FOAPAAA!

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show us a series of pictures with a theme. "A series" in this case can mean "two" but three or four would be good. The theme could be anything you want, although it being the holidays, something holiday-oriented would be a good and easy thing to do.

King Hubert* by Marc Davis



Pink Doctors by Xavier Cugat



Cityscape, artist unknown



The Eighth Doctor by Reuben Calvillo



Abstract by Sanders

I'm going to make you guess what the theme is. The first person to get it exactly right wins...I don't know what, but somethin'!

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Brain Teaser

I had a great idea earlier today for another entry, possibly a series of entries. I don't feel up to writing much of it tonight, but here's a teaser:

"I love humans. Always seeing patterns in things that aren't there."
- The Eighth Doctor, Doctor Who tv movie.

I have a theory about brains.

They're weird.

Brains are erratic and complex. They carry out a bewildering array of biochemical and bioelectric functions, ranging from autonomic regulation (keeping you breathing, for example) to interpreting sensory data, learning and thinking and feeling and doing. A lot of it involves making or rehearsing connections between things. If it barks, it's a dog. If it's Monday, I should be prepared to take photos for Scalzi's meme. If I want to eat this ice cream, I probably need a spoon. Snow=Winter. Red + Green = Christmas colors, or maybe a traffic light.

Making connections is an absolutely crucial part of thinking. If you didn't make a connection between the word "dog" and the concept of dogs and the traits that identify Tuffy Toro (or any other dog) as belonging to the category "dogs," then you could not really think about dogs.

Okay, fine so far. But what happens when the brain tries to make connections between unrelated phenomena? Do we all see "patterns...that aren't there"? What do you think?

Karen

*For some reason, I keep calling him King Humphrey. That's wrong. It's Hubert.