The Delivery of a Lifetime describes an exchange of emails between Daniel Arp, a Pittsburgh high school teacher, and the customer-service department of Amazon.com. Daniel fervently proclaims his love for the corporation with a verbose fanaticism worthy of psychological study. I wonder what he thinks of Amazon’s new logo? Personally, I like the new logo, and in my opinion Amazon is the best company in the history of American business. Uh, yeah.
What is the colour of five? What does blue taste like? Believe it or not, some people can answer these questions. These people have an rare variety of perception called synesthesia. Synesthesia literally means joined sensations, a condition that causes certain sensations to “leak” into one another. Its much deeper than a simple association or metaphor; synesthetes don’t think about a sound when they see a colour, they actually hear the sound! This raises all sorts of questions regarding our view of the world and reality. Do we all have an innate form of synesthesia, possibly repressed? Who knows, but the more I think about this condition the less I’m suprised (and the more I realize how little we know about ourselves). Yet another bizarre scientific discovery…
Letter about Philadelphia, by Neal Pollack: The good Neal describes why he actually likes living in Philadelphia, and does a decent job describing the good and bad aspects of mine beloved city. If anything, he captures the curiously fun characteristics of living in a city that is teetering on the brink of collapse. [via metascene]
An interview with Dean Koontz in which he discusses lots of interesting things like Freudian characters and governmental regulations. Koontz is one of my favourite authors; he writes enjoyable fiction that is easy to read and well thought out. My favourite aspect of Koontz is that he seems to have a genuinely optimistic view of the world around him, despite all the bad things that are going on, and that is a feeling I can relate to (I’m a naive optimist). Some excerpts:
“…it makes sense to say that moral behavior is an evolutionary choice. If doing the right thing wasn’t a survival tool, then none of us would do the right, decent thing and there would be no civilization. Civilization rests on the fact that most people do the right thing most of the time.”
“One day I realized my whole life has taught me Freudianism is nonsense. My father was a sociopath and an alcoholic, and I had a terrible childhood. I didn’t grow up to be a criminal or have any of the problems that I’m supposed to have.”
People compain that his characters aren’t deep enough because they don’t know why they are the way they are. Koontz explains that “In Dickens, the idea was that character is what you do, and that’s what defines you. I think that makes sense. I believe in free will and individual choice and that we make our own lives as we go along.”
A lengthy study of Stanley Kubrick’s final film that sheds some light on just what the hell is going on during the movie. Extra attention is paid to the symbolism present in the film (don’t miss the Final Note on Symbolism, Theme, and the Legacy of Kubrick) and as such, many small details and references are discussed. Personally, though I don’t believe it to be the best of Kubrick’s work, I loved EWS. What isn’t discussed in the articles is the sheer mastery of Kubrick’s direction (or maybe I’m thinking of cinematography here), as in the conversation after the party. The article points out the symbolism of red and blue in the scene (which I understoon to be Hot and Cool colors representing turmoil and calmness respectively), but the framing of that scene is just brilliant. At the beginning of the scene Alice and Bill are both on screen (smoking up). Then, as tensions between them mount, the become farther apart until only one at a time is on screen. As the discussion becomes more and more heated, the camera zooms in closer and closer, almost suffocating Bill and Alice and furthering their isolation. Brilliant work dammit.
The Human Genome in Human Context: Scientists recently announced that they had virtually completed the task of mapping the human genome. The implications of such an event vary. Some believe it will usher in a new era of Genetic Engineering, complete with a multitude of ethical fears such as the insurability of people with genetically identifiable risks for diseas or the creation of an entirely new form of Humanity. The author of the article believes that we really don’t have much to worry about right now. While we may have mapped the genome, we have do not yet know how to apply it. Some quotes from the article:
“Enhancements in human abilities that may come through genetic engineering will in most cases be negligible compared to those already achieved, or achievable in the future, through tools.”
“The problem is compounded by the fact that the relation of genes to traits is not one�to�one. Some traits are influenced by many genes, and some genes influence many traits. The law of unintended consequences is therefore bound to operate with a vengeance.”
“…there is already quite conclusive evidence that human behavior, though strongly conditioned by genetics, is not completely determined by it. ”
All in all, a fascinating article and a refreshing change from the typical Horrors of Genetics diatribe. I don’t think we’ll be heading for a world like the one presented in the film Gattaca any time soon…
DyRE noticed some thematic similarities between Theodore Stugeon’s classic novel More Than Human and Tool’s song 46+2. Sturgeon’s novel shows humans coming together to evolve into a single consciousness. Basically, as the song goes, humanity has 46 chromosomes, and 46+2 (a new pair of chromosomes) represents the next step in human evolution. The song is a lot more involved than that, drawing from Jungian theories (about the shadow) and the teachings of Drunvalo Melchizadek.
“According to Melchezedek, our planet is covered with geometrically constructed ‘morpho genetic grids’. These grids extend from about 60 feet under the Earth’s surface to about 60 miles above the Earth, arranged in geometric patterns (see ‘Sacred Geometry’). Each species has its own grid, which supports life, and connects the consciousness of its particular species. Before any species can come into existance or make an evolutionary step, a new grid must be completed. When a species becomes extinct, that particular species’ grid dissoves. A new grid was completed in 1989 – the ‘christ-consciousness’ grid. This grid will allow humans to evolve into our next version. We’ll develop two additional chromosomes (which are really ‘geometrical images’ designed to resonate with our specific grid) for a total or 46 + 2.
The main change will be a shift to the “unity consciousness”. Every cell in your body has its own consciousness and memory. You, the higher being that occupies your body, make the millions of different consciousnesses in your body work together as one being. How does this relate to this grid? Think of yourself as a cell and the grid as the higher being. We will still have individual consciousness, but will be united in the form of a higher being in order to work as one entity.”
For more, scroll down towards the bottom of the Tool FAQ. Fascinating, though I’m unsure of the scientific veracity of these claims. Mayhap I’ll look into it more. [thanks DyRE and Toolshed]
This site contains various (suprisingly insightful and referenced) blurbs about strange phenomena that occur. What an odd world we live in. Its amazing how little we know about it. [found in the bowels of kottke]
If you like testicular humor, check out this parody of The Blair Witch Project. Its quite funny, in a scrotal kind of way.
I’ve never put much stock in astrology, but my horoscope from The Onion this week is somewhat accurate:
Virgo: (Aug. 23–Sept. 22)
You will be mortified to realize that you misspelled the words “fiery,” “dynamite,” and “vengeance” in your letter to the president.
Heh heh. J/k, of course. A good headline from The Onion: Man Reading Pynchon On Bus Takes Pains To Make Cover Visible. LOL. I could actually see that happening…
