Ted Talk on Consciousness

Click above to see this mind blowing fake hand experiment

Anil Kumar Seth, British professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex.

Science was never my strong point but the field of neuroscience and the science of consciousness captivates me.
Here is a very powerful Ted talk in which Anil Seth, a neuroscientist from Sussex, England explains how conscious reality is just our brain hallucinating...Mind expanding! To prove one of his points, Seth illustrates an experiment involving a fake hand that can be mistaken as one's own...I'd write more by way of explanation but I think it is best you listen to him. And if you care to learn more, here is an interesting 2021 interview with Anil Seth in Quanta Magazine on the subject.

Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman

The Humor of the Every Day: Talk by Maira Kalman

I love New York! On any given day you have your choice of so many stimulating and inspiring things to do and tonight was no different. I attended a talk by Maira Kalman, one of my most favorite artist/illustrator/authors. To say she is one of the coolest people I know is an understatement: unabashedly herself, with an unbelievably great sense of humor (my kind of humor), truthful, open, and so creative! Kalman is author of some of my most treasured books...This new one is no different: Women Holding Things. Full of her colorful gouache paintings of unexpected people and objects, Kalman is her own quirky self--I find her so refreshing. Check out the long list of her wonderful books for children and adults. She is also a frequent contributor to the New Yorker magazine and The New York Times. If you happen to be in New York right now, check out the original illustrations from the book at her show at the Mary Ryan Gallery through November 12th.

Women Holding Grudges—Maira’s mother in law and twin sister who didn’t get along.

Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda

Silverbacks are mature adult male gorillas.

"It seems very unfair that man should have chosen the gorilla to symbolize everything that is aggressive and violent when that is one thing the gorilla is not, and that we are...."Sir David Attenborough

Growth of the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda is one of the few success stories in conservation history--their numbers has grown remarkably since Dian Fossey first studied them in the 1970s. To quote primatologist of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, "When you look in the eyes of a gorilla, you see a kindred spirit looking back at you. They are so much like us. They have friends, they have enemies. They love to play. They love to eat. They love to nap. They are incredible moms and incredible dads." To learn more, follow Charlie Annenberg, founder of Explore and Craig Sholley of African Wildlife Foundation as they guide us through Volcanoes National Park in this fascinating documentary about these mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

Gorillas share 98.6 percent of human DNA.

Products of the Week: Yoga Mats

These Yoga Mats and more by Smilow + Mathiesen available on our website: www.pamelasmilow.com/shop-all

Charity of the Week:

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.