SPONGY BRAINS!

One of these brains is infected with mad cow disease (more properly known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy or, in humans, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease); one of these is not. Since you can't see inside your brain, guess which one is which!

"This is your brain. This is your brain on bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Any questions?"

*

"Where Your Eyes Don't Go"
by They Might Be Giants

"Where your eyes don't go a filthy scarecrow waves its broomstick arms
And does a parody of each unconscious thing you do
When you turn around to look it's gone behind you
On its face it's wearing your confused expression
Where your eyes don't go

Where your eyes don't go a part of you is hovering
It's a nightmare that you'll never be discovering
You're free to come and go or talk like Kurtis Blow
But there's a pair of eyes in back of your head

Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders
What the part that isn't thinking isn't thinking of
Should you worry when the skullhead is in front of you
Or is it worse because it's always waiting where your eyes don't go?

Where your eyes don't go a part of you is hovering
It's a nightmare that you'll never be discovering
You're free to come and go or talk like Kurtis Blow
But there's a pair of eyes in back of your head

Where your eyes don't go a filthy scarecrow waves its broomstick arms
And does a parody of each unconscious thing you do
When you turn around to look it's gone behind you
On its face it's wearing your confused expression
Where your eyes don't go"

Perseus

Perseus Eurymedon, as you may know, was a mythic Greek hero who rescued Andromeda from the sea monster and cut of Medusa's head. For this and other heroic feats, Perseus's name has been ascribed to many things, including an online database of art, archaeology, and translations. He has been represented in painting and sculpture by such notable artists as Dali and Cellini. There are multiple operas celebrating his feats, and authors have been inspired by his myth as well; Melville in Moby Dick calls him the original whaler, and Sylvia Plath has a poem about him.

Perseus was one of the main heroes of Greek myth, and as such is often associated with a saving force of good, sky, or light, and an animating masculine character. The monsters he defeated are dark and of the earth, and often represent the "mysterious" character of female-ness which myth-makers of all eras seemed to have such a hard time dealing with. (In my opinion, there is no more reason to associate females with darkness, the moon, or the earth any more than with donut holes or strappy sandals, but then again my opinion doesn't count since I'm a woman. Har har har.)

Of course, many of us know Perseus through the constellation which bears his name. Its brightest star, Mirfak, is 62 times more luminous than our sun; the best-known star, Algol (from al Ghul, the "ghoul" or "demon star") represents the gorgon Medusa's eye, which was said to turn mortals to stone. The famous Perseid meteor shower takes its name from this constellation, and although the shower peaked early this morning, you can still see meteors streaking through the sky tonight and for the next few nights.



For best viewing, get away from the ambient light of your cities for once. The best times to view the showers will be between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. For those of us here in the East, Perseus will be visible in the northeast and continue to rise to the north as the night progresses.

Get your outdoors gear in order and go! There's no reason whatsoever for you to miss this. How many more meteor showers will you see in your life? Probably not as many as you'd like to think. And, since neither of us have any clue as to whether or not you'll be able to view meteor showers after you die, it's about time that you decided to carpe noctem and go view this dazzling display (which is actually just very shiny, glorified debris hitching a ride in the tail of the comet Swift-Tuttle). Meanwhile, I'm really digging this painting, "Perseus and Andromeda - A Role Inversion" by Christina Neofotistou, and I think you will, too (click for bigger).



Art, stars, monsters and myths. As always, I strive to remain,

Mz. Your-One-Stop-Shop-For-Things-Not-Of-This-Earth

Don't worry, be a collective brain instead.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale.

from the World Science Festival's website: "What Bobby McFerrin does is not an act; it’s spontaneous invention. He peers over the edge of the cliff, acknowledges the void below, and dives head first, buoyed by the element of surprise. Bobby uses dense rhythms, extraordinary scales, and complicated intervals that accomplished musicians and educators have studied and dissected.

For many people, the name Bobby McFerrin will always be associated with the first a cappella song ever to reach #1 on the charts in America, a feel-good ditty with an inspirational message: 'Don’t Worry, Be Happy.'

Bobby’s legendary solo performance and collaborations with artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Chick Corea, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and The Vienna Philharmonic have toured the world. For Bobby McFerrin, music-making is an unending quest. 'Music for me,' says Bobby, 'is like a spiritual journey down into the depths of my soul. And I like to think we’re all on a journey into our souls. What’s down there? That’s why I do what I do.' "

"That big wild good life teeming along the road that is north to the future."

Robot Philosopher and the Invincible Mullet

Watching MST3K with N8 and Big Al. That is a pretty good show. Don't you agree?




Here are some of my new favorite things from the World Wide Web. This link, which comes suspiciously close to hacking the real world, and its internet counterpart. I like it when systems which are designed to be exploitative are themselves exploited for their flaws! I just like it when people who try to fuck other people are, themselves, fucked! Okay? I'm trying to be less angry and vindictive but it just... isn't... working.

Anything that can make me consider more deeply my relationship with my body, never mind my glands, is okay by me. "My relationship with my body." Yeesh.

Bertrand Russell On Mind And Body Problem - VidoEmo - Emotional Video Unity

Finally, this.

On the analog front, besides being a bit of recluse, I'm currently trying to finish up Fables of Identity so I can really pour myself into The Tibetan Book of the Dead; the real title is Bardo Thodol and is more accurately referred to as The Great Book of Liberation Through Understanding in the Between, which sounds pretty all right to me. Then I would like to read a really good novel after that; any suggestions for a solid, really engrossing read? I haven't had any really stellar book recommendations in a long time. I like Kundera, Joyce, and most graphic novels of any ambition or quality. Stuff that is difficult but fun-difficult, like a puzzle or a game.
Good music recommendations are always welcomed, too. I've been into Grouper, Stevie Wonder, and pretty much anything I haven't heard yet.

Alternately, what should I do this weekend? I want to get out of the house.

Love,

Hawkwind Albumcover



edit: Tom Lehrer rules. Thanks, buddy.



edit 2: (fake edit)

OH MY STARS AND GARTERS!

WILL YOU PLEASE JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THIS



Thanks to Autumnumnum for sending that over, and for also Stumbleupon for being so darn spiffy. It 's randomness that isn't really random! Get on it, friend some cool dudes, and start hooking up with the relevant data. No matter where you are, everyone is always connected!

Views of Reality: An Introduction

The beautiful thing about humans is that they manage to have an opinion on anything and everything - especially everything. Where reality, existence, time, and the universe in general are concerned, everybody has a favorite theory. The universe was created by a sentient being with a purpose. The universe created by sort of a cosmic wet dream which set in motion the physics by which our universe abides. Reality is deterministic in nature; causes proceed from events in a chain all the way back to the "unmoved mover." Reality is non-deterministic, events do not necessarily proceed from initial conditions, and maybe human beings even have some say in the matter. Time is linear. Time is circular. Time is phony. Some people think they're the only real thing, that their minds or perceptions encompass all of reality; some people think there's no such thing as reality at all.

Probably no one believes in just one scenario exclusively, although certain fanatical personages do cling to a strict party line when entering into public discourse. Most likely, everyone has ideas and tendencies belonging to different schools of thought, even if they don't like to admit it in polite company, or to themselves.

It would be difficult for, say, Fred Phelps to own up to even a shred of doubt about the existence of a God; doing so would nullify his life's mission (mostly holding up rude signs at inappropriate times, saying real crazy words like "fag-enablers," and generally ruining a good thing) and disenchant his always-enchanting flock of Baptist go-getters.

Or what about for Richard Dawkins to admit that sometimes (probably under the influence of a shit-ton of psychedelic drugs) he feels the hand of God turning the wheel of being and can no longer justify his belief in evolution as a blind process. Nevermind the implications it would have on his psyche; what would happen to his book sales?

The point is that nobody knows for sure, even if they say they do; if other humans are anything like me, their thoughts and feelings about reality are deeply ambivalent and more than a little muddy. And while certain explanations have some very attractive selling points (logical coherence, theoretical elegance, mathematical proofs, scientific research, charisma, good old-fashioned common sense, simplicity, practicality, likelihood of adherents to lead happy and well-adjusted lives), you can't actually prove for sure that the universe is this, that, or a brain in a jar.

So, while some may make more sense, and others may feel more intuitive, one theory is basically as good (as proveable) as the next and you can take your pick depending on which flavor you like. You can even change your mind about it whenever you want, which is really neat.

One thing is for sure in my mind, though. Some theories of reality are just a heck of a lot more fun than others. Right now I like quantum stuff and anything with spheres or demons involved. Oh, also evolution, fractal geometry, and anything math-y or recursive. What do you guys like? Let's talk about it.

Next ish: Views of Reality: Quantum (Kitties, Quarters, and The Impossibility of Knowledge), plus fun clickable links on this entry. Trust me, the links are MONEY.

The organism craves sleep. See you on the other side of it.