book: The Physics of Consciousness
tv: LOST “The Constant”
Wow. I am just going to come right out and say that this most recent episode of LOST was by far my favorite of the entire series, and that it had me bawling my eyes out at the end. Desmond is the coolest character, a sexy time travelling Scotsman who is so deeply in love with Penny that he is willing to travel to the ends of Earth and time to be with her. Man, that really shows how trivial the whole Jack/Kate/Sawyer love triangle is.
Besides watching that amazing episode yesterday, I also finished a book called the The Physics of Consciousness by Evan Harris Walker. The book is about consciousness as one of the underlying forces in the universe similar to gravity and seeks to prove it by looking on the quantum level. The theory goes that the observer plays an essential part in the universe, that consciousness itself causes the wavefunction collapse. In less scientific terms, the microscopic universe is based on probabilities (like that an electron can be here or there, or bounce around in between) and that it is the act of observing (like by experiment) that causes it to become something. And, since our conscious observation of the system determines the final outcome, that consciousness itself must be an important, if not the most important, part of the system.
The book seeks to answer one of the most important questions of the human existence… does matter exist because of the mind? Or does the mind exist because of matter? Materialists believe that mind creating matter is just a bunch of pseudo-science New Age hocus pocus, while Walter sees the materialists viewpoint as failing to explain that which makes us human. Why should we as humans love or think or feel this deeply if it is just neurons firing in our brain? He believes that through experiment and physics, he can prove that matter is the illusion, not mind.
While I didn’t agree with everything Walker concluded, I found myself satisfied with how it bridged Eastern philosophies about the interconnectedness of all things with the very fabric of the human brain. And after watching that last episode of LOST, I was amazed at how this book gave me a new perspective on the mysteries of the series. So here goes my interpretation of some of the island’s events based on the nerdiness that is the quantum mind.
CONSCIOUSNESS + TIME
“Time does not flow as a stream but passes by as chunks… In addition to physical, biological, and psychological time, there is also consciousness time, the time we experience. This time has its own role to play in reality…”
If time is merely a series of “snapshots” taken by our consciousness which is continually present, then it could be possible to go backward and forward in that series. It is time travel of the mind, just like Desmond experienced. Desmond’s consciousness was bounced to other periods in his temporal experience, and thus the body container his mind was previously in would go unconscious during the jump.
The fact that Desmond’s consciousness bounced around was pretty straight-forward in the episode, but I got a new level of enjoyment out of it because of the book. My deeper nerdy theory is that the mind is like an electron, and when excited by something like electromagnetism or radiation, it can bounce into a different orbit or in the mind’s case a different period in time.
WILL VS. CONSCIOUSNESS
“The will is the channel that determines what our next move, choice, and thought will be. It selects the path our mind takes through the images of things the brain scatters before us… We are saying that our mind can affect matter - even other brains - and that distant matter and minds can have an effect on us… Why does it seem so strange? Because the signal (will) is small compared to the noise of our everyday consciousness.”
Walker suggests that the bandwidth and resolution of consciousness (number of bits of information coming into our head) is much greater than the bitrate of our “will”. What we are concentrating on and thinking is only a piece of all the sensory input coming into our mind. Because of this, the world is mostly what we observe and only a small portion of what we will it to be.
In the world of LOST, maybe there are people… special people (ahem, Walt) who have a greater strength “will” than most. Maybe this is why he can cause birds to die and the dice to always roll a 6. Maybe because of this he has some ability to manipulate matter and project his consciousness in a visual way to people like Shannon and Locke.
Locke, being the more spiritual force on the island, has also been called “special”. Maybe his “healing” had more to do with the island empowering his will rather than it actually physically effecting him. Locke also seems to be able to gain insight, to slip into some higher level of consciousness by way of meditation.
COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS
“The will is our innermost nature, our being that is there even when the things we might see go blank. It may even be there when all else is gone… It is perhaps this aspect of the mind that comes to fore when one is in deep meditation, a state of consciousness designed to remove thoughts and sensory contact with the world.”
Many have suggested “collective consciousness” before as part of LOST, and I have dismissed it as too much spiritual mumbo jumbo in what I thought was a mainly sci-fi series. However, I am giving the idea more validity now that I see that it could explain a lot of the harder to explain aspects of the island… smoke monster, zombie dad, the whispers, etc.
If there is something of ourselves that indeed survives after death, this could explain why we occasionally see Yemi and Christian Shepard just wondering around the island. Something of their unique selves is left, but they have also returned to the collected stream of consciousness, the more unified energy that exists outside the containers of our brains. The whispers are the collective consciousness, the cosmic mind if you will. And perhaps there are some exceptionally strong “wills” in the bunch that while dead in the physical world, are trying to continue their efforts from the non-physical world consciousness. Maybe the smoke monster is some man-created “security system” that tried to tap into the power of the collected consciousness, but has since gone haywire (we all know what awareness and smart machines can lead to).
THE GRAND UNIFIED THEORY
All this consciousness stuff still fails to explain things like the Orchid video, where two of the same bunny end up in the same space at the same time, perhaps as the result of a wormhole or vile vortices? Whatever the case, there is a lot in LOST that still suggests that perhaps physical people, and not just consciousness, can skip around in space and time. I’m looking at you Richard Alpert.
Until someone can present a theory that explains both the physical and mental displacement in time and space, I think there is going to be a lot of LOST that still remains a big mystery.
tv show: LOST
LOST is a strange romance for me. I get so nervous about it not living up to my expectations, which become huge after months of waiting and waiting, that I almost set myself up to be disappointed. Often it takes a while of thinking for an episode to grow on me, for me to realize how much I really liked it. Sometimes it takes me rewatching it as part of the entire season, without commercials, without weeks in between plot points, to see how it fits into the overall story. That fact alone speaks volumes about the true craft with which the show is handled and why it is one of my favorite series of all-time… I would say it is THE FAVORITE, but it is hard to compare it apples to apples with half hour comedy gems like Flight of the Conchords or with the indescribably good horror thriller Dexter, which offers more satisfaction in intense character development but less on mind-bending mystery.
Anyway, the point of this post really is not for me to comment on how well I liked the Season 4 premiere or where I think the series is heading. The point of this post is for me to talk about this nerdy hipster dude pictured above and why I can’t believe he was able and is able to do what he does and have it work so well. Why I can’t believe that most people probably don’t even know his name. And why I can’t believe that with the level of religious obsession that is involved with being a LOST fan, that 16.1 million people tuned in Thursday!!
Most people consider JJ Abrams to be the “creator of LOST”. While JJ Abrams was certainly a catalyst that originated the ideas behind LOST and directed the pilot episode, it is this guy in the hipster glasses, Damon Lindelof, that deserves more praise for turning the series into what it is today. He is the head writer, co-creator, and from what I can tell, the true mind behind where the show goes on a weekly basis. I think he deserves some major props, and I just couldn’t go another week without gushing about why.
Imagine television before LOST… think about the landscape of shows. Was there a single TV show in the primetime line-up, bringing in 20 million viewers, that was science fiction in nature? Sci-fi doesn’t play well to much of American. Maybe it has to do with the fact that something like 60% of Americans don’t believe in evolution. Whatever the cause may be, if I was a studio executive and a writer came into my office and told me they were going to produce a primetime series about time travel, fertility experiments, mind-reading, teleportation, world-ending electromagnetism, mysterious healings, people materializing from the dead, and a giant monster (or “security system”) made out of black smoke… I would have laughed in their faces. But I would have been wrong. And now in a time of Heroes and other sci-fi shows, LOST doesn’t seem so revolutionary different, because the show has changed the landscape of primetime television.
There are plenty of cynical “I’m too cool for LOST” comment posters over at the AV Club… people who read news articles about how LOST’s ratings have dropped from 20 to 14 million… people who say the show has “jumped the shark” since Season Two… people who say the show introduces mysteries but never gives any satisfying answers… to them I just would say that I can’t believe that there are 14 million people in the world who even watch LOST, who tune in week after week. To me, that is a sign of success, not failure. To me, that has me scratching my head and trying to figure out how my man Lindelof is able to do it. How do you bring something of Twin Peaks level complicated plot into the homes of America and have them go… yeah, I love that show?
The answer… by carefully crafting a story line that can be appreciated on many wavelengths, by different levels of intelligence and enthusiasm. That craft is what makes Lindelof and company pure geniuses.
Levels of LOST fandom
At the very bottom of the pyramid, you have people who watch the show week to week, possibly miss an episode here and there, and are only able to interpret the base level of what is given to them in the show. They are able to enjoy LOST because they care about the characters, who have been very well developed in flashbacks over the course of three seasons. They are emotionally invested in their quest to get off the island, and they are curious about some of the most tangible mysteries the island has presented… such as polar bears and those darn mysterious numbers. These people still think purgatory is a viable explanation, and are able to continually support that theory based on the always running themes of good vs evil, redemption, and healing that surface in the series. These people have no real idea what the series is truly about or how sci-fi it will continue to get from here on out. Yet, somehow, there is enough put into every episode (consciously) to keep them hooked. There is a simple storyline about characters trying to survive in an unknown environment that is so universal, that you don’t need to care about time travel or four-toed statues to be invested in the series.
Next level of the pyramid are the casual theorizers. These people do pick up on a little more under the surface. They like a little bit of science fiction in their lives and probably grew to love the series more in those opening moments of Season Two… the turning point of the series when it was revealed what was inside The Hatch. All the sudden the series took a major plunge into science fiction, a direction that probably left a few heads spinning at the bottom of the pyramid, but got those on higher levels more invested. These people will chit-chat at the water cooler about what the numbers could mean, did Desmond really time travel or no, and why Dharma is interested so much in this weird island. These people may have looked at some screen captures on the web of the Dharma shark or of Jacob. They think easter eggs like that are cool, but don’t spend too much time thinking about what it means to the overall series. They are invested and curious to see where the series heads, but are also easily annoyed if they don’t feel like the pace is moving fast enough and often wonder if the writers know where exactly they are going. However, their loyalty can be easily reclaimed, when the geniuses behind the LOST team finally decide its time to reveal a bigger piece of the puzzle… like they did at the end of Season Three by finally “flashing forward”, a twist that was praised by all and gave new momentum to the story.
Then at the top of the pyramid are the fanatics, which I will admit I am one of. While I am nowhere near as fanatical as some, I can’t deny that I am a little obsessed. I read the blogs, I look at the screen caps and transcripts, and I do spend a great deal of time the day after each episode airs thinking about how the new “clues” presented change my theories about certain things. It is for people at this level that the dedication the writers of LOST really pays off. It is an attention to detail that I have never before seen in any television series or movie or anything. Little to casual viewers know that every name, every song, every book, every wardrobe choice, every sign on a business, everything… that is included in an episode of LOST is a clue. Nothing is at random. The name of the airline that Juliet took is an anagram for Amelia Earhart, who crashed (in real life) in the South Pacific and may or may not be one of The Others, which of course would signify the island slows down the aging process or that time travel is real.
I won’t go into all the delicious clues, because luckily there are enough good web sites out there that do it for me. I usually am a follower of blogs rather than a writer. It depends on your level of dedication on how much you want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. There are those who will chat, listen to podcasts, or follow supplementary online experience games that allow users to piece together clues from web code, MySpace pages, billboards, commercials, newspaper ads. And yet somehow, despite the additional clues the writers reveal for thirsty fanatics, no one is any closer than those at the other levels of the pyramid to figuring out “the answers”. They leave enough off the table to keep some secrets to themselves. And for that, they are AMAZINGLY talented.
The fact that they can create a video game that brings satisfying new information to the series, that is interesting enough to not seem like a gimmick but to actually be a contribution to the canon of the story to have people excited (myself include) to play it… and at the same time have that stuff not be so essential to the enjoyment of the series that it leaves the lower pyramid dwellers in the dark… that makes LOST one of the smartest series in the history of television, hands down. The fact that 16.1 million other people agree is frankly a more interesting question to ponder to me, then what those darn numbers mean.
(The numbers, by the way, have been explained already in an experience game, if you want to know. I frankly find knowing that fact one of the core puzzle pieces that I base any of my theories of the series on. I am increasingly curious about how the series will finally explain the numbers to the rest of America, or if they even will. How they will wrap up the story and satisfy everyone is something that people remain highly skeptical about, but since they have pulled through this far, I don’t see why they would fail us in the end)
food: Ellie’s White Chocolate Butter Bars
I have to admit that I am incredibly hooked on Top Chef. Maybe it is because I’m a foodie, maybe it is because Bravo actually does make some decent reality shows sometimes. Anyone who watches the show becomes familiar with its repeated dialogue: “amuse bouche“, “trio of dishes”, “flavor profiles”, and my favorite “this isn’t Top Cook, this is Top Chef.” And while the judges insist that being a Top Chef (not a Top Cook) means things like leadership, design, conceptualization, perfect execution, and knowing good well what to serve and what not to, I think Dale (who has my vote for Viewer’s Favorite) has the right attitude when it comes to cooking. It is about heart, it is about putting your soul into what you cook, and it is about not forgetting to be a good person.
So, I want to nominate Tom Wolfe of Peristyle and Wolfe’s of New Orleans as my personal “Top Chef” of they year.
Let me back it up for a second… Five years ago, my husband and I took a trip to New Orleans. To save a bit of money, we stayed a little outside the city limits. I didn’t mind so much as I knew there were some good restaurants in the area. One of those restaurants was Wolfe’s of New Orleans.
Our dinner at Wolfe’s could be said to be one a ground-breaking moment for my husband and I, although I did not realize it until later. This was our first real vacation together. This was the first truly nice restaurant we had gone out to together. This was the first time we shared good wine over a fancy meal. And it is because of this that I so vividly remember ever moment. I remember my potato encrusted lobster tail, the way the crispy potato perfectly complimented the soft buttery lobster without overpowering it. I remember a light going off in my head that cooking is something more, a combination of flavor, texture, smell, and visuals all combining into a unique experience.
But most of all, I remember Ellie’s White Chocolate Butter Bars. A seemingly simple sounding desert made from an old family recipe, these bars were so very moist and delicate, yet rich in combination with homemade vanilla ice cream and raspberry coulis. The sweet with the tangy, the rich with the tart, the soft and warm with the smooth and cool. Flavor combinations at their best.
It was completely random that one day I decided to e-mail Tom Wolfe and just mention how much I loved and still remembered my meal there, even though it was 5 years later. So appreciative was Tom for the praise that in a series of e-mails he offered to send me a couple butter bars in the mail at no extra charge.
They came and were every bit as amazing as I remembered. I surprised my husband on our anniversary by bringing them out and making him guess what they were. Turns out he had not forgotten our experience at Wolfe’s either.
Tom Wolfe, you are my Top Chef, for not only making good food but for being an incredible person who made this anniversary particularly special by reminding us what it means to “cook with heart”.
tv show: Flight of the Conchords
My new favorite show for the summer is HBO’s Flight of the Concords. It’s a perfect meld of everything that is lovable about HBO comedies. You have the ridiculous musical numbers spliced hilariously into the narrative. You have the dry wit of struggling “artists” with an inept agent. And finally you have the unemotional anti-heroes that manage to get themselves into odd situations.
But mostly the show exists on its own plane of complete weirdness with the musical interludes being the overshadowing highlight. I can’t exactly remember what happens in each episode, but I’ll pop back onto my DVR almost daily to replay “Inner City Pressure” or “Hip-hopopotamus vs. the Rhymenocerous“. In conclusion, dry-witted poor New Zealand folk rockers = amazing, so watch it.
My rhymes are so potent that in this small segment
I made all of the ladies in the area pregnant
technorati tags: Flight of the Conchords
tv show: On The Lot
Ugh… another hour of my life wasted on this terrible show. With the third season of “Top Chef” starting, a show where you don’t even get to reap the fruits of the contestants labor in any true form, I am reminded of how much more interesting and engaging the Bravo format is. FOX missed the entire point about what makes the creative reality TV ventures so entertaining. We like to see creative people challenged beyond their box, we like to imagine what they had to go through to create what they did, and that way we can actual value what is being created. Top Chef makes chefs create gourmet dishes out of canned ingredients in 30 minutes time. On “On The Lot” we have no idea the time limit, resources, budget, or creative limitations the filmmakers had. How then can we effectively compare one to the other? These people should be challenged to make fun but disposable YouTube shorts… little time, little budget, random props, crazy idea, go. They should be creative exercises… give them a short 1 minute script that is vague enough to be interpreted into any situations. Make them direct child stars, make them work with animals. “On the Lot” should be filmmaking boot camp at its finest. Instead it is a complete and utter failure.
technorati tags: On The Lot, Top Chef
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