The Scientification of Science - A wordless Essay

Dogs and Rainbows

Dogs can't see rainbows. Sucks for them.

Bukowski Women Oral Sex Acoustic Guitar Jam

Random two-layer acoustic guitar jam while listening to one of Charles Bukowski's lovers talk about oral sex from a BBC documentary on him called "The Ordinary Madness of Charles Bukowski" (1995).

Beaver Grammar

monkey in my butt (Benbola inspiration)

MS paint artistic depiction of BenBola's Youtube rap video "Monkey in my butt".

A Dolphin in the Falls in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Canada

Puppetry for Adults

Random video I made the other day involving puppets talking about psychological concepts -- and sometimes even applying them to the viewer.

PFFR - japoney appoe

a weird, but mind-expanding song and video by PFFR, the makers of Wonder Showzen:

Carnival Corp.'s New Name Should Be Titanic Adventures Inc.

Random drawings

Random characters I drew which were uncharacteristically interesting-looking:

Insomniac Anhedonia

Video creation depicting insomniac anhedonia via mundane scenes around London, Ontario, Canada.

critique of 1000awesomethings.com

really a lot (maybe most) of his awesome things have more to do with the attitude one directs toward the thing rather than the thing itself being awesome or not.

examples (including his last 3 posts):

#95 When that kid crying in the mall isn’t your kid
#96 Basement couches
#97 When someone takes care of you when you’re sick
#103 Gutsy city animals

Smart Eccentric Moustache Venn Diagram

electronic arts & craft

UGLY 30

Psychology Must Be Saved - PROTEST

PJ Party of Canada 2011 Campaign Video

Campaign Video of the PJ PARTY of Canada for the May 2nd 2011 federal election.

The main platform of the PJ PARTY of Canada centers on PEACE and social JUSTICE for all Canadians. No more dead Canadians in Afghanistan! We support clean energy initiatives such as making solar and geothermal energy affordable for all Canadians.

Spread the message and tell your friends, family, and children. Follow us on twitter (subscribe to "MAYDAYCANADA") for updates and information regarding our 2011 election campaign: https://twitter.com/#!/MAYDAYCANADA

WE MUST STOP HARPER to SAVE CANADA NOW!!

Bem's premonition

http://stripgenerator.com/strip/441739/bems-premonition/

A comic strip I created poking fan at Bem's recently accepted studies showing "experimental evidence" for premonition (psi).

Created using http://stripgenerator.com

Make your own 3D stereogram

NOTE: ***MUST click on the full-size picture to view the magic eye 3D part!***


Make your own 3D stereogram images at: http://www.flash-gear.com/stereo/ (pretty neat!)

Mental Astronauts (a.k.a Psychonauts)

"I go deep into mental space beyond the bounds of earthly musings, awing mystical unperceptual unknowns." (LeBel, 2010, somewhere in Michigan)


Related Notes from wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychonaut):
"Psychonaut, literally a "sailor of the psyche", is a person who actively explores the psyche through the use of hallucinogens or other trance-inducing and mind exploring techniques, such as shamanic ritual, self-hypnosis, sensory deprivation, or lucid dreaming."

Macabre Joke

One day, a colleague of mine reminded his best friend that it was his deceased sister's birthday that day.

The friend responded: "OK thanks for letting me know. I'd send her a birthday e-card, but I'm not sure they have the Internet in heaven!"

Untitled

Life as Continua

Life is about degrees of things (concepts), varying on different continua. For example, I am in the library [right now] eating a semi-over-ripe banana; the over-ripeness (premature fermentation) is affecting my nervous system in sub-threshold ways which bend the legality of my behaviour.

[transcribed from a note written sometime in between 2001 and 2002.]

New Text-To-Movie Video Generating Website

Try it out!

Google Collective Consciousness Curiosity Prober

I just "discovered" a new way (to my knowledge) of assessing what kinds of questions individuals are collectively curious about. This provides an intriguing way of probing the current collective consciousness of our society.

To experience this for yourself, type in "does X" in a standard Google search box, where X represents an object or idea of interest. Then examine what is automatically generated by the intelligence horse-power built into the Google search engine.

For example, I typed in the search string "do animals", and the search engine automatically listed: "do animals have souls", "do animals go to heaven", "do animals dream", "do animals cry", "do animals have rights", "do animals have feelings", "do animals feel pain", and "do animals have periods."

The Meaning of Life

A swing at the holy grail of philosophical questions - what is the meaning of life? - involving funions, yin yang, circles, cyclicalness, and a lot of meaninglessness.

Direct versus Heuristic Experiencing

It is refreshing to experience an action (e.g. brushing teeth or observing traffic) by experiencing the action directly instead of using prototypical, heuristic, perceived or memorial images or feelings. In other words, be there there. Focus directly on your senses in a non-analytical fashion. Focus on being. Focus on being instead of doing. Too often we are busy doing and forget to be. Don't forget to smell the flowers.

Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity (Simple Living) - Part III

A non-serious video about a serious issue. The video depicts ideas on voluntary simplicity which involves actively choosing a simpler lifestyle and consumption choices. From this alternative viewpoint, there's no need for incessant consumption and acquisition of new things, hence allowing one to focus on more richly qualitative and deep activities (rather than on quantitatively focused surface-level activities).

Awaken today and realize the empty promise of consumerism.

Narcissism, Divorce Rates, and Capitalism

Although these things sound unrelated, they are actually a lot more related than they might at first appear. The term "narcissism" originates from a Greek mythology tale wherein Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pond at the expense of loving and being loved by others. Today, psychologists better understand the debilitating interpersonal effects of narcissism, however many questions remain, including whether as a society we are all becoming more narcissistic? I would propose, however, that if it can be accepted that our society has become increasingly more capitalistic (increasing concentration of wealth in the hands of a few) and materialistic in the past 40 years, it follows that an increase in narcissistically-oriented individuals is required for this evolution. The ever-increasing profit growth inherent in capitalism requires that individuals see themselves as important, grandiose, and entitled to constantly better and improved products. These narcissistically-oriented mindsets, then, can have dramatic negative effects on people's marriages and partnerships, as it is clear that when both partners think that their desires and wants are more important, both lose in the end.

A Tribute to Jon Lajoie

A compilation of the best scenes from Jon Lajoie's brilliant collection of videos that I made recently.

Experience the genius of Jon Lajoie's current video collection in only 4 minutes!

Try Sleeping Today! - Mock Commercial à la Jon Lajoie

Tired of consciously thinking about stuff? Tired of being aware and alive, but not ready to die? Try sleeping! Proven effective against the symptoms related to being alive.

This video was 100% inspired by Jon Lajoie's modus operandi. Check him out!

White Supremacist Movement Amidst Presidential and Economic Changes

It is dumbfounding to think that White Supremacist movements still exist today, never mind be increasing in popularity. The following video, created by the American News Project, conveys some astounding information about how White Supremacist movements are increasing in popularity due to the recent historical election of a Black American president and the simultaneous degradation of the economy.

Adventures in Voluntary Simplicity

I've recently dabbled in a plunderphonics project that involves creatively combining various audio files related to some kind of theme. Here's the result of my first plunderphonics track, focusing broadly on the topic of voluntary simplicity.

What Really Are Basic Necessities?

A scene in the novel "The Last Canadian" (William Heine, 1974) depicts the main protagonist (Gene) exploring through a financial district in downtown New York City. Hit by a lethal plague that wiped out all but a few North Americans, most cities have become uninhabitable due to vandalisation and destructive looting. Gene walks by a bank and ventures into the bank's vault after noticing it was open. After staring at the vast amounts of money bags holding seemingly infinite numbers of hundred and thousand-dollar bills, Gene simply leaves. This very unique scene embodies a very interesting context for asking the old question of what really are important items and goals for well-being?

The scene depicted in the novel is relevant for answering the question because in the plague-ridden society, money is completely irrelevant. The arbitrary accumulation of money is of no value. Furthermore, social approval is drastically downplayed because only a few hundred individuals remain across North America most of which live alone. Hence, individuals (as portrayed in the novel) generally focus on acquiring items that have functional value for survival and pursue activities related to intrinsically motivated goals. For example, Gene doesn't acquire new clothes or luxurious jewelery that don't provide any additional functional benefits or acquire items for the sake of keeping up with his neighbors.

The exercise of going through this hypothetical situation and asking how one would live their life could potentially be a valuable exercise for individuals seeking to probe more deeply into what is truly important to them and how to better align their actions with their inner-directed goals.

Priceless Moments during 2008 Canadian Debate

Priceless moments during the 2008 English Canadian Debate that took place October 2, 2008. Most of the amusing moments involve the opposition leaders taking shots at Mr. Harper.

Wanting Less

"Wanting a lot of money is a way for more powerful people to get something out of you which you would rather not do if you were reasoning soundly." (LeBel, 2008)

The Nature of Voluntary Simplicity

According to Duane Elgin, "we can describe voluntary simplicity as a manner of living that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rich, a way of being in which our most authentic and alive self is brought into direct and conscious contact with living."^[1]

^{In voluntary simplicity, our most “authentic and alive self” is brought into direct and conscious contact with living. This implies that in extravagant living, our authentic self is indirectly brought into contact with living. In other words, something is interfering with the alive self being able to live. Thus, the non-essential extravagance blocks the authentic self from fully involving itself with actual lived life.}

enjoyable automatic unmindful analytical mode of thought

perceive an object as not being part of a category of objects, but as a classless experiencable object itself. object being perceivable as an object in its own sense; as a directly sensory experience.

i am being completely analytical; unmindfully synthetic. every thought elicits higher-order thoughts. this mode is interrupting my optimal neutral state of mindfully being. but i can nonetheless enjoy the moment. ;-)

Inspire Yourself

A short depiction of some inspiring messages brought to you via the inspirational poster medium of the 1990s.

Video Resume of the Future

A movie showcasing how the hyper-individualized and self-centered individual of the future will go to the greatest (absurd) lengths to distinguish him or herself from others in order to land his or her dream job!

Adaptive Scientific Mindset

Scientists are commonly viewed as highly skeptical individuals who believe only rigorously supported ideas. Although this is to a certain extent quite true, I want to advance in this post that there is an under-appreciated trickiness involved in having a healthy level of scientific skepticism, while at the same time being open-minded enough to be able to seriously consider paradigm shifting ideas. Thus, on the one hand, a researcher needs to be skeptical enough to believe only sound and robust pieces of information. On the other hand, researchers need to be open-minded enough to contemplate ideas that although seem implausible now, may open the door to ground-breaking new ways of thinking about reality.

Connections as the Main Arbiter Of Reality

I could say that it is the precise connection between moments through time that form the basis for experiences and learning. Hopefully, this wouldn't surprise you too much.

However, thinking more profoundly about connections per se may pique your interest a bit more. Connections, links, or associations are ubiquitous in our daily experience. We can have connections to other individuals, to objects, to the Earth; we can have connections in thoughts and ideas. In an abstract sense then, it seems that the concept of connection is the central entity that permits reality. We would not be able to form a coherent view of reality without connections. Can you at all imagine a reality without connections? Without associations, there would be no separable entities, and thus no reality as we know it.

Points for Idiots

I love President's Choice products and all, but PC points seem highly questionable! I recently received a letter in the mail stating that if you spend more than $75 on a visit at the grocery store, you would earn an extra 500 points! If you spend another $75 dollars on a second visit you earn an extra 2,000 points, a third visit 5,000 points, and a fourth visit 10,000 points!!! (and hurry offer expires July 31st). That sounds great, but when you do the conversion (i.e., 10,000 points equals $1 in free groceries), it means that if you spend $75 on your first visit, they'll give you an extra 5 cents, $75 on a second visit, you get 20 cents, a third visit 50 cents, and a fourth visit 1 full dollar.

Has it really come to the point in our society where the majority of citizens cannot see through these point systems? The fact that these systems exist suggests that they probably do work in general. I 'm trying hard to imagine the scene where clever individuals are sitting around a board room table ironing the logic behind these schemes. Perhaps it goes something like this: "OK, all we have to do is make people think MANY POINTS = GOOD, and then make the points worth next to nothing, but because we're given them so many points (e.g., 10,000!), they'll buy into it!" This seems scarily reminiscent of the movie Idiocracy....

Unnatural Symmetry

"He (she) who seeks symmetry in himself (herself) or others shall forever be miserable." (LeBel, 2008)

Self Spontaneity

"Being spontaneous" is often mentioned as an important component in keeping our couple life happy and alive. Although being spontaneous in one's individual life is also advised by some, why is it not seen as important or as "necessary" for individuals? If being spontaneous with one's partner helps relationships stay healthy, why would spontaneity not also be healthy for one's well-being as an individual?

I argue that being spontaneous as an individual human being (and in a couple) is a necessary (but not necessarily sufficient) condition for living a more natural, free, exciting, and fulfilling life.

Everything Is Free In Dreams

Have you ever thought about the fact that in lucid dreams, you can acquire items and do things without any financial ramifications? In other words, in the land of dreams, individuals are not discriminated against based on their accumulation of capital.

This thought seemed a lot more interesting at the time it was elicited, but I figured I'd put it down on paper anyway.

Raw Existence with Chris McCandless

A photo collage I recently created of events in Chris McCandless' life mixed with an acoustic song I composed and dedicated to the ideals and values he embodied.

Although I've never met the man, I've been deeply touched by his spirit.

Body Before Person

"A body is what one leaves his feet for,
A person is what one stays for." (LeBel, 2008)

When we encounter a stranger, all we know is her body. Only subsequently can we learn about her person. In certain circumstances, however, we could experience both a stranger's body and person if we are observing a behavior diagnostic of their person. For example, observing a cute girl helping an elderly woman getting off the bus. But strictly speaking, wouldn't the perception of the person's physical body come BEFORE the interpretation of meaning of that person's bodily-caused action?

Blog Hiatus

To my dearly valued readers: Please accept my apology for the non-existence of posts to my blog in the past 1.5 months. I was busy being non-busy (free).

cleanse your perception of time with neutral-time

does the passage of time during the weekend subjectively feel different than the passage of time during the week? if it does and it's the weekday, as an exercise try experiencing the current passage of time as being part of the "weekend" mindset. how does that feel?

then think about cleansing your perception of time such that it's neutral (does not feel like the weekend or weekday). my speculation is that living life having a time-neutral mindset may be mentally healthy and be important for well-being. or at least, to experience most days as feeling like they're part of the 'weekend of life'.

Chromeo Frog Stop Motion

My first experimentation with stop motion animation. Not sure how successful it was, but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. The story line is somewhat unclear, but it has something to do with frogs and well-intentioned (bonafied) romantic connections.

Creative or Repugnant?

the sweet synergyzing sound of casio pt-10 fantasy keys, c harp, point five, and acid software.

Earthlings' Ultimate Goal

If you ask people why they want to be happy, they will likely not be able to give any further external reason. If, however, you ask people why they want to be healthier or have freedom, they will likely be able to give reasons for pursuing these goals (e.g., to not be in pain, to enjoy life, to be able to control one's life). This underscores why happiness is the ultimate variable for consciously sentient beings on Earth; however, knowing how to optimally seek this ultimate goal is another story altogether.

Adapted from Richard Layard's (2005) book "Happiness: Lessons from a new science."

Journey or Destination?

Enjoy the Journey

It is often mentioned that one should enjoy the journey in life because the ultimate destination for all mortals is death. From this perspective, it evidently does not make much sense to continually put-off the enjoyment of one's life until tomorrow. However, as is with most things in life, a balance is needed between short-term and long-term goal rewards. Nonetheless, one can ask what it means really for one to "enjoy the journey"?

"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science." Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912)

I like this quote because it applies to so many different levels and topics. For one, it relates to the idea that individuals that know many facts might be knowledgeable, but that without organization and connections between facts, they may nonetheless not be wise. For two, the statement foreshadows the ills of poorly-integrated (and arguably the low contributability of) modern day social psychology. For three, the statement is consistent with the argument made by some philosophers of science that there needs to be more integration and cross-pollination between scientific disciplines!

Emancipate Yourself From Egoistic Suffering

I was reading this passage from a book I can't unfortunately recall at this time, but it was saying that in many East Asian cultures, particularly those based on Buddhist or Taoist beliefs, "desire, craving, lust, and ambition are viewed as the source of suffering." Thus, the idea is that we should "seek to emancipate the self from egoism" (de Silva, 1993; Sinha & Sinha, 1997). From this perspective, the individual self is seen as illusory or unreal; the ideal state requires the "transcendence of self-hood and complete identification with the forces of the cosmos" (Ho, 1995; Inada, 1997).

So break free from your ego!
Emancipate yourself from egoistic slavery!!!

Broken Clock

"Even a broken clock is right twice a day". (Anonymous)

What exactly does this mean? Perhaps it means that even suboptimal actions, individuals, events have some value in our world. Viewed slightly differently but nonetheless similarly, perhaps it means that even individuals that are generally devalued in our society are valuable and thus should be appreciated.

What Do People Think About When "Idling"?

Have you ever wondered what people think about when they are "idling", that is when they are waiting for their next event to occur? Examples of "idling" include waiting at the doctor's office, waiting at the bus stop, or sitting in the bus or in a car.

For example, when I'm riding in a car and we're driving past a bus stop, I sometimes think about how the people at the bus stop might be thinking "I wish I was in that car".

When I'm sitting on the bus, I generally look around the bus and speculate about what other people might be thinking about. Although these days most people on the bus just listen to their I-pods, I'm sure they nonetheless at times actually reflect about what's on the minds of other individuals on the bus.

Words Do Not Equal Ideas

An important and interesting thing to remember is that words used to convey certain ideas to others (or oneself) are always only rough reflections of the actual ideas present in one's mind. This thought was inspired by reading a piece which emphasized how various immensely prolific scientists (e.g., Einstein, Faraday, and Maxwell) were successful because of their highly developed visual modes of thought, which were accompanied by deficiencies in verbal abilities such as dyslexia and difficulty in conveying ideas to others. Thus, we must always remain aware of the fact that words do not equal ideas and that difficulty in expressing ideas via words doesn't necessarily reflect a disadvantage!

Deep Zelda