DMT - The Spirit Molecule

DMT is as natural as (and similar in a molecular sense to) Seratonin and Melatonin. It is found organically in our neuro-chemistry as well as other mammals and plants around the world. The blood brain barrier is quite picky about what it lets through so the assumption is that there's a purpose for this molecule though quite what that purpose is , nobody seems to know for sure. 

After the Americans shut down all psychedelic research in the late 60's, possibly because of the connection to war protests, it became career suicide to even express an interest in the subject worldwide, but some time in the mid 90's Dr. Rick Strassman began clinical trials to observe the effects of DMT from a standard psycho-pharmacological model to about 60 people over about five years.

A documentary was made about it this year and released only last month. I managed to see it a couple of nights ago and I think it's worth having an opinion on. The interviewees are all intelligent and mature people who try to explain the experiences they had which they  most often categorise as trans-dimensional and thus largely ineffable. 

The interviews are on Youtube but if the chance avails itself you can find out more about screenings at the Spirit Molecule website.

Shitty Semiotics

Above is an Anglo Saxon toilet bowl most readers of this blog should be familiar with. It's very centred isn't it?

Next is the French loo with it's rearward mechanic situated most closely to the flush pipe.

And finally above is the German toilet design, with a completely opposite forward-emphasis arrangement in comparison to the French version.

The visuals are the support material for the clip below. The first time I listened to Zizek deconstructing European toilets, I loved it and wanted to write it up as a post, but as somebody has generously uploaded a clip of his toilet-architecture rap I can include post it instead. It's hard to find any fault between his analysis of the Teutonic, French and Anglo Saxon toilet designs, and for those who haven't embarked on a tranhumanism voyage yet is fucking funny.

Geek-Group-Think & Digital Determinism

Anand Giriharadas of the New York Times, touches on some very valuable points in this talk about developing a digital philosophy. I particularly recognise his view that among geeks (and I consider myself on the geeky side) the propensity for group-think is such that it overtakes religion in its ability to stifle questions such as; is more technology always better, is it always the solution, and where it hasn't yet gone must it always go? These are important issues worth having a view about.