New Scientist

Last Saturday to a Instant Expert conference put on by the New Scientist on consciousness. A ticket cost around £130 and as things turned out it was a good event, well worth the money.

It took me three attempts to get out of the house early on this Saturday morning, but I was rewarded by the sight at the station of a Southern railway employee vigorously applying genuine Brasso to the copper table tops of the coffee bar on platforms 3/4. He was doing a good job, but he said that it was all a bit depressing as they all looked dirty again in no time at all.

My train to Waterloo being cancelled, I gave some thought to the question of how to travel. In the end, I settled for a Victoria train, getting off at Clapham Junction. Puzzled by triangular 'P' signs on the windows of first class carriages, rather like miniature road signs in appearance. And for the second time in days my Bullingdon, from Grant Road East to Green Park Station, incurred a £2 excess. I also learned, after the event, that I was not supposed to cycle up Green Park's Queen's Walk. Poor signage. And I found it quite a pull up the last stretch to the station, which resulted in some sweating on the platform. Oddly, Queen's Walk does not seem to exist in google maps, a rare lapse.

Out at the very smart new tube station at Kings Cross to find myself, after a long tubular walk, outside, but in entirely the wrong part of the complex. Pulled myself together and eventually got myself to the British Library, in the equally smart new conference facility of which my conference was being held. So swish that the rest rooms had taps with levers which you can work yourself, rather than taps with minds of their own, and roller towels, which I also like. Conference sold out. A lot more young people than is usual at the sort of events I go to. Some evidence of the social/dating activity traditionally associated with adult education. Refreshments simple, decent and entirely adequate - so I managed to stay awake and reasonably alert until 1500, not bad for me at all.

Six lectures, in three pairs with three breaks. The lecturers were uniformly good. They were all established in this burgeoning field - not a respectable specialism at all until maybe twenty years ago - and looked to have been chosen, in part at least, for their ability to lecture to a lay audience. They did well, although I had done plenty of preparation and am not sure how I would have fared otherwise. I suspect that it would all have been a bit too much for the semi-retired brain.

Generally good visuals, including, for example, an engaging picture of an elephant doing the mirror test, seemingly fascinated by the inside of its mouth. I learned that cats and dogs fail this particular test, which I find odd, given that I believe both cats and dogs to be conscious in something like the way that we are. Lots of other new stuff, including some good leads to follow up at home. Leads which can be followed up at home, now that I have found out that a lot of science is available for free and not all locked up behind paywalls at all. See, for example, reference 1. And one which told me that I am not the only person who thinks that there might be something in our Freudian heritage after all. See reference 2.

No questions at the end of lectures, which I thought a mistake, as I like to ask my questions when they are still warm, but maybe the New Scientist people know what they are at. In any event, I skipped the terminal question session to stroll past old haunts of the late sixties, to pick up a second Bullingdon at Doric Way in Somers Town and then to peddle down Kingsway to Stamford Street. No excess for this leg.

PS: google does not offer a picture of a triangular sign but does suggest 'P' for priority. When I have a moment, I must read who is getting the priority, hopefully older people like myself. Not a problem on this occasion as very few people were using the first class carriage. I don't suppose any of them paid the extra and I have always assumed that class is a bit of a nonsense on a commuter line.

Reference 1: https://www.plos.org/.

Reference 2: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/the-freudians-fight-back.html.