Cyberbrains

Humans in the Future: Cyberbrains

From as long back as we can imagine, we humans have striven for immortality. Now that in our rough and ready way, we've begun to approach it, we face the problem of what to do with the vast amount of information we carry. Even if the brain allowed such storage capacity, who would want to be burdened by quantities of redundant, interfering memories? Painful and messy ones?

Therefore as regeneration techniques advanced to allow the body to last longer, mind renewal grew alongside. The term is colloquial and inaccurate, of course - what is a mind, after all? No matter, as someone quipped. In fact, it's selected portions of long-term memory that we renew. New memories in new bodies. New lives.

In an indeterminate future, as the prospect of human immortality nears, a new problem must be confronted by our civilization: rejuvenated bodies will require rejuvenated identities. In this process, all traces of a person's past will be erased and a new, complete, and idyllic fiction will be implanted in the mind. Occasionally, however, cracks will appear on this carapace of perfect memories, and reminders of discarded lives will crawl out and begin to take control. This condition will be termed something like the leaked memory syndrome, which will be able to pull its victims into an internal abyss of terrible mental suffering.

Leaked memory syndrome will be a malady of the human condition in its present historic phase. Reminders of our discarded lives will not be completely blocked, but we can expect their intrusions into our conscious minds to diminuish as our understanding of thought-complexes will increase and our ability to control them will improve.

Jun Kaneko, Untitled, 2002. Glazed Ceramic, Galvanized Steel. Artwork in front of the Gardiner Museum. Photo by Elena.

In our bid to outrace age and defy death, we will leap from one life into another, be it imperfectly and hope fervently - in the manner of acknowledges sinners - that the past does not catch up with us. But sometimes it will. We will create records, before our lives, everything, whatever scraps were retrievable were vanished into that nothing of electromagnetic noise.

Chemicals will alleviate the condition, but often they will be blunt, their effects diffuse, with collateral outcomes to negotiate. Stubborn cases will require the more intrusive ministrations and shock tactics of a surgical team.

Even our advanced cyberbrains will not be able to reproduce the whimsy of a huan mind, the sheer irrationality or spontaneity of a passing thought. But that will depend on how you define your terms. Is there anything irrational inside a larger, a universal reality in which everything is connected to everything else? In such a space nothing is spontaneous, everything has a cause – a leaf dropping; a shooting star in the sky; a spark from an ember on a barbecue grill.

The mind does not have a whim. Or does it? Should we give up this solitary occupation of our sleepless nights? More than that, it satisfied a compulsion: to let the mind roam freely – to escape and imagine, create narratives, possibilities. Would they have a true value? Not in the obvious sense, but surely the imagination has an organic power of its own, to see truth?  And therefore to bridge gaps in our knowledge and weave past mendacities to create alternative and truer stories? Let the mind roam freely and find your truth. If I were a musician I would have created music; music is safer. But our poison were words, not notes and bars. It was always will be words.

Montréal in Images

Montreal in Images - Old Montreal 

Photos of Montreal, Quebec. A thorough local Website, grandquebec.com, provides a lot of information on the region, including historical, tourist, geographical, literary, cultural and so on, as well as other interesting topics.

Soeurs Grises (Grey Sisters) domain, one of the religious orders of Quebec.

A Green Man on D'Youville street.

Chapelle Bonsecours. 

De la Commune street.

A big snake on the wall of the Chinese Neighboorhood.

Old prison Au Pied-du-Courant.

Centre of History of Montreal.

Kondiaronk, Grand Chief of the Wyandosts of Michilimakinac, played a determining role in the negotiations of the Great Peace due to both his influence with the other First Nations chiefs and the respect that he had among the French. His speech of August 1, 1701, was a decisive factor in sealing the peace. Louis-Hector de Callière, an able military strategist and governor of Montréal, distinguished himself in the defence of the city. In that office and later as governor general of New Rance, he displayed outstanding diplomatic skills in the negotiations with the First Nations which led to the signing of the treaty.(Commission des Lieux et monuments historiques du Canada, Gouvernement du Canada. Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Government of Canada.

Governor's House.

Monument to Patriots who lost their battle.

Governor's House.

Place du marché (Market Place) in Old Montréal.

D'Youville Square.

An old building in Old Montreal.

An old house on Bonsecours street.

Eating Vegetarian in Reykjavík and in Iceland

Eating Vegetarian in Reykjavík

Due to the climate and the resulting difficulties of growing a bounty of vegetables, Icelandic cuisine through the centuries has been mostly animal-protein based. Nowadays, however, there’s a growing number of vegetarians and vegans, especially among the younger generations, and restaurants are responding to the change in diet.

Since the market is still a relatively small one, there are not many restaurants with a completely meat-free restaurants, there are several others that cater to a mixed crowd, with an abundance of vegetarian food but meat options as well. Bistros, casual restaurants and fast food places.

When it comes to fine dining, you probably won’t find any vegetarian/vegan-onoy kitchens but most restaurants in Reykjavík will have vegetarian options on their menu and they’re usually prepared to accommodate special requests, especially when notified in advance.

Mention your dietary preferences when you book the table and you’ll have a lovely meal waiting for you. Most restaurants also have their menus online so check it out if you want to be prepared.

Cafés usually have a range of dairy free options, such as soy or oat milk lattés and if you have a sweet tooth, there are some vegan ice cream stores and others that always have some vegan options.

If you have access to a kitchen, self-catering is an easy and reliable option. Supermarkets in Iceland usually have some range of vegan products, although in the low budget supermarkets, options might be scarce. The vegetable section might also be a little more limited than what you’re used to, due to our northerly location. If you don’t have access to a kitchen, you can find some prepared vegetarian dishes in the supermarkets as well.

Eat vegetarian. Photo by Olga

Coffee in Iceland

Just ten drops for me, thanks

Iceland is known for the Northern Lights, the midnight sun, glaciers and… coffee? Yes, really! The Nordic nations are some of the biggest coffee drinkers in the world and Icelanders are no exception. The Icelanders’ love of the magic beans is evident by the sheer number of cafés in Reykjavík.

The first written documentation of coffee in Iceland is from the 18th century when the tradtion was brought to Iceland by way of Denmakr, our overlords at the time. For some years, coffee drinkers were limited to the elite who had conections to Denmark but in the 19th century most average Icelanders had had their first taste of coffee (although it was still a luxury item). By the 20th century however, coffee was an integral part of the household and every farm in Iceland was roasting and every farm in Iceland was roasting their own coffee beans and grinding them.

Serving strong coffee and lots of it was a point of pride, especially since coffee beans were relatively expensive, categorised as colonial goods and revered appropriately as such. Any offer of coffee was likely to be met with a polite and humble « sure, just ten drops, please. »

In 1958, Café Mokka opened its doors on Skolavördustigur in Reykjavík, when the city was just beginning to blossom into the cosmopolitan city it is today. It was a turning point in Iceland’s coffee culture, as it was the first café in Reykjavík to serve Italian-style espresso drinks. Today, of course, most cafés have a large gleaming espresso-maker, although some coffeee aficionados swear by the more traditional methods ob brewing.

Speaking of Italian-style coffee drinks, the caffé latté is surprisingly controversial in Iceland, in some ways as a direct result of café Mokka. Mokka has, ever since it opened, allowed artists to display their works on the walls and attracyed an accordingly with the experimental, modern art of the time it opened, which was hugely controversial for the newly independent nation. To this day, the caffé latté is a symbol of the rift between the image of the nardworking, drip-brewed coffee-drinking farmer and the cerebral, latté-slipping artist.

Whichever group you identify more with, coffee in Iceland, whether it’s in the morning, afternoon or after dinner, is highly recommended (and don’t be afraid to get a latté if you want one).

A calm street in the heart of the capital city. Photo by Olga. 

Coffee & Something with It

Coffee is good on its own, but coffee and something sweet to go with it is even better. Getting invited to coffee to someone’s home usually means that you get a spread of pastries to go with your cup.

Traditional Icelandic pastries are usually on the simpler side but that doesn’t make them any less delicious! Try kleinur (a cardamom-flavoured twisted donut), pönnukökur (crèpe-like pancakes served either plain with sugar or stuffed with whipped cream and jam) or waffles (that also get the jam/cream treatment). Most cafés also serve slices of Hnallbora (fancy cakes named for a character from Icelandic Literary history famous for serving a multitude of huge cales at coffee time) that go great with a cup of coffee

Going Out in Iceland: Beer, Bars & Booze

Going Out in Iceland: Beer, Bars & Booze

The Reykjavík nightlife is famous, even infamous, depending on your point of view. While Icelanders have always known how to party, the Reykjavík bar scene has done a lot of growing up in the last few years, with several dedicated beer bars opening their doors, as well as ambitious cocktail bars, serving up delicious concoctions.

Bars

Whether you want to have a beer in the afternoon, head out for a drink in the evening, or dance till the morning comes, the liveliest bar scene in Reykjavík is in the city center, on and around Laugavegur and Austurstraeti. Many bars double as cafés and bistros (and even triple as venues for concerts and other events), simply turning up the music as the night progresses.

Closing times differ depending on the atmosphere of each drinking establishment but the rule of thumb is that bars must close at 1:00 on weekdays and no later than 4:30 on the weekends. Some bars close earlier. The most popular drink is beer and there’s plenty of good beer to be had, but Reykjavík is also having a cocktail renaissance, so ask your bartender about the bar’s specialities before ordering.

Beer

Believe it or not, but beer was prohibited in Iceland for most of the 20th century. It was legalised March 1st, 1989, a date which is now the unofficial holiday of Beer Day! Ever since that day, Icelanders have been making up for lost time and beer is now the most popular alcoholic beverage in Iceland. Perhaps mor importantly, Icelanders also started brewing their own (delicious) beer.

For the first few years, easily drinkable lager beers ruled the roost but in the past few years, Icelanders have gotten a taste for a wider range of beers. Have a Kaldi beer at the Kaldi bar downtown or stop by Microbar and taste some of their extensive selection of microbrews. Einstök beer is good and widely available and the small-batch brews of Borg brewery are always interesting. Danish brewery Mikkeller runs a beer bar with several of their most delectable products for sale and Bryggjan brewery is a restaurant/bar/brewery where the beer is made on site!

A desert parking in the capital. Photo by Olga

Booze

Icelandic liquor, which hasn’t really been known for finesse through the years, is also going through a renaissance. Brennivin, the most famous Icelandic liquor, gets a bad rap (it’s also known as Black Death) but in fact, it’s brewed like an aquavit and much like its Scandinavian cousins, can be quite pleasantly sipped with smorrebrod. It’s distilled from potatoes and flavoured with caraway seed.

Apart from the traditional Brennivin, new creations like liquors, crowberries and rhubarb, even birch, are inspiring bartenders all over Reykjavík. You can also try Icelandic gin, vodka, and even wisky. Finally, Icelanders are liquorice lovers and if you share that love, be sure to check out the vodka-based Opal and Topas shots, available at most bars in Reykjavík