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Jun 27
Cover of "Infinite Jest"
Cover of Infinite Jest

Infinite summer is a website that is a book club centered around reading David Foster Wallace’s ‘Infinite Jest” (IJ) (and search my blog for the other stuff I have written about DFW if you are interested).

I just wanted to share some of the pieces written about the reading of IJ:

from Infinite summer (Marcus Sakey):

My first read of the novel was by and large a pleasure. I’ll admit that there were moments when I wondered if I could trust Wallace to deliver the goods. And at that time, I thought that the book could have benefited from a sterner editor (although the submitted manuscript was apparently significantly longer.)

Still, I labored through the rough spots, and found more than enough to tickle me and keep me going. But while I don’t want to reveal too much, I will say that when I got to the end, my initial reaction was, “Huh.”

But what Marcus says about the novel after a  bit of time has passed since finishing it, is quite interesting.

Fast-forward two months and ten books, and here’s the thing—I was still thinking about Infinite Jest. In fact, I found myself seeing it more clearly, getting more seduced by it, than when I was actually reading the thing.

With distance what at first seemed sprawling begins to come into a more cohesive, if still massive, picture. Wallace is a writer who does not spare you the full force of his brain; in fact, he demands your effort like a brilliant professor who expects that you show up every week, well-rested, on time, and with the reading done.

But finish the book, let it stew, and it will all come together, I promise. And it’s more than worth the effort. So much so in fact, that about a year later I decided to read it again.

And I really thought Marcus captured something about the novel, that I also felt was  true, in this section.

Fundamentally, IJ is a novel about two things: the pursuit of happiness, and the impossibilities of communication. Wallace explores those themes and their intersections in a hundred different ways. And because he was a genius who didn’t believe there were answers to these questions, he also contradicts himself over and over and over. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that there are no assertions of importance in the text that aren’t contradicted somewhere else.

After a second read, there were many things I understood more clearly. And damn, how I loved it. But could I tell you, unequivocally, “what happened”?

Nope.

It’s not about that. There aren’t easy answers in life, and so Wallace didn’t want them in his work. There aren’t single perspectives in life, and so Wallace didn’t want them in his work. The world can’t be summed up in a sentence, and so Wallace not only didn’t try—he demonstrated some of the reasons why the world is the way it is.

There is also some interesting posts at the sister site of Infinite summer - which is called Infinite Zombies (part book club, part fight club, all infinite jest).

Just so you don’t feel alone about the daunting nature of this novel Daryl Houston shares this:

Usually what you hear about Infinite Jest is that it’s difficult and long and like climbing a mountain and dear sweet lord, those end notes and the esoteric information and the pages-long sentences and…

But then Daryl goes onto to say how encouraged he is by hearing how other readers and bloggers are finding that the ‘going’ is not so bad.

is really encouraging and exciting and even in a way validating. I’ve spent years being defensive about the book, even making pre-judgments about how well it would be received by some person or another and declining to recommend it from time to time on the basis of its difficulty. But reading my fellow bloggers’ comments and tracking #infsum on twitter is really invigorating for me, reminding me that, yes, there are parts of the book that are hard, and it’s a big investment to read the thing, but there’s so much reward too, so much humor and humanity and heart that even those doubtful about their chances of slogging all the way through it are finding it to be doable and maybe even likable.

Watching as people discover that reward in spite of (or because of) some of the difficulty helps me relive the wonderment of my own first reading (which wonderment I had sort of lost sight of). And in a weird way, it makes me proud. What exactly I’m proud of I can’t say. I suppose there’s a temptation, as an early appreciator, to feel like something of a pioneer, but that’s not the target (at least not the main one) of my pride. I can’t really be proud of the book, since it’s not something I had a hand in creating. And it’s presumptuous and a little silly to say that I’m proud of Wallace (though I guess I am). So I can’t put my finger on it. But every time I witness one of these little discoveries, I get a little catch in my chest, a little thrill, sometimes even a little shiver, and it makes me really glad to be playing along.

And finally here is an example of what Daryl was talking about as a new reader discovers Wallace’s IJ is accessible and it is not something to be scared about.

Anne Swenson:

Here it is: I’m scared of this book.

I’ve heard it’s going to clobber me with its heft, it’s going to belittle what pitiful intelligence I thought I had with its towering erudition, it’s going to reduce my pathetic reading ability to the bitter taste of ash and failure by the ferocious power of its subtle complexity I could only pray to ever understand. I’m duly afraid, and I’m glad to read I’m not alone in feeling this way.

DFW is like the ultimate litmus test: have you heard of him? Have you read him? Have you channeled his inimitable writing style to demonstrate the power of post-post-modern American literature? All I knew about the book before I cracked the spine was that it was about tennis and drug addiction, and that Wallace was by all accounts a genius…

So imagine my surprise, then, when I start reading and it’s not bad. It’s not so opaque as to be incomprehensible, only opaque enough to be, you know, interesting. It’s funny. Sure, I’ve highlighted some parts. Dictionary.com may become my home page. But it’s…wow. It’s good. It’s readable. Is it possible that I might even like it?

I’m not even a tenth of the way finished yet, so I’m still a little scared. But I think now that if I do cry while reading, it won’t be because of my own literary incompetence. It will be because of – who would have guessed? – the power of Wallace’s prose. Even in my limited journey I have learned that all the elitist graduate students were right about one thing: Wallace was a genius, and there is no one else who can write quite like him.

We have to break some rules, though, if we’re all going to get through this without ending up like some Brad Pitt mind-trick: we have to talk about it. We have to talk about the Fight Club.

Go give IJ a try.

Jun 20

I have talked several times on this blog about the writer David Foster Wallace (too busy to link). If you have any interest in this writer and/or his novel ‘Infinite Jest’ well maybe it is the perfect time to read his epic novel, because the infinite summer website is offering a great deal of help in reading this novel starting tomorrow - from June 21st to September 22nd (hence you will be able to complete the 1,000+ pages of this novel by reading 75 pages a week - 10-11 pages per day).

I can tell you reading the book is an ‘interesting experience’ based on my 2 journeys through it. I plan to start my 3rd, with everybody else, starting tomorrow.

There is all sorts of support, tips, tricks, Google calendar schedule, progress tracker app, flickr pool, guides and everything else at infinite summer - someone is even twittering the entire novel 140 characters at a time.

“Michael made some Infinite Summer bookmarks with the schedule printed right on them. We were totally going to do the same thing, but whatever we would have cooked up would have looked pretty lame compared to those.

In addition to creating a Google Calendar and iCal calendar for the I.S. schedule, James also says he’ll be blogging his reading of the novel at his website.

Ralph created a Google Apps Progress Tracker. “I’m not graphic designer, obviously, so it’s very very plain right now,” he says. “But any and all suggestions welcome.”

At Infinite Zombies, five six seven writers intend to chronicle their reading of the book in a format they describe as “part book club, part Fight Club“.

Carolina created a Flickr pool. Photos are also being posted on the Facebook wall.

The Infinite Summer Ravelry group has hit 50 members. The Goodreads page has 87. The LiveJournal community continues to grow.

Bitch Ph.D says she’s on board. Marc says that, on June 21st, he’s going to turn his weblog into “my own journal of the Infinite Summer project/book club.” Kev and Emily are going to “post our gchat convos while we read infinite jest.

Katie is keeping track of her favorite DFW quotations of a Tumblelog. Someone is tweeting Infinite Jest 140 characters at a time on Twitter.

Meg is trying to talk her wedding guests into reading the novel so everyone will have something to talk about at the reception.”

x

Go give it a whirl - I think it should stimulate your brain - and hence brain health.

May 27
Drawing of Purkinje cells (A) and granule cell...
Image via Wikipedia

I have written previously about it is all about information and energy, when talking about life and the brain.

Well, I came across a poster that provided some raw data regarding this subject at the Canadian Neuroscience meeting.

The lead author was C. Howarth, and the senior author, Attwell. This group was trying to calculate the energy and information cost of Purkinje cells, which are found in the cerebellum. Their conclusion was this:

… for each Purkinje cell (and associated other neurons and glia) approximately 10 to the 11th power molecules of ATP/s are used per 5 kb of retrievable motor information, corresponding to an information storage cost of 1 mW/Gb.

Now off the top of my head I don’t know how this compares with the computers of today, and don’t have the time today to look it up, for I need to head to the last day of the conference. But I sometime find this type of data a good reminder (though I shouldn’t need one) is that our brain is just a processor of information from the outside and inside environment for the purpose of enhancing our survival and propagation.

Maybe someone with more in-depth knowledge of computers/information processing could compare and contrast this above neuronal data with computers.

May 18
An almost burnt-down lit candle on a candle ho...
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I started this blog May 17, 2008 and so I have survived one year of blogging. I managed to post 242 blog pieces. A few of them were just short pieces, but the majority of them were fairly extensive posts (I am sure some of my readers find quite a few of the posts on the too long side).

Several times during the year I questioned the value of spending an hour+ per day 4-5 days a week writing up a post (they took me longer than I expected and I didn’t really get faster over the 242 posts). My parents always taught us kids that if we signed up for something we had to see the whole season/endeavor through. Well I am not exactly sure what a complete blogging endeavor/season is, but I figure a year is reasonable. So I feel like I could quit now, if that is what I choose. I wonder if I should be directing that hour+ into some other more fruitful endeavor, but there is still quite a few things I would like to share, and of course each day there is something new and exciting to write about.

All that aside, I wanted to somewhat organize a few articles in this anniversary post (this might be as much for my sake as my readers - also some overlap between categories). Many of the ones that didn’t fit at least loosely in one of the themes I left them out, but a few I put under non-categorized. Take a gander over some of the posts over the last year (yeah, I know I made this post too long also).

Optimism/Hope:

Are organism by nature optimists?

Do you see the glass as half full or half empty: optimism is good for you

Is the glass half-full or half-empty: optimism and rACC activation

The neuroscience behind hope

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Brain Efficiency/Information/Dopamine/D2?Hope:

How information can be pleasurable or painful to the brain (see also: why surprise is good for your brain; and life is information)

The logical and illogical influence of information on our thinking

Your brain: it all comes down to energy and information

How to improve the efficiency of your brain

The neuroscience behind hope

How to increase your D2 levels for better brain health

Can you learn from your mistakes: the D2 receptor

Did the dopamine reward-system kill the American dream?

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Simple brain/mind hacks and productivity:

Are you carrying a wallet or camera in your pocket?

Two simple things for better brain health

7 things to do on long weekends to improve your brain health

Taking advantage of laundry time to improve your brain health

Take off your blinkers and gain a new perspective

How to spice up your office and off site work place

What would you do with an extra 5 years?

Productivity tip: leave enough in the tank for tomorrow

Simple time hack: e.g write a novel 20 minutes a time.

Live in an enriched environment to improve your brain health

Fasting: a simple brain hack for jet lag

Meditation can change gene expression

How playing and watching sports are good for your brain

Some tips to deal with information overload (see also: information overload: infobese)

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Good stuff for your brain:

New neurons for better brain health

Exercise for healthy new neurons: even in middle age

Learn to juggle to increase your gray matter: but don’t stop

Can you teach old dogs new tricks, or at least juggling, and increase gray matter density in the brain?

Increase your brain’ gray matter with musical training

How playing the court jester can improve your brain

How intense studying can improve brain’s gray matter

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Food/Drinks for better brain health:

Drink coffee to reduce suicide and cardiovascular disease (see also: does the smell of coffee wake you up?)

An apple a day (or more) to keep the cancer doctor away

Two ways to decrease you chance of dying (Mediterranean diet)

Mediterranean diet to improve cognitive ability in the elderly

Plums and Peaches: you should be eating them

Blueberries and curcumin: good for you

Defense of vegetarianism by a non-vegetarian (see also: one step you can do for the environment’s and your health)

Vitamin C: and how things change

Taking Antioxidants I: they block some of the positive effects of exercise

Taking Antioxidants II: they might shorten your lifespan

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Statin use: good or bad?

Does Statin use decrease mortality?

Maybe statins do not decrease mortality

Is long term statin use bad for our long term brain health?

Use of statins bad for myelination - possible long term consequences

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Inspiration:

Grouse Grind from a different perspective - one step at a time

Terry Fox: cancer, hope, and my reflections on the summer/fall 1980

Lance Armstrong: comeback to Tour de France to raise money and awareness for cancer research

Two inspirations: hiker and rock climber

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The opposite side: two sad scientist’s stories

Near Nobel prize winner working for Toyota for $10 dollars an hour

Saddest Christmas story you would ever want to read (George Price and altruism)

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Longevity treatments:

Exercise - yes you should

An alternative to Resveratrol to increase lifespan

Two ways to decrease you chance of dying

60 minutes coverage of potential longevity treatments

Does increased social interactions improve general health?

Do longevity treatments make you more social?

Possible stimulating treatments for many of the ‘lifestyle’ diseases

Resveratrol for better brain health

Whole body hacks (also see: brain: is a hacked system hackable)

How to keep your stem cells young

Do smart people live longer and what does it mean for Americans

Resveratrol improves heart health but not lifespan of mice (on normal diet)

45 minutes of exercise 6 days a week to increase your survival rate

Keep moving for greater health and longevity

Can our track record in cancer give us a hint of what to expect in longevity research?

Visceral fat and how important it is to your longevity

Stop smelling the roses and live longer

The testing of a new sirt activator: SRT1720

Sirt1 and aging: fighting wars on two fronts

Longevity: think of yourself now, and in the future

Every-other-day fasting dramatically improves survival rate after heart failure

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Depression/Antidepressants:

Is Depression an evolved response?

Right amount of exercise to improve mood

Do antidepressants work: a balanced view but not easy answers

What suicidal depression feels like

Depression: the cost to the individual and society

Depression: lifespan and lost years

Do antipsychotic and antidepressant work only because they make you hungry

Brain hack for greater happiness

Social isolation: what happens to the brain

What is the value of an individual’s life?

Antidepressants: do they increase or decrease your life span?

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David Foster Wallace:

The neuroscience of Alcoholic Anonymous

What suicidal depression feels like

The human brain is a delicate thing

The death of a genius

David Foster Wallace: memorial and remembrances

David Foster Wallace’s memorial: followup

David Foster Wallace: brain and information

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Story:

What is the story, what is your story?

Reading and your brain: past, present, and future

Beyond typical health education, and normal story telling

Why you keep hearing the same story over and over again

Do we need a new art form for the 21st century?

Audio books to increase your productivity and pleasure

Walking book club

Is surfing the net better for your brain than reading?

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Cancer:

Patient: be informed to get best cancer treatment

High fat diet increases metastasizing of cancer

Cancer: getting more complicated

Track record of cancer research over the last 50 + years

Vitamin C: and how things change

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General biology:

The shape of Biology: U and inverted U shaped curves

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Heart rate variability:

Heart Rate Variability: an update

Heart measurements for your health (see also: personal health measurements)

What heart measurements can tell you about your brain

Heart rate variability and your brain: an update

Heart rate variability and your general health

Heart rate variability: what does it predict and what can you do about it

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Beauty and the Brain:

Healthy red cheeks: a sign of cardiovascular health and desirability

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Looking at beautiful people is good for the brain

Is smiling good for you and the observer?

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2008 Science/Health breakthroughs:

Clean water: 2008 health breakthrough

Low cost microscopes added to cellphones

Rebooting a synthetic genome

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Advances in personal genomics:

New advances in personal genomics

The price of personal genomics keep coming down

Personal genomics keep getting cheaper

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Non categorized but potentially interesting:

Diabetes, obesity, and gas prices keep on rising

Is the good side of high gas prices better health?

Why a fed brain might influence economic choices

The rise of obesity and rise of consumer debt - a link? (July 21 2008)

How saving money is different, but also similar, to your exercise investment

Your happiness may be tied to how you spend money: and vice versa

Cold hands warm heart - wrong! (see also: rethinking of cold hands warm heart)

Life Geniuses

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