good to read


Human sexual design is very precise and carries a deep intelligence in its roots; and sex has a higher potential beyond its reproductive or fun and entertainment function.

Diana Richardson
 
Sensual revelations

13 May 12 | Richardson, Tantric Love Letters
This is a unique, interesting, insightful and informative collection of correspondence. These authentic letter exchanges will support and encourage people who have already embarked on a sexual enquiry. And inspire others to start right away.

 

 

 

Transforming psychedelic insights into enduring change

5 May 12 | Roberts, Spiritual Growth with Entheogens
More than 25 spiritual leaders, scientists, and psychonauts reveal the potential of entheogens as catalysts for spiritual development, a path through which faith can directly encounter the realm of the sacred. With contributions by Albert Hofmann, Huston Smith, Stanislav Grof, Charles Tart, Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin, a.m.o.

 

 

 

Free Your Mind

27 Apr 12 | Harris, Free Will
In this enlightening book, Sam Harris argues that the illusion of a free will does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom, but it can and should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life.

 

 

 

Where Nature Meets Nurture

21 Apr 12 | Seung, Connectome
A mind-bending adventure story, told with great passion and authority. It presents a daring scientific and technological vision for at last understanding what makes us who we are. Welcome to the future of neuroscience.

 

 

 

An Investigation of Sustainability

17 Apr 12 | Flannery, Here on Earth
Are humans destined to become a footnote in history, or will we become stronger and wiser, and conquer our environmental problems? Tim Flannery takes us on a journey around the world and from the top of the food-chain to the very chemicals of which we are made, and explores how the fate of humanity is in our own hands.

 

 

 

The Inventive Mind

13 Apr 12 | Lehrer, Imagine
Creativity is not a ‘gift’ that only some possess. It’s a term for a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. Sometimes inspiration strikes in a crowded café, while at others a walk in a quiet park is more productive. Lehrer helps us fit our creative strategies to the task.

 

 

 

The Final Spiritual Adventure

9 Apr 12 | Tompkins, The Modern Book of the Dead
Weaving together philosophy, science, stories of near-death experiences, and theology, the author comes to one amazing and uplifting truth: that somehow, human consciousness lives on after death.

 

 

 

good to know

Print a House

13 May 12 | Sun Joo Kim, Smart Planet
In a forest north of Copenhagen, Danish architects Frederik Agdrup and Nicholas Bjorndal of Eentileen used just a computer, a printer and 820 sheets of plywood to build a 125 square meter home in four weeks.

Guerilla enlightenment

13 May 12 | Nicoli Nattrass, New Scientist
Pro-reason bloggers are doing a better job than scientists at challenging alternative medicine. Long may it continue.

In Birds’ Pursuit of Love, New Plant Life Blooms

9 May 12 | Sindya N. Bhanoo, New York Times
Male bowerbirds cultivate plants, a new study reports, though their gardening work appears to be unintentional.

The brain … it makes you think. Doesn't it?

9 May 12 | David Eagleman and Raymond Tallis, Guardian
Are we governed by unconscious processes? Neuroscience believes so – but isn’t the human condition more complicated than that? Two experts offer different views.

Analytical thinking erodes belief in God

5 May 12 | Debora MacKenzie, New Scientist
Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein famously did not believe in a supernatural God, and neither do some scientists today. It now appears there may be a good reason for this.

Consciousness and Asian Traditions: An Evolutionary Perspective

5 May 12 | Roger Walsh, Reality Sandwich
An excerpt from Spiritual Growth with Entheogens, edited by Thomas B. Roberts.

Hubble Space Telescope's stunning images

1 May 12 | Guardian
Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured half a million images – in black and white. Zoltan Levay reveals how the spectacular colour pictures we know and love are assembled. Video.

Healthy Optimism

27 Apr 12 | Rebecca Smith, Telegraph
Having a positive attitude to life may reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, a major review of research has found.

Why Plants Grow Towards the Light

27 Apr 12 | ScienceDaily
Have you ever wondered why stems grow upwards and roots downwards? Why plants always seem to turn towards the light and climbing plants run up the trellis rather than down?

A New Renaissance

27 Apr 12 | Byron Reese, h+ magazine
It is easy to miss the Internet Renaissance that is happening around us. Because it grows gradually by the day, it is like the proverbial frog in the pot who doesn’t feel the water warming up around him.

Perpetual Ocean

21 Apr 12 | Scientific Visualization Studio, NASA
This visualization shows ocean surface currents around the world during the period from 2005 through 2007. It does not include a narration or annotations; the goal was to use ocean flow data to create a simple, visceral experience.

Structure of ‘Salvia’ Receptor Solved

21 Apr 12 | ScienceDaily
At the molecular level, drugs like salvinorin A (the active ingredient of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum) work by activating specific proteins, known as receptors, in the brain and body.

How Intelligence Evolved

17 Apr 12 | Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American
A new computer simulation supports a long-held theory that social interactions may have triggered brain evolution in human ancestors.

Shroom with a view

17 Apr 12 | Michael Brooks, New Statesman
A few years ago, Richard Dawkins tried the “God helmet”, a device that attempts to stimulate religious experience in the brain by applying a shifting magnetic field. It got him nowhere. Psilocybin might prove more enlightening.

The neuroscience of Bob Dylan's genius

13 Apr 12 | Jonah Lehrer, Guardian
How do we have insights, and where does inspiration come from? Jonah Lehrer goes inside Bob Dylan’s brain to find out. Here’s to Lehrer’s new book Imagine.

Meditation Strengthens the Brain

13 Apr 12 | ScienceDaily
Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years thickens the brain and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests yet another benefit.

Solar Energy Inspiration From Butterflies

9 Apr 12 | Sindya N. Bhanoo, New York Times
Butterfly wings are sophisticated collectors of solar energy that help butterflies stay warm; their shinglelike structure could provide valuable clues into developing better solar technology.

Are We Creating the Future by Predicting It?

9 Apr 12 | Rachel Marone, h+ magazine
With all this talk of foresight strategy we have reached a point where the lines between predicting and creating the future are starting to blur. The founder of the Extreme Futurist Festival presents different futurists and their predictions.

Healing with Plant Intelligence: A Report from Ayahuasca

5 Apr 12 | Wiley Online Library
This article by Richard Doyle reports on a first-person healing of lifelong asthma and atopic dermatitis in the shamanic context of the contemporary Peruvian Amazon and the sometimes digital ontology of online communities.

Urban agriculture in Brazil’s favelas

1 Apr 12 | Matthew Pike, Positive News
Deep in the heart of favela communities in the metropolis of Sao Paulo, seeds of transformation are beginning to sprout.

Psychedelics: bridging science and spirituality

1 Apr 12 | Giulio Sica, Life Arts Media
In order to bring about a scientific methodology of the mystical experience, we must first end the prohibitive and destructive war on drugs.

Could Rosemary Scent Boost Brain Performance?

29 Mar 12 | ScienceDaily
Hailed since ancient times for its medicinal properties, we still have a lot to learn about the effects of rosemary.

Baby Einsteins

29 Mar 12 | Yasmin Anwar, UC Berkeley
People often wonder if computers make children smarter. Scientists at the UC Berkeley are asking the reverse question: Can children make computers smarter? And the answer appears to be ‘yes.’

good to hang up

 
HR Giger Calendar 2012
The first HR Giger calendar, an homage to the apocalypses, has been created by the artist himself; it includes 13 months, 2012 to 2013.

 

good to see


Is there our logo on Mars?
The HiRISE camera orbiting Mars spotted 269 of these beautiful spirals on the surface of the Athabasca Valles Region of the Red Planet. The patterns, which range from 15 to more than 90 feet wide, seem to be larger versions of those sometimes observed on Earth after a volcanic eruption.



Terence McKenna OmniBus 2012
With part 4, entitled "History Lesson," Mike Kawitzky (Interview) of Headspace Studios has released the first third of his 12 part video series with and around the famous psychedelic philosopher and lecturer.



The Economics of Happiness
A documentary about the worldwide movement for economic localization, restoring our faith in humanity and challenges us to believe that it is possible to build a better world.

 

good to bid


The Shulgin Blotter Art Fundraiser
is auctioning sixty sheets of Blotter Art, signed by Ann and Sasha, Stanislav Grof, Dennis McKenna, Jim Fadiman and Ralph Metzner, with all profits going to the Shulgins to help cover their medical expenses.

good to hear


Quantum Music of the Silicium Atom
Calculations and musical transposing by Hans Cousto; Music and Video by Barnim Schultze, Akasha Project 2012.




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