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Posted on August 1st, 2008 by Bijan.
Categories: Media & Entertainment, Philosophy & Spirituality, History & Politics, Arts & Literature.
What is with the world these days? It is no question that death and violence will always sell like sex. We have an masochistic craving for morbidity and, whether we pretend to ignore it or not, we always take a peek. But what is most shocking, perhaps, is that we are constantly fed such slop not so much from entertainment media, but our own news outlets. Instead of really focusing on the issues that are affecting the state of our nation and world as a whole, we are continuously driving ourselves into a world of depression.
I like The Christian Science Monitor because it displays extremely relevant news. Don’t be frightened by its name - the website strictly states that it is not religious. From their website:
Everything in the Monitor is international and US news and features, except for one religious article that has appeared each day in The Home Forum section since 1908, at the request of the paper’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy.
It is important that we all keep a positive outlook on ourselves and our lives at all times. There are so many scenarios in which the famous FDR “only thing to fear is fear itself” quote is relevant. We will not be able to find our way out of a war, economic crisis and environmental disaster if we simply keep thinking about how sad we are and what a ‘terrible’ world we live in. Failures must be educational and successes must be celebrated.
Posted on July 7th, 2008 by Bijan.
Categories: Media & Entertainment, Consumer Products, Business & Finance, Science & Technology, Coming Events.
“Scientists Set Sights on Invisibility Cloaks”
Such is the title of an article posted on CNN.com last Tuesday. Did you know that? Apparently, scientists from all over the globe have been experimenting with something called a “Superlens” which, essentially, can make things invisible. A superlens has a negative refractive index, meaning that it refracts light that an object projects in the opposite direction, thereby causing the light waves to cancel each other out and, voila! - renders the object invisible. Check it out for yourself.
Yet ironically, since websites like CNN are more concerned with matters such as “Mini Me’s” sex tape and these damn bikini-touting baristas in Seattle (seriously people, its a bikini. GET OVER IT), we oftentimes miss the truly important things that are happening in the world.
But news media debates aside, the scientific community is largely lost in the obscurity of politics, economics and pop culture. Consider the fact that only two decades ago, the idea of an iPhone would have sounded almost as feasible as, well, an invisibility cloak. Websites like the National Science Foundation provide oceans of information regarding the latest scientific discoveries and upcoming scientific research. It is important to note the vast impact even the most minor scientific innovation can have on society as we know it, and, as gradual as these things seem - they aren’t. So don’t be surprised if you find yourself shopping for jetpacks, teleporters and Beryllium Spheres in the near future. Just watch out for shoplifters - always wearing those pesky cloaks…
Posted on May 30th, 2008 by Bijan.
Categories: Philosophy & Spirituality, History & Politics, Science & Technology.
One Man, One Earth?
Needless to say, man is no longer confined to the planet Earth. Just last Sunday , the US completed its 6th successful landing on the surface of Mars. So the “one Earth” part is now obsolete.
But what about the “one Man” part? Just today, CNN released photos taken by The National Indian Foundation, part of the Brazilian government, of a tribe in the Amazon that is one of many small civilizations classified as “uncontacted tribes.” Such tribes have had very little or no contact with the outside world, which is immediately evident in the mere 6 photos that were released. The tribesmen are painted head to toe – some in an orange paste and a few completely black. It’s not surprising that the images conjure up thoughts of pre-human Neanderthals, covered in fur and more reminiscent of a “Planet of the Apes” character than a human being. Perhaps the most moving part of the photos is the fact that the tribesmen are aiming their weapons (most likely bows and arrows) at the low-flying aircraft and are shying back in utter confusion and fear. Its remarkable that while on one side of the planet, we sit casually at computers sporting some of the world’s most sophisticated technology, with cellular phones in our pockets running on microchips the size of a fingernail, while there are civilizations that are still living in virtually the same ways that pre-human beings did. Yet we are all still “one Man.” Or are we…?
By all means, it is fascinating to zoom out and trace back the ancestry of Homo Sapiens, watching the evolution of monkey to man. Under five broad classifications beginning with Early Australopithecus, Mid Australopithecus, and ending in Early, Mid and Late Homo, there are seventeen distinct, identifiable genus’ of so called “early human.” But a few scientists are getting bored with that. They want to go forward in time, and see where man is yet to go.
A six-page article by msnbc titled Human Evolution at the Crossroads questions whether or not evolutionary theory includes the possibility of such “spin-off” human species to develop in the future. The natural argument against this theory is the fact that, as illustrated by Darwin’s Finches , evolution dictates that change is the result of divergence of traits – a reaction to variety. In today’s day and age, we’re seeing more and more convergence of human characteristics as the daily life of an average human being becomes more and more homogenized. But Evolution never ends. From images of humans with mildly different genetic capabilities or traits to the idea of completely alien beings capable of wandering freely through space, the possibilities are endless. Sure, it may sound like a bad Spielberg flick, but who knows? These guys think they have an idea…
Scientists, evolutionary biologists and anthropologists alike have formulated a few predictions about the future of the human race. In particular, there are 5 distinct categories that they have created:
Unihuman (~ 1m yrs) – The Unihuman is the result of the eventual “assimilation of the world,” resulting from the breakdown of racial divides and prejudices, and the creation of a single, homogenous race.
Survivalistian (~1.9m yrs) - Survivalistian is the result of a global catastrophe. Be it nuclear war or an asteroid colliding with the earth, the uniform Unihuman race will be once again dispersed and forced to adapt to their new, hostile environment.
Numan (~2.6m yrs) – Spawned from small, germ-like genetic modifications, the Numans are a small “mini-species” with advanced capabilities and features. Numan hybrids and natural humans differ in genetic alteration beliefs and most likely encounter more conflict than harmony.
Cyborg (~3m yrs) – As the name suggests, the cyborgs are born from the eventual acceptance of physical robotic enhancements. Though not physically inheretable themselves, the robotic enhancements reduce the body’s natural immune system leading to ever more dependency on robotics and even the spawn of AI (artificial intelligence) races that compete with their human creators.
Astrian (~4.1m yrs) – This is the Alien. A result of millions of years of genetic and robotic enhancements, the Astrian can literally pause its vital systems and endure millennia-long journeys to other galaxies, only to re-awaken once they arrive.
Click here for an interactive chart of our past and our future.
Again, a Spielberg flick. But hey, who’s to say we can’t imagine? The ancestors of humans such as Homo Heidelberger who lived only 400,000 years in the past could never even fathom what the future of their race would eventually be (although they could fathom that a rock at the end of a stick could make a pretty effective hammer; lucky for us.) Either way, I think it is important for us to note that not only is the universe very, very, very young, but we are merely a glimmer in the vast scope of time. Man is just the beginning of what is to come and as soon as we begin to forget this, we’re only preparing ourselves for a more intense rude awakening.
Posted on May 26th, 2008 by Bijan.
Categories: Philosophy & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Arts & Literature.
You don’t have to look hard to find people who will tell you that humans only use 10% of their brains. You also don’t have to look hard to find a physician or scientist who would laugh at such a claim. Yet even though this claim is far from factual, there is a hint of truth to its meaning. Savant syndrome, defined by savantism expert Darold A. Treffert, is “the presence of unusual intellectual and/or artistic abilities in otherwise impaired individuals.” Usually suffering from Autism, savants (previously known in the medical profession as “idiot savants”) have mildly to severely impaired social or behavioral traits. Despite their impairment, however, savants have abilities called “splinter skills” – incredible mental capabilities that are far beyond the capabilities of a normally functioning brain.
Take, for instance, George Widener. Born with a condition called Asperger’s Syndrome, George has perhaps one of the most powerful memories in the world. Not only able to recall almost any piece of information after processing it only once, George can tell you the day of the week on any date you can name, both in the past or thousands of years in the future. If you ask him to list numbers to the power of 2, he can go on and on – to numbers over 20 digits long.
Derek Paravicini was born 15 weeks premature. Because of the oxygen treatment he received after birth, he became blind and developed a learning disorder along with autism. Derek has a splinter skill called “absolute pitch.” Put quite simply, he can hear any piece of music and play it back exactly – having never even heard it before.
So why is it, then, that some people have such extraordinary abilities yet are impaired in some of the most basic areas of human functionality? And further, do these remarkable abilities that savants exhibit mean that all humans have such capacities? Allan W. Snyder, a PhD and scientist has, along with an interest in very funky hats, a theory: Our brain can be most generally divided into two hemispheres: the right and the left. The left hemisphere controls all of our daily functions such as reasoning, speech monitoring and logic, to name a few. The right side is the more creative, intuitive and imaginative side of the brain, used for artistic or musical expression. Developmental disorders such as autism, Asperger’s Syndrome or even brain damage at any point in one’s life, can interrupt pathways in the left side of the brain, inhibiting its normal function. Snyder’s theory is that the right side compensates for the interrupted pathways in the left side of the brain, causing a savant to pay much closer attention to the particular details of an object or situation, as opposed to translating the individual parts into a whole, cohesive perception.
Dr. Treffert made a reference to this theory in an interview:
“Some savants, because of prenatal, perinatal or postnatal central nervous system damage, from a variety of genetic, injury or disease processes have substituted right brain capacity in a compensatory manner for left brain dysfunction and limitation. Simultaneously, because of those same injurious factors, these savants have come to rely on more primitive cortico-striatal (procedural or habit) memory rather than higher level cortico-limbic (semantic or declarative) memory. This combination of right brain skills coupled with procedural memory produces the constellation of abilities and traits that is savant syndrome.”
So now its clear: maybe we don’t use 100% of our brains. Maybe there is the potential in all of us to have the gift of conditions like hyperlexia without the burden of a mental impairment. Dr. Snyder wants to know for sure.
In an ongoing study of brain usage activity, Snyder uses a process called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to temporarily inhibit the small electric charges released within the synapses of a person’s brain during the firing of axons. His theory, quite simply, is that the right hemisphere of the brain will compensate for the temporary disablement of the left. And his results? Amazing. Forty percent of all of Snyder’s test subjects have exhibited newfound talents or skills after only 10 minutes of TMS. “You could call this a creativity-amplifying machine,” says Snyder. “It’s a way of altering our states of mind without taking drugs like mescaline. You can make people see the raw data of the world as it is. As it is actually represented in the unconscious mind of all of us.” In particular, subjects have seen tremendous increases in drawing and artistic ability. One subject, a New York Times writer, found that his graphical depiction of a cat went from a stick figure to a cat so detailed it had facial expressions. The article describes his whole experience.
And now we arrive at the whole reason for this post: There is clearly a wealth of compelling evidence that there are certain dimensions to the human brain that not every person can experience or explore. In all of us, there lies a hidden arsenal of extraordinary capabilities that we simply can’t access. Our brain, in an effort to synthesize and categorize every bit of sensory input that we absorb, in essence, dumbs us down. We lose sight of the simplest, most finite details, to the point where a cat becomes just a stick figure. And if these talents exist in all of us, who’s to say that there aren’t more? Just where exactly does the true capability of the human brain end?
I’ll leave you with an interesting observation by Dr. Treffert:
We know from centuries of medical history, including the emergence of various medical oddities over the years, that certain components in every brain are equipped with incredible technical capabilities — capabilities normally suppressed by other components so that the brain can do its main job, which is to balance out function and help a person lead a normal life. For example, in my book The Forgetting, I discuss the famous Russian patient “S” who literally remembered every detail he came across in his entire life. He could recite verbatim conversations or random number lists decades after the fact. Sounds cool, but this was actually a huge liability — remembering every detail makes it impossible to form intelligent summaries of details, which is the basis of all intelligent thought and communication. The ability to forget — get rid of sensory detail — turns out to be just as important in the brain as the ability to form new memories.
So maybe we need to limit ourselves in some ways just to function in others. Maybe ridding our memories of mundane sensory details to view the larger picture is actually more efficient. But maybe, just maybe, we have a whole different set of incredible skills that we don’t even know about, and those that we do know about only use…say…10% of our brains.
