Yesterday in class my psych teacher mentioned that it had been somebody's birthday the previous day. At the time he was holding a giant orange balloon. I was about to mention that the next day (today) was my birthday. But the odd smile on his face and the slightly menacing look in his eye made me hesitate. So I kept my mouth shut.
I was right to do so. He was using the balloons as way of demonstrating classical conditioning. The balloon was a neutral stimulus that he turned into a conditioned stimulus. He asked the girl next to me if she liked balloons. She said yes. He asked if she wanted one. She said sure. And then he popped the balloon right in her face. I knew it was going to happen. I jumped anyway. He then moved over to me with a purple balloon and asked if I wanted it. I wanted to say yes just to spite him (and maybe a little bit because I did want the balloon), but I didn't.
Anyway, back to the birthday thing. Here are some fun facts about today:
- I share a birthday with Neil deGrasse Tyson. (and if you don't know who he is, you lead a sad, uninformed life because he's awesome)
- October 5th is the most common birthday in America. (for a moment I thought this was cool, but then I realized I have to share with more people)
- The Beatles released their first hit, "Love Me Do," in Britain on this day in 1962. (this makes me feel like I was somehow destined to become a Beatles fan)
- Also on this day in 1962, Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, is released. (I'm not an overly huge fan of James Bond movies, but it's still pretty cool)
- In 1921, the The World Series was broadcast on the radio for the first time. (this just make me happy)
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