Willing Suspension of Disbelief

Suspension of disbelief or “willing suspension of disbelief” is a formula for justifying the use of fantastic or non-realistic elements in literary works of fiction. It was put forth in English by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative.

Cognitive estrangement in fiction involves using a person’s ignorance or lack of knowledge to promote suspension of disbelief.

Bernie 2016

Is Your Brain a Computer, or is it a ‘Quantum Orchestra’ Tuned to the Universe?

Consciousness Chronicles 4 Trailer

The Consciousness Chronicles is a series of in-depth conversations with the world’s leading thinkers and researchers in the field of consciousness.

SASTPC Stuart Hameroff Free Public Talk

Time in Cosmology

Is Your Brain Really a Computer? Or is it a Quantum Orchestra?

Tucson, Arizona, October 12, 2015 – Since the early 1990’s Stuart Hameroff, MD., anesthesiologist, Emeritus Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology, and the Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies, together with the famed physicist Sir Roger Penrose have combined two intriguing ideas that have far reaching consequences in decoding and deciphering our understanding of the brain and consciousness.  These ideas are centered on Quantum Mechanics and Neurophysiology establishing a ‘quantum theory of consciousness called “Orch OR” (orchestrated objective reduction) that links microtubule quantum processes to fluctuations in the structure of the universe.’  Recent studies suggests that consciousness may indeed be a Quantum Mechanical phenomenon.  Dr. Hameroff will be presenting his fascinating research, which appeared in the Huffington Post, ‘Is Your Brain Really a Computer? Or is it a Quantum Orchestra?’…

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Hubble Telescope Shows Off Galaxy Cluster SDSS J1038+4849’s Delightful Mood!

Galaxy Cluster SDSS J1038+4849 is Smiling!   As seen from Nasa’s Hubble Telescope.

CASIS and Seth Green. Who would of thunk it?

Fractal Geometry: Simple Patterns in a Complex World

I’ve always been fascinated by fractal geometry and self-similarity.

Time in Cosmology

Professor Michael Barnsley with a fractally transformed teacup and pot. (Credit: Phil Dooley, ANU)

An ANU mathematician has developed a new way to uncover simple patterns that might underlie apparently complex systems, such as clouds, cracks in materials or the movement of the stockmarket.

“Fractal Geometry is a new branch of mathematics that describes the world as it is, rather than acting as though it’s made of straight lines and spheres. There are very few straight lines and circles in nature. The shapes you find in nature are rough.” said Michael Barnsley, Professor of Mathematics at ANU.

FrangoCamera App developed at ANU. (Credit ANU)

“Fractal Fourier analysis provides a method to break complicated signals up into a set of well understood building blocks, in a similar way to how conventional Fourier analysis breaks signals up into a set of smooth sine waves,” said Professor Michael Barnsley, who who presented his…

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That’s Some Ultra Deep Space Man!

Hubble Team Unveils Most Colorful View of Universe Captured by Space Telescope

http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2014/27/image/a/

Holy macaroni! #theresnatureinthere #hubblesite Most Colorful View of Universe Captured from Space. http://t.co/0Tb1PRESpI

— Jason Canfield (@reeljc) June 3, 2014

 

What’s Your New Year’s Revolution?

Everyone has one these days.  What’s yours?

“Corruption … undermines democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security to flourish. This evil phenomenon is found in all countries – big and small, rich and poor…corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended for development, undermining a government’s ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice and discouraging foreign aid and investment. Corruption is a key element in economic under-performance and a major obstacle to poverty alleviation and development.” – Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General