This is the most inspiring talk I’ve seen for ages. It’s about something much more important than creativity, although I’m sure it will resonate for anyone who takes a creative approach to life, in whatever field you work.

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment.

If you think that sounds intriguing, wait till you watch the whole thing. Don’t try to skim it - it’s about 20 minutes long and it’s worth making time to sit and watch it when you’re not thinking about anything else. I’m glad I did.

Watch the video on the TED site. Thanks to Garr Reynolds at Presentation Zen for enthusing about the talk so much that I made time for it.

Dr Taylor has written a book about her experience, which you can order via her website - if I were you I’d watch the video before you read about the book, it’s much better to hear the story via the live talk.

Photo by ccarlstead

I’ve got something new to show you but it’s having teething technical problems so here’s a bit of Friday fun while we wait.

Sam has tagged me with the ‘Eight random things about me’ meme, so here goes…

1. I’m neither left-handed, right-handed nor ambidextrous. I can do some things left handed (writing, drawing) and some right handed (wield a sword or tennis racket, both badly) but I can’t swap over.

2. I’m half English, half Scottish and part Irish. Maybe that accounts for 1.

3. I’ve got married twice but never divorced. To the same person - once in England, once in Japan.

4. I speak conversational French, functional German, emergency Italian and novelty-value Japanese.

5. I have recently seen the light over Twitter. You can follow me here if you know what that means. If not, fear not - I’ll be blogging it properly soon.

6. I gave up reading novels after my English degree. Why read 300 pages when a decent poet will do the job in one?

7. According to a medium, I drowned on a 15th century warship. She was right about everything else, so why not that?

8. Once upon a time I nearly got to be a copywriter for Debenhams‘ lingerie department. Sometimes I wonder what I would have written.

Well, there it is.

Let’s see if Antonio, Beeker, Cat, John, John, Johnnie, Mark and Quentin want to play.