Blog of Sal

Ross Perot with an alien "Intelligent life in the universe? Guaranteed. Intelligent life in our galaxy? So overwhelmingly likely that I'd give you almost any odds you'd like." -  Paul Horowitz Ph.d (Harvard physics professor, founder of SETI ) I'd take that bet. How can we speculate so blindly about the universe? Sure, intelligent life  may be out there, but why should the likelihood be so high? There is no hard evidence to support the theory of intelligent extraterrestrial life. The supposition of aliens is akin to a belief in deities. A mythology sold as vaguely scientific, when in fact it's nothing more than a vehicle for profit-making. I realize that our universe is a massive collection of galaxies too numerous to count, and that they are composed of the same elements and structures as our galaxy. However, the vastness of the universe alone provides no support for the theory of intelligent extraterrestrial life. There is no known relatio...

I've mentioned Grandfather William Commanda in a post in the past . He was a great Algonquin chief from near where I grew up in Ottawa, and he passed away recently at the age of 97. I thought re-sharing this nice letter from his facebook page (see below photo) would be a nice way to celebrate Canada Day on No Sound Mind. I realize now that the adolescent angst that fueled my creative development was often based on a similar feeling of frustration to the one Algonquin and all First Nations people have felt for over 300 years. North America doesn't have to be this way. Our politics can allow for more protection of the planet, and a higher level of social justice. Yet we continually squander the power to deeply improve our plight, and neglect to work towards  emancipating the world.  We so easily slip into a cycle of wallowing in a vapid world of  consumerism  and hype.  Recognizing this cycle as a problem is the first step towards solving i...

I've been mentioning lately to  Zouch Magazine  staff how I'd like to pay a bit more attention to the flow of DYI and maker culture. There are so many innovative things happening there that bleed over into the art world. For example, you can use a Maker Bot like this: To create amazing works of art like this: How cool is that?  This machine actually builds things from  scratch   in front of your very eyes  based on 3D modelling software designs. I had the chance to have a nice chat with Paul Hart a member of the ThinkHaus.org  non-profit, and something came out of my mouth that sums up my state of mind lately: "art is really a big deal". I meant this in reference to the concept of art, and the way in which we are driven to create it. I was channeling a recent encounter I had with prominent electronic artist Norman White , who said something to the effect of how all of the modern creative stuff, from fine art t...

Ever had a song stuck in your head? When you listen to music you're interpreting sound waves in your brain. Turn the sound waves off to find the energy in the music transposed, and still functioning in your mind... The name No Sound Mind has been around since I was a 20 year old bohemian musician living in a basement apartment in Montreal. I used black electrical tape to spell out the words NO SOUND STUDIOS above my bedroom door. My first digital recording ( Fjord EP ) was produced there. I soon after returned to university to study philosophy, and developed fragments of my own answers to traditional problems like Determinism vs. Free Will, What is God? What is the mind? Why are we here? And so on. I also discovered Functionalism , a theory I consider provides our truest picture of the nature of the mind. It proposes that while the brain is home to thoughts and impulses, the mind is the  configuration of the brain . In other words, the mind is a non-physic...

A few years ago I came up with an idea that's helped me make better decisions in my life. It's a simple question that I ask myself when I come to a crossroads. Which path will cause me to feel less regret in the future? Only a few hundred years ago a philosopher could be tortured or put to death for works of prophecy. In fact I'd say that until the information age, any careful considerations of the future were considered by most to be either heathenism, mysticism or quackery. Nowadays we have super-sophisticated software and statistical modelling resources, as well as a much richer understanding of the events of our history than ever before. We have become a culture far more capable of thinking ahead. Every single one of us is in on this advancement, as it relates not to our physiology, but our shared informational resources. We're learning new ways to look at the world through the contemplation of a more sophisticated picture of how events inter-relate over ti...