cognition

Try this: choose a crazy thought you've been keeping to yourself and google its keywords. You'll be surprised to find people having actually written about it!

It keeps happening to me. For a few months I've been thinking about ambiguity. A few days ago it hit me that it can be a powerful compression technique. So I googled "ambiguity compression" and got some interesting results, notably an article about Loglan, a synthetic language designed to eliminate ambiguity, and a Cyber conference paper regarding ambiguity as an artistic expression tool. Right on!

This phenomenon reinforces my belief that

"I've worked too hard for my illusions just to throw them all away" - aptly put by schizo genius Axl Rose. Guns N' Roses, "Locomotive", in Use Your Illusion II (David Geffen, 1990).

That's how I increasingly feel, in the face of a persistently elusive reality.

National causes are a mysterious force. This year, the African soccer tournament rallied Egyptians from all walks and both genders. And we won, just a few minutes ago, after penalty shots that were undoubtedly agonizing for the players and the public. The explosion of emotions in the streets is a testimony to the tension/relief cycle I see in most human processes.

I've been indifferent towards those mob reactions since I became aware of them. I'm starting to change my mind, however. Although I'd like to remain detached, the togetherness created by these events is a immensely powerful force, much more volatile than rationality, and that can be put to good use (or bad) if understood. And it has been used throughout history, by leaders and organizations, whether consciously or not. That's from the observer point of view.

From the participant point of view,