2010.10.16 19:00 - Tentacles of Awareness

The Guardian for this meeting was Eliza Madrigal, filling in for Pema traveling back from Stuttgart. The comments are by Eliza Madrigal, who sat alone for twenty minutes before Bleu arrived, freshly returned from an exciting salon adventure. Then, Steve arrived, still refusing to believe I was not in Germany last week. Hah..

Apologies for using an incorrect term for octopus feet. They are *not* tentacles. I just like the phrase. :) 

Bleu Oleander: hi Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Bleu :))
Eliza Madrigal: You are particularly wild tonight...
Bleu Oleander: ah yes
Eliza Madrigal: wow
Eliza Madrigal: Is this for Burning Man?
Bleu Oleander: been out of town, just got back .... lots of changes
Eliza Madrigal: Still stunning as ever
Bleu Oleander: ty!
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, to California?
Bleu Oleander: am wearing the universe :)

Bleu Oleander: yes, took our group
Bleu Oleander: had a great time
Eliza Madrigal: zooms in and stands so you can see we're on the same page
Bleu Oleander: wow great
Eliza Madrigal: haha :)
Bleu Oleander: :))
Eliza Madrigal: oops... now stuck somehow
Bleu Oleander: uh oh
Eliza Madrigal: Did you see a speaker, or museums or?
Bleu Oleander: we set up several conversations with people
Bleu Oleander: a couple of days of intense subjects
Eliza Madrigal: oh?
Bleu Oleander: at UCSD, the Neurosciences Institute and others
Eliza Madrigal: How interesting
Eliza Madrigal: what was the highlight?
Bleu Oleander: very cool conversations on animal consciousness, time, perception, fMRI
Bleu Oleander: hmmm
Bleu Oleander: hard to say ... all pretty cool
Eliza Madrigal: Are there new ideas or findings on animal consciousness?

--BELL--

Bleu Oleander: our presenter works with octopus
Bleu Oleander: very intellegent creatures
Eliza Madrigal: I'm fascinated by them...
Eliza Madrigal: what did you find out?
Eliza Madrigal: gosh your hair is great :))
Bleu Oleander: they are capable of social learning
Bleu Oleander: ty .... old inventory
Eliza Madrigal: in groups?
Eliza Madrigal: I never think of octopi (is that correct now?) as social creatures...
Bleu Oleander: I hadn't either
Eliza Madrigal: think of them holed up... sort of cave dwellers...
Bleu Oleander: very cool though to see the videos
Bleu Oleander: they were able to learn a task from each other
Eliza Madrigal: I do remember hearing something particular about them, maybe having to do with children... hm
Bleu Oleander: incredible, really
Eliza Madrigal: What sort of a task does an octopus do? :))
Bleu Oleander: they were able to open a box to get food
Eliza Madrigal: Oh!
Eliza Madrigal: problem solving...
Bleu Oleander: amazing
Eliza Madrigal: Okay... coming clean. I just googled to see that the octopus has three hearts!
Bleu Oleander: also able to respond to videos
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, like dolphins are too... that's really surprising
Bleu Oleander: he did motion-capture videos of prey
Bleu Oleander: and the octopus was able to recognize the prey
Bleu Oleander: experimented with different speeds of the videos too

Eliza Madrigal: so that suggests they were learning vicariously... not through some kind of tangible sense
Bleu Oleander: to see just how much the octopus could recognize
Eliza Madrigal imagines playing the cup game with an octopus ...
Bleu Oleander: ha!
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Bleu Oleander: also eat lots of great fish
Bleu Oleander: miss that in AZ

Bleu Oleander: I love the ocean
Bleu Oleander: just being there is wonderful
Eliza Madrigal: yes, good thing that you return to refresh...
Eliza Madrigal: like a mermaid :)
Bleu Oleander: :)
Eliza Madrigal: the ocean is intrinsically healing I think...

Bleu Oleander: so what's been happening here?
Bleu Oleander: hey steve
Eliza Madrigal: even just the sound...
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Steve :)
Eliza Madrigal: Hm... well, Kira and Village Hall are moved!
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Bleu and ELiza, you home ELiza?
Bleu Oleander: yes, I saw that!
Bleu Oleander: Storm has been busy
Eliza Madrigal: Yes, have been home Steve :))
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Eliza Madrigal: Bleu has just returned from Cali though

stevenaia Michinaga: Bleu, I wnated to thank you for your contribution to my Puzzle art
Bleu Oleander: oh?
stevenaia Michinaga: it just hit me the other day looking at your image
stevenaia Michinaga: so I posted one I tok
stevenaia Michinaga: inspired by you
Eliza Madrigal: Great, Steve :))
Bleu Oleander: oh great .... I'll have to check it out
Eliza Madrigal: I was thinking about the cube today actually... how fantastic it felt to fly around in there and see combinations of avatar images....

--BELL--

Bleu Oleander: :)
Bleu Oleander: I have to do something new for my plot
Eliza Madrigal: Hm, and what else...
Eliza Madrigal: Well, the retreat in Germany has finished
Eliza Madrigal: and Wol posted reflections. There will be a theme session next Saturday
Bleu Oleander: looking forward to that!
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Bleu Oleander: how was the time session this week?
Eliza Madrigal stands back so Bleu's wheels have room to turn
Eliza Madrigal: I enjoyed it... Missed you
Eliza Madrigal: Fef is posting...
Bleu Oleander: i didn't get a chance to post a report either

Eliza Madrigal: yes I know... do you have thoughts on the last chapter?
Eliza Madrigal: I'd love to hear
Eliza Madrigal: "the fork in the road"
Eliza Madrigal: You are reading too Steve right?
Bleu Oleander: too many new thoughts crowding my brain at the moment :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: every now and then I take a moment and read through them
Eliza Madrigal: wheels within wheels
stevenaia Michinaga: makes for a very thoughtful day when I do sice I take a few sessions at a time
Eliza Madrigal: It seems an important chapter... we'll see how it unfolds in the group I guess...
Bleu Oleander: will re-read it this week
Bleu Oleander: after my head clears :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes, glad to have you home :) It does sound like a full week...

Eliza Madrigal: maybe this week you'll post an octopus report
stevenaia Michinaga: octopus report?
Eliza Madrigal: hehe... tentacles of awareness
Bleu Oleander: hey, that's a good idea
Bleu Oleander: nice
Eliza Madrigal: earlier we discussed interesting facts about octopi
Eliza Madrigal: they are cephalopods... which means "head with feet"
Bleu Oleander: lots of feet
Eliza Madrigal: hard to get more interesting than that...
Eliza Madrigal: except maybe the platypus...
Eliza Madrigal: which is, among other things, poisonous!
Eliza Madrigal: well, venomous anyway

Eliza Madrigal: I think I'm getting loopy.... quite sleepy actually but am glad to see you Bleu and Steve
Eliza Madrigal: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: Jet Lag?
Eliza Madrigal: I didn't go anywhere Steve! haha... well. last weekend to ny but thats it
Eliza Madrigal: hahahha

stevenaia Michinaga: right, loopy must be contagious
Eliza Madrigal giggles. for sure
stevenaia Michinaga: looks at blond hair
Bleu Oleander: feels loopy too

--BELL--

Eliza Madrigal: :))
stevenaia Michinaga: see you tomarrow, perhaps
Eliza Madrigal: Night guys , Hugs
Bleu Oleander: nite steve
Bleu Oleander: should go too
Bleu Oleander: take care Eliza .... great to catch up!