Times up!

Allright now it´s time to start to work. I continue this blog and I´ll post tomorrow something cool. Tomorrow I have an exam conserning the philosophy of mind so better to start reading..

Altered states of consciousness by a slip in the natural loop of dream back to reality

I really love sleeping. I consider myself as a lucky because of my little over the top dreams (which I have like every night), ability to memorize them, my awareness of their functions and last but not least: different states of awareness of ones surroundings (real) while "kind" of dreaming.

I wouldn´t use the word suffer but I have had about every one "special" state of consciousness while sleeping ecsept night terrors and exploding head syndrome. Night terrors are condition where individual while in the most "deepest" state of sleep, where one doesn´t experience dreams, at least not so vivid than in the REM state, might start screaming (and moving)from the top of their lungs and almost never memorize it. H.R. Giger suffers from this condition. Not much known about it due the lack of ability to study this.

The other one which might sound quite funny is the exploding head syndrome. If you feel that your head explodes as sleeping it might usually be because hangover or migraine. This particular disorder is auditorial. You might have experienced a rapid muscle tension all over your body just when you are about to fall a sleep which makes you zap like a spring. Those who has this bizarre condition, at the point which I descriped above, hears a loud sound similiar to high explosion or something similiar loud noise. Man that must suck big time. As you might have figured it out, this is kind or rare disorder.

It is not unusual for me to experience awakening in a dream, not knowing that I´m still dreaming or wake up in reality but believe that I´m still dreaming eventhough my awareness of my surroundings (real) is much higher. Like dreams inside dreams. I have few times figured out that I´m actually dreaming inside the dreamscape, but I dont personally believe that one is even then able to manipulate the dream even though he/she is aware of the state. It might give the illusion, but I rather would like not believe that it is possible. Think about your mind. How huge and complex it is, more complex than human can handle escpesially in a dreamworld where the degree of freedom is usually much higher or dramatically lower. It should also be noted that REM state usually comes as clusters in a perioid of one to two hours and one REM "pulse" last´s just seconds(I have seen this with my own eyes, several few second "pulses" in a perioid medium of 1,5 hours) the longest one ever measured in 2004 was four minutes long. Usually just few seconds, while the experience emitted in consciousness can be vast. Speaking of packed information.

I have also experienced several times sleep walking. Eventhough while it is named as sleep walking in common language, I didn´t actually walk. Just rolled in bed, saw my surroundings (my home), don´t remember did I acquire scotopic vision but still my mind relation to my surroundings where strange, like my dreams where inserted in the real world. Actually not visually but more like just plain belief. I did something funny to my girlfriend at one time. Something like started to insert (dont get me wrong) medical machines in her body and stuff like that. It is impossible to say how long this lasted, my sense of time was really disturbed. Fell back to sleep seconds after awakening from this state. Would have been confusing but fell a sleep almost immediatly.

One thing which was more scarier experience (had these only two to three times few years ago) was something which is called as sleep paralysis. I woke up and saw my chloset which was in front of my eyes, it is white so I was able to see it even though I didn´t acquire scotopic vision even though my eyes were open, I couldn´t move my eyes speaking of the whole body. I also experienced hallucinations but not in my vision more like inside or behind my head and yeas they were visual hallucinations and they had somekind of preadded meaning. It is impossible to descripe how one can see with your eyes without any distraction and also see visuals behind your head. It scared the shit out of me. Every time it was scary as before. I remember also that I rationalized that if I could move my vision a little bit (I was that aware) from the one point which I stared thanks for the paralysis, the change in vision would probably wake me up. For nothing, I couldn´t move no matter how hard I tryied. If my memory serves, it actually hurted to try so hard but not sure was the pain physical. No idea how long it lasted but was too afraid to go back to sleep. It happened apx. 5:AM which is (if you sleep at normal times) REM state.

Oh, and the image above which I probably stole is a represent of the difference of pineal gland which synthetizes hormone which makes us sleep. Control (group) means that before the experiment, scientists has "controlled" this group one way or another. I dont know what that OSA means so I dont have enough information to say which one is the "patient" and which one the "normal". Has they controllable chosen a specific patient with a specific illness or has they controllable chosen a healthy and fairly normal man. Anyway one of them either sleeps all day or is awake all night.

Possible misconseptions considering artifical intelligense

The golden years of AI (artifical intelligence) were in 1960-1970. New era has started in 1990´s. I have several times met problems in conversations about AI with people who doesn´t have a clue what AI research really is, so I want to inform that AI research is whole lot more than science fiction and most notably because those who think so, knows only topics which you can find in science fiction. It is really awkward situation where you mention AI and everyone starts to tell you that human life is so complicated that it is impossible to put in for example in mathemathical formulas. Usually when someone tell´s that, it is impossible to assure them that it is probably not the case.

First of all, there was a time when people thought that it is possible (why not but it is like too hard to start with) and in our finger tip´s to produce an intelligent (as human) computer program. Back then people didn´t know much about human brain, pshychology was poor and cognitive science young.

Now days when someone tell´s that he/she is studying AI, it doesn´t mean that he/she is trying to construct an android or program which is at least or more intelligent than a human being. (Strong AI). He or she is more likely interested in studying the mechanisms which allows program to learn for example the difference between day and night without programming included by the third party. Or the mechanisms whics allows us to produce language etc.

I could write aeons here, but I dont bother because anyone who is interested in AI can find their information for example here. But let me give an short example. We can build a robot which can hover around object´s by ultrasound orienteering and when it comes to low batteries, it automatically finds a power source and links to it for reload, actually this has been build in sixties. Let´s assume that every "power source" is either red or green. Only red ones give energy. We can program the robot to notice the difference between red and green but when we let it to hover around things, even though it can make the difference between red and green it wont learn that only red ones can give energy by trial and error. It would only systemathically go through to another energysource as long as it finds one with power. This is the heuristics of learning, the trial to definition and definition trial for learning. This is what AI researcers do. Does it differ much from neurological scientist´s or cognitive pshychologist´s?

Now you can imagine the HUGE difference between programming and learnig. This has to be one of the simplest form of learning and no machine can perform it. AI research studies this. Now you can imagine the difference between science fiction AI or strong AI and the AI which is more likely to be prooduced in few years. Note that once machine can learn it is fast, faster than human brain. And it can teach it self. Be afraid. More about this semiapocalyptical outcome you can read from here.

Thightening the net arount the definition of intelligense and consciousness is the main goal. The road which one chooses might differ but goals are mutual. Better understanding of human mind.

PS: the picture in itself is out of contecst but it helps to figure how one can represent fairly normal "function" (mental) in more... Schemantic way... Note that it is greatly simplified, but a more complex schemantics in this particular blog is not needed. And I want to mention that I am not a God nor Wikipedia but still if anyone is interested in my personal opinion in something or would like to have my guidance I would be more than happy to be in your use so send me a mail or comment... I´m not popular so I will answer ;)

Spatial properties

Mathematics has always been one of my major concerns in philosophical aspect. Actually philosophical questions concerning mathematics introduced me to the philosophy in first place. Where almost everyone is able to use Pythagoras theorem, many cant prove it. I cant. Ontological aspects of mathematics is huge and very interesting part of philosophy. We can imagine a perfect circle, but Pi is irrational number and therefore you cant find a sphere which would be the "perfect" object and use it as a determinent for Pi. What is the relation between abstract law´s n´ objects and the "real" world?

WTF!.. Check out this grazy hypercube. It is four dimensional object. (four spatial dimensions, no time added.) Check out the reddish part, in 4-D that "cell" should be nearest to the observer and it should be in contact with four other cubical cell´s. Bizarre. Or you might as well want to check this 10-dimensional wtf ever it is, but it is not a sphere, more likely cube. I dont want to trouble my eyes but I dont see why these "rays/lines" wouldn´t be identical in lenght, and therefore a hypercube. Heh,.. Wonder how many squares can you find there,.. there must be thousands.

The picture abow is a knot. As you can see it doesn´t have a start nor end. If you have a ring, how can you tie it in knot similar to the picture? Something about spatial properties. I personally dont know is it possible or not. I´m not a mathematician but I´m interested in mathematic´s and I hopefully by these thought´s, can share or even influence some readers to be inspired by mathemathics.

End of this year

Boring sunday what should I do? I thought it would be cool to paint. Haven´t painted anything in a long time. First I have to clean up a little bit. Maybe little tattooing, damn this isn´t going to be boring after all.

What should I do in the new years eve? Miss A. has evening shift, I´m kind of broke till the end of December... No idea, every bar is full and probably all of my friends is going some bar or club. I would love to go to Klubi, Madwave party there but I think it is the best thing to just stay in home or something like that. I really look forward to weekend, Back to Orimattila, but this time I dont come home with empty hands or should I say head, I´ll post a pic then. Really big thanks and hugs for Junnu, hopefully everything goes as we have planned.


2008 has been propably one of the most intense year in my life, 2006 was the worst, I strongly believe that 2009 is going to be the best. Well time to put some heavy music and start cleaning, Devildriver will do...

I really want Klein´s bottle. I have found one shop which sell´s them. Hopely I find one in Finland. They cost something like 50€. As you can see in the picture above, it would be blast to drink wine from that thing.