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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Frits Mansvelt Beck.

Frits here is sixty-nine-years old in this video. He is seventy this year. And I am not ashamed to admit that he can perform physical feats of strength and agility that I, at twenty-five, simply cannot. Relying entirely on diet and exercise (and probably some pretty good genetics), Frits has lived an active lifestyle for more than fifty years. He is in better physical condition at seventy than most of us are at twenty.

Today, advances in human understanding of senescence (that is, in biological aging) have made extended longevity a very real possibility. Add this to the hygiene revolutions of the last century, with subsequent advances in medicine and surgery, and humans can pretty easily lead very long lives even with medical conditions that once upon a time might have ended their life.

The future promises further longevity, as we learn to synthesis replacement organs out of our own D.N.A. and further slow the aging process with chemical and surgical treatments.

But Frits here is neat because he does not rely on these things. He shows us that, even barring advanced scientific treatments, a human being can live a long, healthy, and incredibly fit lifestyle well into their seventieth year with clean, healthy living and exercise. Humans are neat because they constantly defy their supposed limitations.

Resources: An interview with Frits over at Johnny Sapinoso's blog: http://thejsap.blogspot.com/2011/03/030111-featuredathlete-frits-mansvelt.html

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of acrobatic basketball.

Acrobatics are fun to watch. The extraordinary feats of agility and motion inherent in all acrobatics is just plain entertaining. Acrobatic basketball is no exception, as the video above demonstrates.

The group of acrobats in the video, Team AcroDunk, came into my awareness at an all-school assembly this week. As some of you know, I double as a teacher when I'm not trying to be a writer (and when I'm not over here being a world-class blogger). Anyway, they put on a great performance and the kids absolutely loved it. But it will remain forever etched in my memory for one reason ...

As part of the event, they held a dance contest. A dance-off, if you will. The group brought out three teachers to dance in front of the whole school ... and, well. You guessed it. They ended up picking me for one of the three.

And I ended up winning.

So all of my coworkers gave me grief all day long, and I couldn't walk down a hallway without kids freaking out on me. While absolutely adorable, it was definitely one of the more embarrassing days of my life.

Ah well. Live and learn. (Next time I'll hide in the bathroom).

Resources: Team AcroDunk's website: http://acrodunk.com/ 

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

Tchaikovsky - Overture 1812

While it's full name is "The Year 1812 Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49," most people know this beautiful piece of music as Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Composed in 1880 in commemoration of Russia's driving Napoleon's army away from Moscow at the Battle of Borodino, it musically describes the French advance into Russia, and the Russian response to the invasion.

The piece ends with a powerful climax, as the Russian army takes control of the French guns and turns them against Napoleon's forces, throwing them into retreat. Church bells and guns sound in the final seconds of the song, as Moscow celebrates its liberation. In many renditions of the piece, cannons are actually fired for the finale.

The composer here is the passionate Seiji Ozawa, and the orchestra is the Berliner Philharmonic. Enjoy!

On an unrelated note, I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates through the month of October. I had a lot of writing deadlines that month, and my for-fun writing projects took a backseat to my paid writing projects. With those projects finished now, I should be updating this blog more regularly.

Resources: Here's a stream with just the finale, including choral accompaniment and cannon fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2W1Wi2U9sQ

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Sir Henry Wotton.

Henry Wotton (1568-1639) was born in Kent, England, to a family of diplomats and ambassadors. Wotton himself became a diplomat and a secret agent at twenty-one, and traveled abroad. At one point in his career, he helped stop a plot to poison James VI of Scotland, and was later knighted for it.

Wotton was also a bit of a poet. He is said to have jokingly summed up his job as follows: "An ambassador is an honest man sent to lie abroad for the good of his country." While not prolific, his surviving poems are quite nice. One of his better known, and one of my favorites, is "Character of a Happy Life:"

Perhaps his most poignant poem, "On the Death of Sir Albert Morton's Wife," is also his shortest. When his nephew, Sir Albert Morton -- himself a poet -- died after having been married for less than a year, and his wife shortly followed him in death, Wotton's obituary poem was powerfully laconic:

"He first deceased -- she, for a little, tried To live without him, liked it not, and died."

Resources: The Life of Sir Henry Wotton, as described by his dear friend Izaak Walton, can be read here: http://anglicanhistory.org/walton/wotton.html

A collection of Wotton's poetry can be found here: http://www.poemhunter.com/sir-henry-wotton/poems/

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Immanuel Kant.

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was one of the big brains of the European Enlightenment. He's not so much known for his original philosophy as he is known for his herculean effort to reconcile empiricism and rationalism. The philosophy born out of this attempted reconciliation also strives "to be universally valid in covering all self-conscious rational beings." (Shand, 160)

These efforts have had a pretty huge influence on the study of philosophy. The 100 Most Influential Philosophers of All Time describes Kant's impact as follows:

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher whose comprehensive and systematic work in the theory of knowledge, ethics, and aesthetics greatly influenced all subsequent philosophy, especially the various schools of Kantianism and Idealism. (188)

In the end, though:

Kant's dictum was that what can and should be learned is not so much philosophy, as to philosophize. What we need to do is not to absorb schools of thought as subjectively historical, as facts reported to one, but instead to "practice reason's talent in the adherence to all its universal principles ... reserving always the right of reason to examine these principles themselves with regard to their sources and either to confirm or reject them." (Arrington, 171)

And that's a philosophy of philosophy I can get behind.

So enjoy the silly song (I have to agree with youtube commentator rcalicea when he or she says "[a]ny song that successfully uses 'spatiotemporal' deserves props!"), and think about how neat it is that we are able to reason at all.

References: Arrington, Robert L. (editor). The World's Great Philosophers. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.

Duignan, Brian (editor). The 100 Most Influential Philosophers of All Time. New York: Britannica Educational Publishing, 2010.

Shand, John. Philosophy and Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy. London: UCL Press, 1993.

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of bicycles.

I do not own a bicycle (my last one was stolen my second week at graduate school -- thanks for the memories Chicago), but I practically grew up riding one. Alas, I now waste fossil fuels transporting myself primarily by car. I think bicycles, and all other self-powered vehicles, are inherently neat, though.

What else gets you where you need to be, safely, quickly, inexpensively, and cleanly? Until we have solar-powered cars or widespread-use hydrogen fuel cells, or come up with another renewable resource for powering vehicles, the bike shall reign supreme. Indeed, even after those vehicles become widespread, if they ever do, the bike will still be a healthier alternative for the individual driver.

This video clip is an "ordinary Wednesday morning in April 2010," in Utrecht, Netherlands. A few quick facts:

Morning rush hour in the 4th largest city in the Netherlands. Streets look like this when 33% of ALL trips are made by bicycle! This is one of the busiest junctions in Utrecht a city with a population of 300,000. No less than 22,000 bicycles and 2,500 buses pass here every day.

A part of me wishes my city were a little more like this. Either way, though, the fact that humans invented a machine that allows them to go much faster than normal for much less energy expenditure, yet remains utterly simple in design and costs next to nothing to maintain ... ?

That's pretty neat.

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Abelard and Heloise.

The story of Abelard and Heloise is a 12th-century love tragedy, on par with the romance of Romeo and Juliet. The main difference between the two? Well, the romance of Abelard and Heloise is a true story. It actually happened. The other difference? Abelard and Heloise both lived, becoming a monk and a nun respectively ...

... after Abelard was castrated.

Yes, the tragedy inherent in this true story is that Abelard and Heloise were on their way towards their happily-ever-after, when Heloise's uncle mistakenly came to believe that Abelard was running out on Heloise. In a rage, he had Abelard castrated.

Even after the tragic misunderstanding, Abelard and Heloise kept in touch through a series of letters, which remain intact to this day. After their deaths, they were buried together: While they had been unable to spend their lives with one another, they now spend their afterlives together.

Resources: I actually wrote a short article on this topic a few years ago. If you're interested in learning more of the story's actual details, it can be read here: http://www.suite101.com/content/the-romance-of-abelard-and-heloise-a85098

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of player pianos.

Self-playing pianos, or player pianos, are pianos that play by themselves through either pneumatic or electromagnetic mechanisms. The first working player piano was produced by John McTammany in 1876, but it wasn't until after 1890 that they started being made for public use.

This piece, called Circus Galop, was created for the player piano by the French Canadian piano virtuoso Marc-André Hamelin. It takes advantage of the fact that player pianos can play pieces that human pianists could never hope to play. It's an awful lot of fun to watch it in action.

Humans are neat because when they themselves cannot do something ... they can make something to do it for them!

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of In the Hall of the Mountain King.

This musical piece, composed by Edvard Grieg, was produced for Act II, Scene 6 of Henrik Ibsen's play, Peer Gynt. This play, first performed in 1876, tells the story of Peer Gynt, a peasant turned outlaw turned adventurer.

Much of Act II takes place inside of a dream, where Peer meets a woman in green, who turns out to be the daughter of the troll king. Peer is brought before the king of the trolls, inside of his mountain kingdom, where he is given the opportunity to become a troll if he marries the troll king's daughter.

Although Peer considers the offer, he eventually decides against it. At this point, the troll king informs him that he has made his daughter pregnant, and that he must marry her. "That's a lie in your throat!" exclaims Peer, who insists that he did not touch the troll king's daughter.

"Can you deny that she was the object of all your desire?"

"But no more than that. What the deuce does that matter?"

"You human beings are all the same: You are always ready to talk of your souls, but heed nothing really save what is tangible. You think desires are things that don't matter?"

The troll king is made angry, and orders his the trolls to take Peer. Grieg's music is, more or less, designed for the ensuing "chase scene." Although I would love to say that this nineteenth-century play was where I was introduced to this piece of music, I'm afraid I first became familiar with it as a result of a television commercial.

I think it might have been a commercial for Bounty paper towels. What can I say? I'm not half as cultured as I like to pretend I am. In any event, this short composition has become a favorite of mine (and is one of the world's most recognizable pieces of Classical music).

Edvard Grieg himself is said to have hated the piece. But what does he know? He was just the composer.

Resources: The play is freely available in a variety of formats at the Internet Archive, here, for those of you interested in reading it over: http://www.archive.org/details/peergyntdramatic00ibseuoft

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of their opposable thumbs.

Over the years, anthropologists have made much of the opposable thumb's role in human evolution, and for good reason. It is an anatomical gripping instrument that most of us use every day.

Nearly all primates share general characteristics, including, "trends in behavior, brain size, single offspring (not litters), extended stages of growth and development (i.e., prolonged 'life histories'), sociality, anatomy, grasping hands and feet and useful thumbs, nails instead of claws, forward facing eyes, stereoscopic vision, a generalized (i.e., versatile) body plan, generalized teeth, a variable diet, a bony case for the three ear ossicles ('auditory bulla'), and an enclosed eye socket ('orbit')," but humans hold the honor of having the most dexterous thumbs. (Dunsworth, 41 and 176)

In addition to its use in gripping and grasping, and in tool making and manipulation, the thumb has also become a powerful symbol over time. It is an important part of body language, and plays a role (often central) in numerous hand gestures across cultures. Whether it's the familiar "thumbs up" gesture, the Hawaiian Shaka sign, the ancient "fig sign," or the Serbian three-finger salute, the thumb is utilized to good effect in communicating messages associated with the gestures.

Humans are neat because, even though they hardly ever think about it, they are blessed with a very useful little digit in the thumb.

References: Dunsworth, Holly M. Human Origins 101. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2007.

[humansareneat-blog]

Humans Are Neat ...

... because of teaching.

Human beings teach each other language, skills, morals, and much more. More than anything else, it is this very human practice that has seen civilization advance, slowly but surely (and not without setbacks), as we build on the knowledge of our ancestors. In sharing our experiences and knowledge with others -- be it our students, coworkers, children, or friends -- we deeply impact the world.

The clip showcased here is one segment of a documentary called "Children Full of Life: Learning to Care." It focuses on a fourth grade class in Japan, and their teacher. It won the 2003 Japan Prize, which is given out annually by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Company), where the jury described it as follows:

This is a simple story, well told, that captures the essence of education. The program is an intimate portrait of a teacher and his classroom which subtlety presents a path for all educators who face the challenge of preparing students for life. Unobtrusively capturing extraordinary moments of drama and emotion inside a single Japanese classroom, the documentary demonstrates how individual teachers occasionally exhibit remarkable powers to shape the future of their students. The documentary elicits tears of laughter and sadness as students and viewers discover the value of sharing powerful emotions, giving meaning to the life and death issues that arise in the classroom. Incidents of bullying, language instruction and outdoor activities are all opportunities to educate in this "School of Life." Never preachy nor pedantic, the documentary reduces the myriad issues in education to a simple message -- learning to care.

As a fourth grade teaching associate, myself, this documentary resonates with me; and reminds me of the problems I deal with every day. But more than anything else, it reminds me that humans are neat.

References: "Japan Prize 2003 Program Details." NHK Japan Prize English Website. Accessed 18 September 2011, http://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/english/2003/jyusyou_05.html

Resources: The rest of the documentary has been uploaded to YouTube by YouTube user typoprone. If interested in watching the rest, check out the four links below:

(Part 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc7S8HAfDzk (Part 3): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd7YWx7idfE (Part 4): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEW65OKRiAk (Part 5): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FGdXEBcdh4

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of breathing.

Humans need a constant supply of oxygen in order to stay alive. To this end, we take more than 20,000 breaths a day, which keep our bodies constantly supplied with oxygen. Every minute approximately 11-13 pints (or 5-6 liters) of air pass in and out of our lungs, where blood cells collect the oxygen and deposit carbon dioxide for exhalation. In order to keep our entire body oxygenated, "all of our blood must pass through the lungs and around the body at least once a minute." (Winston, 73-74)

Many professional athletes have stronger lungs, and, or, greater lung capacity, allowing them to better oxygenate their bodies. In the above clip, we highlight a different sort of lung training, which involves holding one's breaths -- instead of taking more of them.

Freediving, as performed in the clip, is a practice where humans hold their breath (a process termed "apnea") and dive under water, sometimes for great lengths of time or down to great depths (usually for sport or for hunting). The earliest freedivers, in Korea, Japan, and Greece, would collect pearls and sponges from the ocean floor, and evidence of their endeavors goes back as early as the 5th-century B.C.

The clip above is filmed by Julie Gautier at Dean's Blue Hole, "the deepest blue hole in the world," located at Long Island, Bahamas. The short film's subject is French freediver, Guillaume Néry.

Humans are neat because of the body's ability to supply itself with what it needs; and because of their ability to train that body to go without air for truly astonishing durations.

References: Winston, Robert and Don E. Wilson, editorial consultants. Human. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2004.

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of the Ramayana Monkey Chant.

This chant, more prominently known as "Kecak," is a form of dance and song from Bali. It depicts a story out of the sacred Hindu text, Ramayana, where ape-like humanoids (called Vanara) assist the hero of the story, Prince Rama, in an epic fight against the story's central antagonist, King Ravana. The theatrical and spiritual performance first began in the 1930s, but has its roots in ancient Balinese rituals, such as the sanghyang.

The Ramayana Monkey Chant has been adapted the world-over in a variety of mediums, largely through popular culture. For example, it inspires the ending credits of the popular animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and it was utilized in at least one popular video game (The Secret of Mana). These adaptions can be heard in the Resources, below.

Humans are neat because of their ability to cooperate in choreographing performances like the one above, and because of their ability to adapt localized, ancient traditions to worldwide cultural consciousness.

Resources: Check out the closing theme of Avatar: The Last Airbender, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmqDdXbSLjY

Check out the Kecak's adaption in Secret of Mana, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJX-s41D3Dc

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Ran.

Ran was Akira Kurosawa's last epic film, released in 1985. Kurosawa (1910-1998), an acclaimed and historically significant Japanese filmmaker, produced numerous great works over the course of his career, but many consider Ran to be his greatest masterpiece.

Adapted from Shakespeare's tragedy, King Lear, and making heavy use of the Japanese legends surrounding Mōri Motonari and his sons, the film tells the following tale (synopsis off IMDb):

A story of greed, a lust for power, and ultimate revenge. The Great Lord Hidetora Ichimonji has decided to step aside to make room for the younger blood of his three sons, Taro, Jiro, and Saburo, the Lord's only wish now being to live out his years as an honored guest in the castle of each of his sons in turn. While the older two sons flatter their father, the youngest son attempts to warn him of the folly of expecting the three sons to remain united; enraged at the younger son's attempt to point out the danger, the father banishes him. True to the younger son's warning, however, the oldest son soon conspires with the second son to strip The Great Lord of everything, even his title. (IMDb)

One well-known scene from the film involves Hidetora handing his three sons each a single arrow, and asking them to break it. They all are able to do this. He then hands them a bundle of three arrows to break, and as they attempt to break the bundle and fail, Hidetora explains that while a single arrow is easily broken, three arrows -- like the three brothers -- bound together cannot be broken.

This is adapted from a legend surrounding Mōri Motonari, called the "Lesson of the Three Arrows," and is taught even today in Japanese elementary schools. This film alters the normal ending by having the youngest brother successfully break the three arrows, by bending them over his knee. But the imagery of cooperation and unity is, of course, powerful all the same.

The film is filled with philosophy and symbolism -- ultimately ringing with that special sense of existential nihilism common to tragedies -- and, of course, excellent quotations. One of my favorites went, "Hey. Don't just stand there. Say something. Blabber your nonsense, and I'll speak my truth ... and we'll have a good laugh comparing the two."

In any event, humans are neat because of their ability to tell a story with art and emotion, filled with symbolism and meaning. I'd highly recommend renting or purchasing this film, if you have a free evening to sit through it (it runs nearly three hours), with the proviso that it can be gory during some of the battle scenes, and is rated R.

References: Albers, Bill. "Storyline." Ran (1985). The Internet Movie Database webside, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089881/, accessed 08 September 2011.

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of our white blood cells.

According to doctors Peter H. Raven and George B. Johnson, "[human] blood contains white blood cells, or leukocytes, that provide immunity against many disease-causing agents. Some white blood cells are phagocytic [that is, they ingest harmful, foreign cells], some produce antibodies, and some act by other mechanisms to protect the body." (Raven, 1,039)

The clip here, recorded in the 1950s by David Rogers of Vanderbilt University, shows a neutrophil (the most abundant type of white blood cell in humans and other mammals) chasing, catching, and consuming a Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. S. aureus can cause a whole array of diseases in humans, from pimples to pneumonia, but is perhaps most commonly associated with staph infections.

As you can see, the neutrophil takes no prisoners. Some types of white blood cell can ingest 25% of their cell volume each hour, gobbling up the harmful contaminants in your body to keep you nice and healthy. (Raven, 116)

Unfortunately, while white blood cells are essential components of everyone's immune system, they are not invincible. Some viruses, such as the H.I.V. virus, are adept at destroying them; and when white blood cells become cancerous -- a disease called leukemia -- it is very often fatal. According to a 2001 study, of the 255,932 individuals diagnosed with leukemia across the globe in 2000, only 46,604 survived the disease, making it one of the deadlier cancers. (The deadliest cancer in the study was pancreas cancer, with only 641 out of 201,506 patients surviving it). (Mathers, 4)

In spite of the complications and limitations inherent in white blood cells, they are vital to our survival as a species, and as individuals. I think humans are neat because we have come up with such elaborate defenses to protect ourselves from disease.

Special thanks to Jannie for furnishing me with the link to the clip! Thanks, Jannie!

References: Mathers, Colin D. et al. "Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Survival by Site for 14 Regions of the World." Global Programme on Evidence for Health Policy Discussion Paper No. 13. World Health Organization, 2001. Available online at <http://www.who.int/healthinfo/paper13.pdf>, and accessed 6 September 2011.

Raven, Peter H. and George B. Johnson. Biology (Sixth Edition). McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 2001.

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of Wound Man.

Wound Man is an illustration that shows up in a number of Early Modern European surgical texts. He first appears in the late fifteenth century, and really proliferates through the sixteenth. The illustration then begins to slowly, but surely, disappear into the seventeenth century. The illustration here comes from Hans von Gersdorff's 1519 medical treatise, Feldbuch der Wundarzney (The Field Book of Surgery).

As can be seen in the image, Wound Man is in pretty rough shape. That's because it was his job to represent, schematically, all of the injuries that a person could sustain in combat, or by accident. With the illustration, there would often be descriptions of each injury, with prognosis or treatment options. In this way, Wound Man served the barber-surgeons of his day as a medical reference point.

It should be noted that surgery during this period was extremely limited. For instance, if shot with a bullet, the prevailing wisdom of the day was that the bullet had to come out -- as it was believed that all foreign bodies were toxic. Surgeons would even widen wounds and dig around inside their patients for bullets and bullet fragments, further damaging them, in order to ensure the bullet's removal. This idea has since been proven wrong, and in many cases modern doctors will today leave a bullet inside a person -- focusing their efforts on the wound, alone, which will just heal around the projectile.

Medicine was advancing, however. Through referencing ancient writers, through dissection, and through empirical observation, barber-surgeons were slowly honing their craft. There were, for instance, notable improvements in hemostasis techniques (that is, techniques for stopping bleeding), that went beyond cauterization. And surgical textbooks and references like Wound Man were starting to become available, allowing these early doctors to compare and contrast methodology.

Wound Man is neat, as are the humans who used him, because he represents the progress of anatomical and medical understanding during the Early Modern period. Which, ultimately, would lead to the highly-advanced, quite technical surgical procedures that save modern lives every day.

Resources: A colored version of the illustration above can be found here, courtesy of the British Library: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/woundslge.html 

Another, somewhat more graphic Wound Man can be seen here (with the warning that he is nude in this illustration): http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/humansareneat/WoundMan.jpg

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Humans Are Neat ...

... because of futures studies.

The human being is the only animal known to be aware of its own mortality. This awareness is married to humanity's fascination with the future. According to Gale Group's Encyclopedia of Sociology:

Future thinking has always been part of human history, for humans become human when they think about the future, as John McHale (1969) wrote. Some form of future thinking exists in almost all known societies; it is a universal phenomenon, as Wendell Bell (1997) writes, that ranges from divination, which involves the unveiling of the unknown, to the recent development of futures studies. Divination may be related to decisions taken by whole tribes and nations, just as the aim of scientifically rigorous futures studies is to support decision making. (1,037)

Some of the limitations involved in futures studies include the fact that predictions are self-altering (in that the moment a forecast becomes public, it can have impact public decisions, creating either a self-realizing or self-defeating effect on the prediction); predictions are unable to take into account unquantifiable data, like the personality of a given head of state, or a group or organization's reaction to social or technological change; and predictions are all subject to a posteriori verification: That is to say, we have no way of determining how accurate they are until after the predictions prove true or false (Masini, 1,040-1,041). Additional limitations are noted in the video clip.

Said clip is an except from a 1964 episode of the BBC's Horizon, featuring sci-fi giant, Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke here makes some stunningly accurate predictions, seeming to divine the rise of our global communications empire, almost thirty years before it started hitting its stride.

Humans are neat because we are able to imagine a future that we, ourselves, may never come to know -- and then work towards realizing that future for our descendants.

References: Masini, Eleonora Barbieri. "Future Studies As Human And Social Activity." Encyclopedia of Sociology (Second Edition), editors Edgar F. Borgatta and Rhonda J. V. Montgomery, pages 1,037-1,043. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2000.