I Lost My Train of Thought

     A train is a connected series of rail vehicles propelled along a track to transport cargo or passengers. It is the "connected series" of the train that resembles the "connected series" of thoughts and as a result has given rise to the phrase "Train of Thought".

     The train of thought, stream of thought', chain of thought or trail of thought (Sarah Rickards) refers to the interconnection in the sequence of ideas expressed during a connected discourse or thought, as well as the sequence itself, especially in discussion how this sequence leads from one idea to another.

     When a reader or listener "loses the train of thought" (i.e., loses the relation between consecutive sentences or phrases, or the relation between non-verbal concepts in an argument or presentation), comprehension is lost of the expressed or unexpressed thought.

     The term "train of thoughts" was introduced and elaborated as early as in 1651 by Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan.

     For your entertainment, I have included this link to a fun word game called Train of Thought:  http://www.wordgames.com/train-of-thought.html

Sources :
Wikipedia
http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/56835/train-of-thought

Man in the Moon or Moon Rabbit - You Call It

     The Man in the Moon is the image of a human face, head or body that certain northern hemisphere traditions perceive in the disc of the full moon. The image is actually composed of the dark areas of the lunar maria, or "seas" and the lighter highlands of the lunar surface and is a quintessential example of Recognizing Resemblances in patterns and then Extracting them and giving them relevance.
      In one common Western perception of the face, the figure's eyes are Mare Imbrium and Mare Serenitatis, its nose is Sinus Aestuum, and its open mouth is Mare Nubium and Mare Cognitum. An older European tradition sees a figure of a man (Maria Serenitatis, Tranquilitatis, Fecunditatis and Nectaris) carrying a wide burden (Mare Vaporum and Lacus Somniorum) on his back. He is sometimes seen as accompanied by a small dog (Mare Crisium). Conventionalized illustrations of the Man in the Moon often seen in Western art show a very simple face in the full moon, or a human profile in the crescent moon, corresponding to no actual markings.
      In contrast to a man, several cultures have perceived other images such as the Moon rabbit or even a 'Madam in the Moon'. We've included a unmarked photo of the Moon for you to print and outline. What do you see in the Moon?
Src : Wikipedia

Warm the cockles of someone's heart...it's Valentine's Day

Warm the cockles of someone's heart...it's Valentine's Day! Wait a second - 'cockles'? Indeed! Could it be because of the Resemblance a cockle shell has to a heart?!
Also possibly derived from the similarity in appearance of the heart valves to the cockle, a bivalve mollusk of the family Cardiidae.
The phrase may be more explained by the nature of the mollusk itself. Its natural environs are usually cold water shoreline areas. The mollusks have to open their shell to ambulate and feed yet, if disturbed or threatened in any way, the shell slams shut to protect its delicate organs.
If the "cockles" are exposed to warmth, especially a cooking temperature, the usually difficult to penetrate shell exposes its entrails and remains open.
The meaning can be interpreted as the "cockles of the heart" are warmed by an emotional experience that exposes the tender and warm side of the human experience, thus opening of the "heart". Src:Wikipedia

UT Tower / Frost Bank Tower / Owl

Let's go local and talk about Austin's very own Resemblance - the University of Texas' Tower and its resemblance to an owl. If one orients themselves just right to the Main Building of UT - the faces of the clocks become eyes while the corner of the observation deck suggests a beak. The resemblance is so strong that students to this day orally pass on a fictitious story of how the architect of the Main Building and Tower was a graduate of Rice University and designed it to resemble their mascot the owl, as a rival's way of poking fun. Then, in 2004, the Frost Bank Tower came along, also resembling an owl but this time the eyes are made out of the Frost logos.   Here again, the resemblance so strong, only now it no longer mattered that the building wasn't on the UT campus (a key element in the drama of the tale), the story jumped over and became a legend for Frost's design but with some modifications: when he designed the building Rice and UT had a huge rivalry and he designed it this way to "humiliate" Austin and UT. I've also heard the architect was rejected from UT but accepted to Rice University, so when he was asked to design this building, he designed it to resemble an owl looking down over the UT campus.  The 307-foot UT tower was designed by Paul Philippe Cret and the Frost Bank Tower was designed by Duda/Paine Architects, LLP and HKS, Inc., none of which had Rice propaganda agendas.
About the author: the power of Resemblances inspired artist Ismael Cavazos to create the Old Man in the Peanut after recognizing the heart of a peanut resembles an old man's hooded head complete with beard.  He now brings you Remarkable Resemblances from around the World with the Replica Report.

Fly with Golden Booty Resembles Beyonce's Prominent Butt

Bryan Lessard is a 24-year-old researcher at Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization who is working on his PhD studying the who, what and where of horse flies, or scientifically speaking, the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of the Tabanidae.      While studying un-named species that had been sitting in a fly collection of CSIRO, Lessard's interest was piqued by one particular fly, one with dense golden hairs at the fly's rear end.      It was then that Lessard was reminded of another prominent rear, that of pop star Beyoncé, a singer who boasts about it in a song entitled Bootylicious.     So while the world is full of talented singer/performers just as the world is full of important pollinating horse flies, it is those with special assets that get a distinction.  It was this Similarity that Lessard Recognized and ran with, naming the insect Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae.  Never mind that this fly was first captured in 1981 - the same year the former Destiny's Child singer was born!      Lessard says the fly's spectacular gold color makes it the "...all-time diva of flies.  It was the unique dense golden hairs on the fly's abdomen that led me to name this fly in honor of the performer Beyonce as well as giving me the chance to demonstrate the fun side of taxonomy - the naming of species."      The rare Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae horse fly was collected in 1981 from the Atherton Tablelands.  "Most Australian Scaptia species have been described. However, these five new species of a sub-group [Plinthina] have been housed in Australian collections since the group was last studied in the 1960s," Mr Lessard said.   It's unknown if the rare species is a bloodsucker like many female horse flies.  The description of the fly was earlier published in the Australian Journal of Entomology, but the results were announced two weeks ago. "It's extremely important to name all the undescribed species so we can measure our human impact on the environment and hopefully protect it for future generations to enjoy.  Here is a video of Lessard talking about the Resemblance he has Extracted:  Title: Fly with Golden Booty Resembles Beyoncé's Prominent Butt   Resemblance: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles' Prominent Rear End  Extractionist: Bryan Lessard  Matrix: Horse Fly's Rear Abdomen  Location: Atherton tablelands in Queensland, Australia  Date: 13 Jan 2012  Links:  http://www.abc.net.au/rural/qld/content/2012/01/s3407573.htm http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/weird/fly-named-after-singer-beyonce-because-of-butt/story-e6frep26-1226243518546

Virgin Mary Visits Hamburger Mary

     It took ten days but the first religious Resemblance of 2012 has shown up in Tampa, Florida.  Ybor City is a historic part of town with a hamburger joint by the name of Hamburger Mary's Bar & Grille.  It is here that, over the past weekend, a couple of customers Recognized a stainless steel plate on the wall near the kitchen had a Resemblance on it - one of the Virgin Mary.  And while this Resemblance is more a Similar than a Replica, it makes the grade for the Replica Report as it has been covered by Christopher Collette of News 10 WTSP.  This Resemblance appears on a Type II Matrix - man made but inadvertant or unintentional.
     Pareidolia is a word often used when reporting on such stories.  The word was first used by Goldstein in 1994 despite other vocabulary words existing such as apophenia synchronicity & simulacra and is limited in scope when discussing Resemblances.

 Title: Virgin Mary Visits Hamburger Mary

 Resemblance: Virgin Mary

 Extractionist: Customers of Hamburger Mary's

 Matrix: Stainless Steel Plate (Type II)

 Location: Ybor City - Tampa, Florida

 Date: 10 Jan 2012

 Links:   http://ybor.wtsp.com/photo-gallery/news/99506-virgin-mary-spotted-restaurant?page=5

http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/life/2012/jan/10/1/memeto3-image-of-virgin-mary-seen-by-some-at-drag--ar-345568/

If It Walks & Talks Like a Duck, Then It Is a Potato!

     What a great way to start the year in the world of Resemblances as a Replica raises its head (and it's not a Jesus nor a Mary) in Cardiff, Wales.   This Resemblance was given life by Extractionist Emily Gaffney when she decided not to cook and eat a potato she found to resemble a duck!  It wasn't easy for Gaffney to decide on the exact Resemblance as she fluttered between puffin and duck.  Once she decided it wasn't long before he had a name - Bill.
     Gaffney Recognizes three points of reference on Bill - wings, a breast, and beak and I might add there is an eye, tucked-neck, and tail.  If one argues that his missing webbed feet are tucked into his body, he is a complete Replica!  It will be difficult to top this non man-made Replica this year.
     Pareidolia is a word often used when reporting on such stories.  The word was first used by Goldstein in 1994 despite other vocabulary words existing such as apophenia synchronicity & simulacra and is limited in scope when discussing Resemblances.

 Title: If It Walks Like a Duck and Talks Like a Duck, then it's a Potato!
 Resemblance: Duck
 Extractionist: Emily Gaffney
 Matrix: Potato (Type I - not man-made)
 Location: Cathays Cardiff, Wales
 Date: 5 Jan 2012
 Links: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082745/Student-finds-duck-shaped-potato-local-shop-names-Bill.html

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2012/01/06/student-finds-vegetable-shaped-like-a-duck-91466-30068315/

2011 Review of Replicas (pareidolia playlist)

     This list is the first of its kind to look at the field of what some call pareidolia in a unique and introspectful way by categorizing a cursing baby doll with a devil finding Roman art restorer.  Exciting Replicas of 2011 include such fields as Cryptozoology, Archeology, and Pre-Renaissance Art as well as such personalities as Kate Middleton, Gandhi, and Hitler.

January

 Title: Icy Virgin
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary
 Extractionist: Jennifer Bloomer
 Matrix: Ice
 Location: DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich.
 Date: 01/26/2011
 Link: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/wayne_county/photos-appear-to-show-likeness-of-virgin-mary-in-ice

March

 Title: Virgin Mary on the Rocks
 Resemblance: Hooded Virgin Mary
 Extractionist: Caroline Gray
 Matrix: Cliff
 Location: Newquay's Western Beach, Cornwall
 Date: 02 Mar 2011
 Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8358666/Image-of-Virgin-Mary-spotted-in-Newquay-cliff.html

 Title: Baked Jesus and Mary
 Resemblance: Jesus and Mary
 Extractionist: Josh Mather
 Matrix: Pizza Oven Diffuser
 Location: Mansfield, Boston
 Date: 10 Mar 2011
 Link: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/man-sees-jesus-mary-on-side-of-pizza-oven-20110309

 Title: Google Map Virgin Mary
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus
 Extractionist: Steve Hirst and Carl Richards
 Matrix: Google Map Photo of Sand
 Location: Lancashire, Brittain
 Date: 18th March 2011
 Link: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/8918183.Image_of__Mary_and_Jesus__at_Lancashire_construction_site/

 Title:  Lord Cheesus
 Resemblance: Jesus
 Extractionist: Maree Phelan
 Matrix: 3 Cheese Pizza
 Location: New Farm, Brisbane
 Date: 30 March 2011
 Link: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/the-other-side/face-of-jesus-christ-appears-in-three-cheese-pizza/story-e6frfhk6-1226030824138

 Title: House of Hitler
 Resemblance: Adolf Hitler
 Extractionist: Charli Dickenson
 Matrix: House facade
 Location: Port Tenant, Swansea, Wales
 Date: 30 Mar 2011
 Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8414149/House-that-looks-like-Hitler-catches-eye-of-Twitter-users.html

April

 Title: Kate Middleton Spotted on Jelly Bean
 Resemblance: Kate Middleton
 Extractionist: Wesley Hosie
 Matrix: Jelly Bean
 Location: Somerset, England
 Date: 14 April 2011
 Link: http://abcnews.go.com/International/Royal_Diary_Blog/jelly-bean-resembling-kate-middleton-auctioned-500/story?id=13374818

June

 Title: Gandhi is Out of this World
 Resemblance: Mahatma Gandhi
 Extractionist: Matteo Ianneo
 Matrix: Photo of Planet Crater
 Location: 33°12'29.82"N, 12°55'51.21"W, Mars
 Date: 13 June 2011
 Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/14/scitech/main20071013.shtml

 Title: The Lord's Name in Vein
 Resemblance: Letters: G-O-D
 Extractionist: Audreanna Phelps
 Matrix: Varicose Veins
 Location: Kansas
 Date: 15 Jun 2011
 Link: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/offbeat/kansas-woman-sees-gods-name-in-vein-20110615

 Title: Kudzu Christ
 Resemblance: Jesus on a Cross
 Extractionist: Kent Hardison
 Matrix: a vine in a growth of kudzu on a local utility pole
 Location: Kinston, N.C.
 Date: 29 June 2011
 Link: http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-story-jesus-kudzu-kinston-110629,0,5202853.story

 

July

 Title: Receipt Jesus in your Heart
 Resemblance: Jesus
 Extractionist: Jacob Simmons
 Matrix: Receipt
 Location: Anderson County, S.C.
 Date: 15 July 2011
 Link: http://www.wyff4.com/video/28568636/detail.html

 Title: Keep it Clean around Virgin Mary
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary
 Extractionist: Gary Burrell
 Matrix: Bathroom 3-inch stone tile
 Location:  Moore, Oklahoma
 Date: 20 July 2011
 Link: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=18&articleid=20110720_18_0_MOEWea99930

 Title: Jesus is DiVine
 Resemblance: Christ during the crucifixion
 Extractionist: Don Taylor
 Matrix: Vine on Telephone Pole
 Location:  Littleton, Colo.
 Date: July 25, 2011
 Link: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/28663662/detail.html?hpt=us_bn7

 
 

August

 Title: Mary and the Missing Limb
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary
 Extractionist: Marce Suarez
 Matrix: Mesquite Tree
 Location: 3½ miles west of Anson, Texas
 Date: 3 Aug 2011
 Link: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2011/aug/03/virgin-mary-image-found-in-tree/

 Title: A Head in the Clouds
 Resemblance: A Face
 Extractionist: Denis Laforge (Denis Farmer)
 Matrix: Cloud
 Location: Grand Falls in New Brunswick, Canada
 Date: 4 Aug 2011
 Link: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1038285--video-ghostly-cloud-faces-appear-over-new-brunswick

 Title: Mary Mango
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary Praying
 Extractionist: Male Yuma Teen (Jon Archuleta)
 Matrix: Dried Mango Slice
 Location: Yuma, Arizona
 Date: 5 Aug 2011
 Link: http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Virgin-Mary-on-a-dried-mango-126866648.html

 Title: Mary & Jesus are not Shellfish
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary & Baby Jesus
 Extractionist: Felicia Avila
 Matrix: Seashell
 Location: just outiside Los Angeles in Norwalk, California
 Date: 16 Aug 2011
 Link: http://www.valleycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=652185#.Ts14flb4IcF

 Title: Concrete Christ
 Resemblance: Jesus Christ's Face
 Extractionist: Mary Vasquez
 Matrix: Concrete Patio Floor
 Location: Mishawaka, Indiana
 Date: 30 Aug 2011
 Link: http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2011-08-30/news/29947840_1_patio-pentecostal-jesus

 Title: Fertility Acupuncturist Births Baby Carrot
 Resemblance: Alien Baby
 Extractionist: Yvonne Darnell
 Matrix: Carrot
 Location: Burgess Hill, West Sussex
 Date: 31 Aug 2011
 Link: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/873966-the-carrot-baby-of-west-sussex

 September

 Title: A Cross Face
 Resemblance: Face of Jesus
 Extractionist: Clay Perry
 Matrix: Wood Bark
 Location: Newnan, GA Coweta County
 Date: 1 Sept 2011
 Link: http://newnan.11alive.com/news/news/80094-newnan-face-jesus-bark-handmade-cross

 Title: Mary Rocks Baby Jesus
 Resemblance: Virgin Mary holding Baby Jesus
 Extractionist: Tammy Tollett’s son
 Matrix: Rock
 Location: Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada, USA
 Date: 2 Sept 2011
 Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/ktxl-lake-tahoe-woman-says-she-found-virgin-mary-on-rock-20110901,0,1968917.story

 Title: The Scream
 Resemblance: Screamig Head
 Extractionist: Susan De Vanny
 Matrix: Photograph of Water, Light, Oil Combination
 Location: USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
 Date: 27 Sep 2011

 Link: http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Mystery-figure-appears-in-photo-taken-by/trp5Plb7SES-CqZYRL4ArQ.cspx

 

October 

 Title: Squid Self-Portrait
 Resemblance: The pattern of sucker discs on a cephalopod tentacle, with each amphicoelous vertebra strongly resembling a coleoid sucker.
 Extractionist: Mark McMenamin and Dianna Schulte-McMenamin
 Matrix: Ichthyosaur Bones
 Location: Central Nevada, Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park
 Date: 10 Oct 2011

 Link: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/the-giant-prehistoric-squid-that-ate-common-sense/

 Title: This is Nuts!
 Resemblance: Face Aghast
 Extractionist: G. Gregory Roberts and Naji J. Touma
 Matrix: Ultrasound of Testicular Tumor from Dec 2009
 Location: Queen's University in Ontario, Canada
 Date: 31 Oct 2011

 Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8860498/Face-discovered-in-testicular-tumour.html

 

November

 Title: Devil in the Details
 Resemblance: Devil's Profile with Horn
 Extractionist: Chiara Frugone
 Matrix: Giotto Fresco No. 20
 Location: In the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Rome, Italy
 Date: 6 Nov 2011
 Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45182628/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/devil-details-hidden-famous-giotto-fresco/

 Title: Christ Cliff
 Resemblance: Jesus Christ
 Extractionist: Fiona Fay and Sandra Clifford
 Matrix: Rocks and Vegetation
 Location: Cliffs of Moher in County Clare, Ireland
 Date: 12 Nov 2011
 Link: http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/us-tourist-photographed-image-of-jesus-on-irish-cliffs-278007-Nov2011/

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/US-tourist-says-she-captured-image-of-Jesus-on-Cliffs-of-Moher-133715288.html

 Title: Crazy Talk
 Resemblance: "Okay, crazy bitch!"
 Extractionist: Unknown
 Matrix: Audio Baby Babble
 Location: Plastic Baby Doll
 Date: 17 Nov 2011
 Link: http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story/Toy-doll-may-swear-you-decide/rIT19c5XYECalO9pwXeBjw.cspx

http://boingboing.net/2011/11/21/cursing-baby-doll.html

 Title: Cross an Angel
 Resemblance: the shape of a cross or possibly a winged-angel crowned by a halo
 Extractionist: Jim Rants with one of his workers
 Matrix: Wood Logs, Cross-sectioned
 Location: First Congregational Church of Escondido 1800 North Broadway, Escondido, CA

 Date: 23 Nov 2011

 Link: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/SD-Cross-Revealed-in-Tree-Trunk-134433868.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/tree-cross-image-church.html

 

December

 Title: Tsuami-Shaped Clouds
 Resemblance: Tsunami Waves
 Extractionist: Town Residents
 Matrix: Clouds
 Location: Birmingham, Alabama
 Date: 16 Dec 2011
 Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/12/20/144010831/cool-video-massive-cloud-waves-roll-over-alabama