What do you see when you close your eyes?

As someone who believes that imagination is the greatest tool of humanity, it was mindblowing to learn this week that not everyone imagines the way you do. In fact, people's minds can imagine in drastically different ways.

It all began when my friend revealed that she has never seen images in her mind's eye. Sleeping techniques like counting sheep, or meditation prompts about seeing a golden light don't emerge as mental pictures. Rather, they exist only as sounds, smells, feelings, or concepts.

I also learned that I have a hyper-visual imagination, unlike my friend. I can conjure up imaginary images that appear as clear as seeing them in real life. Most people lie somewhere in between seeing extremely vivid mental images and seeing none at all. After learning where I land on the spectrum, it's no wonder why I named this newsletter /Re/•imagine with Anatola.

― ANATOLA 🤍

All Minds Are NOT Created Equal

ANATOLA & DALL•E 2

When I say, "don't think of an elephant!" You probably think of an elephant. But how? Do you see it? Do you feel it? Or is it a vague blur? Visual imagination exists on a spectrum that is very wide. Minds range from completely absent of visual imagery to extremely vivid, and everything in between.

While my mind immediately projects a photorealistic portrait of an elephant, probably balancing on one foot at the circus, some people don't see pictures at all. This phenomenon of not seeing any images in your mind is known as "aphantasia."

Aphantasia affects an estimated 1% to 3% of people. It is also referred to as when the "mind is blind." My friend, who discovered she had aphantasia when she was in college, said the condition comes in handy when getting over ex-romantic partners. After all, she can't picture them in her head after they break things off.

Weaknesses in one area often lead to strengths in others. That's why a person with aphantasia can still be remarkably talented, high-functioning, and even creative by relying on a stronger sense of imaginary smells, sounds, feelings, and concepts.

The opposite of aphantasia is "hyperphantasic" otherwise known as extreme imagination. I am one of the estimated 8.8% of people who see extremely vivid mental images. It turns out that many visual artists, painters, authors, storytellers, and creatives also have a hyper-visual imagination.

Where do you think you fall on the mental vividness spectrum? Find out below.

APHANTASIA NETWORK

How vivid is your mind's eye? 🧠

Discover how vivid your mind's eye is by taking the Visual Imagination Test by the Aphantasia Network. This Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire has been proven to be an accurate test of the vividness with which you can see people, objects, or settings in your mind's eye. Over 441,122 tests have been taken to date.

Want to find out how vivid your visual imagination is? Click the button below to uncover where you lie on the spectrum.

Please be advised that your Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire result is just one indicator and is not meant to serve as a conclusive diagnosis. However, it is undoubtedly pretty cool.

The Future of Transportation in LA 🚙

Los Angeles, known for its notoriously terrible traffic, might be getting a transportation facelift. The city has agreed to host the 2028 Olympic games, which means it will welcome millions of active travelers onto its congested roads. To alleviate pressure on city streets, city officials quickly recognized the need to boost public transportation alternatives.

Rising to the occasion, the city plans to bring new bus lanes, bike paths, and metro stations into the Los Angeles transportation infrastructure by 2028. Electric shuttles could also be ushering travelers around town during the 17-day Olympiad. This project, however, could come with a price tag of $6.9 Billion.

ANATOLA & DALL•E 2

Big projects tied to the Olympics have faced controversy, as host cities have run up major financial deficits. This leads some to be skeptical about whether Los Angeles should really invest so much in their transportation systems to improve the Olympic experience.

Ultimately, however, improving the public transportation system in LA is a long-term investment in the city's future. One that in my opinion ought to be made with or without the external deadline the games impose. Pulling the plan off could make Los Angeles an easier and more sustainable place to live. Plus, this transit boom could lead to an improved quality of life for Angelenos for decades to come.

Increasing Diversity in Space 🚀

INTUITIVE MACHINES

2023 is looking like it will be a good year for space travel. The first woman, as well as the first person of color, are preparing to take the 240,000-mile trek to the moon.

Visiting our celestial neighbor took Apollo 11 astronauts three days, three hours, and 49 minutes to get there and two days, 22 hours, and 56 minutes to return. Such a journey is sure to make an astronaut say "are we there yet?"

Companies planning uncrewed moon landings over the next 12 months include the SpaceX Falcon 9, which is expected to make contact with the moon this March. There's also the Japanese Hakuto R Lander, which is racing to be the first privately funded spacecraft to land on the moon.

Intuitive Machines also has a lunar landing planned for 2023. Their Nova-C Lander was awarded by NASA to deliver scientific investigations to the Moon. There's also SpaceX's massive and reusable rocket, The Starship, which should launch in 2023 and could change the future of space travel.

Read more about the space missions that are in store for this year here.

P.S. You'll probably be hearing big news about my own space-related project very soon! 👀

Dive Deeper

• Tweaking The Climate with Micro Particles (MIT Technology Review)

• What if Logic Itself is Flawed? (New Scientist)

• How the SpaceX Starship Will Transform Space Travel Forever (Scientific American)

• This Geodesic Dome Could Make Iceland Carbon Neutral by 2040 (New Scientist)

• Could Geothermal Energy Power the Planet? (New Scientist)