Forgetful Alan

My HP DV 2000 Laptop

2009-07-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

I have this HP DV2000 Notebook since year 2006, I love the performance, speed even in a 1 GB RAM and 80 GB Hard Disk Drive. For a person like me, who's past time is just making scripts for websites using Notepad++, and XAMPP it's very much okay.

But after 5 years this problem came,

I went to a HP Store in one of the big malls in the city, and they don't know what's the trouble. One of the guys told me to go to the HP Service center, and so I went there under the rainy skies and the traffic. Probably, it is a HP Service center, so it's not only me on the line, but others also with problems with their laptops. Until my turn, the attendant explains to me the possibilities, we've agreed that it's not a problem with the RAM, or Hard Drive because it boots. I suggested that it should be with the display so it's the video card, but with this type of machine the video card is also mounted to the mother board, so we concluded that it's the mother board is having trouble. The attendant told me to replace the mother board with a brand new, with the price of 28000 PHP, and service charge of 1600, it made me teared my eyes. I can buy a brand new laptop with that much of amount. After asking me, will I go with it, she referred me to another computer repair shop that fixes a computer until a component level repair.

The computer repair shop is a ride away from there, it seems like that it is a hidden shop that only nearby residence knows. The head in that shop talk to me and explain the problem and again it's not only me having the same problem with the same machine, I am amazed that the machine before me is already fixed and ready to be claimed by the owner, they bill me 5000 PHP with it, and I have my machine the day after I was there. They consumed 20 hours to do the repair, I searched from youtube for a possible solution and I found this video HP DV2000 Video Card Repair. I posted this staff so that others will also be aware of a possible solution that even a secondary level students can do. HP is doing really business, no offense to them.

Stress makes you forgetful, kinase C protein undermines short term memory

2008-12-19T02:35:00.001-08:00

According to a new study, stress makes you activate an enzyme in the brain called Kinase C, it is a protein which undermines your short term memory, plus some other brain functions in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the executive decision making section of your brain.

Ask any actor who is stressed with stage fright, or a student just before an important exam and they will tell you this (losing memory) is old news.

This new study, led by Dr Amy Arnsten, Yale Medical School, USA, has managed to pinpoint why your short term memory is affected when you are experiencing stress.

You can read about this study in the journal Science.

Experts say this study could help scientists and doctors acquire a better insight in how to treat people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Kinase C (PKC) is an enzyme which is active in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Dr. Arnsten found that a psychotic episode often comes after some stressful encounter. Arnsten gave, as examples of stressful situations, leaving home to go to college or joining the armed forces.

Perhaps PKC plays a part in making patients more distracted, impulsive and have bad judgment (common during psychotic episodes).

Perhaps new drugs could target PKC production, said Arnsten.

Dr. Arnsten said 'These new findings may also help us understand the impulsivity and distractibility observed in children with lead poisoning. Very low levels of lead can activate PKC, and this may lead to impaired regulation of behavior.'

In this study Arnsten and team induced stress in rats and monkeys (by administering chemicals). The stress would be similar to what we would feel when exposed to a loud noise, or the jitters we may feel before an exam.

Arnsten said 'It doesn't have to be traumatic, as long as you feel out of control. Control is the essential factor. If you are confident, you don't have these problems." She went on to say that memory and the ability to use abstract thoughts are impaired. 'This kind of memory (using working memory that is constantly being updated), the ability to concentrate, seems to be impaired when exposed to mild stresses.'

Forgetfulness is a tool of the brain

2008-12-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

A note to the forgetful: be thankful you don’t remember everything. It means your brain is working properly.

According to a new study, the brain only chooses to remember memories it thinks are most relevant, and actively suppresses those that are similar but less used, helping to lessen the cognitive load and prevent confusion.

Brice Kuhl at Stanford University in California, US, and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the brain activity of 20 healthy adults while they performed a simple memory test. Participants were given three words pairs to memorise, including two pairs that were closely associated, as follows:

* ATTIC dust
* ATTIC junk
* MOVIE reel

After studying "ATTIC dust" a second time, subjects were asked to recall all three pairs using the first words as cues. On average, people were 15% worse at recalling "ATTIC junk" than they were at recalling the unrelated pair, "MOVIE reel".
Initial suppression

Comparing these findings to the fMRI data taken during the test, the team found participants’ brains were highly active in a region known for handling competing memories, and also in an area believed to induce memory suppression.

The researchers believe that the first region identified "ATTIC dust" and "ATTIC junk" as conflicting memories. The second region then suppressed "ATTIC junk" because it had only been seen once.

As the test was readministered a second and third time, suppression activity lessened, indicating the memory adjustment had been made.
Prioritising memories

"Whenever you’re engaging in remembering, the brain adapts. It’s constantly re-weighting memories," says Kuhl. "In this simple test, we see it reverse memory to weaken competing memories. This is something that probably happens a lot in the real world."

A good example is the confusion that arises when we change passwords on our computers or email accounts. We often mix up old and new passwords at first, but through repetition we develop a strong memory of the new password and forget the old one.

"The process of forgetting serves a good functional purpose," says Michael Anderson of the University of Oregon, US, who was not involved in the study. "What these guys have done is clearly establish the neurobiological basis for this process."

Journal reference: Nature Neuroscience (DOI:10.1038/nn1918)

This article is taken from New scientist website

Anti Aging foods

2008-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Getting older also makes you forgetful, based on research there are foods that can prevent us from aging, thus, it boast up our body.

I've found a link with a list of 7 anti-aging super foods:

1.

Chocolate
The Kuna people of the San Blas islands, off the coast of Panama, have a rate of heart disease that is nine times less than that of mainland Panamanians. The reason? The Kuna drink plenty of a beverage made with generous proportions of cocoa, which is unusually rich in flavanols that help preserve the healthy function of blood vessels. Maintaining youthful blood vessels lowers risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and dementia.

Get sweet satisfaction in seconds with delicious chocolate recipes, such as Chocolate & Nut Butter Bites (which include two of the 7 anti-aging super foods!):

Chocolate & Nut Butter Bites

8 1/4-ounce squares of bittersweet chocolate
4 teaspoons almond, cashew or pistachio butter

Top each chocolate square with 1/2 teaspoon nut butter of your choice (almond, cashew, pistachio). Two sandwiches make one serving.

Per serving: 79 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 12 mg sodium; 20 mg potassium. What you get: Magnesium, copper, chromium. 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving. Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1 fat.

2.

Blueberries
In a landmark study published in 1999, researchers at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging fed rats blueberry extract for a period of time that in “rat lives” is equivalent to 10 human years. These rats outperformed rats fed regular chow on tests of balance and coordination when they reached old age. Compounds in blueberries (and other berries) mitigate inflammation and oxidative damage, which are associated with age-related deficits in memory and motor function. Eat more blueberries with healthy blueberry recipes.

3.

Fish
Thirty years ago, researchers began to study why the native Inuits of Alaska were remarkably free of heart disease. The reason, scientists now think, is the extraordinary amount of fish they consume. Fish is an abundant source of omega-3 fats, which help prevent cholesterol buildup in arteries and protect against abnormal heart rhythms. Eat some tonight with a healthy fish recipe.

4.

Nuts
Studies of Seventh-Day Adventists (a religious denomination that emphasizes healthy living and a vegetarian diet) show that those who eat nuts gain, on average, an extra two and a half years. Nuts are rich sources of unsaturated fats, so they offer benefits similar to those associated with olive oil. They’re also concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals, including antioxidants.

5.

Wine
Drinking alcohol in moderation protects against heart disease, diabetes and age-related memory loss. Any kind of alcoholic beverage seems to provide such benefits, but red wine has been the focus of much of the research. Red wine contains resveratrol, a compound that likely contributes to its benefits-and, according to animal studies, may activate genes that slow cellular aging.

6.

Olive Oil
Four decades ago, researchers from the Seven Countries Study concluded that the monounsaturated fats in olive oil were largely responsible for the low rates of heart disease and cancer on the Greek island of Crete. Now we know that olive oil also contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that may help prevent age-related diseases.

7.

Yogurt
In the 1970s, Soviet Georgia was rumored to have more centenarians per capita than any other country. Reports at the time claimed that the secret of their long lives was yogurt, a food ubiquitous in their diets. While the age-defying powers of yogurt never have been proved directly, yogurt is rich in calcium, which helps stave off osteoporosis and contains “good bacteria” that help maintain gut health and diminish the incidence of age-related intestinal illness.

I Forgot To Remember To Forget

2008-07-25T00:56:00.000-07:00

I can relate to this song. And sometimes I forgot to remember to forget...

Amnesia and Memory Loss, Helping to Remember

2008-03-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

Amnesia occurs when the portion of the brain responsible for retrieving stored memories is somehow compromised. This region of the brain is known as the limbic system; it comprises the hippocampus, the amygdala, and portions of the cortex. Besides retrieving memory, the limbic system is responsible for coordination of emotion and motivation and for some of the functions of the endocrine system.

People are amnesiac when the memory retrieval portion of the limbic system isn’t working properly but there is otherwise no change in language, attention span, visual/spatial functioning, or motivation.

Memories are not actually stored in the limbic system or the hippocampus. Rather, several areas of the brain are involved in memory; the type of information being assimilated determines where it is stored. For example, visual and auditory patterns are stored in the temporal lobe, whereas the parietal lobe stores language, speech, word usage, and comprehension.

How much forgetfulness is too much?

2008-02-07T02:49:00.000-08:00

Occasional memory lapses like forgetting where the car is parked are not signs of early Alzheimer's, but doctors still aren't entirely sure how much forgetfulness indicates a greater risk of developing the full-blown disease.

The problem isn't that you can't remember where you put your keys from time to time, it's that once you find the keys, you still can't recall that you put them in that spot. The problem isn't forgetting a single appointment, but a pattern of blanking on important events or responsibilities.

Or, as Dr. Barry Gordon of the Johns Hopkins Memory Clinic puts it: "Miss an exit on the highway once, that happens. Miss it five times and that’s another story."

As part of the explosion of research into Alzheimer's disease over the last decade, scientists have become more aware of the differences between typical age-related memory lapses and a more serious condition called mild cognitive impairment.

People with mild cognitive impairment may be more forgetful than usual, but can still pay the bills and handle most daily tasks. Signs include losing track of a conversation, difficulty remembering details from a TV show they've just watched or consistently forgetting appointments.

"These people are starting to forget important information that they used to remember regularly, like doctor appointments or meeting friends," says Dr. Ron Petersen, a member of the Alzheimer's Association's medical and scientific advisory council.

Alzheimer's is thought to be the underlying cause of most mild cognitive impairment, but not everyone who experiences it develops dementia or worsening symptoms, research indicates.

Dementia is estimated to affect about 10 percent of people over 65. Of those patients, about 65 percent have Alzheimer's and 15 percent have cardiovascular problems like hardening of the arteries or stroke that can impair the mind. The rest have various uncommon conditions.

Because it can be difficult to recognize the boundaries between typical absentmindedness, mild cognitive impairment and the early stages of Alzheimer's, people who are worried about recurring forgetfulness should consult a physician. There are tests to check a person's mental abilities, and neurologists can determine if something is seriously wrong.

Being aware of your memory lapses is probably a sign that the problems isn't serious, says Gordon. The time to worry about Alzheimer's is not just when you think your memory is getting spotty, but when your friends or family start to notice your forgetfulness.

"Those that worry about it most are the least likely to have it," he says. "In general the disease robs people of their ability to appreciate that they have a memory problem."

© 2007 MSNBC Interactive

A Professor's Definition of a Kiss

2007-06-09T01:01:00.000-07:00

Professors of different subjects define the same word in different ways:
Professor of Computer Science:
A kiss is a few bits of love compiled into a byte.
Professor of Algebra:
A kiss is two divided by nothing.
Professor of Geometry:
A kiss is the shortest distance between two straight lines.
Professor of Physics:
A kiss is the contraction of mouth due to the expansion of the heart.
Professor of Chemistry:
A kiss is the reaction of the interaction between two hearts.
Professor of Zoology:
A kiss is the interchange of unisexual salivary bacteria.
Professor of Physiology:
A kiss is the juxtaposition of two orbicular ors muscles in the state of contraction.
Professor of Dentistry:
A kiss is infectious and antiseptic.
Professor of Economics:
A kiss is that thing for which the demand is higher than the supply.
Professor of Statistics:
A kiss is an event whose probability depends on the vital statistics of 36-24-36.
Professor of Philosophy:
A kiss is the persecution for the child, ecstasy for the youth and homage for the old.
Professor of English:
A kiss is a noun that is used as a conjunction; it is more common than proper; it is spoken in the plural and it is applicable to all.
Professor of Engineering:
Uh, What? I'm not familiar with that term.
Professor of Accountancy:
A kiss is a credit because it is profitable when returned.

Sympathy of the Antigens in Our Body

2006-09-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

From the day that you were born, I was there to protect you from harm—from the harmful environment where you belong. From then on, every hour, every minute, and every second, I was always there to protect you. Besides the bad elements you sweat out, the eyes that you wiped, and the junk foods you have stored in your body, there’s also smoke—smoke that gets into my eyes. The flood of wine continuously flows and is very hard to stop, sometimes flushing me out of your system. But now, my dear master, I am very sorry but I can’t take it anymore.

There’s no other place to vacuum the smoke but in your lungs. Those heavy floods of wine sunk into your liver, and your heart has weakened. There are also some of those chemicals that I have encountered. Please, master, stop these vices.

If you will just listen to me, my master, I will do the best that I can to protect you, till the end of both of us. Thank you.

I am Forgetful Alan, but I never did forget my principle in life: not to get into any vices. I hope you do too.

To my fellow teammates, the JV Boys Team

2006-09-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am very glad I’ve stayed in the wonderful team, the JV Boys team. It’s been an awesome opportunity to be in that team. The first wonderful team I have seen is the USA Dream Team of 1990 who participated in the Olympics. That team consists of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, David Robinson, John Stockton, and etc.

Now, it feels like the I am in the Dream Team of PhP programmers in Focus Interactive Outsourcing Corporation, consisting of Marvin Sanchez, Mark Vincent Verallo, Romel Khu, Miko Suria, Alfred Sanchez, and me, as the waterboy of the team (hehe); but modesty aside, I have made some useful scripts for the project. Everybody in the team had a significant role—it was all for one, one for all.

I’ve started with nothing in the team. With the help of a friend by the name of Mr. Ed Vincent Bonjoc (Simple and Humble/ A Good Friend), I was introduced into the team. During that time, when I applied as a temporary PhP programmer in the prestigious and fast-growing company that is Focus, I would rate my knowledge in PhP as 2/10. The days had passed, and the tasks given to me became harder and harder each day. In a team, you are not prohibited to ask. I am very glad because they never hesitated to answer me. There were no insecurities and greediness. In the team, we respect one another. All of us were leaders. We shared ideas, techniques, suggestions, and confronted problems with respect to one another’s tasks.

Now, at this time, I can rate myself as 7/10 in PhP programming. I am very thankful to the whole team, the JV Boys team, as well as the Focus Interactive Outsourcing team. This is the only gift that they can’t take away from me.

Just like a song that has verse, chorus, refrain, coda, and fade, so is my stay with the JV Boys. I was introduced into the team, molded by the team, played with the team, and ended with them. They JV Boys team has ended, and I am sad. There are still some teams who will be very glad and are expecting something from the expertise of each member.

The JV Boys team is now history. To the JV Boys, God bless. Now, there are only two of us left in the team. Yet I will always remember the knowledge you guys have taught me. JV Boys, I will still hold the memories of you guys—online or offline, connected or disconnected. I may be the Forgetful Alan, but I will never forget being in the dream team, the JV Boys team. Thank you, team, thank you.

Goodbye to the team, and welcome to the new opportunities of each member, who are now separated to build a new generation of the JV Boys team.

Forgetful Alan

2006-09-09T02:28:00.000-07:00

You've lost your car keys again, your eyeglasses have disappeared into oblivion, and you walked around the mall parking lot for half an hour the other day before you could remember where you parked your car. Are you on a slippery slope to Alzheimer's disease? Or are you simply a victim of today's hectic world, in which all of us have too many things going on at once, and the minute details of our day-to-day lives are easily forgotten?

Most often, the frustrating problem of absentmindedness is to blame, and to solve it, you simply need to clean out the clutter in your life that is causing lapses in memory and train your brain to remember the things you so often forget. But occasionally, the early stages of Alzheimer's may be the culprit. Experts tell WebMD how you can tell the difference, and how absentmindedness can become a thing of the past that you've long -- and happily -- forgotten about.

When Absentmindedness Strikes

"The basis of absentmindedness is a failure between memory and attention," says Daniel Schacter, PhD, author of The Seven Sins of Memory. "Usually when you are being absentminded, it's that your conscious processing is focused on something other than the task at hand; you are thinking about something else."

When you are thinking about something else, explains Schacter, the details, whether large or small, fall through the cracks of your memory.

"For example, in my book, I give the example of Yo Yo Ma, the cellist," says Schacter. "He gets in a cab in NYC and puts his $2.5 million cello in the trunk. When he arrives at his destination, he pays the cabbie, gets out of the cab, and walks off, leaving his cello in the trunk. In this situation, it's a failure of attention at the time when memory retrieval is necessary."

For most of us, it's not a $2.5 million dollar cello we need to give attention to, it's little things that usually cost a lot less but may be as equally important to everyday life.

"Absentmindedness usually includes things like, 'I can't find my glasses around the house,'" says Schacter, who is also a professor and chairman of the psychology department at Harvard University.

Whether it's glasses or car keys, or a cello, the busier you are, the more likely you are to be absentminded.

"We are all living in a multitasking society," says George T. Grossberg, MD. "Many people just have sensory overload, in which they have too many things going on at once, making them more likely to be absentminded."

Absentmindedness, explains Grossberg, is akin to a personality trait; most likely, an absentminded person would say he or she has been that way their whole life, constantly trying to juggle tasks, and inevitably, some tasks get forgotten. But as people age and tend to get busier, that trait seems more pronounced as people deal with increasingly hectic schedules.

"As people get older and busier with their careers and families, they may be more absentminded, but a defining characteristic of this is that it does not interfere with a person's ability to successfully conduct his or her life," says Grossberg, who is the director of geriatric psychiatry at the St. Louis University School of Medicine.

When absentmindedness does interfere with a person's ability to function on a daily basis, then it's a sign that something beyond a busy schedule or lack of attention to detail may be to blame.

Solving Absentmindedness

To tackle the annoying problem of absentmindedness, try these simple tips that will help you remember:

Simplify your life. "Don't be overwhelmed by too many things at once, and take tasks one at a time," says Grossberg.

Get proper rest and nutrition so you are in a well-rested frame of mind.

Keep items that you use every day in the same place all the time. "Find a place in your house and consistently put your keys or your eyeglasses there, like on the mantle or on the table by the door," says Schacter. "If you are rigid about it, you will always find them in their spots when you go looking for them."

Make effective use of cues and reminders, like sticky notes or a calendar.

"Most absentminded errors can be overcome by having access to reminders," says Schacter. "In the case of Yo Yo Ma, if he had written down that he needed to get his cello out of the trunk of the cab, he wouldn't have forgotten it."

As annoying as absentmindedness can be, it can also easily be overcome. Start by making your life a little easier, and you'll find that you can forget about having trouble with memory again.

Content is initially taken from
Medicinenet