A Dream Interpretation: Tuneups for the Brain

As someone who has made sporadic attempts at lucid dreaming, I find the idea of dreams as a 'warmup cycle' for the brain prior to waking to be interesting. Does this mean that if I successfully enter a lucid state and direct my own dream, I am essentially finding a use for an otherwise idling engine?

(Incidentally, I am not a big fan of dream interpretation. Not only because so much of it seems arbitrary and reductionist, it robs the dream of its essential mystery and appeal.)

--

An interesting report on how climate change is affecting us right here and right now: New US climate report dire, but offers hope

But, chances are, if you haven't already been moved by the 'some nastiness comin' down, pay attention, dammit' approach, that won't reach you, either. This, however, may be more appealing to you: "Lazy Environmentalist" says don't feel bad

--

Bionic penguins take to the water -- and the skies.

Why is it my guidance counselor never mentioned 'building flying robot penguins' as a career option?

I especially am looking forward to when the bionic penguins take on their clear nemesis, the bionic octopus.

And if that wasn't enough:

13 things that do not make sense.

I bet the bionic jellyfish will solve these.

--

Mind-reading device sends Twitter messages.

--

How now brown cow? Run for it!

--

Maggots no wonder cure for festering wounds

Next they'll be telling us that leeches are no good for curing the scurvy...

--

New brochure promoting 'climate change literacy.'

Covers the basics of climate change and its consequences in an easy-to-understand way. Recommended to anyone genuinely curious about the worsening climate situation and how it got that way, with a minimum of ten-dollar words.

--

Antarctic glaciers melting faster than thought

So the good news is that scientists were wrong about global climate change. The bad news is... um... everything else.

--

Alp-sized peaks found entombed in Antarctic ice

Though this is, in fact, a story on how scientists are trying to accurately predict the consequences of accelerating global climate change, I have to admit, the first thought I had was, 'holy crap, they've found the Mountains of Madness.'

--

Cello scrotum - the truth at last

Next they'll be saying that 'Kazoo throat' is fake, too...

--

Shocking study finds most will torture if ordered

Regarding the first sentence of the last paragraph: I came to the exact opposite conclusion.

--

Someday, when I get a PS3, I may actually try this.

--

Happy Friday! We're fucked!

--

Kristyn and I did make it to PenguiCon 2008 this year, though we only made it for Saturday evening through Sunday early afternoon. It was a good time, all told (and before you ask, I was entirely oblivious to this controversial activity). I picked up a couple intriguing books (Where's My Jetpack by Daniel H. Wilson, and Discarded Science by John Grant), saw a number of I-seem-to-see-them-only-at-con friends, and generally had a fun time.

But by far, the coolest thing that went on at PenguiCon 2008 was this (as captured in this YouTube video):

The Singing Tesla Coils

(Note: this is the first of what looks like a series of videos chronicling the Tesla Coils at Penguicon, which had concerts on both Friday and Saturday evenings.)

--

FBI wiretap cut off for unpaid bill

This is just like that time the CIA had to stop using waterboard torture because someone forgot to pay the water utility...

--

I just learned this morning, from lemagia, that Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with an early-onset form of Alzheimers. Which is not good news for anyone, though Terry's announcement handles it with optimism and warm wit.

I don't think I'm going to get into, just now, how much his books have affected me, or how I have in recent years read his books to see how it is he got so damn good at what he does. Like he says, he's 'not dead yet,' so no eulogies, please. (And the last line in the announcement is priceless, and pure Terry.) And well wishes shouldn't have anything to do with how many books he wrote (a lot), or how good they were (very very and very some more).

I met him at a science fiction convention held in Detroit a few years back (the first Penguicon, actually), and found him as kind, warm, witty and charming as anyone who's read his books could hope. So I'll just wish him my best in this, and hope that the end is still a long ways away.

I enjoyed this quote from this post in the abstractthought community way too much:

"Art is like Vaseline. When you put it on, it sticks to everything."

--

Mystery Underwear Stymies Guantanamo Investigators

I bet it turns out the illicit undergarments were brought in by the same guys who bring in the waterboard and the car battery with the testicle clamps. 'Cause I'm sure none of the guys there thought they'd need a change of undies.

--

Weekly World News to cease publication.

Yeah, I know, the WWN will continue online, but... damn.

I bet the alien telemarketers are behind this.

--

Grindhouse stomps all over 300's bloated, slo-mo ass. Two surprises, though:

1. Robert Rodriguez delivered the better movie. Maybe it shouldn't have been such a surprise in retrospect, or maybe Death Proof just suffered in comparison from being shown after (instead of before) Planet Terror. But Planet Terror had the over-the-top action-cheese sick-in-da-head gooey-gross-out zombie-noshin' fun I was wantin' and then some, while Death Proof was... just not my genre, I guess. Though the car chase, when it was finally reached, was very entertaining.

2. Robert Rodriguez delivered the better soundtrack. I usually look forward to Tarantino's soundtracks, but aside from music from Village of the Giants, I can't remember a single selection. Whereas I had to run out and get the Planet Terror soundtrack as soon as the movie was over. Ya can't really dance to it, but it's a helluva driving soundtrack.

--