The dog's bollocks!

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, I think.

I'd give eating the placenta a go, sure it's free food! From your own body! Awesome.

Northern Ireland, though I live in Scotland now.

Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight, it's beautiful, in a way. I just love how her story shows that even if you know why your brain is making you feel the way you do, it doesn't diminish the experience. I suppose it appeals to me as a naturalist/materialist who took mushrooms and felt it was beautiful, perhaps "spiritual", even though it was "just" brain chemistry, not magic.

You might like The Egg.

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes, it got me through many a dark moment studying for my degree!

Definitely Siobhan Donaghy - Ghosts. Mmmm...

When I was young and I first learned about black holes, I really wanted death by black hole, just so I would know what it was like. I suppose I would be unconscious before it got interesting, so I'm joining the Tripping Hard on Psychedelics Death Club.

When I imagine my death, I just know my last thoughts will be "This is really it, I can't believe this is real, I'm actually dying right now." I am very sure of this, and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to change that. I don't really know whether I'll be scared or not. I used to think I was going to hell (Christian upbringing) and was so afraid I couldn't bear to contemplate my own death at all. I used to have nightmares of hell, though they generally weren't fiery, hell could just be a house for example, but the terrifying thing was the feeling of finality: "This is it, I blew it, I never got saved and now I'm here forever, never to see my family again." The idea of oblivion is very comforting compared to eternal suffering. And hey, at least I lived.

Cold Body Radiation and Sun Devoured Earth, I've always liked that post-rock/black metal/shoegaze kind of sound.

For just black metal I'd go with Wodensthrone, they are just my cup of tea.