🌁 Can Technology Heal Our Brains?

In today’s news:

Last Tuesday we attended our first event at Manny’s, a community gathering space to promote connection and learning. They host a wide variety of events from political talks by local candidates to personal betterment topics, and scientific lectures. The event of the night was presented by UCSF neuroscientist, inventor, author, and entrepreneur Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Gazzaley is the founder and executive director of Neuroscape, a translational neuroscience center at UCSF that designs and develops technologies to advance medical assessment and treatment for brain function and physiology. Gazzaley co-authored the 2016 book “The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World.”

He spoke in depth about Neuroscape’s use of clinical-grade video games paired with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to study the neural mechanisms of their effects on cognition. Neuroscape has shown promising results in improving the attentional skills of children with ADHD, as well as recall in adults with mild cognitive impairment using these technological treatments.

The technological applications for enhancing cognition in subjects from children to adults were fascinating to learn about, and raised so many hopeful questions for me as someone with a background in cognitive therapy with older adults. More information can be learned about Dr. Gazzaley’s research here.

As an ardent lover of Mexican cuisine, I typically find myself traveling to the Mission when I’m in the mood to eat tacos. It’s where you have to be if you want authentic Mexican food that really gets the flavors right. I was ecstatic when I started hearing about an L.A. -famous taco truck coming to the west side of town that had a loyal following and a reputation for legit al pastor tacos.

Leo’s Tacos is a business run by the Martinez family from Oaxaca, Mexico. They started their business with one truck and expanded to a fleet of 15 in the greater Los Angeles area, with two additional trucks now serving the Bay Area, achieving critical praise from major culinary publications along the way.

On the day of our visit, we sampled carne asada tacos, the famous al pastor tacos, and a California burrito with a variety of homemade salsas. The taco meats were tender and flavorful. The burrito was outrageously good with chorizo, melty cheese, fries, avocado, and salsa verde. We took our food into Golden Gate Park and enjoyed it on a bench, but it would be equally fun to picnic in Sunset Dunes.

Even after the short trek to the park, the carne asada stayed tender and the fries were warm and cheesy. It’s the kind of meal that makes you plan your next visit before you’ve even finished the last bite.

Often I’ll show up for a concert after the first opener, but this show was different. Bottom of the Hill is closing at the end of 2026, and every remaining show here has a bit more meaning. On Janauary 21 I showed up early, taking extra time to stare at the iconic neon sign out front.

Before the music started, I just walked around the venue, looking closely at the decades of posters on the wall. One said Noise Pop 1996, which was thirty years ago now. So many bands played here before they blew up: The White Stripes, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Deftones, Mars Volta. Sometimes I watch the old recordings on YouTube, just imagining what it would have been like to be there.

Tonight I was here to see Jim Ward of At the Drive-In and Sparta, performing solo as an opener. Growing up in Texas, those bands were huge, and tonight the opener was the main event for me. There’s an interesting symmetry to small venues like Bottom of the Hill. Huge bands will play here on their way up before they make it big, and sometimes later in their career they come back on their way down. Long time fans get to witness the arc of a musician’s entire career.

Jim Ward took the stage with just a guitar, and played old favorites like “Collapse” and “Light Burns Clear.” While these tunes were unfamiliar to those who were just there for the headliner, a handful of us in the crowd got one last chance to sing along to the anthems we learned over twenty years ago.