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Food for thought

  • The neuroscience of loving music

    Music affects the brain in profound ways. It eases stress by lowering cortisol. It floods the brain with pleasurable neurotransmitters like dopamine. And it serves as a conduit through which we can process emotions that otherwise might not be describable in words.

    The neuroscience of loving music
    https://bigthink.com/series/explain-it-like-im-smart/your-brain-on-music/

  • Zima Blue

    What can I say? I can’t look at a blue sky without thinking about this episode.

  • How I flooded Florianópolis (On a map, relax)

    Recently, I discovered how fascinating topographic maps are, and, well, I got a little obsessed. Those elevation lines? They look like art. Beautiful, intricate, mesmerizing.

    So, on one of those weekends where stepping outside felt like a bad idea—thanks to wildfire smoke making the air unbreathable, COVID still lurking, and a general 2020-apocalypse vibe—I got inspired. I decided to create a projection of what Florianópolis would look like if the sea level rose by 15 meters. Spoiler: it’s a vibe, but not the good kind.

    With some help from the crew (Lê, Manu, Jordane, and Augusto), I gave the newly-formed islands and regions their own names. It was oddly fun, considering the grim premise.

    I used a site called FloodMap to make the projection. It’s pretty basic—doesn’t account for things like currents, erosion, wind, or the inevitable chaos we humans will add to the mix. Even so, it was fascinating to see the island split in two. Maybe, just maybe, that’s the perfect excuse to finally shed the “Floriano” legacy. (Locals, you get it.)

    This little exercise got me thinking: in 500 years, the world will look wildly different. Technologies for housing and transportation could make life surprisingly livable, even in a scenario like this. Think vertical farms, floating neighborhoods, maybe even underwater condos. Humans are pretty good at adapting when we’re not busy messing things up.

    Anyway, here’s the link to the high-resolution map. Use it, edit it, have fun with it. Or don’t. I’m not your boss.

  • 10 Sábios Coin

    I found this coin during my end-of-year cleaning. It brought back memories of the adventures it took to get it and then rediscover it. Always good ones.

    Because they happened the way they were meant to. Not right or wrong. Just the only way they could have been.

    But this isn’t really about the coin. The coin is just a symbol, a relic from a chapter of my life—the only piece I still have. Finding it felt like unearthing treasure, something deeply valuable to me. Everything that came before it is wrapped up in it too: experiences and people.

    Especially the people. All the ones who spent a little bit of their time with me. Minutes, hours, years. Some, even decades—3.6 decades, to be exact.

    I’ve been sitting here alone for almost an hour, writing this and watching the day fade while the cicadas start to sing. Thinking about those people and those experiences. Taking time to think about them.

    And even sitting here alone, it’s comforting to think of them—or rather, to think of you.

    A piece of your wisdom is part of me now. Like shared wisdom, quantum, cosmic. It’s there.

    And in some small way—or maybe a big one—I’m a part of you too. Not in the right way or the wrong way, but in the only way.

  • I’ve changed. I’d hope so.