The latest news from our friends in the scientific world, this time from the neuroscientists. I love neuroscientists – the only scientists crazier than them are my good friends the physicists, although chemists can also be very good value for money as they love blowing stuff up so much.
Anyway, the good news according to the guys and gals from the University of Lille is that there is a certain proportion of the population who are able to tickle themselves and make themselves laugh. Hitherto, it had been thought that this was impossible. I think we can all agree that this is a significant discovery. Actually, it’s not as useless as it may appear, all this research helps to map the brain, about which organ we presently pretty much know diddly-squat to use the correct scientific terminology.
The bad news is that the ability to self-tickle has been linked to a type of schizotypy, essentially a mild version of behavioural traits seen in schizophrenia. Terrific. It makes sense of course because I would posit that the ability to self-tickle, in effect surprise oneself, requires a certain detachment from the psyche that is often observed in schizophrenia and other dissociative illnesses. This does not mean that the ability is a precursor to the illness so if you can self-tickle, chillax and roll with it.
My favourite part is how the experiment was carried out. The scientists found volunteers who had scored highly for schizotypal personality traits and, wait for it – told them to tickle themselves with a paintbrush while wearing a mask. Now, is it just me? Can you imagine walking into the lab in the middle of that experiment? Pure awesomeness. I wouldn’t say you have to be insane to be a neuroscientist, but I bet it helps…. Today’s images are of bright, shiny, new products being previewed at Salone di Mobile in Milan this month. I do not vouch for the sanity of the designers but I can attest as to their talent. Have a good one.
(photos: cabinet by DesignApplause; lights by Tom Dixon; lights by Tom Dixon & Studio Front; cabinet by Campana Brothers)
Purple Prose
This blog is not much given to dealing with the latest micro-trend or celeb-worship but Prince was special. I saw him in concert three times and he was always superfantabuloustic. That wonderful mix of musical virtuosity, craziness, and sheer, raw talent does not occur all that often, as even the most cursory examination of the current music chart will show. It was just incredible to see someone making the most of his gifts with such verve and style. I overheard a conversation at the hotel today, where one guest was telling another that Prince had died. When he was asked ‘which prince?,’ he replied ‘the musician’. I thought to myself, ‘Yep, that’s right; not the popstar or singer or music mogul. A musician – the real deal’. That’s exactly what he was, and his riffs are still being referenced in young artistes’ work today.
So, we are having a purple day in honour of the Purple One today. To all my fellow Prince fans who attended the concerts and listened to the music with me, the music lives on. I know Roya, Folabi and Reema will be as saddened as I am even though we didn’t personally know the man. So, farewell Prince. May flights of angels guide you to your rest, as I hope they will do for me when I skedaddle and leave these shores behind. I hope I can leave behind a legacy of having done at least one thing as well as he made music. Redeem the time, because the days are evil. I wish you all a weekend filled with beauty and laughter and joy.
Panama Palaver
Here I am in sunny Guernsey once again. It is a complete coincidence that I have visited both Jersey and Guernsey in the months of the Panama Papers. Honest, M’Lud. That house in the picture above is one that I pass on my amble to work daily. I want that garden moved to London in its entirety, stat. Having had a crazy time just before I left London, this is a bit of a rest cure quite frankly. In that spirit, I’m posting images of things that are making me smile at the moment. Just to be extra-contrary, I’ve decided to include some posters about the joy of wearing black just as spring is approaching.
Excellent things about Guernsey so far:
That’s Guernsey for you. A highly recommended antidote to the District line and the stress of London life. Book you trip, NOW, as Carol’s minister pal would say.
Enigma in a riddle…..
My nephew and I have an ongoing debate where I insist that time as perceived by humans is an artificial construct (which it is!), and he insists it’s not. Anyway, I was watching Agents of Shield (season 3, episode 15) and it had the simplest explanation of how you cannot go back in time to change the future that I have ever seen. Check it out.
It made me think about the space-time continuum which I find equally fascinating and headache-inducing. However, I had a thought….. Although I have the tendency to mock M-theory and its 11 dimensions (mainly to provoke the physicists I know), looking at the manifold models theorized by physicists reminded me of how strings of amino acids get folded to become proteins. This folding being on the sub-atomic level in the cosmos, we may not have the equipment to confirm the structures yet. But, would that account for the extra mass that is attributed to dark matter? The particles we should be searching for may not be as small as we believe so we are looking in the wrong plane, so to speak….
It also reminds me of nervous transmission – the way nerve impulses travel along axons and then from dendrite to dendrite (or directly if axons are not present), and how the message is transmitted via synapses, all without physical contact between the parts. Maybe that’s how quantum mechanics works, and how quantum entanglement (or spooky action at a distance) is possible. The particles aren’t crossing big distances in a linear fashion, they’re jumping from fold to fold. Ultimately, it suggests that space may indeed be foldable and we can travel at warp speeds i.e faster than light. Nirvana for all Trekkies and nerds everywhere. What does this have to do with skincare products? Nothing whatsoever, but it’s my blog so I’m going to indulge myself and give any scientists reading this a good laugh at any rate 🙂 Besides, it’s 1a.m and I’ll keep thinking about this wretched stuff if I don’t write it down.
Today’s pictures are of pretty cool stuff that I like:
Hope you have a day full of wonder and magic.
Tickle Your Fancy
The latest news from our friends in the scientific world, this time from the neuroscientists. I love neuroscientists – the only scientists crazier than them are my good friends the physicists, although chemists can also be very good value for money as they love blowing stuff up so much.
Anyway, the good news according to the guys and gals from the University of Lille is that there is a certain proportion of the population who are able to tickle themselves and make themselves laugh. Hitherto, it had been thought that this was impossible. I think we can all agree that this is a significant discovery. Actually, it’s not as useless as it may appear, all this research helps to map the brain, about which organ we presently pretty much know diddly-squat to use the correct scientific terminology.
The bad news is that the ability to self-tickle has been linked to a type of schizotypy, essentially a mild version of behavioural traits seen in schizophrenia. Terrific. It makes sense of course because I would posit that the ability to self-tickle, in effect surprise oneself, requires a certain detachment from the psyche that is often observed in schizophrenia and other dissociative illnesses. This does not mean that the ability is a precursor to the illness so if you can self-tickle, chillax and roll with it.
My favourite part is how the experiment was carried out. The scientists found volunteers who had scored highly for schizotypal personality traits and, wait for it – told them to tickle themselves with a paintbrush while wearing a mask. Now, is it just me? Can you imagine walking into the lab in the middle of that experiment? Pure awesomeness. I wouldn’t say you have to be insane to be a neuroscientist, but I bet it helps…. Today’s images are of bright, shiny, new products being previewed at Salone di Mobile in Milan this month. I do not vouch for the sanity of the designers but I can attest as to their talent. Have a good one.
(photos: cabinet by DesignApplause; lights by Tom Dixon; lights by Tom Dixon & Studio Front; cabinet by Campana Brothers)
Musica Medica
So, I’ve had the flu-again. I won’t rant and rave about my predilection for catching this wretched virus, not least because I prefer the flu to coughs and colds which are just downright revolting. Silver lining, anyone? Anyway, I’ve done nothing useful for the last 5 days except sleep for 14 hours each day and spend the remaining time moaning ‘Oh, I don’t feel well‘. First I’m hot, then I’m cold, then I’m hot etc etc ad nauseaum. Extremely tiresome.
I’ve been so ill I couldn’t even read! For anyone who knows me, that’s practically a sign that I’m shuffling this mortal coil imminently. Newspapers, yes; but they are pretty much comics these days and don’t count. Actual books, no. Instead, I’ve been listening to music–Muddy Waters, B.B King, Puccini, Fela, John Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf, Verdi (Va Pensiero is amazing. If you don’t know the aria, stop reading this right now and go listen to it. And not the travesties with Zucchero please. They’re just distressing). I was struck once again by how good music goes straight from the ears to the heart whilst bypassing the brain- Wham (the impact allusion,not the band. Obvs). It’s only when you hear a piece repeatedly that you start to analyse it, and then you can hear the mathematics of the piece. I was also struck by how much the Blues has influenced all the music from the 60s onwards. That boom and wail is everywhere, it’s amazing.
So if you’re in a darkened room somewhere feeling like death warmed up, throw aside the trashy magazine; the stupidity therein will only make you hate humanity. Listen to Fela or B.B King instead- they’ll make you laugh and think, and give you a reason for thinking all is not lost. Thank God for Ibuprofen and musicians. The only other thing that bypasses the brain and goes straight to the heart is love, and we all know how much havoc that wreaks…. Story for another day. Have a virus-free week.