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Sunday, January 19, 2020

Patterns

On today's walk along the Schuylkill Canal we (Julius, Dave and I) saw these patterns in the ice layer on the canal.


They were repeated all across the ice. Julius said the shapes reminded him of a photo of brain neurons. If you don't see it, look up brain neurons and you'll likely see it too. We talked a little bit as we walked about patterns. Isn't it strange that these random patterns in the ice look so much like the neurons. Is it coincidence or is there something else happening?

The conversation stuck with me. So much so that I had to do some searching. Truth be told of course, it doesn't take much for me to want to look things up. Anyway, I searched for "similar patterns in unrelated things" and "seeing patters in unrelated things". I didn't find what I was looking for (or what I thought I was looking for which admittedly isn't/wasn't clear to begin with) but I did learn two new words. "Seeing recognizable objects or patterns in otherwise random or unrelated objects or patterns is called pareidolia" and "(pareidolia) is a form of apophenia, which is a more general term for the human tendency to seek patterns in random information." Link to full article here.

Another friend, who was not on our walk but walks this section of trail often, told me the patterns in the ice were made by kids throwing rocks into the ice. I can see that now. I can also still see brain neurons.

Keep Smiling Keep Moving
-Paula

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