2011.02.12 19:00 - Brain Stories

The Guardian for this meeting was Aphrodite Macbain. The comments are by Aphrodite Macbain.

Hokon Cazalet: hehe i like your name, oO0Oo =)
oO0Oo Resident: ty I like yours too
Hokon Cazalet: =)
Hokon Cazalet: ty
oO0Oo Resident: nice to meet you
Aphrodite Macbain: Oh Hi Samuo!!
Aphrodite Macbain: How long have you been sitting there?
Aphrodite Macbain: Hello Hokon Please join us. We are few but strong!
Hokon Cazalet: hi =)
oO0Oo Resident: the triangle is a strong shape
Hokon Cazalet: hehe
Aphrodite Macbain: I was reading your summaryof phenomenology from the earlier chat
Hokon Cazalet: =)
Aphrodite Macbain: Clearly put and very useful
Hokon Cazalet: ty
Hokon Cazalet: ive had alot of fun reading husserl's and one of heidegger's books on the topic
Aphrodite Macbain: Hokon Cazalet: =)
Aphrodite Macbain: Are you interested (in the subject of phenomenology) out of curiosity?
Hokon Cazalet: there is that, but i plan to be a professional philosopher someday
Aphrodite Macbain: Are you currently a student?
Hokon Cazalet: im good in class, just getting into grad school will end up being hard, cuz i; yes i am =)
oO0Oo Resident: what distinguishes a "professional" philosopher
Hokon Cazalet: one that makes money doing it hehe
Aphrodite Macbain: the best of both worlds! Being paid to teach and study what you care about.

Hokon Cazalet: hehe yup
Hokon Cazalet: other than that i dont think one exists
Hokon Cazalet: cuz anyone can really be a philosopher
Hokon Cazalet: im already a philosopher, studying, writing my own arguments, coming up with ideas . Aphrodite Macbain: how wonderful Hokon. Have you published yet?
Hokon Cazalet: no
Hokon Cazalet: i have begun to write stuff i wanted to publish, but i keep learning new stuff, so i re-write alot hehe
Aphrodite Macbain: can you tell us what you're focussing on right now?
Hokon Cazalet: well phenomenology really, and ethics
Aphrodite Macbain: Those are pretty broad subjects....
Hokon Cazalet: yeah
Hokon Cazalet: =)
oO0Oo Resident thinks: virtue is it's own reward
Hokon Cazalet: id agree
Hokon Cazalet: im right now, in my personal studies, thinking of ways to ground ethics phenomenologically
Aphrodite Macbain thinks reading is also its own reward
Hokon Cazalet: hehe
Hokon Cazalet: yup
Hokon Cazalet: usually
Aphrodite Macbain: I've just come back from a 6 hour seminar
 Hokon Cazalet: wow
Aphrodite Macbain: on Cognitive Neuroscience
Hokon Cazalet: cool =)
oO0Oo Resident: interesting Aph
Hokon Cazalet: im rather optimistic about neurology myself
Hokon Cazalet: sounds like it'd be fun to do that seminar
Aphrodite Macbain: I found it absolutely fascinating and amazed at what our brains can do
Hokon Cazalet: =)
Aphrodite Macbain: for instance, how they can compensate for injury
Hokon Cazalet: cool
Hokon Cazalet: i like learning about that esp
oO0Oo Resident: neuroplasticity is like rain for the brain
Hokon Cazalet: =)
Aphrodite Macbain: yes. Also interestng to see what happens if our two hemisphere's are separated
Hokon Cazalet: oh yes that also
Hokon Cazalet: i should look at that again
Aphrodite Macbain: hard to summarize...
Hokon Cazalet: yes it usually is with that stuff =)
Hokon Cazalet: oh you mean the effects
oO0Oo Resident: when the hemispheres are seperate, can not some do two different tasks with either hand simultaneously?
Aphrodite Macbain: With a split brain someon can daw a square with one hand and a circle with the other
oO0Oo Resident: snap
Hokon Cazalet: whoa
Aphrodite Macbain: hehe
Aphrodite Macbain: Not sure what the advantages of this is..
oO0Oo Resident: write with one side and spell check with the other
Hokon Cazalet: hehe
Aphrodite Macbain: For epileptics they sometimes separate them to eliminate seizures

Hokon Cazalet: yes
Aphrodite Macbain: we talked about phantom limbs,
oO0Oo Resident: i feel cut off from, but almost able to taste the pizza in Hokon's profile
Aphrodite Macbain: pizza? Aphro looks more closely
Aphrodite Macbain: sounds like wishful thinking
Hokon Cazalet: hehe
Hokon Cazalet: yummy =)
Aphrodite Macbain: we talked about self in space (apparently very common for people to float above themseles)
Aphrodite Macbain: or the book The Man who took his Wife for a Hat (Oliver Sacks) is related to taking Hokon's face for a pizza
Hokon Cazalet: !
oO0Oo Resident: Yes, some interesting memory effects
Aphrodite Macbain: sorry. I didn't notic the bell!
Hokon Cazalet: hehe
Aphrodite Macbain: What do you know about this field Samuo?
oO0Oo Resident: Don't know much Aph, just books and documentaries
Hokon Cazalet sacrifices some metal for the bell to atone for the sin of speaking
Aphrodite Macbain grins in appreciation and wonders what she has to offer
oO0Oo Resident: Baroness Susan Greenfield's 'The Brain" was quite good
oO0Oo Resident: documentary
oO0Oo Resident: BBC
Aphrodite Macbain: Good old BBC
Hokon Cazalet: =)
oO0Oo Resident: also thinking of book: 'Wider Than the Sky'?
Aphrodite Macbain: what is wider than the sky? the brain?
Aphrodite Macbain: the "last frontier"?
oO0Oo Resident: brb
Aphrodite Macbain: We also talked a bit about memory

Hokon Cazalet: cool
Hokon Cazalet: thats a fun topic
Aphrodite Macbain: both episodic and semantic
Aphrodite Macbain: both of which are very subjective
Hokon Cazalet: =)
Aphrodite Macbain: Yes.... want to start school all over again!
Hokon Cazalet: ive come to like school, unlike my teenage years hehe
Hokon Cazalet: Yaaaaayyyyyyyy!
Aphrodite Macbain: Ha ha. But someone needs to pay for it...
Hokon Cazalet: =)
Hokon Cazalet: hehe
oO0Oo Resident: Daniel Tammet talks about the subjects in his book: (correction) 'Embracing the Wide Sky'  http://is.gd/RigpwI (this is 5+ mins. but lovely I think)
--BELL--
Aphrodite Macbain: time
Hokon Cazalet: flies
oO0Oo Resident: another correction, and 'tuck away'  link for: 'Brain Story' Neuroscientist Susan Greenfield attempts to answer the question "What is my mind and who am I?" http://is.gd/g7gqP5

Aphrodite Macbain: Having a bad time...

oO0Oo Resident: seems my brain is in need of a rain shower
oO0Oo Resident: when you're having fun
Aphro begins to have a terrible time with lag and can't seem to write anything any more

Aphrodite Macbain: Must go
Hokon Cazalet: aw ok bye aphrodite =)
oO0Oo Resident: bad one Aph?
Aphrodite Macbain: VERY laggy
Hokon Cazalet: =(
Aphrodite Macbain: great being with you both
oO0Oo Resident observes Aphrodite running in place and moving in groovy ways
Hokon Cazalet: you too =)
Aphrodite Macbain: Bye!
oO0Oo Resident: tc Aph Bye
Hokon Cazalet: im gonna head out also, nice meeting you =)
oO0Oo Resident: likewise
oO0Oo Resident: ty
Aphrodite Macbain: Congrats Samuo :-) (for becoming Guardian)
Hokon Cazalet: hope to see you both again soon =)
oO0Oo Resident: :)
Hokon Cazalet: btw cool link samuo =)
Hokon Cazalet: ill def check it out when i got some spare time