On the Construction of Memories
“If we have to use a metaphor in order to imagine the capacity for memory, then, the least appropriate one is the image of the library with books on its shelves, or a computer with data of whatever quantity stored in its memory. Memory is more like a generator, reproducing that past again; it is the ability, given certain impulses, to switch on the process of generating a conceptualized reality which the mind transfers into the past. This capacity is part of the general process of thinking and is inseparable from it.”
Lotman, Yuri. (1999) Universe of the Mind: A Semiotic Theory of Culture, Indiana University Press page 272
I am curious Jello
Intel and Kraft have teemed up to study the tastes of pudding lovers. Smart sensors in this Jello “samples” desert vending machine will profile the consumer to find out just who the market is for these products.
Click through the picture to view the complete article at BBC News
… but Apple still can’t produce a reliable spell checker for the iPhone!
Way back in 1994 I was helping a person with a disability use speech recognition software from Dragon Systems. The process was slow and very frustrating for the user but the potential was undeniable. Fast forward to the present and no one is surprised to find reliable integrated voice command systems in a variety of computing devices including those found in automobiles. Headsets that can be taught to respond to your thoughts were the stuff of science fiction back then but it may not be long before they too become common.
Social Saturation
According to George Colony of Forrester Research the US market is reaching a saturation point in terms of the number of hours that people have available for social media use. This is worth thinking about and deserves further study.
Have a listen from 15:05 in the following presentation:
“Three Social Thunderstorms George Colony Forrester Research #leweb What is happening in the Social Mobile and Local scene and what are the predictions of Forrester Research”
Falling in love with ideas.
” … and the idea seemed so obvious to me and so elegant that I fell deeply in love with it. And, like falling in love with a woman, it is only possible if you do not know much about her, so you cannot see her faults. The faults will become apparent later, but after the love is strong enough to hold you to her. So, I was held to this theory, in spite of all difficulties, by my youthful enthusiasm.”
Richard Feynman
Luca Turin – The Science of Scent
While controversial to some, the vibration theory of olfaction appears to me the most logical explanation for how we engage our sense of smell. It is probably the case that I find this theory attractive because I accept a general wave theory of matter literally as Erwin Schrodinger did, at least in his early work. In this video, Turin explains his views and the difference between the two major theories of olfaction.
What’s up with WordPress.com and YouTube videos?
A week or so ago, all my YouTube video links in this blog stopped working. I checked some other blogs and found the same thing had happened to them. Since then I have deleted some of the more recent posts which is sad but they were critically broken without the videos. So, the bottom line is, I am not sure what I am going to do with the blog in future. This note is for those people who wander in and are puzzled by the a lack of activity. 
When I am not so busy (soon I hope) I will see what I can do about resurrecting my old Blogger blog and continuing there.
Virtual Choir 2.0
“People seem to be experiencing an actual connection. It wasn’t a virtual choir. There are people now on line, they are friends – they’ve never met, but I know myself, I have experienced this ‘virtual esprit de corps’ if you will.” Eric Whitacre
“Lux Aurumque” … 185 voices – needs no introduction.
… but here’s the full story, and the composer’s update: A “virtual choir 2.0″ – 2,000 voices strong – from TED
Check out Eric’s Youtube site as well: http://www.youtube.com/user/EricWhitacresVrtlChr
Magic Carpet
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