I’m not dead yet, proof follows

So, I realize it’s been an extraordinarily long time since I’ve updated this. I guess I’ll cover everything off the top of my head and see if that gets me a substantial post.

Since July, summer’s ended, and my last fall semester as an undergrad has begun. This semester, I’m taking three math classes: complex analysis, applied number theory (basically the mathematical theory behind some cryptography systems and their implementations), and a conference course on geometric combinatorics (an overly simple explanation of that would be shapes in any dimension and stuff you can do with them). I’m also taking a psychology course on perception. While I’m a math major, and I’ve always been interested in pure math, psychology has always tugged at me, specifically the crossroads of psychology and cognitive science.

What’s been particularly interesting in my perception class is discussion of really abnormal perception, such as what happens with Anton-Babinski syndrome and motion blindness. In the former, individuals claim to have a complete visual experience, and can describe what they think they see in detail, but in reality, they’re blind and what they perceive and describe don’t correspond to reality at all. It’s only when they bump into things that they don’t “see” that they start to realize that their visual experience is a lie, although a quite vivid one. It’s essentially the opposite of blindsight, where an individual perceives nothing, yet can still interact with the environment in a visual way, such as consistently catching balls thrown at them.

In motion blindness, individuals can’t perceive motion, and experience life in a series of still frames. For instance, when a motion blind person tries to pour a cup of water, they have to stick their finger in the cup to tell when it’s full, since they can’t visually perceive the motion of the cup filling up. Instead, once the cup is full, and the liquid is no longer moving, they instantly see the cup go from completely empty to completely full. It’s extraordinarily difficult to imagine living life like this, but the fact is, people do, and it’s all caused by how the brain processes the visual information it receives and incorrectly displays it to our consciousness due to brain damage. I admit, stuff like this is often more fascinating to me than even the most extraordinary mathematics.

On the recreational front, I’ve gotten back into video games to a certain extent. I got a Nintendo DS and a certain special cartridge that lets me play games I legitimately own and have made archival backups of. I definitely think it’s something game companies should look into, since purchasing and downloading games to put on your device makes a lot more sense than carrying around tons of cartridges. I also bought Spore, amazingly unique game. It’s not for everyone, but it’s worth checking out. I might write a review of it sometime.

That’s basically all I’ve been doing for the last month and some weeks. I’m seeing Ratatat next Monday, which should be a worthwhile experience, and I’ll try to get some pics and stuff from that. I’m also looking forward to fall TV starting again, and I’ve been watching season 2 of Mad Men in the mean time. Excellent program, with excellent commentary at the site the House Next Door. Sorry this wasn’t more sexed up, but I haven’t updated in a while because not much updatable stuff has happened. I’ll try to do better, since you should at least get your money’s worth. Oh wait, you don’t pay? Never mind then, see you in October.

P.S. Franz Ferdinand has a new song recorded called Lucid Dreams. Good stuff, listen. Now, I’m gonna take a nap, because I’m old and stuff. Q.E.D.