Eidetic Memory

While many people may not be familiar with the term “eidetic memory” (unless they happen to enjoy watching the TV show, Criminal Minds), they probably have heard of “photographic memory”.

This conjures up all sorts of images, but what exactly is a photographic memory, and is it as useful as people think?

There are, of course, two aspects to memory – Read more…

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Wimbledon – Home Of The Epic Tennis Match

Wimbledon is undoubtedly the international home of tennis, and has been witness to many classic matches.

Many people, myself included, thought that the Wimbledon 2009 final, between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, was as good as it gets …

… until the Wimbledon 2010 match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut.

This second round match broke so many records, it’s hard to put how I feel about it into words.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of this match was the sheer physical and mental stamina that allowed these two players to stay on court for over 11 hours, over the course of three days.

And with both players racking up over 100 aces each during this match, right up until the very end, you have to assume that their bodies were almost working on autopilot, as they have to have been exhausted.

That either player had to lose, after all those hours of play, was a real shame, but unlike test match cricket, where games can last for five days and still finish in a draw (yes, it’s incredibly boring!), one of these two athletes had to emerge the winner, and although it was John Isner, it could just as easily have been Nicolas Mahut.

The commentators went on about the sportsmanship between the two of them, but to me, this is the way any sport should be played, and I feel somewhat sad that good sportsmanship is even mentioned, as it should go without saying.

But there was a third hero on court during the entire match, and that was the umpire, Mohamed Lahyani (who is my favourite umpire – he clearly enjoys himself, has eagle eyes, never missing a thing, and does an all-round great job).

Keeping control of the match, sitting there hour after hour, without the excuses umpires get to climb down from their chair to check disputed calls like they do on clay courts, was an endurance feat in itself.

Whichever way you look at it, it is highly unlikely that anybody will ever play in or witness a match like this one ever again – it was a truly Herculean effort from all concerned, and while John Isner may have come out the winner, Nicolas Mahut was just as much a winner too.

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Dark Mood

Dark clouds are rolling in from afar
All enveloping, as black as night
Reverberations from thunder jar
Keep going and it will be all right
Migraine approaching, eyes and head hurt
Only hope I can fend off the pain
Or at least the worst of it avert
Damn, all these headaches are such a drain

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Diluting The Gene Pool

This post raises some controversial issues that may upset some people, so please know that my intention is not to deliberately offend anybody, but to discuss the implications of the Hippocratic Oath as it relates to advances in medical science and technology.

For those who aren’t aware, the Hippocratic Oath basically requires doctors to practise medicine ethically and to do what’s right for their patients, although there are several other conditions too.

Now, this was all fine and dandy when medical science had little to offer in the way of treatment and cures, but nowadays, with all the technology that’s available (e.g. CAT scanners), this is no longer the case.

Doctors, and other medical professionals, are able to save the lives of many people who, in former times, would simply have died, often at a very young age.

This does, of course, raise several questions. Read more…

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