I have a personal love for Science. I have never really understood why. Maybe it's a natural curiosity to explain the things around me? I'm not so sure. I am often drawn to the Science part of my local bookstore, sifting through Carl Sagan, theories on evolution and anything else that interests me.
This book was slightly hidden away, but as soon as I saw the title I was hooked - "The man who tasted shapes". Synaesthesia ("the neurological mixing of the senses. A synaesthete may, for example, hear colors, see sounds, and taste tactile sensations") has always interested me as it shows how incredible the human brain is.
I remember reading a thread on the internet where a person offered to draw what people's names looked like to him. I was astounded at the depth in colour, and how different his experience was to what non-synaesthetes experience.
The book initialy goes through a process of learning about synaesthesia and testing of two separate subjects of how the brain functions during their experience. Admiteddly, as I am not a Neurologist some of the terms went a little over my head, however the his conclusion was that the origins of synaesthesia are in the limbic system. However later theories do not corroborate this, the process undertaken intereseted me.
The tests performed were fully explained, and the one part that interested me was that when given certain substances it either enhanced or nearly totally removed the synaesthesia.
The second half of the book are essays in regards to Cytowic's thoughts on several subjects.
With broader thinking and a non-linear style of apporaching synaesthesia - I found this book very interesting, and was motivated to find out more! There are several famous performers with synaesthesia, such as Rollo from Faithless, Duke Ellington, Pharrel Williams, the bassist of the band Tool and several others. I would be incredibly interested to find out more about how this effects/enhances their creative process. Daniel Tammet, famous british autistic savant, also has synaesthesia.
With his conclusion of "synesthesia is actually a normal brain function in every one of us, but that its workings reach conscious awareness in only a handful" I became excited about the human experience and how we will find out more about how the brain works further in the future...
On an aside, I think it was interesting to view this book as a person who suffers Migraine Aura (unusual spots and also the inability to speak), while synaesthesia is unrelated, I still find anything on the human brain incredibly interesting - as we are still discovering the different ways that the brain can work!
Wiki Article on Synaesthesia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia
Cytowic's website: http://cytowic.net/_Books/_More-Shapes/_more-shapes.html
Amazon review: http://www.amazon.com/Man-Tasted-Shapes-Bradford-Books/dp/0262531526
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Backstage Passes: Life on the Wild Side with David Bowie By Angela Bowie
Christ.
What a fucking waste of time.
I don't know what I was expecting - but it sure wasn't a vapid, vindictive, ex-wifely attack on David Bowie and his lifestyle.
What was I expecting? Tender interesting personal moments away from the sex-drugs-rockandroll of the time period. Interesting snippets of life. What it was like when they had their first child, moments of difficulty adjusting to fame, beautiful anecdotes about his artistry and sense of style...
But all I got out of this novel was that a jealous Angie Bowie just wants to sing "MEMEMEMEMEMEME" from the rooftops.
While full of sex and conquests from both Angie and David, it comes across as bitchy, sardonic and very jealous. I don't understand where there would be such a need to take so much credit for his costuming, David Bowie the brand, and general comments about getting his conquests before he had a chance.
While the snippets of other stars of the period are mildy interesting, there was nothing that made me want to talk about David Bowie or his lifestyle like other Biographies have made me do.
The only interesting thing to note was that she found David in bed with Mick Jagger, certain butnever 100% sure they'd slept together.
I guess after being banned from discussing their relationship as part of the divorce settlement, I can imagine the freedom to suddenly speak must have been huge - but this book is a jumbled mess, with mized chornology - going forwards and backwards, with no idea how a: confusing and b: annoying this is to the reader.
Quite happy to hand this one back to the friend I borrowed it off.
What a fucking waste of time.
I don't know what I was expecting - but it sure wasn't a vapid, vindictive, ex-wifely attack on David Bowie and his lifestyle.
What was I expecting? Tender interesting personal moments away from the sex-drugs-rockandroll of the time period. Interesting snippets of life. What it was like when they had their first child, moments of difficulty adjusting to fame, beautiful anecdotes about his artistry and sense of style...
But all I got out of this novel was that a jealous Angie Bowie just wants to sing "MEMEMEMEMEMEME" from the rooftops.
While full of sex and conquests from both Angie and David, it comes across as bitchy, sardonic and very jealous. I don't understand where there would be such a need to take so much credit for his costuming, David Bowie the brand, and general comments about getting his conquests before he had a chance.
While the snippets of other stars of the period are mildy interesting, there was nothing that made me want to talk about David Bowie or his lifestyle like other Biographies have made me do.
The only interesting thing to note was that she found David in bed with Mick Jagger, certain butnever 100% sure they'd slept together.
I guess after being banned from discussing their relationship as part of the divorce settlement, I can imagine the freedom to suddenly speak must have been huge - but this book is a jumbled mess, with mized chornology - going forwards and backwards, with no idea how a: confusing and b: annoying this is to the reader.
Quite happy to hand this one back to the friend I borrowed it off.
Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
This book is huge. All 944 pages. The subject matter isn't small either, full of stories of prison, hatred, war, good evil - but to be honest it's all a bit contrived.
It is classed as fiction - however is supposedly "based on true events". Because of this - I felt there was something very James Frey (author of "A million little pieces"). I felt that there was too much coincidence in this novel. I didn't feel that it was very realistic at all. I guess I was expecting more of the richness of India, stuggles past the mafia, real life issues rather than the crime glorifying novel that this became...
A young man suddenly becoming a doctor in the slums after only basic first aid training, dealing with lepers for black market medication, helping with a cholera epidemic, then entering the indian mafia, then going into the afghanistan war - with in fights and love interests on the way - all seems a bit much don't you think?
It did keep me entertained, with interesting (however often overdone) characters - that for all their flowery indtroductions and lives, still seemed two dimensional.
The lovable scamp, anti-hero didn't sit with me very well, as he WAS on the run from the law initially, and his descent into a heroin drug mess for 3 months just didn't feel real. He is on the run - and barely mentions his wife and daughter - which I am certain would more than consume a normal man.
Interesting to note that this is being made into a film, Johnny Depp listed to play a central character (as well as buying the rights for a cool 2million).
I would read again, only to hope I could pull more of the underlying themes, beauty and story out of it.
It is classed as fiction - however is supposedly "based on true events". Because of this - I felt there was something very James Frey (author of "A million little pieces"). I felt that there was too much coincidence in this novel. I didn't feel that it was very realistic at all. I guess I was expecting more of the richness of India, stuggles past the mafia, real life issues rather than the crime glorifying novel that this became...
A young man suddenly becoming a doctor in the slums after only basic first aid training, dealing with lepers for black market medication, helping with a cholera epidemic, then entering the indian mafia, then going into the afghanistan war - with in fights and love interests on the way - all seems a bit much don't you think?
It did keep me entertained, with interesting (however often overdone) characters - that for all their flowery indtroductions and lives, still seemed two dimensional.
The lovable scamp, anti-hero didn't sit with me very well, as he WAS on the run from the law initially, and his descent into a heroin drug mess for 3 months just didn't feel real. He is on the run - and barely mentions his wife and daughter - which I am certain would more than consume a normal man.
Interesting to note that this is being made into a film, Johnny Depp listed to play a central character (as well as buying the rights for a cool 2million).
I would read again, only to hope I could pull more of the underlying themes, beauty and story out of it.
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