This is neat. Dig the illustrations. Would love to see a kid’s version of this.
3,947 karma · joined July 15, 2011
Silicon Valley veteran (former CTO & startup CEO).
Background bridging theatre and computer science — former actor turned engineering and technology leader.
Avid home cook finding stillness in the kitchen. Enjoyer of good humans, aromatic coffee, and plants. Fond of science (especially astronomy and quantum physics). Commodore 64 tattoo included.
Senior Engineering Manager @ New Relic
Everything I say is my own opinion and not representative of any organization.
https://davidbyrondrake.com
I’ve been a paid user since the early days and it’s an absolute delight to my grandmother every single time it shows up during the month.
1. Register and get a unique phone number to text
2. Start sending photos to that number via SMS
3. Share the phone number with other relatives and tell them to do the same
4. Grandparent gets envelope of printed photos just like the ones filling their old albums on the shelves
It really is that easy. It’s affordable. And the founder is very responsive to any support inquiries.
It was a service I always wanted to build myself but never had the time. I’m very grateful for it.
[0] - https://nanagram.co/
2008 was when there were numerous undersea cable disruptions[1]. I wrote about them when it happened from the best sources I could find at the time[2].
It isn’t surprising to see that surveillance may have occurred as a result.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_submarine_cable_disruptio...
[2] - https://randomdrake.com/2008/02/12/the-submarine-cables-a-co...
I guess it wasn't clear that I was also implying there may be something wrong when one of the largest companies in the world can sell ?? number of devices aimed specifically at children, without this regulation being enforced/checked for ?? amount of time.
Either enforcement, or regulation failed. I think we've got a lot of mechanisms for enforcement, as this article is bringing light to the necessity of.
So, perhaps the aforementioned "regulation" is not enough, and properly written regulation that can be enforced with some regularity and haste is required considering this is for children.
I wouldn't be surprised if they were trying to liquidate.
I think it was $39.95 for the children's version and $49.95 for the regular version.
There were a few pieces of dark UX/UI that hid a couple of very important differentiations that made me nope out.
1. The service automagically came with something called Amazon FreeTime[3]. It's advertised as free everything for your child; books, tv, music, etc. in exchange, of course it would kindly listen and "learn" to offer better things. Nope.
2. The device was last generation's hardware with a nice cover. It wasn't even technologically up to snuff with the current Echo Dot.
Basically I wrote it off as a kid's tracking and advertising device and purchased a regular new one.
Glad my Spidey senses were tingling.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_to_children#Histor...
[2] - https://www.amazon.com/Echo-Kids-smart-speaker-Alexa/dp/B077...
[3] - https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-FreeTime-Unlimited-Monthly-Sub...
https://github.com/KamitaniLab/DeepImageReconstruction
The code is well-commented Python and a pleasure to read.
More debatable perhaps is Via, which is required (by RFC7230) to be added to the response by any proxy through which it passes to identify the proxy. This can be something useful like the proxy’s hostname, but is more likely to be a generic identifier like “vegur”, “varnish”, or “squid”. Removing (or not setting) this header is technically a spec violation, but no browsers do anything with it, so it’s reasonably safe to get rid of it if you want to.
Actually, it isn’t “debatable,” since the debate occurred, and a decision was made, and published. That’s what RFCs are for.
To ignore them with such wanton disregard speaks volumes.
Edit: to clarify, I didn't mean that RFCs should not be debated at all, only that disregarding this because "no browsers do anything with it" didn't seem like a good justification or stance.
Will be interesting to see if anything comes from the other executives who dumped their stock:
* John Gamble, Jr. - Chief Financial Officer
* Rodolpho Ploder - Workforce Solutions President
* Joseph Loughran - Chief Marketing Officer
The series of events mentioned in the article say that he texted someone about it before it happened, and that he was searching Google for stock price information.
Maybe the other three didn't leave a clear enough trail or they just haven't been charged, yet? I would hate to think that just dumping all of the charges on the "tech guy" for everything would be what happens here.
This is not true.
"The company said on Thursday that it added 157,000 net digital-only subscriptions in the fourth quarter of the year, pushing overall subscription revenue to more than $1 billion for the year. Subscription revenue now accounts for 60 percent of the company’s total revenue."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/business/new-york-times-c...
Citation: Schuster, Paul F.; Schaefer, Kevin M.; Aiken, George R.; Antweiler, Ronald C.; Dewild, John F.; Gryziec, Joshua D.; Gusmeroli, Alessio; Hugelius, Gustaf; Jafarov, Elchin; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Liu, Lin; Herman-Mercer, Nicole; Mu, Cuicui; Roth, David A.; Schaefer, Tim; Striegl, Robert G.; Wickland, Kimberly P.; Zhang, Tingjun. Geophysical Research Letters, 45.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075571
DOI: 10.1002/2017GL075571
Abstract: Changing climate in northern regions is causing permafrost to thaw with major implications for the global mercury (Hg) cycle. We estimated Hg in permafrost regions based on in situ measurements of sediment total mercury (STHg), soil organic carbon (SOC), and the Hg to carbon ratio (RHgC) combined with maps of soil carbon. We measured a median STHg of 43 ± 30 ng Hg g soil−1 and a median RHgC of 1.6 ± 0.9 μg Hg g C−1, consistent with published results of STHg for tundra soils and 11,000 measurements from 4,926 temperate, nonpermafrost sites in North America and Eurasia. We estimate that the Northern Hemisphere permafrost regions contain 1,656 ± 962 Gg Hg, of which 793 ± 461 Gg Hg is frozen in permafrost. Permafrost soils store nearly twice as much Hg as all other soils, the ocean, and the atmosphere combined, and this Hg is vulnerable to release as permafrost thaws over the next century. Existing estimates greatly underestimate Hg in permafrost soils, indicating a need to reevaluate the role of the Arctic regions in the global Hg cycle.
Turns out the 85% number is quoted from the "Top 30 Targeted High Risk Vulnerabilities" published in 2015[1], which came from Public Safety Canada's "Top 4 Strategies to Mitigate Targeted Cyber Intrusions" also from 2015[2], which came from the Australian Signals Directorate's report "Top four mitigation strategies to protect your ICT system" from 2012[3], which says (emphasis mine):
"At least 85% of the intrusions that ASD responded to in 2011 involved adversaries using unsophisticated techniques that would have been mitigated by implementing the Top 4 mitigation strategies as a package."
A far cry from "as many as 85 percent of all targeted attacks" quoted from Intel in 2018.
[1] - https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA15-119A
[2] - https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cbr-scrt/tp-str...
[3] - https://www.asd.gov.au/publications/protect/top_4_mitigation...
Citation: J. M. Cole, K. T. Behm, E. Gerstmayr, T. G. Blackburn, J. C. Wood, C. D. Baird, M. J. Duff, C. Harvey, A. Ilderton, A. S. Joglekar, K. Krushelnick, S. Kuschel, M. Marklund, P. McKenna, C. D. Murphy, K. Poder, C. P. Ridgers, G. M. Samarin, G. Sarri, D. R. Symes, A. G. R. Thomas, J. Warwick, M. Zepf, Z. Najmudin, and S. P. D. Mangles. Phys. Rev. X 8, 011020 – 2018-02-07
Link: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.8.011020
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.8.011020
Abstract: The dynamics of energetic particles in strong electromagnetic fields can be heavily influenced by the energy loss arising from the emission of radiation during acceleration, known as radiation reaction. When interacting with a high-energy electron beam, today’s lasers are sufficiently intense to explore the transition between the classical and quantum radiation reaction regimes. We present evidence of radiation reaction in the collision of an ultrarelativistic electron beam generated by laser-wakefield acceleration (ε > 500 MeV) with an intense laser pulse (a0 > 10). We measure an energy loss in the postcollision electron spectrum that is correlated with the detected signal of hard photons (γ rays), consistent with a quantum description of radiation reaction. The generated γ rays have the highest energies yet reported from an all-optical inverse Compton scattering scheme, with critical energy εcrit > 30 MeV.
Citation: K Yokawa, T Kagenishi, A Pavlovič, S Gall, M Weiland, S Mancuso, F Baluška; Annals of Botany, mcx155.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcx155
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx155
Abstract:
Background and Aims
Anaesthesia for medical purposes was introduced in the 19th century. However, the physiological mode of anaesthetic drug actions on the nervous system remains unclear. One of the remaining questions is how these different compounds, with no structural similarities and even chemically inert elements such as the noble gas xenon, act as anaesthetic agents inducing loss of consciousness. The main goal here was to determine if anaesthetics affect the same or similar processes in plants as in animals and humans.
Methods
A single-lens reflex camera was used to follow organ movements in plants before, during and after recovery from exposure to diverse anaesthetics. Confocal microscopy was used to analyse endocytic vesicle trafficking. Electrical signals were recorded using a surface AgCl electrode.
Key Results
Mimosa leaves, pea tendrils, Venus flytraps and sundew traps all lost both their autonomous and touch-induced movements after exposure to anaesthetics. In Venus flytrap, this was shown to be due to the loss of action potentials under diethyl ether anaesthesia. The same concentration of diethyl ether immobilized pea tendrils. Anaesthetics also impeded seed germination and chlorophyll accumulation in cress seedlings. Endocytic vesicle recycling and reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance, as observed in intact Arabidopsis root apex cells, were also affected by all anaesthetics tested.
Conclusions
Plants are sensitive to several anaesthetics that have no structural similarities. As in animals and humans, anaesthetics used at appropriate concentrations block action potentials and immobilize organs via effects on action potentials, endocytic vesicle recycling and ROS homeostasis. Plants emerge as ideal model objects to study general questions related to anaesthesia, as well as to serve as a suitable test system for human anaesthesia.
Citation: Simon Neubauer, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Philipp Gunz. Science Advances, 2018; 4 (1): eaao5961.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao5961
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao5961
Abstract: Modern humans have large and globular brains that distinguish them from their extinct Homo relatives. The characteristic globularity develops during a prenatal and early postnatal period of rapid brain growth critical for neural wiring and cognitive development. However, it remains unknown when and how brain globularity evolved and how it relates to evolutionary brain size increase. On the basis of computed tomographic scans and geometric morphometric analyses, we analyzed endocranial casts of Homo sapiens fossils (N = 20) from different time periods. Our data show that, 300,000 years ago, brain size in early H. sapiens already fell within the range of present-day humans. Brain shape, however, evolved gradually within the H. sapiens lineage, reaching present-day human variation between about 100,000 and 35,000 years ago. This process started only after other key features of craniofacial morphology appeared modern and paralleled the emergence of behavioral modernity as seen from the archeological record. Our findings are consistent with important genetic changes affecting early brain development within the H. sapiens lineage since the origin of the species and before the transition to the Later Stone Age and the Upper Paleolithic that mark full behavioral modernity.
Citation: Fitzpatrick KK, Darcy A, Vierhile M. JMIR Ment Health 2017; 4(2):e19.
Link: https://doi.org/10.2196/mental.7785
DOI: 10.2196/mental.7785
Abstract:
Background: Web-based cognitive-behavioral therapeutic (CBT) apps have demonstrated efficacy but are characterized by poor adherence. Conversational agents may offer a convenient, engaging way of getting support at any time.
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a fully automated conversational agent to deliver a self-help program for college students who self-identify as having symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Methods: In an unblinded trial, 70 individuals age 18-28 years were recruited online from a university community social media site and were randomized to receive either 2 weeks (up to 20 sessions) of self-help content derived from CBT principles in a conversational format with a text-based conversational agent (Woebot) (n=34) or were directed to the National Institute of Mental Health ebook, “Depression in College Students,” as an information-only control group (n=36). All participants completed Web-based versions of the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale at baseline and 2-3 weeks later (T2).
Results: Participants were on average 22.2 years old (SD 2.33), 67% female (47/70), mostly non-Hispanic (93%, 54/58), and Caucasian (79%, 46/58). Participants in the Woebot group engaged with the conversational agent an average of 12.14 (SD 2.23) times over the study period. No significant differences existed between the groups at baseline, and 83% (58/70) of participants provided data at T2 (17% attrition). Intent-to-treat univariate analysis of covariance revealed a significant group difference on depression such that those in the Woebot group significantly reduced their symptoms of depression over the study period as measured by the PHQ-9 (F=6.47; P=.01) while those in the information control group did not. In an analysis of completers, participants in both groups significantly reduced anxiety as measured by the GAD-7 (F1,54= 9.24; P=.004). Participants’ comments suggest that process factors were more influential on their acceptability of the program than content factors mirroring traditional therapy.
Conclusions: Conversational agents appear to be a feasible, engaging, and effective way to deliver CBT.
Citation: Michael L. Schneider, Christine A. Donnelly, Stephen E. Russek, Burm Baek, Matthew R. Pufall, Peter F. Hopkins, Paul D. Dresselhaus, Samuel P. Benz, William H. Rippard. Science Advances 26 Jan 2018. Vol. 4, no. 1, e1701329.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1701329
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701329
Abstract: Neuromorphic computing promises to markedly improve the efficiency of certain computational tasks, such as perception and decision-making. Although software and specialized hardware implementations of neural networks have made tremendous accomplishments, both implementations are still many orders of magnitude less energy efficient than the human brain. We demonstrate a new form of artificial synapse based on dynamically reconfigurable superconducting Josephson junctions with magnetic nanoclusters in the barrier. The spiking energy per pulse varies with the magnetic configuration, but in our demonstration devices, the spiking energy is always less than 1 aJ. This compares very favorably with the roughly 10 fJ per synaptic event in the human brain. Each artificial synapse is composed of a Si barrier containing Mn nanoclusters with superconducting Nb electrodes. The critical current of each synapse junction, which is analogous to the synaptic weight, can be tuned using input voltage spikes that change the spin alignment of Mn nanoclusters. We demonstrate synaptic weight training with electrical pulses as small as 3 aJ. Further, the Josephson plasma frequencies of the devices, which determine the dynamical time scales, all exceed 100 GHz. These new artificial synapses provide a significant step toward a neuromorphic platform that is faster, more energy-efficient, and thus can attain far greater complexity than has been demonstrated with other technologies.
Citation: Jean M. Twenge, Thomas E. Joiner, Megan L. Rogers, Gabrielle N. Martin. Clinical Psychological Science Vol 6, Issue 1, pp. 3 - 17. November 14, 2017.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617723376
DOI: 10.1177/2167702617723376
Abstract: In two nationally representative surveys of U.S. adolescents in grades 8 through 12 (N = 506,820) and national statistics on suicide deaths for those ages 13 to 18, adolescents’ depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates increased between 2010 and 2015, especially among females. Adolescents who spent more time on new media (including social media and electronic devices such as smartphones) were more likely to report mental health issues, and adolescents who spent more time on nonscreen activities (in-person social interaction, sports/exercise, homework, print media, and attending religious services) were less likely. Since 2010, iGen adolescents have spent more time on new media screen activities and less time on nonscreen activities, which may account for the increases in depression and suicide. In contrast, cyclical economic factors such as unemployment and the Dow Jones Index were not linked to depressive symptoms or suicide rates when matched by year.
Citation: Malcolm Burrows, Gregory Sutton. Science. 13 Sep 2013: Vol. 341, Issue 6151, pp. 1254-1256.
Link: https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1240284
DOI: 10.1126/science.1240284
Abstract: Gears are found rarely in animals and have never been reported to intermesh and rotate functionally like mechanical gears. We now demonstrate functional gears in the ballistic jumping movements of the flightless planthopper insect Issus. The nymphs, but not adults, have a row of cuticular gear (cog) teeth around the curved medial surfaces of their two hindleg trochantera. The gear teeth on one trochanter engaged with and sequentially moved past those on the other trochanter during the preparatory cocking and the propulsive phases of jumping. Close registration between the gears ensured that both hindlegs moved at the same angular velocities to propel the body without yaw rotation. At the final molt to adulthood, this synchronization mechanism is jettisoned.
Citation: Mikael Lundqvist, Pawel Herman, Melissa R. Warden, Scott L. Brincat & Earl K. Miller. Nature Communications 9, Article number: 394 (2018).
Link: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02791-8
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02791-8
Abstract: Working memory (WM) activity is not as stationary or sustained as previously thought. There are brief bursts of gamma (~50–120 Hz) and beta (~20–35 Hz) oscillations, the former linked to stimulus information in spiking. We examined these dynamics in relation to readout and control mechanisms of WM. Monkeys held sequences of two objects in WM to match to subsequent sequences. Changes in beta and gamma bursting suggested their distinct roles. In anticipation of having to use an object for the match decision, there was an increase in gamma and spiking information about that object and reduced beta bursting. This readout signal was only seen before relevant test objects, and was related to premotor activity. When the objects were no longer needed, beta increased and gamma decreased together with object spiking information. Deviations from these dynamics predicted behavioral errors. Thus, beta could regulate gamma and the information in WM.
Citation: King, Lucy; Pardo, Michael; Weerathunga, Sameera; Kumara, T.V; Jayasena, Nilimini; Soltis, Joseph; de Silva, Shermin; Cell Current Biology Vol 28, Issue 2 January 2018.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.018
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.018
Summary: Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are threatened primarily by habitat loss and human–elephant conflict. In addition to establishing protected areas and corridors for wildlife, empowering farmers to protect their crops is crucial for Asian elephant conservation. Elephants can habituate to artificial deterrents, hence natural biological alternatives are of great interest. African elephants (Loxodonta africana) avoid African honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata), inspiring ‘beehive fences’ as a successful means of small-scale crop protection. Here, we used a recording of a disturbed hive of cavity-dwelling Asian honey bees (Apis cerana indica) and conducted sound playbacks to 120 wild elephants in 28 different groups resting under trees in Uda Walawe National Park in Sri Lanka. Elephants responded by moving significantly further away from their resting site in bee playback trials compared to controls. Elephants also increased vocalization rates, as well as investigative and reassurance behaviours in response to bee sounds, but did not display dusting or headshaking behaviour.
What is all the hubbub about machine learning, and things like neural networks, if they aren't being actively employed by the tech giants?
There's only a couple possible scenarios I can come up with for why this continues to occur:
1) The best and the brightest actually don't work for any of these companies; they're just constantly trying to catch up to teams of developers more highly skilled than them. They are bright, and decent, but ultimately mostly average.
2) The developers in these companies are on par with those who can graph and identify these networks of malicious and fake content makers, but they just don't care because # == $.
3) The companies actually have their head so far in the sand that they don't have the technology, or the resources, to combat this.
I find it hard to believe that people outside of the ecosystem of these companies have more skill, knowledge, or capabilities (1). It also pains me to think that hundreds of millions or billions of dollars simply cannot run a company that can combat this (3).
So that seems to leave complacency (2), which is disturbing and definitely should send up more red flags about whether we should be giving these networks any attention at all.
I'd love to hear other possibilities or maybe more information to back up any of the other scenarios.
Citation: J Graham Ruby; Megan Smith; Rochelle Buffenstein; eLife 2018.
Link: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.31157
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.31157
Abstract: The longest-lived rodent, the naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber), has a reported maximum lifespan of >30 years and exhibits delayed and/or attenuated age-associated physiological declines. We questioned whether these mouse-sized, eusocial rodents conform to Gompertzian mortality laws by experiencing an exponentially increasing risk of death as they get older. We compiled and analyzed a large compendium of historical naked mole-rat lifespan data with >3000 data points. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed a substantial portion of the population to have survived at 30 years of age. Moreover, unlike all other mammals studied to date, and regardless of sex or breeding-status, the age-specific hazard of mortality did not increase with age, even at ages 25-fold past their time to reproductive maturity. This absence of hazard increase with age, in defiance of Gompertz’s law, uniquely identifies the naked mole-rat as a non-aging mammal, confirming its status as an exceptional model for biogerontology.
Citation: Joshua Krissansen-Totton; Stephanie Olson; David C. Catling; Science Advances 24 Jan 2018.
Link: https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao5747
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao5747
Abstract: Chemical disequilibrium in planetary atmospheres has been proposed as a generalized method for detecting life on exoplanets through remote spectroscopy. Among solar system planets with substantial atmospheres, the modern Earth has the largest thermodynamic chemical disequilibrium due to the presence of life. However, how this disequilibrium changed over time and, in particular, the biogenic disequilibria maintained in the anoxic Archean or less oxic Proterozoic eons are unknown. We calculate the atmosphere-ocean disequilibrium in the Precambrian using conservative proxy- and model-based estimates of early atmospheric and oceanic compositions. We omit crustal solids because subsurface composition is not detectable on exoplanets, unlike above-surface volatiles. We find that (i) disequilibrium increased through time in step with the rise of oxygen; (ii) both the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic may have had remotely detectable biogenic disequilibria due to the coexistence of O2, N2, and liquid water; and (iii) the Archean had a biogenic disequilibrium caused by the coexistence of N2, CH4, CO2, and liquid water, which, for an exoplanet twin, may be remotely detectable. On the basis of this disequilibrium, we argue that the simultaneous detection of abundant CH4 and CO2 in a habitable exoplanet’s atmosphere is a potential biosignature. Specifically, we show that methane mixing ratios greater than 10−3 are potentially biogenic, whereas those exceeding 10−2 are likely biogenic due to the difficulty in maintaining large abiotic methane fluxes to support high methane levels in anoxic atmospheres. Biogenicity would be strengthened by the absence of abundant CO, which should not coexist in a biological scenario.
Citation: Xu, Kitty Z.; Anderson, Brian A.; Emeric, Erik E.; Sali, Anthony W.; Stuphorn, Veit; Yantis, Steven; Courtney, Susan M. Elsevier Science Neuron. December 2017.
Link: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2017.11.010
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.11.010
Summary: Executive control involves the ability to flexibly inhibit or change an action when it is contextually inappropriate. Using the complimentary techniques of human fMRI and monkey electrophysiology in a context-dependent stop signal task, we found a functional double dissociation between the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) and the bi-lateral frontal eye field (FEF). Different regions of rVLPFC were associated with context-based signal meaning versus intention to inhibit a response, while FEF activity corresponded to success or failure of the response inhibition regardless of the stimulus response mapping or the context. These results were validated by electrophysiological recordings in rVLPFC and FEF from one monkey. Inhibition of a planned behavior is therefore likely not governed by a single brain system as had been previously proposed, but instead depends on two distinct neural processes involving different sub-regions of the rVLPFC and their interactions with other motor-related brain regions.
Highlights:
• A context-dependent stop-signal task with human fMRI and primate neurophysiology
• Task design, data types, and analysis methods enable dissociation of system components
• Multiple distinct parts of rVLPFC and interactions with other brain areas required
• Context-based attention, interpretation, monitoring, but not direct response control
Citation: Mischel, Walter; Ebbesen, Ebbe B.; Raskoff Zeiss, Antonette. American Psychological Association Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol 21. Issue 2. 204-218. 1972.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0032198
DOI: 10.1037/h0032198
Abstract: Three experiments investigated attentional and cognitive mechanisms in delay of gratification In each study preschool children could obtain a less preferred reward immediately or continue waiting indefinitely for a more preferred but delayed reward Experiment I compared the effects of external and cognitive distraction from the reward objects on the length of time which preschool children waited for the preferred delayed reward before forfeiting it for the sake of the less preferred immediate one. In accord with predictions from an extension of frustrative nonreward theory, children waited much longer for a preferred reward when they were distracted from the rewards than when they attended to them directly Experiment II demonstrated that only certain cognitive events (thinking "fun things") served as effective ideational dis- tractors Thinking "sad thoughts" produced short delay times, as did thinking about the rewards themselves In Experiment III the delayed rewards were not physically available for direct attention during the delay period, and the children's attention to them cogmtively was manipulated by prior instructions While the children waited, cognitions about the rewards significantly reduced, rather than enhanced, the length of their delay of gratification Overall, atten- tional and cognitive mechanisms which enhanced the salience of the rewards shortened the length of voluntary delay, while distractions from the rewards, overtly or cogmtively, facilitated delay The results permit a reinterpretation of basic mechanisms in voluntary delay of gratification and self-control.