DAY 10

Grand Falls, Arizona, 2019. A volcano erupted 20,000 years ago and blocked the Little Colorado River. But the river found a way around the blockage. It re-routed itself and found its old canyon bed at exactly this spot. This waterfall is taller than Niagara Falls.
Enjoy the little things,
for one day you may
look back and discover
that they were the big things.
- Antonio Smith

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MORE THINGS TO DO + CONFIRMATION BIAS + WEIRD BODY CORRELATIONS



More Things To Do

#1 Teach your non-dominant hand to do something. Write, brush hair or teeth, draw. Keep at it. maybe it will learn and get better. If it can't, marvel at how specific your brain is.

#2 Try fun IQ tests with your pet. Examples: if you put a towel over your cat or dog's head, how long does it take him or her to get it off? Hide a treat underneath something. Can the pet figure out how to get it? Put an obstacle between the pet and a treat so that they'd have to go the long way around to get it - see if they can figure that out. There's more ideas online.

#3 Freak out family members with the Balducci levitation. (The levitation David Blaine used.) Practice first.

#4 When you fold your arms, notice which arm is on top. Try it with the other arm on top. Feels weird, doesn't it? Repeat with folding your hands - which thumb is on top? Check your friends to see if they match you. Some will say that this means something about right brain vs left brain, but there's no scientific evidence for that.

#5 Remember the songs you really liked in middle school? Try listening to them again. Still like them?



Confirmation Bias


Photo credit: NASA
Weird things happen on a full moon - everyone knows that. There's only one problem. If you check any measurable statistic: births, crime, etc. they are not different on a full moon. There is no full moon effect.

A full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. All that means is that the side of the moon facing the Earth is completely lit up. The night will be brighter, but that's about it as far as human behavior is concerned.*

So why is everyone convinced that full moons are different? Confirmation Bias.

Confirmation Bias is the human tendency to notice and remember things that fit in with what we already believe, and to forget or undervalue things that go against what we already believe.

Something strange happens, and hey is it a full moon? Yes? Memory cemented in. No? Not as likely to be remembered.

If you believe that times are bad, you will notice only things that confirm that - you will see all the bad. If you believe that things are going to be ok, you begin to will notice the good things. You are in more control of your world than you think. Affirm the good.

* - The moon does cause tides. Perhaps we can talk about that another day.



WEIRD BODY CORRELATIONS

For most people, the distance from your elbow to your wrist is very close to the length of your foot. Try it!

Here's another: your wingspan (arms spread wide, fingertip to fingertip distance) is very close to your height.