Mentatul

Month: December 2018

  • Ayla Nereo – Bonteka (Kalya Scintilla Remix)

    Ayla Nereo – Bonteka (Kalya Scintilla Remix)

    Psybient is a Journey Genre. This means that most psybient songs are Transporters. Where (and when) they Transport you is mostly up to your own imagination and experience. This song has all the hallmarks of an excellent Transporter: incantations, choirs, a wide array of playful instruments, multiple sound planes, a diverse, inspired orchestration and, of course, awesome rhythms and bass.

    Without any intent of stealing the show from Ayla’s originality and evocative voice, did I mention Kalya Scintilla is one of the greatest psybient artists? Another five Kalya-creations have already been featured on the Weekly Song. I dare you to seek them out and see where they will Transport you.

    You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.

    https://aylanereo.bandcamp.com/track/ayla-nereo-bonteka-kalya-scintilla-remix^

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnp96SSjZE8^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/12aW3Dgvh5nzqDpY0qNAtr^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    https://www.deezer.com/track/127525017^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03434-AylaNereoHollowBone-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Ayla Nereo – Bonteka (Kalya Scintilla Remix)’ desc=’Incantations, choirs, a wide array of playful instruments, multiple sound planes, a diverse, inspired orchestration and, of course, awesome rhythms and bass.’]

  • How Children Learn

    How Children Learn

    About one of the most revolutionary books in pedagogy and parenting alike:

    “Schools try to teach children skills and knowledge that may benefit them at some unknown time in the future. But children are interested in the now, not the future. They want to do real things now. By doing what they want to do they also prepare themselves wonderfully for the future, but that is a side effect.  This, I think, is the main insight of the book; most of the other ideas are more or less corollaries.”

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/freedom-learn/201712/the-joy-and-sorrow-rereading-holt-s-how-children-learn^

    “Children learn best when they are not pressured to learn in a way that is of no interest to them.”

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03147-JohnHoltHowChildrenLearn-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’How Children Learn’ desc=’About one of the most revolutionary books in pedagogy and parenting alike.’]

  • Azam Ali – In Other Worlds

    Azam Ali – In Other Worlds

    A dreamy, ritualistic creation that will transport awareness far and off on the wings of the beautiful, evocative voice wielding the keys to the portals of our imagination. Such Journey Songs are a testament to the power of sound.

    Besides the excellent production values featured in this tune, I stand in awe at the magnificent fusion between electronic instruments and traditional ones. I was, am and will always be overjoyed by the way technology has increased the sound range that artists can use. Unlike others, artists can be trusted to use technology responsibly and respectfully.

    “If love be revealed
    In the spark of an eye
    Could all be redeemed
    In the sea of time
    If the stars embed
    Like nails into the ground
    From the unheard prayers
    That have torn up the skies
    Would you will it all away
    As you sail on your way?”

    YouTube (decent quality, bootlegged AWESOME VIDEO):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AlA9FMHXqE^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/4hWQi1W7BhF9Q4ZjP72wAy^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    https://www.deezer.com/track/10710384^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03429-AzamAliElysiumBrave-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Azam Ali – In Other Worlds’ desc=’A dreamy, ritualistic creation that will transport awareness far and off on the wings of the beautiful, evocative voice wielding the keys to the portals of our imagination.’]

  • Beautiful Illustrations About Long Term Relationships

    Beautiful Illustrations About Long Term Relationships

    I love this heartfelt series of drawings about long term relationships:

    https://themindunleashed.com/2018/04/the-truth-about-long-term-relationships-in-25-brutally-honest-illustrations.html^

    I don’t know why at least this site has called it “brutally” honest. What’s so brutal about it? The fact that there’s hair and smelly breath involved? Why would that be brutal? I guess the website I just linked should take their own advice and unleash their mind a little bit more.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03142-LongTermRelationships-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Beautiful Illustrations About Long Term Relationships’ desc=’A heartfelt series of drawings about long term relationships.’]

  • Wardruna – Dagr

    Wardruna – Dagr

    Receive this powerful invocation from deep within the heart of Mother Nature. It was carried through lungs that breathe its air. It was beat into eternity from ritualistic drums and instruments. It was blessed with choirs that cleanse everything their life-giving vibration touches.

    Celebrate the dance of night and day.

    You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.

    https://warduna.bandcamp.com/track/dagr^

    And if you’re curious about the lyrics:

    https://lyricstranslate.com/en/dagr-day.html#songtranslation^

    YouTube (decent quality, POWERFUL VIDEO):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HMl81zRp4E^

    YouTube (decent quality, full song):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsSd-1AE4QY^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/3SENig8PtqYrtjySXeeT94^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    https://www.deezer.com/track/33360221^

    This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03424-WardrunaRunaljodGapVarGinnunga-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Wardruna – Dagr’ desc=’Blessed with choirs that cleanse everything their life-giving vibration touches.’]

  • The Gerrymandering Factor

    The Gerrymandering Factor

    Ever heard of gerrymandering^? It’s quite the disgusting political practice. Basically, a political party influences the way precincts are gathered into districts so that it gains an advantage during elections. Even though the term was coined in the USA, this practice is widespread. It shows just how much democracy can be destroyed from within.

    Fortunately, there is some hope in combating the practice. Here’s how a panel of federal judges over in the USA created a useful precedent that will hopefully be the first step towards fixing this affliction of democracy:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/us/north-carolina-gerrymander.html

    Or perhaps it’s time for a more meaningful reform of democracy. Time for Government 2.0^!

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03137-Gerrymandering-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’The Gerrymandering Factor’ desc=’Gerrymandering – a political party influences the way precincts are gathered into districts so that it gains an advantage during elections’]

  • Autechre – 444

    Autechre – 444

    Get some good head gear, lie down, close your eyes and let this one take you places. This is the symbiosis between technology, mind and soul. Despite the relatively alert rhythm, the deep frequencies are so good at doing their brain-massage thing that this song never fails to send me into a state of inspired calm.

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7D9OlbqRDU^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/1fcKoMHat5NFGAUcfTqZkO^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    https://www.deezer.com/track/29369841^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03418-AutechreIncunabula-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Autechre – 444′ desc=’This is the symbiosis between technology, mind and soul.’]

  • Ricocheting Down the Neutrino Alley

    Ricocheting Down the Neutrino Alley

    Neutrinos^ are among the strangest elementary particles^. Or at least we call them elementary particles until, some time in the future, we’ll discover that they are also composed of various other smaller components. But until then, scientists are sparing no efforts in trying to understand them (an understanding that could and will probably be invested in new technologies, for example detectors for large bursts of energy release):

    From the article linked below:

    “Neutrinos are famously antisocial. Of all the characters in the particle physics cast, they are the most reluctant to interact with other particles. Among the hundred trillion neutrinos that pass through you every second, only about one per week actually grazes a particle in your body.

    That rarity has made life miserable for physicists, who resort to building huge underground detector tanks for a chance at catching the odd neutrino. But in a study published today in Science, researchers working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) detected never-before-seen neutrino interactions using a detector the size of a fire extinguisher. Their feat paves the way for new supernova research, dark matter searches and even nuclear nonproliferation monitoring.”

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ever-elusive-neutrinos-spotted-bouncing-off-nuclei-for-the-first-time/^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03133-NeutrinoAlley-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Ricocheting Down the Neutrino Alley’ desc=’Neutrinos are among the strangest elementary particles.’]

  • Mirabai Ceiba – Song Of The Stars

    Mirabai Ceiba – Song Of The Stars

    A journey song, a healing song, a passing song, a beautiful song. The music is intricate and delicate, building up towards the climax when we’re treated to a vocal performance of shattering passion and amazing range. Powerful, meaningful lyrics complete the melody to perfection. Nothing else would suffice for a song of the stars.

    “We are the stars who sing
    we sing with our light;
    we are the birds of fire,
    we fly over the sky.
    our light is a voice;
    we make a road,
    for the spirit, for the spirits to pass over.”

    YouTube (decent quality):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9GrytKj_s^

    For Spotify Users (high quality):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/1z5CufGYuvnBZycqUenWBc^

    For Deezer Users (high quality):

    https://www.deezer.com/track/106209606^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03413-MirabaiCeibaSevati-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Mirabai Ceiba – Song Of The Stars’ desc=’The music is intricate and delicate, building up towards the climax when we're treated to a vocal performance of shattering passion and amazing range.’]

  • Aliens on Super Earths Require a Lot More Smarts to Get in Orbit

    Aliens on Super Earths Require a Lot More Smarts to Get in Orbit

    Now that we got a new planet hunter in orbit (TESS^), we’re bound to find many more Earth-like planets. And, judging by discoveries so far, it’s quite likely that a lot of these planets will be super Earths, that is, terrestrial planets with a mass higher than Earth’s.

    One of the most interesting and often-overlooked problem with super Earths concerns their gravity. These planets are big, meaning that their gravity would make it very difficult not only for potential human settlers to land or take off again, but also for any intelligent species that might develop there and attempt space travel.

    https://www.space.com/40375-super-earth-exoplanets-hard-aliens-launch.html

    Personally, I think the increased gravity would force an intelligent species to come up with more advanced propulsion technologies, provided that the species is even curious about outer space.

    What if the species is more interested in their own planet? Perhaps before going into space, they would invest more in taking care of, understanding and integrating with the spaceship they’re already on. I believe this would give such a species an even better chance of colonizing other planets. Knowing you’re trapped on a planet might make you take better care of your world’s environment.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/03126-SuperEarths-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Aliens on Super Earths Require a Lot More Smarts to Get in Orbit’ desc=’One of the most interesting and often-overlooked problem with super Earths concerns their gravity.’]