All posts by Axonn Echysttas

Mentatul.

Madonna – Ray Of Light

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Oldie but goldie is probably applicable to a song which is almost 20 years old. This is one of the jewels scattered through Madonna’s art. It’s highly danceable and full of positive energy. A lot of intricate beat construction went into this melody. It’s one of those songs that reward the attentive listener. The well written, descriptive lyrics, turn this piece into quite a ride.

Due to her commercial success, many have disregarded or labeled Madonna’s music. That’s a costly mistake to make, for as an artist, Madonna has evolved and changed considerably throughout the years. The “Bedtime Stories” and “Ray Of Light” albums seem to me to be among her most genuine and profound works. Especially on “Ray Of Light”, her voice seems to have reached a peak of… honesty, if you will.

“Faster than the speeding light she’s flying
Trying to remember where it all began
She’s got herself a little piece of heaven
Waiting for the time when Earth shall be as one”

YouTube (decent quality):

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

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/4Fpsa3pYc3gozrxHRRPvR6^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/778704^

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How Pregnancy Changes the Brain

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Almost any woman withbaby can tell you that they feel that their mind works differently than before. I always attributed this to the fact that during fetal development, the brain has to adapt to an increased amount of work. It’s all the extra that comes from regulating the operation of all the additional bodily functions that are required by the development of a new human being. After birth, the brain has to adjust once again, dealing with the extremely complex social dynamics that are involved in having a new human being around in a group – and the larger the group, the more variables the brain will have to keep track of.

A recent neuroimaging study has found pronounced differences in the physical structure of women’s brains during fetal development and afterwards:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/12/19/pregnancy-changes-the-brain-for-as-long-as-two-years/?utm_term=.824fa427caec^

The fact that these changes occur shouldn’t come as a surprise at all. It’s our body working at its finest, adapting in wonderful ways to the tasks that it has to undertake. I’m happy that scientists have went through the effort to understand more about this important period in a woman’s life and about the changes that occur. Now we have one more reason to be in awe of our body’s amazing complexity.

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Kalya Scintilla – Manzanita

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Combining native-American flutes, mysterious whispers, various folk instruments and a staggering array of electronic sound textures, this is the sort of music that can be watched with eyes closed. It’s the sort of music that overwhelms the mind and taps imagination on the shoulder saying “it’s time to move”. Psybient titan Kalya Scintilla leads the way yet again.

“Stories are part of our culture and our history, we learn from them.”

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. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Kalya Scintilla’s album :).

https://kalyascintilla.bandcamp.com/track/manzanita^

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNToDNKFf4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWNToDNKFf4^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/3qkRA6vWRJT0XVAbTKCzU2^

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Romania Takes on Corruption in the 21st Century

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Following the proposal and then adoption of a law that would have allowed corruption to thrive, on the 5th of February, 2017, the capital of Romania was the scene of the largest public protest since toppling the communist regime in 1989. The number of people participating in the capital alone was anywhere between 120,000 and 300,000, depending on who did the estimating. The protests spiraled to other cities in Romania as well as many cities around the world that host large Romanian diaspora communities. As a result, the law was repealed.

Here’s a beautiful video showing the scale of the protest as well as some wonderful moments that took place during the peaceful manifestation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZPgJ4spMZw^

Backup version:

https://www.facebook.com/alexandru.damian.73/posts/1425087934176498^

Romania can do it. Romania did it twice in less than 30 years. I think this should be an inspiration for other democratic countries where this sort of manifestation can still take place without the fear of military intervention. So, is the USA just going to sit tight while decades of progress in human rights and empathy towards ourselves and the ecosystem are systematically erased?

I’m happy to see my brothers and sisters from Romania standing up against the system in such a beautiful, peaceful way. I wish I could say that I’m proud of my country, but unfortunately what you see in the video is a protest of the minority. The majority has actually voted in this disgusting government. So even if I would care for a feeling like “pride” (I don’t), I still couldn’t be proud of my country. I am sad that Romania was fooled into voting in the current government. But I would totally be proud of the brothers and sisters that try to wake up the victims of mass manipulation.

The only solution I see is to engage in peaceful but determined activism. Wake up the sleepers, educate those left in the dark by offering them alternative sources of information and patiently allowing them to find the truth themselves, for this is the only way to accept it. Open any discussion, even with the most bitter of enemies with a smile: we’re all in this together.

I wish that one day the human species will discover that the greatest gift of having free will is the ability to transform the primordial “survival of the fittest” instinct into something different. We don’t need to compete by killing each other. There are many other more elegant ways for the powerful to show their might.

In fact, the mightiest of the mighty will eventually find that the ultimate show of force is to surrender to peace and love.

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Eminem – Lose Yourself

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Greek mythology gave us the concept of a muse^. Many artists refer to their muses. I find that often, art itself becomes the muse. This is where this song comes in. It’s one of the best hip hop songs of all time thanks to an excellent combination of great music, fiery singing and awesome writing all coming together to tell a touching story. Actually, in my book, this is one of the best songs of all time, period.

I think it’s hard not to be stimulated and pumped up by it. Sure, some people will simply block the message due to a certain dislike for the genre or the artist. But otherwise, this melody can be an energy source and consistent motivator whenever you may need it.

“Look
If you had
One shot
Or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted
In one moment
Would you capture it
Or just let it slip?

[…]

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime you better

[…]

Success is my only motherfuckin’ option, failure’s not
Mom, I love you, but this trail has got to go, I cannot grow old in Salem’s lot
So here I go is my shot
Feet fail me not ‘cause maybe the only opportunity that I got

[…]

You can do anything you set your mind to man” [I chose to interpret man as human, not as male.]

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j1Udjwh8ro^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/7w9bgPAmPTtrkt2v16QWvQ^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/1109731^

And of course, it’s not a coincidence that I post this today. There are many changes in my life this early 2017.

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Hypernormalisation

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Wait wait wait. Before you start screaming “Whaaat!? An almost three hours long documentary about manufactured truth and propaganda through social media?!”, just watch this short, 1 minute extract from mentioned documentary:

http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/chilling-clip-from-adam-curtis-doc-should-make-everyone-rethink-their-online-outrage/^

Now, imagine that there are a lot more minutes like that in the documentary located at the link below. Also imagine that together, these seconds are much more powerful than taken in individual extracts (think “interconnected brains math”: 1+1=3, 3+3=a million). Now feel free to go ahead and advance your awareness of the world:

http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/hypernormalisation-2016/^

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Pendulum – Slam

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With a fitting title, this track is a total dance-floor wrecker. There’s barely time to breathe while the song buzzes every muscle. It’s also somehow charged with an extreme amount of positive energy. Rumor has it necromancers use this melody to raise the dead. But these be happy zombies.

Make sure you don’t have the volume turned up too high ‘cause this one might spill the soup from your neighbor’s bowl (depending how beefy your speakers are). Another rumor has it that some construction companies use this to test structural stability in skyscrapers. They go in with a couple of custom subwoofers and if the walls don’t crack after playing this tune, then it’s a good building.

Completing the package comes one of the funkiest music videos I know of, which every time I watch installs a big fat grin on my face. If there’s anything I can call “oldie but goldie”, it’s this. Enjoy!

“We’re marooned on a small island,
In an endless sea,
Confined to a tiny spit of sand,
Unable to escape

But tonight… its heavy stuff!”

YouTube (one of the most uplifting videos ever):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIOQfdn9L9c^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/5iafDaZllVA8NXPr7ciK1C^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/81251332^

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.

Original post:

If there’s anything I can call “oldie but goldie”, it’s this. One of the funkiest music videos I know of, which every time I watch installs a big fat grin on my face. Enjoy!

[ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/01452-PendulumHoldYourColor-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Pendulum – Slam’ desc=’Rumor has it necromancers use this melody to raise the dead. But these be happy zombies.’]

Four Awesome Photo Series

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These four amazing photography sets have showed their goods in front of my eyes in the past few months. After the ensuing visual orgasm, I have decided to share these with you, dear Reader.

Wildlife photographer of the year 2016:

http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2016/09/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2016/499979/^

The most influential images of all time:

http://100photos.time.com/^

20 Awesome modern sculptures:

https://brightside.me/article/17-modern-sculptures-you-will-fall-in-love-with-62655/^

The very best drone photography of 2016:

https://qz.com/868006/drone-photos-dronestagrams-best-images-of-2016/^

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Tomas Dvorak – The Bottom

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Music is play. While listening to such melodies, this simple fact can really be appreciated, commended and truly felt. It’s a wonderful composition, brimming with diversity. The creation is part of the soundtrack of awesome Machinarium^ (which I highly recommend, especially since the game and its soundtrack are in such amazing symbiosis). It’s lovely when a healthy dose of graphical inspiration brings artists to the point of creating such beautiful music.

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. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I did purchase Tomas Dvorak’s album :).

http://store.floex.cz/track/the-bottom^

The song can also be listened for free available in high quality on SoundCloud, another great website when it comes to supporting emerging and independent artists:

https://soundcloud.com/minorityrecords/01-the-bottom?in=minorityrecords/sets/machinarium-ost^

YouTube (decent quality):

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

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/6VZf0fnX3X8Un6lcxSWiFV^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

http://www.deezer.com/track/15618007^

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How Donald Trump Becoming President Changed My World

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Months ago, I wrote a short piece rationalizing why Trump will not be president of the USA (unless the Republican party wants to commit political suicide). I was quite sure it will be the last time I’d mention his name on this website. During the following months, I was given a stark reminder that “nothing’s certain”. Not only did Trump get the presidency, but the Republican party is doing quite well.

I’m not ruling out political suicide just yet, but this doesn’t change the fact I’ve made a serious estimation error regarding Donald’s chances. It has been one of my most disappointing prognoses, so I chastised myself over it more than a few times. However, I spent far more energy into learning from this mistake. There are many teachings indeed.

First of all, it seems like some countries are failing to adapt democracy to the Internet age. Starting with the spread of lies about candidates through social media and ending with cyber warfare, I think that the democratic process is in serious need of renovation.

I wouldn’t really call it a teaching – since I was always aware of this – but the fury of the people should never be underestimated. Trump and similar candidates across the world are riding on this wave of anger. I just hope that Americans won’t regret installing Trump as their president like other nations regretted their choice dearly in the past. I can’t help drawing some parallels with a certain leader that got elected in Europe about 85 years ago. We’re still recovering from the emotional scars he left behind.

But the most important change in my life since Donnie Tea became president is that the event miraculously stopped me from reading the news three times a day (I’ve been trying to cut down for years). I’m now at about twice a week, having gained about 2-3 extra hours per week. As I said in the title of this posting, this is about how my world has changed. It’s one of the more subjective posts I’ve written, which is why I filed it under the new category “Life Fragments”.

I’m fed up seeing news feeds clogged with “Donald said that” or “Donald did that”. I’m done being coaxed into reading these venomous sensationalist stories. I can’t help sharing a comparison I made recently: “democracy without education is like capitalism without capital”. Unfortunately, many voters lack the education to properly detect fake and/or manipulative press.

I’m going to pass this season of the “all-you-can-consume information age”. Sure, I’ll keep an eye out on the news, but I’m done letting these companies infect my mind and therefore my life.

Before, during and after the election, many media cartels made tons of money writing about Trump. Most of the published stories consist of the endless repetition of a single event, or are of little relevance. Even in countries that had nothing to do with the circus of an election that occurred in the USA, his name was mentioned more often than the most important local politicians. For example in Sweden, Donnie’s name was mentioned in the press many more times than the country’s most important political figure, the Prime Minister.

For a while, I will stop writing much about politics. Even when I will, my approach will be very cautious. I’ll close this short entry with a few of the more relevant links written in the past few days about the beginning of Donnie Tea’s illustrious career as threat to human rights and civilization.

However, I know that I know nothing. Perhaps some of his and his party’s decisions will turn out quite beneficial for our civilization. So take my comments below as perhaps totally wrong. Let’s see how things look ten years from now.

Denying human-caused climate change and therefore setting back efforts to clean up our ecosystem:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/us/politics/trump-white-house-website.html^

Setting back the only recent attempt – however feeble – to improve healthcare in the USA:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-signs-executive-order-that-could-lift-affordable-care-acts-individual-mandate/2017/01/20/8c99e35e-df70-11e6-b2cf-b67fe3285cbc_story.html?utm_term=.7a657c600a5a^

Turning government into a discount shop for selling the tax payer’s hard-earned rights to a clean, safe and fair country (and accelerating the destruction of the ecosystem – also setting a bad example for governments across the world):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/01/23/trump-to-ceos-ill-wipe-out-75-percent-of-regulations-fast-track-u-s-factories/?utm_term=.89318c36c008^

Jeopardizing an already fragile geopolitical climate:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/world-reacts-to-trumps-america-first-inaugural-speech/2017/01/20/5452f9ca-df95-11e6-8902-610fe486791c_story.html?utm_term=.aabf5ad12666^

Using American influence to restrict women’s rights across the world (I’m not completely pro-choice, but I do believe that pro-life is a severe restriction of a woman’s rights, especially in special circumstances such as rape or very risk family environments):

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/abortion/315652-trump-signs-executive-order-reinstating-global-gag-rule-on^

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