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The nature of meaning

By thescian on December 13, 2006.

Smilack belongs to the group of one to four percent of people worldwide with synesthesia, the neurological mixing of the senses. No two synesthetes have exactly the same perceptual experiences. Many perceive each number, letter of the alphabet, or day of the week as a different color. For others, sounds from the environment are always accompanied by moving geometric patterns in their "mind's eye." -Seed Magazine

This blog entry by Smilack expresses what strange bedfellows sensory perception and meaning are. I am utterly fascinated.

I wonder if some of the technological advances and gadgetry is aimed at making us synesthetes. Consider projecting a map onto the car's windsreen. It is, in a way, "seeing" the hidden meaning - invisible geographic informational bits transposed into visible images. Perhaps one day in the future we may hardwire ourselves so as to "taste" and "smell" hidden and invisible informatiion. Chocolate taste at the thought of vacation. A sour taste when an office phonecall comes through...

The day the hunter-gatherer in us finally grows up to live at ease in a technological space, we'll all be synesthetes.

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