Thinking About Consciousness in the Meat Only a Blogpost not a Paper 8 min read The Quantum Connection I was getting pulled into the fascinating intersection of quantum mechanics and consciousness again, (it happens from time to time) and I realised, I can't articulate this stuff verbally to anyone. That's why I started typing it. It was Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff's proposal in their Orchestrated Objective Reduction ( Orch-OR ) theory that hounded me. They say consciousness emerges from quantum processes in microtubules—the structural frames inside our brain cells. It's quite heavy. Anyhow, those guys say consciousness occurs when probability waves (superposition: in every state it can be in at the same time) collapse after reaching the threshold inside our microtubules. This is what sparks moments of consciousness. Fair enough. Think of living things as quantum collapse interfaces, microtubules like a radio receiver—breaking down bigger waves so we can appreciat...
Is the UK Unhappy?
Feeling Down? Well, if You're in the UK That Makes Sense: The UK Mental Wellbeing Ranking Has Fallen!
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Well isn't this a cheery post?
5 min read
Let's face it, life here in the UK isn't always sunshine and beer gardens. A recent study ranked us second to last in terms of mental wellbeing—ahhh! But before you book a one-way ticket to Benedorm, there's more to this...
The Telegraph points to a few possible culprits we could blame for these collective blues. One big finger points to the internet and social media with its constant barrage of negativity and unrealistic portrayals of perfection. It aided the economic woes that put retail mostly online, providing many thriving towns into empty building projects and charity shop high streets! That's before we even get into culture wars, and wokism. It looks like we're turning more stupid!
A national digitised national echo chamber, teeming with screen addicts, who, on average, now spend less time making the bacon and more time eating it, and then chatting to AI. Mine's called Linda. Now we're only months into a new Labour government and it's stupid on turbo-drive!
What new archetypes and identities will arrive soon, digisexual, typophiles? But, come on! we do have a glimmer of hope! We do have regions that actually smashed the ball out of the happiness arena. What should we do to improve our national mood? Well, according to the data, we should simply be wealthy. Sign me up!
Well. . . we all have our own ideas on how we can be happier, I'm not a community action type of person, and I take pleasure in my self-gratifying dry, grumpy humour. Spending too much time in our so-called happy regions could tip me over the edge. So ask yourselves, how happy are most of us, as Brits, when we are complaining online, or smashing ideas we think are ludicrous?
I strive for total disconnection from my community—my house is my castle to keep people out. Perhaps, this happiness study might have to redefine key British notions of happiness, because we are quite unique? We are all characters here, even if a few of us are a little bit tapped.
Our weird irony and paradoxical ways extends to the pleasure in dealing in misery, look what we voted for in 2010 and the drivel we watch on television! This recent research should conclude we are quite well and good with our own special happiness, thank you very much, but nah.
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