Incoherently unsophisticated

epiphany

Have you every really wondered how the brain works? You've got this subconscious that is frightfully smart, but really flighty. Like some strange genius hermit that lives deep in the woods and will periodically show up and say something profound, and highly out of context.

But how does your subconscious decide what it's going to mull over? I mean if you are up all night doing homework or trying to work out some problem, chances are if you go do bed you wake up in the morning with an "oh duh" moment. Problem solved. So what happens when you aren't really mulling anything over, and your subconscious is left to just idle?

Mine apparently just wastes time. Follow me, if you will, if you dare...

So I was walking back to my office from the lab. I was having a some trouble that day, and so here is approximately what I was thinking: "...how the hell can only part of that file be in the wrong byte order? Oh, of course, in the movie Underworld, they called them Lycans because its short for lycanthrope." It struck me like a hammer blow. I think I may have honestly said "huh?". I was distracted enough I almost ran into the girl who sits in the cubicle across from my office as she walked down the hall. I also imagine that you're as confused as I was. I mean, I liked the movie, but its been quite some time since I'd seen it, so wtf was my brain thinking? (And I'd never seen it written down, just spoken. It sounds like "liken". I figured okay, whatever, they're just trying to be unique and using their own words.) Apparently it bothered my subconscious enough to the point where it was going to figure it out, dammit, no matter what.

The gist is, what is that master process? WHAT is in your brain that decides "and now for something completely different"? I think I'm scared of mine.

posted by wrmblnwrck @ 9:28 PM