily, we retain our ability to learn up to an advanced age. For a long time, scientists have been trying to ascertain exactly what happens in the brain while we learn or forget.

Flexible connections

To learn something, in other words, to successfully process new information, nerve cells make new connections with each other. When faced with an unprecedented piece of information, for which no processing pathway yet exists, filigree appendages begin to grow from the activated nerve cell towards its neighbours. Whenever a special point of contact, called synapse, forms at the end of the appendage, information can be transferred from one cell to the next - and new information is learned. Once the contact breaks down, we forget what we have learned.

The subtle difference between learning and relearning

Although learning and memory were recently shown to be linked to the changes in brain structure mentioned above, many questions still remain unanswered. What happens, for example, when the brain learns something, forgets it after a while and then has to learn it again later? By way of example, we know from experience that, once we have learned to ride a bicycle, we can easily pick it up again, even if we haven’t practiced for years. In other cases too, "relearning" tends to be easier than starting "from scratch". Does this subtle difference also have its origins in the structure of the nerve cells?

Cell appendages abide the saying "a bird in the hand …"

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology have now managed to show that there are indeed considerable differences in the number of new cell contacts made - depending on whether a piece of information is new or is being learned second time around. Nerve cells that process visual information, for instance, produced a considerably higher number of new cell contacts if the flow of information from their "own" eye was temporarily blocked. After approximately five days, the nerve cells had rearranged themselves so as to receive and process information from the other eye - the brain had resigned itself to having only one eye at its disposal. Once information flowed freely again from the eye that had been temporarily closed, the nerve cells resumed their original function and now more or less ignored signals from the alternative eye.

"What surprised us most, however, was that the majority of the appendages which developed in response to the information blockade, continued to exist, despite the fact that the blockade was abolished ", project leader Mark Hübener explains. Everything seems to point to the fact that synapses are only disabled, but not physically removed. "Since an experience that has been made may occur again at a later point in time, the brain apparently opts to save a few appendages for a rainy day", Hübener continues. And true enough, when the same eye was later inactivated again, the nerve cells reorganized themselves much more quickly - because they could make use of the appendages that had stayed in place.

Useful reactivation

Many of the appendages that develop between nerve cells are thus maintained and facilitate later relearning. This insight is crucial to our understanding of the fundamental processes of learning and memory. And so, even after many years of abstinence, it should be no great problem if we want to have a go at skiing again this winter. [via science daily]

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The 101 Coolest Easter Eggs Hidden in Your Software, DVDs and Video Games

Software and Hardware:

If you think that these applications, hardware devices and hardware add-ons serve one function, think again. [via itsecurity]

1. Photoshop CS2: Merlin Li ... : Hold down both the Alt key and the left mouse button, then move your mouse over Palate Options in the Layers window. Let go of the mouse, and Merlin appears.
2. Gnome: Wanda a Fish: Go to the Run dialog in Gnome and type "free the fish.” Click the Run button and a fish called Wanda should pop up and wander around the desktop.
3. Skype: A Few Hidden Emoticons in Skype: Enter a chat session and type words like “drunk” and “ninja” with the brackets to view amusing emoticons.
4. uTorrent: Tetris in uTorrent: Select About in the Help menu and press "T" on the keyboard.
5. Microsoft Paint: Hidden Drawing Tool Options: Use the Ctrl key to stamp, scuff and use brush pressure, as well as to draw straight or diagonal lines with the pencil.
6. Bloodshed Dev-C++: Fish: Click About Dev-C++ in the Help menu, then click and drag the Really Flash Dev-C++ logo onto the authors button. A fish should appear, and if you click it, it will change direction.
7. OpenOffice.org: Star Wars Game: Create a new spreadsheet in the OpenOffice.org Calc. Type "=game()" intoa cell and validate it by pressing Enter. The cell will display, "Say what?" to which your typing finger will reply “=GAME("StarWars")." A new window will open with a little game called Star Wars.
8. Spybot — Search and Destroy: Game Hidden: Click the little icon that appears in every window you open by selecting an option on the left-hand panel. You will get access to a game where you have to fill in as may squares as possible.
9. Cool Edit Pro: Game in Cool Edit Pro 2.1: Go to Help, then click About CoolEdit Pro. Click over the two silver balls to have some fun.
10. Winamp: Spinning Fish: Bring up the Preferences box and go to Plug-ins > Input. Click the Nullsoft Vorbis Decoder, then click About. Click the fish to make it spin.
11. AutoCAD: AutoCAD 2005 Development Team: In AutoCAD 2005, open the Layer Properties Manager dialog box. Hold down Shift+Ctrl and select the Invert Filter button to see the egg.
12. Firefox: Firefox's Revenge for IE5's Joke: Type "about:Mozilla" in the URL bar to read a reply to the Internet Explorer 5 team's joke about Mozilla crashing computers.
13. KPT Vector Effects Plug-in: KPT Arachnoid: Draw a shape and choose KPT Vector effects/3D Transform from the Filters menu. Once the menu opens, hold down Ctrl+Option+Command, then click the blue-and-red logo in the upper-left corner of the interface to play Arachnoid-style game.
14. SureDocs: Aladillo: Go to Help > About and press Ctrl+Shift. Double-click the wordl "mode" in "a la mode" under the word “SureDocs” to crack this egg.
15. Flash (Macromedia version): Flash MX Pro 2004: Go to Help > About Flash Professional. Click the small “™” near the number 2004 and the About screen will offer six different games.
16. FlashFXP: Nibbles: Open FlashFXP, select Help, then choose About. Double-click the FlashFXP logo, and a version of the game Snake — called Nibbles — will slither to you.
17. ICQ: ICQ Devils: Click the Main button and select Preferences and Security. Go to Status Mode, hit the Tab key and put the mouse cursor in the middle of the empty space. Press Ctrl+Shift while clicking the left and right mouse buttons together, hitting the left button first. You should see the ICQ Devils, the creators of the ICQ products.
18. Image Ready 7.0: Ducks: Click Help > About. You should see a picture of a globe in water. Hold down the Ctrl key, and the mouse cursor will turn into a stamp tool-icon. While still holding Ctrl, click somewhere on the image of the globe and a small yellow duck will appear. Do this 10 times and hold down Ctrl+Alt to bring up a miniscope to shoot the ducks.
19. SMS (Microsoft version): Picture of All Team Members: Run “admin console” (MMC) with the “/SMS:EE=238” switch, then right-click the root node and click Credits. Pictures of all team members and their names will appear.
20. iPod: Breakout Game: Select About from the main menu, then hold the center button for a couple of seconds. A miniature Breakout game, created by the founders of Apple Inc. when they worked for Atari, appears on the screen.
21. HP 100LX: Hidden Limerick: Turn Palmtop off and press and hold the key. Turn it back on and release the key. Scroll down to Display and press 14 times to see a limerick.
22. GameCube: Different Jingle: Plug in four controllers, hold down all four “Z” buttons and turn on the GameCube. A different jingle will play when the logo appears.
23. IRIX: Hidden Recipes in Release Notes: Open a shell and type “relnotes dmedia_eoe 29.” You’ll recieve recipes for Kung Pao chicken and tiramisu.
24. Commodore PET: Microsoft Joke: In PET Microsoft Basic, type the command “WAIT 6502.” The screen will fill with the text "MICROSOFT."
25. Linux: Printer on Fire!: Print from the network and force a printer jam. Issue a print command and watch the output of the console read, “lp0 printer on fire!”
26. Palm OS: Easter Egg and Taxi: Go to General > Preferences and draw a small circle, counterclockwise, on the screen right above the calculator silk-screen button.
27. Atari Portfolio OS: Creators Names and Credits: Open the text editor, then open the Help area using the F2 button. Open the help file for the keyboard, then press ALT+[. You’ll see a few names and credits for the system.
28. Windows CE: The Perfect Hand in Solitaire: Press Ctrl+Shift, then tap Dea” at the top of the software keyboard. You'll get a perfect solitaire hand.
29. Mac OS X: The Lord of the Rings: In the Applications folder, open the Utilities folder. Open the terminal and paste type “grep LOTR /usr/share/calendar/calendar.history” to enjoy some laughs with The Lord of the Rings.
30. Debian GNU/Linux: Got Apt-Get?: Log in to a shell as root, type "apt-get moo" and press Enter. An ASCII-based drawing of a cow saying, "Have you mooed today?" will appear. If you type "apt-get," a help file with the various switches appears. At the very end, it says, "This APT has Super Cow Powers".
31. BeOS: Change Your Windows Decor: Hold Ctrl+Alt+Shift and clic the Be button on the desk bar. A previously hidden menu item called Window Décor will appear, giving you options for changing the look of windows.
32. Kyte Aura: Frappilino!: Go to the desktop and click the Kyte menu button. Continue to Computing Properties > Help > Credit and watch until Lead Designer: Frappilino07 pops up. Click that name, and you’ll see a 3D- rendered spinning cup with the words, "It’s a Frappilino NOT a Frappacino" inscribed on it.
33. NEXTSTEP: Jack-in-the-Box: Run Configure, call up the Info panel, and hit Command and Alt+click on the application icon to get your yolk.
    

DVDs:

There’s more to these movies than meets the eye.

34. "Toy Story 2": Binford Tools: When Buzz and Woody get taken back to Sid’s house for certain death, the toolbox that holds all of Sid’s tools has the name Binford Tools stamped on it. This is a reference to Tim Allen, who does the voice of Buzz, and his TV show "Home Improvement," which was sponsored by Binford Tools.
35. "Shrek": That'll Do Donkey: A donkey is just as good as a pig in this reference to the movie "Babe." During the part when donkey goes through the bridge, Shrek walks up to donkey and says, “That’ll do Donkey, that’ll do.” The farmer at the end of "Babe" says the same thing.
36. "2010": Using the Zero-Gravity Toilet: In the movie "2010," the movie crew and director honored the first movie by creating references to using a zero-gravity toilet. All the technical-looking writing on the wall in "2010" that looks is actually the same instructions for using a zero-gravity toilet. If you watch the movie, you will see them everywhere.
37. "Nacho Libre": Legend of Francois: Check out the deleted scenes. Click the Left button, and an eagle will appear on Nacho Libre's chest. This will open a special behind-the- scenes story.
38. "Fight Club": Hidden Message at Start: Look at the Attention warning followed by the signature FBI warning to read a special message from the main character of the movie.
39. "The Ring": Deadly Tape: If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the main menu screen, the cursor will disappear. Hit Select, and it will start showing the infamous videotape from beginning to end, uncut.
40. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory": "Ed Wood" Reference: When Wonka and the others are in the elevator touring rooms, they pass a room with a bunch of pink sheep. Wonka says "I don't want to talk about it." The statement is a reference to "Ed Wood," another Tim Burton film in which Johnny Depp starred as a cross-dresser with a penchant for pink angora — material made from sheep — sweaters.
41. "Eyes Wide Shut": Masked Ball Song — What's Behind?: During the opening of the masked ball, an odd, indecipherable song called "Masked Ball," by Jocelyn Pook, plays. Play the piece in reverse, and you’ll hear an Eastern European prayer song.
42. "Shaun of the Dead": "A Clockwork Orange Tribute: The choreographed pool-cue beating of the zombie in the Winchester is an homage to the assault on the homeless man in "A Clockwork Orange."
43. "The Little Mermaid": Nasty Cover: This well-known egg regards the insertion of male anatomy on the movie's cover.
44. "X-Men": David Hayter: David Hayter, who wrote the film's screenplay, appears toward the end as a police officer who gets killed by one of Magneto's goons.
45. "Three Amigos": Reference to Previous Incarnation: This egg is yet another reference to Steve Martin’s character in "The Man with Two Brains." Each amigo must say a chant to summon the invisible swordsman. At the end of Steve Martin's chant, he shouts, "Hfuhruhurr", the name of his character in the other movie
46. "Blow": The "Real" Kristina Jung Is in the Movie: George Jung's real daughter, Kristina, is in the movie as a bank clerk.
47. "RoboCop": Ed Solomon: A series of hexadecimal numbers appear at the bottom of the screen when the film is first turned on. If you convert the numbers into ASCII, they spell “Ed Solomon," one of the film’s producers.
48. "Godzilla": Armin Tamzarian the Taxi Driver: In the scene where Matthew Broderick is being chased by Godzilla in a taxi, he throws a taxi-driver identification plate out of the cab to alert the big Army guy. The name of the taxi driver is Armin Tamzarian, which is Principal Skinner's real name in "The Simpsons."
49. "The Outsiders": S.E. Hinton Appearance: The precocious teenage author who penned the book that spawned the film actually appears in the movie as the nurse that tells Johnny that his mother is there to see him.
50. "Monty Python's Life of Brian": A Beatle!: As Brian is being pushed through the crowd of his new believers, he is introduced to George Harrison from the Beatles, who mutters a quick “hello.”
51. "Back to the Future": Clock Tower: When the camera sweeps past the clocks in the opening credits, one of them is a model of the Hill Valley clock tower and includes a Christopher Lloyd action figure hanging from the minute hand.
52. "The Silence of the Lambs": Cover Art: If you look closely at the picture of the death's-head moth on the cover of the movie box, the skull is actually made up of naked women that represent the killer's victims.
53. "Three Men and a Baby": A Ghost and Rifle: When Ted Danson’s character’s mother picks up the baby in the bedroom, a figure of a boy, and in the next frame, a rifle, can be seen in the window.
54. "Cadence": It's a Family Thing: The military policeman manning the reception desk to the psychiatric ward has the name "Estevez" on his uniform, a nod to Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen’s son and Charlie Sheen’s brother. (Both Sheens are in the film, while Estevez is not.)
    
55. "Adaptation": Adaptation Answering Machine: Highlight Play on the main menu, hit the Up button and a red telephone will appear. Click the red phone and a separate screen will pop up that reads "Adaptation Answering Machine,” followed by a phone number. Call the phone number and leave a message with your opinion of the movie.
56. "Freaky Friday": Hidden Jamie Lee Guitar Solo: On the DVD's main menu, go to Bonus Material, then to Freaky Music Videos. Highlight the first Option button and press left on your remote control. Two blue guitars will appear on either side of the picture of Jamie Lee Curtis’ head. Select to watch a short video of the actress playing guitar, which was cut from a scene in the movie.
57. "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy": Extra Animated Sequence: Visit the Outer Planets menu on the second DVD and turn on the Subtitles option. Then, go to the Inner Planets option and press left. The words “Don't Panic!" will appear on the screen. Press Enter to see an animated sequence that appeared on the screen of the Heart of Gold in Episode Three.
58. "Insomnia": Avalanche: This Al Pacino thriller makes it snow if you choose Production Diaries from the Special Features menu. Scroll down and highlight Features at the bottom of the screen, hit the left arrow button and choose Enter. You will then see footage of an actual avalanche that occurred during filming.
59. "Jerry Maguire": Hangover: Go to the section for video commentary and spell out “Maguire” using the cursor on the keyboard in the background. The keys will light up, and you’ll see a special feature of the three main actors preparing for audio commentary.
60. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring": MTV Parody: Go to Select A Scene and scroll to the last scene. Press down once, and you should see a little ring next to New Scene. Select it, and you’ll have the Jack Black and Sarah Michelle Gellar Lord of the Rings parody performed at the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.
61. "Mallrats": How Dare You!: Highlight the toy robot's eyes and press Play in the menu. Director Kevin Smith will appear and start yelling at you for trying to find an Easter egg on the disc.
62. "Ocean's Eleven": Sands Implosion: Go to Special Features and click the map of Las Vegas. There will be a list of different casinos. Select the Sands and watch the segment. Then click it again to watch a clip of its 1996 implosion.
63. "Predator": Don't Drink the Water! Go the photo gallery on the second disc and scroll to the 16th photo of Hawkins with his glasses on his head. Highlight the predator-targeting triangle on the right-hand side of the screen and click it to view a hidden documentary about the cast getting sick after drinking water in Mexico.
64. "Reservoir Dogs": Hidden Tarantino Interview: In Special Features, hit left so that the option is over the policeman's ear. Click the bloody ear that appears. A menu appears saying that you have found the Hidden Features, where you can view a Tarantino interview.
65. "10 Things I Hate About You": Detention Sign-In: Watch the detention sign-in board at the start of the Heath Ledger detention scene. The third name from the bottom of the board is Ross Fanger, whose name appears in the credits as unit production manager.
66. "Spiderman": Spiderman CGI Bloopers and Gag Reel: On the first disc, click Commentaries. Click the picture of actor James Franco on the left-hand side of the screen, and a new screen appears with bloopers. You’ll see real parts of the film but with video-game characters and other funny additions.
67. "The Karate Kid": Hidden Survivor Video: Insert the disc, go to Scene Selection, press up twice until the first scene is highlighted, press once to the right to light up scene two, then press up. A pair of chopsticks will light up to the right. Press Select.
68. "Thirteen": Thirteen Easter Eggs: Visit the Making Of menu item and hit right on your remote control to access a hidden menu item labeled 13. Click it to see a racy deleted scene from the movie.
69. "Unbreakable": Hidden "The Sixth Sense" Trailer: Watch the credits for Comic Books And Super Heroes on the second disc. Press Angle Change to watch the trailer for director M. Night Shyamalan’s "The Sixth Sense."
70. "Vanilla Sky": Outtakes and Screwups: Select the Photo Galleries tab on the Special Features menu and select Special Features. Press the right button to illuminate the mask on the right-hand side of screen. Then, press Enter to enjoy the outtakes.
    

Video Games:

What you see is not what you get in these games.

71. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas": Trash Maps: Travel to Angel Pine in the Badlands to crack open this egg. Across the street from the Clucken Bell stands three trash cans, two of which have their lids off. Knock either one of those two cans over and peek inside with a weapon that zooms, like a sniper rifle. Several maps of Vice City will appear before your eyes.
72. "Guitar Hero 3": Judy Nails — Judy Is a Punk: Judy Nails is a character in this game. Her attire shows that she’s a punk, but did you know that This is a reference to the popular song by The Ramones called "Judy Is a Punk"?
73. "Halo 3": Da Vinci Structure: You’ll find this egg on the Covenant level. Float to the ledge near the invisible barrier, then walk up it. Jump off the edge of the cliff, and the sky will turn orange. You will then be at the part where you have to fight the two scarabs, except that there won’t be any. You should be just outside of the map. Continue on until a mysterious structure appears. Look at the back of it, and you’lI see that it’s covered in blue letters on a grid-like, multicolored background.
74. "Frontlines: Fuel of War": Tanks: In the level where you first get to drive the tanks, you hear a marine yell, "We can pick up chicks in it." In "Red Vss Blue," a machinima based on Halo, Tucker comments about picking up chicks in a tank.
75. "Fatal Frame 3": The Tormented "Flowers for Algernon" Reference: When the dream starts during the first night playing as Miku, the Tattoo Priestess appears behind you and says: "I don't want to see, anymore." This is a reference to a poem from the book, "Flowers for Algernon," which is about a mentally challenged janitor who volunteers to take part in an experimental intelligence-enhancing treatment.
76. "Quake 4": Quake 2 Starting Location: In the first mission, the first rooms you enter show a human launch pod that looks like the one in the beginning of Quake 2.
77. "World of Warcraft": List of Pop-Culture References: There are tons of video-game and pop-culture references in World of Warcraft. They range from Donkey Kong to "Austin Powers: to ThunderCats. In the Eastern Plaguelands, for instance, an NPC by the name of Tirion Fordring gets out his hammer and says, "Say hello to my little friend,” a quote from 1983 film "Scarface."
78. "Powerslide": Picture of Two Powerslide Creators: You’ll get a glimpse of the game’s creators by selecting Mineshafted track, Skeeto car and Crayz. Play the race until you get to the radioactive toxic-waste dump. Take a turn and go to in, making your way around the boxes that display radiation signals until you get to a crack in the wall. Drive through the crack, and you will see two almost fully green men with their mouths open.
79. "Sim City 4": Tax Twenty Trick: A little dirty government work will help you out in this egg. Load any incorporated city with a reasonable population, raise all the taxes to 20, and leave them at that for a game year or two. Then, drop all taxes to zero. As a result, your city should thrive for a while.
80. "Ratchet and Clank": Hidden Feature: On Blackwater City, go to the alien girl that lets you go to the Hoverboard race. Keep doing backflips and front flips, and a part of her anatomy will grow bigger.
81. "Chuzzle Deluxe": Sneezing Chuzzle: Keep clicking on a Chuzzle of your choice to make it laugh. If you keep clicking, it will sneeze, and if you click long enough, it will sneeze so hard that all its fur falls off and grows back. Do the same thing to a big Chuzzle, and instead of sneezing, it'll belch.
82. "3D Pinball for Windows": Control the Pinball with Your Mouse: When game starts, type in "hidden test" without the quotes. Letters show various things: “H” shows the high-score table, with an entry of 1 billion for you to put your name next to; “M” shows the amount of system memory; ”R” increases your rank in the game; and “Y” shows the game frame rate in the title. You can also click and drag the ball around, and if you manage to keep the ball in the hyperspace bonus, you can score major points.
83. "Pokémon Emerald Version": Pokémon Cloning Glitch: Go talk to the LINK MULTI BATTLE ROOM lady and select two Pokémon. The woman will now say "Before entering BATTLE ROOM, your progress must be saved. Is that OK?". Say yes. Now you will notice a small time gap. Your Pokémon has been cloned successfully!
84. "Morrowind": M'Aiq the Liar: M'Aiq the Liar may seem evasive, but try talking to him once more after your initial introduction, and he’ll reveal secrets such as how to become a lich, where to find dragons and where to find nude characters or liches — unless, of course, he’s lying.
85. "Mechwarrior 2": Enzo: Choose Trails of Grievance in the opening screen and go to the Star Formation Edit screen. Change your name to Enzo, then go back and choose the "mech" that you want to use. In addition to the normal choices, you will also be able to use the Elemental, Tarantula and BattleMaster.
86. "Super DX Ball Deluxe": Super DX Ball Egg: Double-click the ball rolling around at the start of the game, and you will unlock the classic DX Ball boards. Then, go to Power-Ups and search where it says Mega Mall. Double- click the image, and you will unlock the Mega Ball Boards.
87. "Doom 3": Hunter Magazines: Every so often during Doom 3, you will see magazines. On some of these magazines is a picture of a character from Quake III Arena.
88. "Halo 2": Bloody Dog Head: To find this egg, go to the multiplayer map Zanzibar. Go to the beach and look at the signs on the edge of the water, which should say "No Swimming." Then, turn off your Xbox, take out Halo 2 and change your clock where everything is 7. Restart the game and go to Zanzibar. Look at the "No Swimming" sign, and there will be a missing picture with a bloody dog's head on it. It says "Are you finding Ling Ling's head?"
89. "The Sims 2": Boolprop, the Ultimate Cheat: Type Ctrl+Shift+C, then type "boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true" in the box that comes up and you’ll be able to do lots of interesting things.
90. "Max Payne 2": "Late Goodbye" References: Here the song "Late Goodbye" in Part 1, Chapter 4. Track down Ed the janitor for a certain pass code, and hang around to hear him sing along to the music in his headphones. In Part 1, Chapter 7, you come across bands of killers masquerading as cleaners in the high-rise apartment building. In the fourth apartment you enter, descend the stairs to the first level. As you descend the stairs, one of the cleaners starts to bang away on the piano to the song. In the same part of the game at Mona's Place in the Fun House, she is in the shower singing "Late Goodbye.”
91. "Cossacks: European Wars": Hidden Map Maker: At the main menu of Cossacks-European Wars, hold down the Ctrl button and press Intro. A small box that says "Loading" will appear in the middle of the screen, and then a map creator will load. But the map creator is in Russian, so you’ll need to go to an online translator to decode it.
92. "Icewind Dale II": Lowtax Reference: In the graveyard area, the gravestone on the far left reads: "Kyanka. Writer of Humorous Stories. d. 1302." This is an illusion to Rich “Lowtax” Kyanka, the man behind the humor site Something Awful.
93. "Aladdin": Hidden Mickey: On level two of this downloable game, go past the snake to a clothesline. You'll se a pair of shorts and a blanket, with Mickey Mouse between them.
94. "Red Alert": Cryptic Messages Hidden by Psx Manual Designers: Open up the case, extract the manual and look at the dot-dash code at the bottom of most of the pages. This is Morse code, which may have to do with the alternate game play based around the ants missions in some versions.
95. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles": Pumpkin Head: Change your computers date to Oct. 31 before entering the game. Then, enter a new single-player game in Story mode and choose a character to play as (Leo, Ralph, Mike or Don). Start the game, and your character's head will now be a giant jack-o'-lantern. This also works when setting the date to Dec. 25, except the head wears a Santa hat.
96. "Tomb Raider": Hidden Sound Bites: Use a PlayStation CD player to access songs from the game. Go to tracks 99 through 130, and there will be some seriously silly sound bytes from the game’s creators.
97. "Ducks": Hidden Photo: Type "ASKYAFFLE" on the main menu to turn on the level-skip key. In level 29, blow up the underside of the overhanging earth on the right of the level. Walk the green ducky under to the right, and he should go through a door that was previously hidden in the earth, revealing a quote and a photo of some people from the credits.
98. "Marathon": Credits: The last level includes a place with three teleporters. Stand, but step into, one of them and push the Action key. The back side of the teleporter will open, leading you to the "secret Bungie terminal."
99. "Prince of Persia": Fun Stuff for Prince of Persia: If you type "prince megahit" at the start of the game, you can change features like filtering out nonanimated objects and increasing or decreasing your time.
100. "Snood": Happy New Year!: Set the clock on your computer to Jan. 2, 2002. This will "register" the game, and you can use the aimer, mulligans and, best of all, play unlimited games. When the clock strikes midnight, you’re back to the trial version.
101. "Dark Castle": Interesting Treat in Main Hall: Go to the Date And Time function under the control panel, and set the date to any Friday the 13th. When you start up the game, you’ll see the added effect in the main hall.

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7 ways to make your brain better, faster, and smarter.

The No. 1 Thing You Can Do?

1. Move It
Quick -- what's the No. 1 thing you can do for your brain's health? Differential calculus, you say? Chess? Chaos theory? Nope, the best brain sharpener may be ... sneakers? Yup. Once they're on your feet, you can pump up your heart rate. "The best advice I can give to keep your brain healthy and young is aerobic exercise," says Donald Stuss, PhD, a neuropsychologist and director of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto.

Mark McDaniel, PhD, professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, agrees, but adds, "I would suggest a combined program of aerobics and weight training. Studies show the best outcomes for those engaged in both types of exercise."

As we age, our brain cells, called neurons, lose the tree-branch-like connections between them. These connections, or synapses, are essential to thought. Quite literally, over time, our brains lose their heft. Perhaps the most striking brain research today is the strong evidence we now have that "exercise may forestall some kinds of mental decline," notes McDaniel. It may even restore memory. Myriad animal studies have shown that, among other brain benefits, aerobic exercise increases capillary development in the brain, meaning more blood supply, more nutrients and -- a big requirement for brain health -- more oxygen.

The preeminent exercise and brain-health researcher in humans is Arthur Kramer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In a dozen studies over the past few years, with titles such as "Aerobic Fitness Reduces Brain Tissue Loss in Aging Humans," Kramer and his colleagues have proved two critical findings: Fit people have sharper brains, and people who are out of shape, but then get into shape, sharpen up their brains. This second finding is vital. There's no question that working out makes you smarter, and it does so, Kramer notes, at all stages of life. Just as important, exercise staves off heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other maladies that increase the risk of brain problems as we age.

2. Feed It
Another path to a better brain is through your stomach. We've all heard about antioxidants as cancer fighters. Eating foods that contain these molecules, which neutralize harmful free radicals, may be especially good for your brain too. Free radicals have nothing to do with Berkeley politics and everything to do with breaking down the neurons in our brains. Many colorful fruits and vegetables are packed with antioxidants, as are some beans, whole grains, nuts and spices.

More important, though, is overall nutrition. In concert with a good workout routine, you should eat right to avoid the diseases that modern flesh is heir to. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol all make life tough on your brain, says Carol Greenwood, PhD, a geriatric research scientist at the University of Toronto.

If your diet is heavy, then you're probably also heavy. The same weight that burdens your legs on the stairs also burdens your brain for the witty reply or quick problem solving. The best things you can eat for your body, Greenwood notes, are also the best things you can eat for your brain. Your brain is in your body, after all. Greenwood's recommendation is to follow the dietary guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (available at diabetes.org).

3. Speed It Up
Sorry to say, our brains naturally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30 (yes, 30). It used to be thought that this couldn't be helped, but a barrage of new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to be faster and, in effect, younger. "Your brain is a learning machine," says Michael Merzenich, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger. All that's required is dedicated practice: exercises for the mind.

Merzenich has developed a computer-based training regimen to speed up how the brain processes information (positscience.com). Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Program works with language and hearing to improve both speed and accuracy. Over the course of your training, the program starts asking you to distinguish sounds (between "dog" and "bog," for instance) at an increasingly faster rate. It's a bit like a tennis instructor, says Merzenich, shooting balls at you faster and faster over the course of the summer to keep you challenged. Though you may have started out slow, by Labor Day you're pretty nimble.

Similarly, Nintendo was inspired by the research of a Japanese doctor to develop a handheld game called Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, which has sold more than two million copies in Japan. No software out there has yet been approved by the FDA as a treatment for cognitive impairment, but an increasing number of reputable scientific studies suggest that programs like Merzenich's could help slow down typical brain aging, or even treat dementia. The biggest finding in brain research in the last ten years is that the brain at any age is highly adaptable, or "plastic," as neurologists put it. If you ask your brain to learn, it will learn. And it may speed up in the process.

To keep your brain young and supple, you can purchase software like Merzenich's, or you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you: playing Ping-Pong or contract bridge, doing jigsaw puzzles, learning a new language or the tango, taking accordion lessons, building a kit airplane, mastering bonsai technique, discovering the subtleties of beer-brewing and, sure, relearning differential calculus.

"Anything that closely engages your focus and is strongly rewarding," says Merzenich, will kick your brain into learning mode and necessarily notch it up. For his part, Merzenich, 64, has "4,000 hobbies," including a wood shop and a vineyard.

Stop, Breathe & Relax

4. Stay Calm
So you may be saying to yourself, I have to sign up right now for Swahili and calculus and accordion lessons before my brain withers away! Stop! Breathe. Relax. Good.

While challenging your brain is very important, remaining calm is equally so. In a paper on the brain and stress, Jeansok Kim of the University of Washington asserts, in no uncertain terms, that traumatic stress is bad for your brain cells. Stress can "disturb cognitive processes such as learning and memory, and consequently limit the quality of human life," writes Kim.

One example is a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is a primary locus of memory formation, but which can be seriously debilitated by chronic stress. Of course, physical exercise is always a great destressor, as are calmer activities like yoga and meditation. And when you line up your mental calisthenics (your Swahili and swing lessons), make sure you can stay loose and have fun.

5. Give It a Rest
Perhaps the most extreme example of the mental power of staying calm is the creative benefit of sleep. Next time you're working on a complex problem, whether it be a calculus proof or choosing the right car for your family, it really pays to "sleep on it."

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have looked at the conditions under which people come up with creative solutions. In a study involving math problems, they found that a good night's rest doubled participants' chances of finding a creative solution to the problems the next day. The sleeping brain, they theorize, is vastly capable of synthesizing complex information.

6. Laugh a Little
Humor stimulates the parts of our brain that use the "feel good" chemical messenger dopamine. That puts laughter in the category of activities you want to do over and over again, such as eating chocolate or having sex. Laughter is pleasurable, perhaps even "addictive," to the brain.

But can humor make us smarter? The jury is still out and more studies are needed, but the initial results are encouraging. Look for a feature on exciting new research about humor and intelligence in the September issue of Reader's Digest.

7. Get Better With Age
In our youth-obsessed culture, no one's suggesting a revision to the Constitution allowing 20-year-olds to run for President. The age requirement remains at 35. You've heard about the wisdom and judgment of older people? Scientists are starting to understand how wisdom works on a neurological level.

When you are older, explains Merzenich, "you have recorded in your brain millions and millions of little social scenarios and facts" that you can call upon at any time. Furthermore, he notes, "you are a much better synthesizer and integrator of that information."

Older people are better at solving problems, because they have more mental information to draw upon than younger people do. That's why those in their 50s and 60s are sage. They're the ones we turn to for the best advice, the ones we want to run our companies and our country. [via rd]

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