Magic happens where ideas intersect. I realised this week that where two (or more) collective thought forms meet something interesting happens. Here are a few of my favourite intersections.
Education and technology.
Education is the key to helping support life on this planet. Where education used to be a luxury reserved for the few, tech allows world-class education to be delivered for free anywhere in the world. Once VR and AI also converge at this intersection, we can create a truly immersive and interactive digital learning experience.
Spirituality and science.
This intersection is one of the most interesting. The religion of science has kept many (including me) bonded to ideas that could only be proven by Newtonian laws. If all your beliefs need to be proven by science your growth is linked to new scientific discoveries. What miracles aren't you open to because there's no scientific explanation for it (yet)?
This week we enjoyed this powerful film about the life and work of David Bohm, the man Einstein called his “spiritual son” and the Dalai Lama called his “science guru.” A brilliant physicist and explorer of consciousness, Bohm’s profound insights into the underlying nature of reality and the profound interconnectedness of the universe and our place within it are truly far-reaching. His work is bringing these two subjects even closer together.
(Watch it for free on Youtube)
Art and artificial intelligence.
Recently funded by Google, Deep Dream Generator takes an existing image and detects form in the image. It then overlays and integrates an existing design or pattern to produce a completely new image. The user gets to change various settings like colour maintenance and depth of the integration. The image at the top of this post was created using this technology.
Check out Deep Dream Generator
Here are a few more images I’ve been playing around with.
Music and meditation.
Blending music with guided meditation can be a powerful way to access your mind and find calm.
In last week's newsletter, I shared some music that included some philosophical thinking about reality and the dream state. (If you missed it check it out here).
This week I wanted to share a 12-minute music meditation. It combines some voice guidance and electronic backtracks that take you on a journey. Put your phone onto DnD, connect some headphones and lie down somewhere comfortable and enjoy. (Thanks to my good friend Craig for sharing this with me) Listen on Spotify or Youtube
Finance and blockchain.
Many people no longer trust central banks. Controlled by governments and a powerful few, it's an industry that's due for a shakeup. There are many online projects looking to gain traction in this area. A financial product that makes in-roads and starts to affect traditional financial markets will move quickly and could have significant effects.
Projects built on block-chain (trustless and decentralised network) have the power to evolve and reshape large traditional businesses. This means that previous centralised powers of control (and cost) are no longer required for certain transactions. Think insurance, property registry offices and centralised financial functions. It's an interesting space to keep an eye on over the next few years.