TTE37 – The Thursday Enthusiasms – Mind Control, Magic Leap and Fool’s Gold

It’s Thursday, and I’ve finally finished the first draft of my forthcoming book. Please let me know what you think via twitter at @jamiesmartcom, on my Facebook page here, or in the comment section. At the end, I’ll tell you how you can get one of your #enthusiasms featured in a future edition.

1. A quotation I’m reflecting on this week
I’ve just grabbed Bessel van der Kolk’s book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma on the strength of this quotation. Worthy of reflection…

“Everything about us – our brains, our minds and our bodies – is geared towards collaboration in social systems. This is our most powerful survival strategy,
the key to our success as a species, and it is precisely this that breaks down in most forms of mental suffering.” 

2. A technology that’s going to change EVERYTHING
The other day, I tried out the new Gear VR “virtual reality” headgear developed by Samsung and Oculus. Here’s the deal: basically, it’s a smart phone (like yours) mounted in a pair of goggles. The visual quality is incredible (you can move your head from side to side and “look around” inside the virtual space) and it’s here now. Virtual reality and blended reality is going to change everything. The next 15 years are going to be unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before. Hang on to your hat! Here’s a taste of what’s in store, courtesy of Magic Leap.

3. This week’s 3-minute miracle
I vividly remember the first time I heard The Stone Roses’ Fool’s Gold back in 1989. I heard it once, and it stayed in my mind for months – I didn’t even know who it was by, but the amazing rhythm and hypnotic vocals just wouldn’t leave me. Turns out it was released as a double A-side with the utterly wonderful What the World is Waiting For. The Stone Roses first album was terrific, and the drumming (courtesy of Paul “Reni” Wren) is some of the best you’ll find anywhere. If you want to see and hear just what an incredible drummer Reni is, check out Shane Meadows’ movie Made of Stone. As well as being a great film, there are a few moments where Reni does things with rhythm that might just make you believe in God. Highly recommended.

That’s it for this week. If you have questions, suggestions or want to let me know what you’re enthusiastic about, just tweet one of yours and put my twitter name @jamiesmartcom and the #Enthusiasms hashtag in there so I can find it. If I’m enthusiastic about something you’re enthusiastic about, it might just get featured in a future TTE.

Big love
Jamie