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March 2009 
Sex, Drugs, Einstein, & Elves
Posted on Dec 29th, 2005
by 
Ryan
Ryan
Interesting title, isn't it? Not surprising given that it's the title of Clifford A. Pickover's latest. If you like his Reality Carnival blog, you'll love this book (my coolest present this year, from my bro). What is about? From the website:
Although the book is indeed full of mighty interesting stuff for the curious - I could easily blog twice for every chapter - for me the most interesting part is the "uncommon psychiatric disorders" (some of which are actually fairly common in schizophrenia) - which I've always found fascinating. He has a really cool bit on Charles Bonnet Syndrome - where afflicted people report seeing beings from a parallel reality or something, like elves, yet are otherwise normal. You can read his take on it here. I'll certainly have more to say on this book and on these psychiatric disorders (I'll quickly recommend this to the already interested) in the coming weeks :)
Pickover illuminates some of the most mysterious phenomena affecting our species. What is creativity? Does language shape thought? Do beings inhabit drug-induced realities? What are hallucinogenic worms? Where are Einstein's brain and eyes? What can we learn from Thomas Jefferson's decimated Bible, epileptic religious states, uncommon psychiatric disorders, Lucia Joyce, Warner Sallman's Head of Christ, shamanist Terence McKenna, and the humming toadfish, whose incessant underwater droning at a perfect A-flat was a mystery for years.
Although the book is indeed full of mighty interesting stuff for the curious - I could easily blog twice for every chapter - for me the most interesting part is the "uncommon psychiatric disorders" (some of which are actually fairly common in schizophrenia) - which I've always found fascinating. He has a really cool bit on Charles Bonnet Syndrome - where afflicted people report seeing beings from a parallel reality or something, like elves, yet are otherwise normal. You can read his take on it here. I'll certainly have more to say on this book and on these psychiatric disorders (I'll quickly recommend this to the already interested) in the coming weeks :)
Access: Public
I’ve always been interested in these kinds of things. Trying to understand the ununderstandable (I’m just sure that should be a word) has been a sideline of mine for years. Broca’s Brain is another good book; it doesn’t have the bizaare qualities of seeing elves, etc., but fascinating nevertheless.
You certainly know how to title a Blog to ignite one’s curiosity…
Just between me and you (don’t tell anybody) We could have quite the dialog on uncommon psychiatric disorders…
I’m looking forward to it.
@Gemma - I love Sagan :) I read at least two of his books - Contact and A Demon Haunted World. His voice, joy and wisdom are still missed I think! I never did read Broca’s Brain, but other cool books on the brain I really dig include The Synaptic Self by Joseph LeDoux and Phantoms in The Brain by V.S Ramachandran. “Understanding the ununderstandble” - works for me !
@Christiana: Lucky for me the book was titled so wonderfully! What we need on Zaadz is an easy blog tracking feature, where titles are seen. One of the core features of almost everyone I’ve met who is into things integral, is an intense curiousity about things from all angles - kinda AQALish by nature :) Gotta love it! And we both look forward to that dialog^^
… I just took a psych course where one of the schizophrenia descriptions included a long passage where someone described a very basic energy experience with the plant world. Really, really basic energy exchange. But according to psychology this was mental illness. So silly. They did show a clip about a guy with seizures that brought on experiences of Oneness witrh everything. It’s why he wouldn’t take his meds - he couldn’t live without that connection and he didn’t know how else to make it except thru his seizures … wild, wild stuff … :)