Sandra Blakeslee

What can magic tell us about ourselves and our daily lives? If you subtly change the subject during an uncomfortable conversation, did you know you're using attentional 'misdirection', a core technique of magic? And if you've ever bought an expensive item you'd sworn never to buy, you were probably unaware that the salesperson was, like an accomplished magician, a master at creating the 'illusion of choice'. Leading neuroscientists Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde meet with magicians from all over the world to explain how the magician's art sheds light on consciousness, memory, attention, and belief. As the founders of the new discipline of NeuroMagic, they combine cutting-edge scientific research with startling insights into the tricks of the magic trade. By understanding how magic manipulates the processes in our brains, we can better understand how we work - in fields from law and education to marketing, health and psychology - for good and for ill.

Stephen Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde, the founders of the exciting new discipline of neuromagic, have convinced some of the world's greatest magicians to allow scientists to study their techniques for tricking the brain. The implications of neuromagic go beyond illuminating our behavior; early research points to new approaches for everything from the diagnosis of autism to marketing techniques and education. Fun and accessible, Sleights of Mind is "a tour through consciousness, attention, and deception via the marriage of professional magic and cognitive neuroscience" (Vanessa Schipani, The Scientist).

Your body has a mind of its own. You know it's true. You can sense it, even though it may be hard to articulate. You know that your body is more than a vehicle for your brain to cruise around in, but how deeply are mind and body truly interwoven? Answers can be found in the emerging science of body maps. Just as road maps represent interconnections across the landscape, your many body maps represent all aspects of your bodily self. Your self doesn't begin and end with your physical body but extends into the space around you. When you drive a car, your personal body space grows to envelop it. When you play a video game, your body maps automatically track and emulate the actions of your character onscreen. If your body maps fall out of sync, you may have an out-of-body experience or see auras around other people. The Body Has a Mind of Its Own explains how you can tap into the power of body maps to do almost anything better: play tennis, strum a guitar, ride a horse, dance a waltz, empathize with a friend, raise children, cope with stress. Filled with illustrations, wonderful anecdotes, and even parlor tricks that you can use to reconfigure your body sense, The Body Has a Mind of Its Own will change the way you think about what it takes to have a conscious mind inside a feeling body. Praise for The Body Has a Mind of Its Own NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD "You'll never think about your body-or your mind-in the same way again."-Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence "A fascinating exploration of senses we didn't even know we had."-Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Coming to Our Senses "A delightfully original, understandable, and mind-stretching work."-William Safire, columnist, The New York Times Magazine "A marvelous book."-V. S. Ramachandran, M.D., director, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego " An] accessible, practical overview of an important scientific story."-Antonio Damasio, author of Descartes' Error

The inventor of the PalmPilot outlines a theory about the human brain's memory system that reveals new information about intelligence, perception, creativity, consciousness, and the human potential for creating intelligent computers. Reprint.

From the inventor of the PalmPilot comes a new and compelling theory of intelligence, brain function, and the future of intelligent machines. Written with acclaimed science writer Blakeslee, this text promises to transfigure the possibilities of the technology age.

The groundbreaking handbook that helps parents guide their children through divorce and co-parenting -- including the introduction of step-parents -- from a New York Times bestselling author and child psychologist. This is the definitive work from the renowned child psychologist Judith Wallerstein on a subject that concerns millions of American moms and dads: How can you protect your children during and after divorce? Divorce is not a single event but a lifelong trajectory of changed circumstances that demand a different kind of parenting than we have ever known. In What About the Kids? Wallerstein draws on thirty years of in-depth interviews with children of divorce and their parents to show how to create a new family with compassion and wisdom. It covers issues that arise at the time of divorce as well as suggestions for talking to your children months and years after the event. Eminent psychologist Judith S. Wallerstein shares her unique insight and advice in What About the Kids? -- the first comprehensive guide to easing the impact of divorce on your children -- including: The best and worst ages for children to experience their parents' divorce Right and wrong ways to explain divorce to your children Choosing a custody arrangement that's best for your child How to involve the grandparents -- a major resource? Getting the children on your side when you form new relationships The positive effects of divorce on children (believe it or not) How divorce can actually make you a better parent Raising children who grow up able to form lasting relationships

A groundbreaking manual explains what parents need to do to protect their children from the trauma of divorce and its aftermath, examining the effects of divorce on family members, how to help children of all ages through the breakup, and how to help youngsters cope with remarriage, stepparents, and blended families. 150,000 first printing.

How do we make decisions? Why do we deceive ourselves? Why do we dream? Why may we believe in God? Why do we laugh or become depressed? Few scientists have dared address these questions that inform our daily lives with so much acumen and audacity. V.S. Ramachandran is a brilliant Sherlock Holmes of neuroscience. He reveals the strangest case studies he has encountered of patients suffering from serious neurological disorders ? and the insights they yield about human nature and the workings of the mied. ?One of the most original and accessible neurology books of our generation.?Oliver Sacks?This is a splendid book.... If you are at all interested in how your brain works, this is a book you must read.?Francis Crick?Funny and informative.... Ingenious theories, elegant experiments.?The EconomistV.S. Ramachandran is professor and director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, at the University of California, San Diego, and adjunct professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla. He was named by Newsweek as one of the one hundred most important people to watch in the next century.Sandra Blakeslee is a science writer for The New York Times.

Einfühlsam und voller Respekt beschreibt der international führende Neurowissenschaftler Professor Ramachandran die bizarren neurologischen Ausfälle und Störungen seiner Patienten. Mit seinen ebenso ungewöhnlichen wie einfachen Methoden gelingt es ihm, ein ganz neues Licht auf die Tiefenstrukturen des Gehirns zu werfen.

If you grew up as a child of divorce, you may find yourself asking: Why am I so afraid of conflict? Why do I have such a fear of commitment? Why am I always waiting for the "other shoe to drop," even at moments of success? You may be surprised to discover how common these feelings are for children of divorce, especially as they get older. Dr. Judith Wallerstein has been studying the effects of divorce on children for 25 years, but even she wasn't expecting the findings presented here: that while children learn to cope with divorce, its greatest effects don't emerge until adulthood.

â??Phantoms in The Brainâ?? takes a revolutionary new approach to theories of the brain, from one of the worldâ??s leading experimental neurologists.