Surrealism: Making weird people smarter since 1924

A recent article in Psychological Science apparently suggests that the absurd and unexpected juxtapositions found in surrealist literature engages the brain's ability to detect patterns. Pattern dectection is a crucial part of learning from infancy onwards and forms a large part of any IQ test.

I haven't read the article itself yet, but linked below is the summary. However this is a great excuse to post some Max Ernst. Ernst can be as unsettling as the quote below from their press release, with what seems like wild speculation on what the unconscious desires. Like the surrealists these authors seem to really dig Freud.

"You get the same pattern of effects whether you're reading Kafka or experiencing a breakdown in your sense of identity," Proulx explained. "People feel uncomfortable when their expected associations are violated, and that creates an unconscious desire to make sense of their surroundings. That feeling of discomfort may come from a surreal story, or from contemplating their own contradictory behaviors, but either way, people want to get rid of it. So they're motivated to learn new patterns."

Well, since WWII I think we've called this cognitive dissonance, but they get Ballard points for going all old-skool here. A full review to follow...

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Link to ScienceDaily article
Image: Max Ernst. The Robing of the Bride. Oil on canvas. 130 x 96 cm. 1940.

Old-School Vandals

It seems even the protectors of public decency re-invent themselves every so often. Below, linked through the image, is an article from The Punch, a News Ltd owned online-only opinion and 'current affairs' site which has potential, but is pretty consistently crap. Except for Leigh Sales. Its especially crap when taking the moral high ground, in this case Fiona Hudson of the Hearld-Sun reporting on 'CTCV' a shady group of anti-graffiti vigilantes who take it upon themselves to deface illegally painted 'pieces' all over Melbourne's train lines.

Articles like this invite two kind of comments; the 'hang the little buggers high' variety and the 'it's pretty, they put work into it' reply. What we should really be asking ourselves is why does this matter so to these vigilantes? Why are they, like the artists they wish to annoy, running around at night committing crimes? If they want to make Melbourne better why don't they join rotary or something. Is it the thrill of it? I can imagine an old writer with ink-strained hands scratching his wispy goatee looking at his freshly defaced work musing out loud "we're not so different you and I..." However the most interesting question we should be asking is why have they changed their name? I remember back in the day when it was 'CTSA' inflicting their 'revenge' on old-school burners from the likes of Paris below.

Cops and Transits Slashing Art was one rumoured explanation of the old acronym. If it really is individuals within Connex, the train network 'service provider', behind CTCV, I bet those involved have been doing it on company time. It would help explain why the system is so shitty. Even revenge has been privatised and re-branded now.

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Paris and Bank piece photographed by Joe

Johnny Rotten & Sigmund Freud

Applesacks has found and synced the footage of the interview with Iggy that Mogwai used in their song "Punk Rock". Nice.

The universe in a grain of sand

Scientists at IBM used an Atomic Force Misroscope to image the atoms making up a single molecule. Pictured is a a molecule of Pentacine (no, i dont what it's found in either) made up of 22 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen atoms. The image shows 5 carbon rings encircled by lighter hydrogen atoms. Cool.

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Found at Disinfo
IBM press release
Photo Copyright IBM Research Zurich