MiBlog

Everything is a Remix: Part 4 Great stuff, and so timely, too.

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:34:14 -0700

Everything is a Remix: Part 4

Great stuff, and so timely, too.

This is frightening in more ways than one :(

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:06:56 -0700

This is frightening in more ways than one :(

My new landing page + more

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:25:00 -0700

My new landing page + more:

I got a job interview for web development! And I needed 3 code samples, so I updated my personal site’s landing page, re-did my CV page, and featured some code I’ve written over the years.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Really.

EDIT: Made myself a personal logo, too. Does it make sense?

Everloving by Moby Heard this one on GrooveShark and had to stop...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:44:00 -0700

Everloving by Moby

Heard this one on GrooveShark and had to stop what I was doing and just vibe. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was a Moby track.

Happy Valentine’s Day world!

This song is really, really good. I hadn’t really thought...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:28:44 -0700

This song is really, really good. I hadn’t really thought the Velvet Underground made the kind of music I liked, until now.

Vomit by Girls This song is too good to stop raving about. Pink...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:50:50 -0700

Vomit by Girls

This song is too good to stop raving about.

Pink Floyd would be so proud.

Please, please stick around to the sixth minute—you won’t be disappointed.

I realize the title is iffy.

Photo

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:20:31 -0700

The ethics of brain boosting

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 23:59:59 -0700

The ethics of brain boosting:

Scientists have found a way to electrically stimulate the brain using a cheap, painless, safe, and easily wearable headband so that you can perform better at… everything. It’s not sci-fi, and likely probably simpler, easier to use and more effective than you’re thinking.

Do I want or do I want?

Magic Mushrooms Expand the Mind By Dampening Brain Activity

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:18:09 -0700

Magic Mushrooms Expand the Mind By Dampening Brain Activity:

Haven’t read an article this refreshing in a while. Here’s a quote to contextualize:

[Aldous] Huxley posited that ordinary consciousness represents only a fraction of what the mind can take in. In order to keep us focused on survival, Huxley claimed, the brain must act as a “reducing valve” on the flood of potentially overwhelming sights, sounds and sensations. What remains, Huxley wrote, is a “measly trickle of the kind of consciousness” necessary to “help us to stay alive.”

A new study by British researchers supports this theory. It shows for the first time how psilocybin — the drug contained in magic mushrooms — affects the connectivity of the brain. Researchers found that the psychedelic chemical, which is known to trigger feelings of oneness with the universe and a trippy hyperconsciousness, does not work by ramping up the brain’s activity as they’d expected. Instead, it reduces it.

And later (in a rather tangential footer) a concept that I have previously blogged about—Visual Archetypes—came up again in some especially convincing and concise wording:

Some have argued, for example, that the geometric visual hallucinations commonly seen by people on psychedelics (and by some sufferers of migraines) help reveal the architecture of the brain’s visual processing mechanism. “One hypothesis is that what you’re actually seeing is the functional organization of the visual cortex itself. The visual cortex is organized in a sort of fractal way [it repeats the same patterns in different sizes]. It’s the same way that fractals are everywhere in nature. Like tree branches, the brain recapitulates [itself],” says Carhart-Harris. “You’re not seeing the cells themselves, but the way they’re organized — as if the brain is revealing itself to itself.”

I really want to do shrooms right now.

“Exciting Documentary Trailer with two things that Murray...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:22:23 -0700

“Exciting Documentary Trailer with two things that Murray Likes!” - Voytek

Side by Side - A documentary about the future of digital filmmaking, hosted by the legendary Keanu Reeves.

Outta My System by My Morning Jacket This only (very) rarely...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:51:36 -0700

Outta My System by My Morning Jacket

This only (very) rarely happens, but I’m posting a song whose lyrics directly reference things that I’m currently thinking about. Bonus: this band is seriously legit, and this album especially so.

I’ll post another track tomorrow, because this one is far from the best on the disc.

Awesome Japanese post-rocky band. (stolen from r/listentothis)

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 17:54:34 -0700

Awesome Japanese post-rocky band. (stolen from r/listentothis)

Deep Intellect: Inside the mind of the octopus

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:41:43 -0700

Deep Intellect: Inside the mind of the octopus:

A pretty cool read about a writer and his experiences with a particular octopus— a read that is as illuminating about the creature herself as it is heart-warming in the end.

A brief excerpt: (one of the more scientific/theoretical sentences in the text)

“Octopuses,” writes philosopher Godfrey-Smith, “are a separate experiment in the evolution of the mind.” And that, he feels, is what makes the study of the octopus mind so philosophically interesting.

A little taste of the magic Chris has cooking for a shot of our...

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:17:15 -0700

A little taste of the magic Chris has cooking for a shot of our $100 Film Fest promo vid.

You know what SOPA is, right?

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:53:44 -0700

You know what SOPA is, right?

Travel Alberta commercial. Pretty cool, actually.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:22:15 -0700

Travel Alberta commercial. Pretty cool, actually.

Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys Easily my favourite...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:45:00 -0700

Little Black Submarines by The Black Keys

Easily my favourite track off their latest. Jimi would be so proud!

EDIT:

Okay, wow, haven’t had to break out the ‘Repeat One’ button for quite some time…
Also, TIL The Black Keys are not, in fact, black. [True Story]

You’re Lionel Richie by Mogwai Hardcore Will Never Die,...

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:19:00 -0700

You’re Lionel Richie by Mogwai

Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will is just incredible. My brain is floating in heaven right now. How did I not listen to this a year ago. (I’ve changed the song uploaded on Tumblr three times now trying to decide which one I like best, and I think I have to settle on this one, the closing track, as being the most epic. But who knows..)

Plus, some primer:

Their compositions have gotten increasingly drawn-out and austere over time, sometimes barely more than a single arpeggiated chord or two evolving for ten minutes or more, whisperingly brutal … I think most people are not used to having no lyrics to focus on. Lyrics are a real comfort to some people. I guess they like to sing along and when they can’t do that with us they can get a bit upset.

Cheeky demo video listing some of the new Canon EOS C300’s...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:40:40 -0700

Cheeky demo video listing some of the new Canon EOS C300’s features. I dismissed it at first (and think I still do..), but the noise performance does look pretty sweet.

…aaaaand I really wanna go skiing now. This movie looks...

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:47:13 -0700

…aaaaand I really wanna go skiing now. This movie looks sick, btw.