connections

1)
Probably no one would ever know this; it did not matter. In the 1980s, Minsky and Good had shown how neural networks could be generated automatically—self replicated—in accordance with any arbitrary learning program. Artificial brains could be grown by a process strikingly analogous to the development of a human brain. In any given case, the precise details would never be known, and even if they were, they would be millions of times too complex for human understanding.

—Arthur C. Clarke, 2001: A Space Odyssey[8]

2)
Rick Hanson says you can change your mind to change your brain which in turn can change your mind.
" ... when your mind changes, your brain changes -- both temporarily, with the momentary flicker of synaptic activity, and in lasting ways through formation of new neural structures. Therefore, you can use your mind to change your brain to benefit your whole being -- and every other being whose life you touch."

Control over consciousness

Control of consciousness determines quality of life.
from Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

"The last great attempt to free consciousness from the domination of impulses and social controls was psychoanalysis; as Freud pointed out , the two tyrants that fought for control over the mind were the id and the superego , the first a servant of the genes, the second a lackey of society, both representing the "Other". Opposed to them was the ego, which stood for the geniuine needs of the self connected to its concrete environment."

- a middle path ?!? could it be ... !!??!!


"... the intended result is identical: to free inner life from the threat of chaos, on the one hand, and from rigid conditioning of biological urges on the other, and hence to become independent from the social controls that exploit both"

a-ha !
remember - games people play - spontaneity ?

"Control over consciousness cannot be instituitonalized. As soon as it becomes part of a set of social rules and norms, it ceases to be effective in the way it was originally intended to be. Routinization, unfortunately, takes place very rapidly.Freud was still alive when his quest for liberating the ego from its oppressors was turned into a staid ideology and rigidly regulated profession"

cross-reference:
1. DeLanda /Erik Davis interview - stratification and destratification
[internally c/r deleuze&guattari]
2. Tao Te Ching - the tao that can be told is not the eternal tao
[because the tao that can be told gets institutionalized]
3. Zen - a transmission beyond scriptures
4. Buddha - decay is inherent in all compounded things. strive unceasingly
This makes more sense. It frames 'Against History,Against Leviathan' in a clearer light too.

one more piece :
"If one has failed to develop curiosity and interest in the early years, it is a good idea to acquire them now, before it is too late to improve the quality of life.
To do so is fairly easy in principle, but more difficult in practice. Yet it is sure worth trying. The first step is to develop the habit of doing whatever needs to be done with concentrated attention, with skill rather than inertia. Even the most routine tasks, like washing dishes, dressing, or mowing the lawn become more rewarding if we approach them with the care it would take to make a work of art."

cr alan watts work as play

digest 4-1-11

In the news today, mattmaroon feels that google will become an AI company. He goes on to list his (day)dreams and frankly, I like them.
Mainly , driverless cars - we already have those , but not yet in a large institutionalised way. This means lots of time for yourself, distance doesn't matter as automated cars can go fast coz every other car on the road has a robot driver which follows the rules. you can get your kids cars because they are not driving, you can get drunk all the time because your car's like a taxi now.... nice. Something like this needs a giant amount of influence - it's not just money, you need laws to work for you. This should keep the auto lobby busy.

Duckduckgo has a site up explaining how your sexual problems and financial woes, as entered in the google search box become visible to people who you want to hide them from. Also, a tall lanky google engineer used search data to snoop on four minors whom he met. Differently, another google engineer got a teenager out of jail. The kid was arrested for filming a cop beating up a teen.
An interesting link that showed up is this : a test that can spot a single stray cancer cell in a BILLION may be available at your doctor's soon. It's from J&J. This test does 'liquid' biopsy and might do away with the long needle one. (Will HouseMD lose its charm if House's pawns aren't forced to poke patients with long long needles, sometimes twice in the same episode ... I'm thinking they'll move on to full limb amputations next to keep up the wtf )

Also, Thomas Kuhn did something important in his 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions'. People say it affects how you/we think.

The zenhabits guy lists the top 2 habits of creatives - 1. constructive solitude 2. participation(?)

George Orwell calls Indian tea as 'feels wiser braver and more optimistic after drinking it'
read more here

Things we laugh at:
1. misplacement : a zebra in a doctor's coat
2. schadenfraude : bad things that happen to others and that we feel won't happen to us
3. absurdity,stretching of reality beyond bounds : superset of misplacement


More as the lone reporter in our office surfs at work.

on music

i think listening to moby naturally progresses to massive attack .