JovialJman - Why do we sleep?

A father and his child sleeping kind of makes me sleepy.

We all spend about a third of our lives asleep, but why do we even sleep? It is unproductive and a waste of time, are there any good points in the sleeping argument, well we shall discuss just that.

Many surveys have proven that we spend about a third of our time asleep. This is due to the fact that we should try get 8 hours of sleep, which is a third of the day. Sometimes you sleep in and other times you go to bed late, it should all balance out and give you that golden number of 8 hours of sleep. Now this is for the average person however, since there are some that spend as little as 5 hours asleep to feel rested ad others as much as 11 hours.

We know the affect of not sleeping, and anyone who has pulled an all nighter should be able to agree with me here, you feel cranky or irritable the next day and feel exhausted more than normal. After not sleeping for one night you can see such a massive difference, so what if you stayed awake for longer? Well as the list goes after 24 hours without sleep it would be comparable with being legally drunk, slurred speech, some loss of coordination and thinking. 

2 to 3 nights without sleep, you can expect muscle twitches (as your body expects to be asleep by now), blurred vision, impaired judgment, micro sleeps (sleeping for a very short time without knowing it) and nausea. 

After 4 days you will be extremely irritable and start hallucinating with delusional episodes.

from 6 to 8 days, your arms and legs will start to experience tremors. you will have memory lapse and not know who you are. 

9 to 11 days without sleep you will have fragmented thinking episodes, (start a sentence without finishing it) and you will be unresponsive for some time.

When new symptoms appears, the previous ones just get worse so after 9 days without sleep things are really bad.

There are some people who have claimed to not have slept for more than 33 years but non of these have been proven whereas some have been proven to sleep for about 2-4 hours a night and they regarded that as not sleeping at all. The Guinness World Record for staying awake is held by Maureen Weston at 449 hours (that is 18 days, 17 hours) but Guinness does not make or confirm any more records for this, because this may severely impact your health. Scientifically documented record however stands at 264 hours, ( or 11 days), without any use of stimulants of any kind, and this record is held by Randy Gardner, and he was studied by scientist while he under went this experiment.

Now since we know what happens what happens when we don't sleep lets talk about why we must/do sleep. This has gone unanswered for many years as it was a very tough question to answer but studies have recently shown some insight into it. Years before they thought that the brain was telling your body what to do and was giving moisture away in the process and sleeping was the time where the body gave this moisture back to the brain, and they were not very far off.

This Ted video Show a good explanation by Jeff Iliff

If you are at work and cannot watch the video, then I shall try my best to explain. All organs have needs and all of these needs need to be filled for the organ to stay healthy. First it needs a supply of nutrients, which is carried by the blood, all organs get blood via the veins including the brain. Then all the organs needs to get rid of waste material. Now this is done by the lymphatic system, now this system does not go to the head, so the brain must use a different way to get rid of these waste products that are different from any other organ.

Now as Jeff says in the video, it is very beautiful the way it is done. There is a clear liquid that surrounds the brain, and this liquid carries the waste material to the surface of the brain then shoots it into channels that run through the brain again, which is on the outside of the blood vessels, now instead of creating a whole new system, (which space does not allow in the head), it uses a system that is already there to its advantages, after it has traveled through the brain it is deposited into the lymphatic system that is connected to the other organs which in turn puts it into the blood then disposed of.

Now the reason that we sleep is because of that. After we fall asleep our busy minds can take a rest, this allows the vessels in the brain to shrink a bit which allows more space around the blood vessels so the waste material can exist much faster. The reason it doesn't do it while we are awake is due to the fact that our brain needs all the nutrients and space for thinking power to keep us alive in the dangerous world we live in and saves the cleaning of our brain for a time where it can afford to not think.

Speaking of sleep now, I would like to mention that the sleeping habits that we have these days are very different since the invention of artificial lights. Oddball has talked about this topic in this TCSA post but does not contain some new information. A study has been done to show that since our species originated from around the equator, our bodies are very suited of 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness. So since we have moved to every corner of the globe (since spheres do apparently have corners) and we travel a lot and are in the presence of artificial light, our sleeping patterns have change drastically.

The natural sleeping pattern is actually sleeping twice per night, going to sleep at about 8 and waking up at 12 then falling asleep again at about 2 and rising with the sun. those 2 hours that are spent awake was used as like a time to talk to your loved ones or just spend like a meditative state in your bed. Those who have reverted back to that pattern, have commented that they felt more awake during the day then they have ever been before. But since of our busy lives I don't think that many people can afford to revert back to that sleeping pattern as it would seem very unproductive, which is why we have the sleeping pattern of a constant 8 hours now.

Anyways, I am off to bed, so please leave a comment on your sleeping pattern and how long you have gone without sleep, down in the comments or on Facebook/Twitter. Please share this with any friends who likes to pull all nighters, or wants to in the future as I am sure they will thank you for showing them the light, (by pointing at the rising sun, Teehee). If you enjoyed today's post, and would like to see more as the are published, please like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left. Thank you for taking the time to read today's post, and I hope you have/had a really awesome day.

Sleep well people

OddballGreg - Operating Systems (What's The Difference?)

Operating system logo's and mascots. Pictured above is the Microsoft logo, Tux, the linux penguin, the Ubuntu Linux log, and the Google Android mascot.

A few days ago, a friend of mine asked me to do an article on what the differences between the most used Operating Systems are. Interestingly enough, this question is not quite as easily answerable as you might expect. Let's talk about that.

First and foremost, what is an operating system: "An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs. The operating system is an essential component of the system software in a computer system." - Wikipedia (Goes to inflict grievous bodily harm to self for quoting Wikipedia)

Fantastic, so, now that we know what an Operating System is, lets try to answer the question. First and foremost, we need to decide what, exactly, are the most used Operating Systems. Now if you were lazy, you would probably say: "Uhhh, isn't that Windows and MacOS?". While you wouldn't be wrong, and those are indeed 2 of the most used Operating Systems out there, there are a great many more computer operating systems out there. Most notably missing from that list is Linux and it's many, MANY spawn that stem from it. On top of this, we are not even considering the fact that Android, IOS and Windows Phone, are in technicality, operating systems as well.

While I could be lazy and simply say that my friend wanted to know the main differences between PC Operating systems; that is to say, Personal Computer, which while technically applicable to phones, has come to be commonly understood as someone's home desktop or laptop computer. That would be no fun though, so I'll talk about both mobile and PC Operating systems in separate sections. In terms of popularity, It's fair to surmise that any Operating Systems I did not mention are clearly not commonly used, since with research, I still don't know they exist. That said, lets begin with PC Operating systems!

PC Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows

First up to the batter plate is Microsoft Windows, perhaps the most commonly used operating system in the world. (Don't quote me on that.) Windows is, and has always been, primarily focused towards office and general purpose use, and, to a degree, is good enough for those purposes. Somewhat easy to install, set up and run, Windows is good because it doesn't require a rocket scientist to figure out how to remove a program. (*cough* linux *cough*)

While perhaps not the most elegant option for most things, it's arguable that for someone not very technically adept, Windows is about the best thing you could give a newbie to start learning to use compared to the other commonly used Operating Systems; due to the cross compatibility of hardware for Windows, it's ability to do anything moderately well, and it's relative ease of use. For dedicated computing however, you'd be hard put to say that Windows is your best choice for anything apart from computer games, and even that is slowly become incorrect as game distribution platforms like Steam and the widely acclaimed Linux WINE program are making it increasingly unnecessary for gamers to stick to Windows to run their games.

MacOS

MacOS is the Macintosh operating system from Apple for the Apple Mac. (Get it?) Exclusive to Apple made hardware, MacOS is lauded for technical superiority and ability to easily do things like run artistic programs such as Photoshop, video editing software, 3D modeling programs, etc. Basically, MacOS is considered something of an artists tool. As for it's ease of use and whether or not it deserves such a reputation, I cannot accurately confirm or dispute due to the fact that I've never actually used MacOS or owned a mac. (And I couldn't exactly just go buy one for a blog post. Not yet anyway.)

Many Apple purists will tell you that MacOS is the best, but many Apple purists also tend to have extremely deep pockets as well, as the MacOS runs exclusively on Apple hardware, (and vice versa). So unless you have a hefty sum of money to shell out, MacOS is not your best option. While MacOS is enjoyed for it's "Works out of the box" attitude to use, there is the unfortunate problem to consider that Mac computers are usually rather fragile, and do not have the same part interchangeability of regular computers. As such, if you drop it, you buy a new one; instead of just replacing the part that got damaged like you would with a Windows/Linux PC.

Linux

Linux is a difficult operating system to accurately talk about the pro's and con's of, simply due to the fact that Linux is, technically speaking the base architecture for a multitude of "distributions" of lLinuxwhich are tailored towards a multitude of uses. The 44 fastest supercomputers in the world run off some permutation of Linux and Linux is free to be redistributed, as such, anyone is able to create their own distribution which can be created for any use ranging from home computer to company server to research supercomputer. Some of the popular mainstream distrubutions include Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, openSUSE and Arch Linux, all of which are best suited for different tasks as determined by what packages form part of their basic package, which in itself can be easily customized post-install. tl;dr, Linux is this really cool, usually open-source, usually free operating system that can do all kinds of stuff.

The downside is you need to be a rocket scientist to use it... kind of. I'll be the first to point out the the "Graphical User Interface" or "GUI" is not a focus of Linux like it is for MacOS and Windows. Many Linux distributions are centered around the use of a terminal or Command Line Interface and eschew all graphics in favor of speeding up the computer. (For the non-technical of you, that means that there's no buttons to click on. You type in commands and the computer writes back about what happened.) While this not a bad thing in any way, it does mean that actually figuring out how to do anything with Linux almost deserves a class of it's own; and after 4 days "Job-Shadowing" a Linux user back in High School, I felt like I had achieved something when I learned how to find my way around the file directory, let alone actually do anything useful.

In short: Windows is the cheap, easy to use OS that does what you need it to do usually. MacOS is the expensive OS that does what it's designed to do really well, if you can afford to get the hardware it natively comes with. And Linux is the hardcore programmer OS that can do all manner of amazing things, for free, if you can figure out how to use it. And now, onto the 4 commonly used smartphone operating systems:

Mobile Operating Systems

IOS

IOS is the Apple mobile operating system which is, again, designed exclusively for the Apple Iphone, as well as the various other "I"gadgets such as Ipods and the like. Following the Mac principle of "Works out the box", IOS is very user friendly and does what a person needs it to do, when they need it to, while offering very little in terms of customization. It's also expensive, just like everything else Apple makes. While inherently reliable, IOS can be painful for some due to it's need to pair and synchronize with Itunes to do any data exchange with a PC, and can only do so with that specific PC lest it re-synchronize and effectively wipe all your data. FUN! It also has the nasty problem of requiring one's credit card details to simply sign up to the Istore, even if you don't intend on buying anything. (Call me a skeptic, but I don't trust that.)

Indisputably, IOS and Apple Phones are good at what they do, but their price and complete rejection of user customization can be something of an issue for some. If they aren't for you, I probably would suggest getting an Iphone.

Android

Android, the Google developed smartphone operating system which is based on Linux. Very customisable, Android is the technical minded person's joy simply because it'll let anyone who wants to tinker with it's inner workings to do so. While this is open to abuse by hackers and can allow those lacking in caution to "brick" their phone, the ability to even completely reinstall or change the operating system of your phone is something that Apple simply does not offer with IOS, and as such is the reason why Android is available on phones ranging from Samsung to HTC and many others besides. Also, it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg to get an Android phone. (Unless it's a Samsung.)

Windows Phone

Less known and soon technically defunct as the latest versions of Windows become platform independent, (That is to say, Windows 10 is going to be the same operating system, regardless of whether you're using a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer.) Windows Phone is the Microsoft answer to Android and IOS which is great for... the "Modern UI". In all technicality, Windows Phone is not a bad mobile operating system, except for the fact Android and IOS do it better, and are more widely used and supported. The range of app's for Windows Phone is abysmally small, as is the market for Windows Phones, which is why most companies haven't even bothered supporting it in any way. Basically, don't bother.

And with that, that bring's us to the end of the topic. I hope that I have sufficiently answered the question, (or perhaps done so in excess), and that you are somewhat better informed about the purposes of the more mainstream Operating Systems out there. If not, feel free to ask any questions you may have down in the comments below, or via Facebook/Twitter. Of course, your support via the sharing of this article with any of your friends who are curious about Operating Systems would be greatly appreciated; as is your liking of the Official TCSA Facebook page and/or following of us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left, thus enabling you to get all the latest posts, as they're published. Regardless of what you do, I thank you for having taken the time to read this post; hope that you have/had an absolutely FANTASTIC day, and I will speak again soon.

Farewell my friends.