About Me

A warm welcome to you, dear reader. On the off-chance we have yet to be acquainted, you can call me Ben. Even if we are acquainted, I don't want to take our level of familiarity for granted - please allow me the honor of formal introductions:

I'm Ben. Welcome to My Neurascape.

I'd like to organize the thoughts hereafter into three loose categories: Who, exactly, is Ben? What, really, is a Neurascape? Finally, what can you expect to see here?

The first question has always been the hardest for me to answer - not in the sense that I don't know who I am; rather, I find it difficult articulating that to other people. Who am I? Well, I would ask in return, "Where would you like to start"? For the purpose of this section, let's say I'm a person with a love for life, truth, and beauty. I also happen to have a childlike fascination with technology and the accelerating development of our digital world. I do a number of things that bring me joy, both IRL (fitness, scuba diving, quality time with friends and family, reading, art) and online (shitposting, lurking, building and tinkering). For those who are interested in learning more about me and who want to see me fumble through the process of introducing myself further, check out what would be my first real post on the Neurascape.

Which brings us to a much more important question: What is the Neurascape?
The recently fabricated word is a portmanteau of the already pre-existing words "Neural" and "Landscape"; neural, which owes its form to the Greek word νεῦρον, meaning a sinew or a string of an instrument, and landscape, which in its modern form is derived from the Dutch term landschap, used to refer to beautiful paintings of natural scenery (thank you for allowing me a bit of pretentious indulgence). By combining these two words, I hope to capture an elegant and moving notion: that of the Scenery of One's Mind.

Thus, a Neurascape can be described as a mental garden, a cognitive playground, where one's true self frolics. There's even an element of escapism alluded to in the name, and aptly so - for a Neurascape may also refer to a sanctuary or a place of refuge. My Neurascape is all of the above. You are partaking in the living record of my journey through the stars and synapses. Welcome to my blog, journal, portfolio, shitpost condensator; my archive of self.

Last, but certainly not least, we arrive at the question of what you can expect to find in my Neurascape. Honestly it's a work in progress. Right now, I've created spaces to share my thoughts, reflections, and writings via the posts you'll see populating the home page. I'm also hoping to treat this website as my only consistently active personal social media platform. Anything I'd previously think to share on social media will now find its way here - whether that be videos of my diving experiences, artwork, or fun photos visually documenting unique moments in life.

Finally, I'll hopefully be able to host some more interesting projects I'll be working on in the future. From there, the future possibilities really are endless. I'm currently working on a reading list to share my yearly catalogue of books and my reflections on them, as well as a similar list for shows and movies I've watched throughout the year. As my mind develops, so too will my interests; as my interests develop, so too will my Neurascape, thus closing the loop.

I'm honoured to share this with you. Thank you for your time, and thank you for engaging with me. The Universe lives through you.