Yesterday I did a pleasant cruise on the country roads to the Southeast of Morgan Hill, through our neighboring community of San Martin, and on to Gilroy. for a very relaxing couple of hours. Columbet Road, one of a few lightly-trafficked rural roads thru San Martin. Heading out Dryden road towards the East foothills in … Continue reading Southeast Cruise →

Introduction The prevailing view among scientists is that consciousness is an emergent property or epiphenomenon of matter, specifically our brains. This is sometimes colloquially stated as "minds are what brains do". But a significant minority of scientists, including neuroscientists, believe that there is evidence that consciousness cannot be explained by matter but itself must play … Continue reading Amateur Philosopher’s Corner- Science and Consciousness: Materialism, and Alternatives →

Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve is a more recent preserve of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority. It has some endangered species, so access to it is currently restricted to either docent-led hikes or special events where a limited amount of self-guided visitors are allowed. I took advantage of one of those special events … Continue reading Wildflowers and Wildlife at Coyote Ridge →

This is really cool. Researchers around the world are collaborating on using large scale computation to understand the brain at various levels. This requires a multidisciplinary approach. This article focuses on the European effort, the Human Brain project.

I am prompted to write more inspiration about mental fitness because it is sorely needed these days. Covid19 has caused a large surge in depression and anxiety, and in the US at least we have an opioid crisis that has been called an epidemic. It is important to start by recommending that anyone with mental … Continue reading Mental Fitness- Happy By Default →

I went for about an hour's ramble standing up to pedal on my upright, in some areas still in town but near the borders. Then I switched to my recumbent and did an out-and-back on Coyote creek trail for about 90 minutes. Very nice scenery in both rides. This pleasant path runs around a local … Continue reading Local Urban and Rural Ride →

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/features/on-mental-states-mindfulness-and-self-transcendent-experiences As I mentioned in a previous post, I have had some experiences while exercising and meditating that could be described as "transcendental". I have spontaneously felt like the boundaries between my little separate self and the world dissolve, and I was one with all there is. This is also accompanied by feelings of love … Continue reading Amateur Philosopher’s Corner- Introduction →

Friday I went with a different hiking group, San Jose Midweek, back to another section of Santa Teresa park where the wildflowers are really beautiful. We worked our way over the hills from the Santa Teresa side to the Almaden Valley side, descending the rocky but scenic Stiles Ranch trail, then returned on a different … Continue reading Another Wildflower Hike →

From my last blood test results a couple of months ago, my cholesterol, and especially my LDL (“bad” cholesterol) had crept up, so my cardiologist agreed to give me a chance to clean up my diet and retest again in a few months. My disappointing numbers reflected some overindulgence over the holidays that also led … Continue reading The “Freedom From Compulsion” Diet →

(https://www.heart.org/en/news/2022/02/28/retiree-doesnt-let-heart-issues-slow-him-down) This month the story in the American Heart Association's Journal "Stories from the Heart" was particularly inspiring for me. Chris Mathews has overcome multiple life-threatening challenges related to his heart health, including double bypass surgery, 11 stents implanted over the years, a pacemaker later replaced by an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, and aortic stenosis cured … Continue reading Inspiration- Keeping Going Despite Multiple Heart Issues →