SING SANG SUNG

17 11 2009

YES!   This Air video is so trippy!





Surprising dynamics of the waterdrop

16 11 2009





Humanthesizer

16 11 2009

Human Synth:





A functional contact lens graphical display

14 11 2009

Future Vision

A working prototype of a wearable contact lens with LED displays built in and powered wirelessly has been successful so far.  Once they can perfect getting the images to appear as if they are a few feet in front of your eyes, the applications of such a device will be extraordinarily far-reaching.

Read the article at New Scientist.





The map of the future

14 11 2009

WIRED commissioned some designers to create a map of the future and it is really, really, really cool.

To see the large scale images go here and select “original size” or use this zoomable version and select full-screen.

future

 





Ancient Brews & Archeo-Inebriology

14 11 2009

Biomolecular archaeologist spends his career analyzing ancient alcoholic beverages.

He has a few books, the newest is called Uncorking the Past.

Here are some recipes for 9000 year old Chinese wine, 5500 year old Mesopatamian beer and more.

Cheers!





More links …

14 11 2009

Io9 recalls the Curious Case of a Woman Addicted to Her Brain Implant.

On the astrobiology front, NASA reproduces building block of life under space conditions.

Angelic voices made visible in the Glottal Opera.

Let there be Comix!  Robert Crumb illustrated the entire Book of Genesis.

Craig Tracy makes amazing body-painting art.

Nassim Haramein & Amber discuss orgasms during childbirth with local news.

Take a tour through the history of opium and see antiques at the online Opium Musuem.





2012: Bunk or Beautiful?

12 11 2009

H+ posted an article criticizing the monumental uprising of 2012 hype called ‘2012: Carnival of Bunkum’.   It is very well written and I particularly appreciated this quotable quip:

“the 2012 shtick is a light-fingered (if leaden-humored) rip-off of the late rave-culture philosopher Terence McKenna’s stand-up routine, without McKenna’s prodigious erudition, effortless eloquence, or arch wit”

The following is a response to the article so you may want to read it first but it is generally one of my responses to many similar denunciations of the 2012 phenomena.

Any clear-eyed rationalist really should be able to see the stark contrast between this temporal juncture of exponential leaps in technology along with the neuron-like networking of human minds and the coinciding ecological ramifications (the serious ones, not the corporate-driven myths). We are facing a period of comparatively infinitely more novelty than previous generations or lifeforms experienced, whether it be the catastrophic or redemptive kind of novelty.   I, like many other level-headed philosophers and scientists, see no empirical, hard evidence of an outside force that guides this back-feeding spiral into a crescendo on the specific date of 12/21/12, but, one must admit, the significance-seeking nature of humanity is crafting quite an elegant self-fulfilling prophecy by hitching on the back of the Maya’s uncannily accurate calendar and Terence McKenna’s mindful musings about a Timewave.

So what if WE are the ones imbuing that date with special significance?   Don’t we do that already every holiday?   If we use 12/21/12 or 13.0.0.0.0 or whatever as a marker for the first globally acknowledged holy moment I can only see that as a good thing.    After all, who doesn’t look forward to celebrating the ever-coiling cycles of the Earth on New Years Eve?   It’s a human-selected day loosely marking the seasons, but it’s also a great party and a lot of people use it as a marker to change their behavior for the better.  Well, the Mayan calendar is wayyy more cosmically accurate than the Gregorian and this date marks a 5,100 year cycle… NOW THAT DESERVES A CELEBRATION (if not all-out yogic, shamanic, poetic, theatric rite of passage and collective sci-fi artwork bonanza)!!   If we use 12/21/12 as a marker for when the authentically unitive voice of humanity declares spiritual autonomy or entry into evolutionary adulthood, then it may just stick and have an empowering effect on generations to come.

Maybe there is some hidden plot-structure to humanity that culminates on a schedule; if so… neat.   And maybe ‘meaning’ is something our consciousness creates for nature and millions of people just randomly decide to celebrate LOVE & TRANSFORMATION on a particular solstice in the middle of the craziest epoch evolution has ever encountered:  ok… awesome.    Or, perhaps, the forces shaping the galaxy and the free-will of mankind both implement their fullest, creative capabilities at the same time… hey, why not?

In any case, the 2012 phenomenon will undoubtedly be exploited for control and profit, but the overall reorientation of values that the 2012 meme will help to organize seems to me to be something worth nurturing and guiding, not simply dismissing as pure baloney.

 





Erowid’s Psychoactive Poetry Magnets

12 11 2009

Receive 2 sets of psychoactive poetry magnets when you donate $45 to Erowid and become a member.

magnets_poem2





DNA Printing & the Rise of Synthetic Biology

12 11 2009

1 hour presentation for Singularity University:





San Francisco politics just got interesting.

12 11 2009

“He wants our troops to come home, She would consider sending more.  He abhors torture, She turns her head to it.  He wants to open the Federal Reserve’s books and audit the place, She is trying to stop that from happening.  He is a Republican named John Dennis and she is Nancy Pelosi.”

He is also vocally against the criminalization drugs.    Here’s a blog post where I learned of his candidacy and below is a TV interview with Judge Napolitano:

johndennis





The Psilocybin-Occasioned Mystical Experience

9 11 2009

Here is an excellent 20 minute talk from a TED spin-off by Dr. Roland Griffiths on his ground-breaking and brilliantly crafted research into psilocybin:

LINK:  http://tedxmidatlantic.com/live/#RolandGriffiths