⚡️Scientists reconstruct Pink Floyd songs by reading people's minds (kinda)
PLUS: Biogas is the future
Clayton Hester
August 21, 2023
Happy Monday, creatives!
Time for another day in creativity news.
We’re looking at how scientists are reconstructing music from reading people’s minds (or at least, that’s my understanding).
We’ll take a look at how a new Dracula movie spent 20 years trying to get made.
We’ll also examine whether forgetting is all that bad and whether it helps us learn.
And don’t forget biogas — we’ve got a story on what might be the next big fuel source.
—Clayton
REBUILDING THE MUSIC
Researchers at the University of California Berkeley have used brain wave recordings to recreate a Pink Floyd song, leading to insights into how the brain processes music.
They focused on a snippet of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part One" and reconstructed what patients were hearing based on their brain activity.
The patients were epilepsy patients with implanted electrodes who were already having their brain activity monitored to address seizures.
Using machine learning, researchers determined which sounds corresponded to specific brain wave patterns, akin to reading piano keys of the brain.
DEVELOPMENT HECK
There are so many interpretations of the Dracula novel.
But there’s a particular episode from the novel that’s in the spotlight with the film The Last Voyage of the Demeter.
The seventh chapter tells the story of the ship and its journey from Romania to London.
Little do they know they’re returning with a vampire on board.
Here’s the thing though: it’s taken 20+ years to get the movie made.
FORGETTING TO LEARN
Neuroscientists propose that "forgetting" might be a form of learning and not necessarily a bad thing .
Changes in memory access could be due to environmental feedback and predictability, suggesting that forgetting is a functional feature of the brain.
Forgetting less relevant memories could lead to more flexible behavior and improved decision-making.
Researchers present experimental studies supporting the idea of "every day" forgetting as a beneficial process.
BIOGAS
Many an answer comes to you on the crapper…. Is biogas such an answer?
Trade associations, fuel producers, and bipartisan lawmakers are advocating for biogas (fuel made from animal and food waste) to receive federal credits intended for powering EVs.
I’m unaware of any all-natural fertilizer shortages. Seems pretty renewable.
PODCAST RELEASES
Near Allied: “Self-Portraits and Ceilings: Frida Kahlo vs. Pain”
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