Yesterday I went to see Inception and it was great. Time will tell whether it’s “an instant classic” as David Stratton suggested, but it was certainly lots of fun. Like many people, I am intrigued by the unconscious (and subconscious) mind, so if you’re one of those people, I recommend it. Fascination with the sleeping mind is what eventually led me to write Somnium.

In any case, Inception reminded about a recent article in Science (2 July 2010), suggesting that the unconscious mind might control our actions more than we give it credit for. Ruud Cus­ters and Henk Aarts of Utrecht Uni­vers­ity reviewed research examining the role of the unconscious mind in decision making and it makes for interesting reading. I don’t know whether Leonardo DiCaprio is actually affecting your thoughts, but if he wants to, your brain might have all the right software in place. More . . .