Brains

It's been a while since I last blogged. It seems this morning my mind is consumed with an idea that it simply does not wish to relinquish. I thought perhaps blogging about the subject would give it sufficient outlet and allow me to resume my "regularly scheduled program". I would like to submit a simplified explanation / definition for the brain. Among its possible other functions the brain is an input processor. We have identified five distinct inputs used in processing: touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. I find it interesting that the brain itself has no known means of obtaining inputs, instead relying on inputs from separate sources such as the eyes and ears etc. Suppose for the moment it were possible for your brain to continue to live once removed from the body. Your brain is now disconnected from all input. I would submit that input processing is not the brains ONLY function so thought continues. The line between conscious and unconscious thought would of course blur without any stimuli or observation on which to mark the change. Thought would continue much as it does now drawing from the memories of experiences. Consider now the same experiment done at the moment or just before birth. Now what does the brain think about having no experience to draw from and no inputs. At that moment what is the brain? Can it, will it, create without a basis for extrapolation? To suggest not is to suggest that we truly are nothing more than the sum of our experiences. I have often wondered, do those people who were born unable to see or hear truly comprehend those inputs? When a blind man dreams do those dreams take shape or are merely thoughts with attached sounds and smells. Do the deaf laugh in their dreams, do they understand sound? If so is that understanding a learned interpretation based on knowledge acquired about sound? If you cannot perceive a thing does it exist for you? Animals can hear different frequencies than humans because the methods in which they are able to receive and send that data to the brain has evolved differently. Many animals see the world differently, some without certain colors and others through hundreds of tiny eyes all sending an input of some type at once. I am unsure whether I would suggest that the entire solution is simply contained in the receiver. For example were it possible to connect a canine's auditory systems to a human brain does not infer that the person would then be able to process the input received. Consider for a moment our eyes. Some people our born unable to see certain colors. Imagine for the moment someone who was born eyes ever so slightly different so as to allow them to see something we can not, or perhaps see something we see differently. We could be surrounded with countless realities, dimensions, even "beings" that we simply lack the ability to perceive. It is conversely and equally true that all these "realities" are a single reality and the only infinite involved is the variations of our perceptions. The saying: "I think therefor I am" defines thought as self or existence. I believe it should be extended to following: "I think therefor I am, I perceive therefor are you.

Cats

For my wife's birthday I decided to take her to see Cats at Beef and Boards (just as a note their website needs serious help). I am usually unsure of myself when it comes to planning things but enlisting the opinions of others has gotten me into some trouble in the past, so I decided that this idea would be "all me". I reserved us a table for 8 right next to the stage, even though it was only two of us it was the best seat in the house. I thought about inviting different friends to go along but I wasn't sure who want to go and who wouldn't. In the end we ended up inviting her sister to join us as well. The food was ... well lets just say we didn't go for the food. We had been there once before so we knew what to expect. I figured that my wife would really enjoy the musical and I assumed that I would have a fine time as well. I was caught off guard however by just much I liked the show. Just before the show they announced several birthdays of which my wife was one. Although she was somewhat embarrassed she was duly vindicated when at the start of the performance just as I was about to take a drink the spotlight pans to me and I'm surrounded by Cats asking questions. I was speechless but completely amused and entertained. The show is very high energy and my heart goes out to the performers. There is very little if any pause between scenes. The performers worked hard to keep labored breathing from the physical activity from affecting their singing. Initially I had a little bit of a hard time getting past the outfits. Not the fact that they were dressed as cats but more that the outfits were a skin type spandex material that left nothing to the imagination. I had also never realized the sexual overtones of the performance. I do not believe it was anything "over the top" or unsuitable for minors. I think that I would like to see more plays and musicals this year.

Jeff Dunham

Last Thursday my best friend invited my wife and I to go with him and his wife to see Jeff Dunham at Conseco Fieldhouse. The show was part of his Spark of Insanity Tour. He's been doing this tour for a while now. I had seen it on DVD some time ago so while I was looking forward to it I thought I was pretty prepared for what I would see. I was wrong! Guitar guy has an entire act before Jeff comes on stage. He's very entertaining and talented on the guitar. Until this show I didn't even know that he spoke much less did stand up. I was really impressed by the whole experience. If you've seen the show on TV it is still VERY worth seeing it live. Peanut was a little more hyper than usual and Akmed was funny as always. I was however unprepared for how big of a hit Bubba J was. I was never that fond of the act myself. Something about the character I just don't relate to or seems overplayed like some remnant of the "you might be a redneck if" era of comedy. For whatever the reason Indiana loves him, although in retrospect I suppose the affinity shouldn't surprise me. Even Jeff thought that it was a little creepy as the entire audience chanted aloud each punchline. All in all a VERY good time and a welcome break from our normal weekend routine.