sedentary rats and scattershot messages

[rjf]

......
But many of the neurons in the brains of the sedentary rats had sprouted far more new tentacle-like arms known as branches. Branches connect healthy neurons into the nervous system. But these neurons now had more branches than normal neurons would have, making them more sensitive to stimuli and apt to zap scattershot messages into the nervous system.

.....
from
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/how-inactivity-changes-the-brain/

I don't know of the actual balance of exercise vs inactivity of some of the
contributors to sage-flame, but the "scattershot messages" caught my eye.

Time to go to the gym.
RJF

[Ondřej Čertík]

Nice article, and highly on topic here. Ultimately it's hard to enjoy the fruits
of computer algebra systems without a working brain.

Fortunately as you can see from the pullup survey,
it looks like most of the contributors are in pretty good shape here.

Ondrej

[Tom Boothby]

On Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 7:55 AM, rjf <fat...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Time to go to the gym.
> RJF

Oh, that is simply wonderful news. Just imagine, if you participate
in our little competitions (... by which I mean invent your own
competition when somebody posts a challenge, as is the mode), it might
improve your brain function to the level of... say... well, you might
have some brain function!

I, for one, cannot abide "the gym". I've never exercised for the sake
of exercise, except for physical therapy. However... I might end up
going to a gym because my left arm is significantly weaker than my
right and that's the power hand for longsword (it's that or learn to
fight left-handed, and balance is generally the better idea).

[rjf]

Unfortunately, from the evidence of "scattershot messages" one might
conclude that the experiment on rats is not applicable to contributors here.:)

Ondrej

[rjf]

On Wednesday, January 22, 2014 10:31:42 AM UTC-8, Tom wrote:

On Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 7:55 AM, rjf <fat...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Time to go to the gym.
> RJF

Oh, that is simply wonderful news.  Just imagine, if you participate
in our little competitions (... by which I mean invent your own
competition when somebody posts a challenge, as is the mode), it might
improve your brain function to the level of... say... well, you might
have some brain function!

Um, for you, Tom, you can read that as "Time for YOU to go to the gym."
 

I, for one, cannot abide "the gym".  I've never exercised for the sake
of exercise, except for physical therapy.

Um, then it would be for the sake of physical therapy and hence not for
the sake of exercise.  
I generally exercise to feel good and for its various health benefits.
 

 However... I might end up
going to a gym because my left arm is significantly weaker than my
right and that's the power hand for longsword (it's that or learn to
fight left-handed, and balance is generally the better idea).

TMI
 

[Tom Boothby]

On Wed, Jan 22, 2014 at 11:19 AM, rjf <fat...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> However... I might end up
>> going to a gym because my left arm is significantly weaker than my
>> right and that's the power hand for longsword (it's that or learn to
>> fight left-handed, and balance is generally the better idea).
>
>
> TMI

Puerile! There may be hope for you yet!