Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Health
March 31, 2022

Researchers Discover That Your Brain’s Mental Speed Doesn’t Decline Until Your 60s

Aging is natural, but it can inspire a level of anxiety. Will one's health decline? Will mental acuity slip? While every person will age differently, scientific studies have shown that metabolism does not drastically decline until after age 60. Now, a study by psychologists at Heidelberg University and published in Nature Human Behaviour suggests that cognitive processing speeds, or mental speeds, are similarly maintained until about age 60.

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Photography
March 27, 2022

Pinpoint the Start of Pinhole Photography and How To Start Snapping Pictures for Yourself

Today's DSLR cameras and smartphones may seem complicated, but there is still a charm to old-fashioned photography techniques. Since its invention, photography has utilized the simple physical properties of the camera obscura effect. A pinhole camera—simply a box or camera body with a very small hole as a lens—is the perfect way to pare photography down to these essentials. Pinhole cameras can produce images with dramatic vignettes, motion blurs, and gently warped perspectives.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.