Comic

XeLuS Mind Studio

XeluS Mind Studio takes place at a talk show studio and features six anchors. These anchors discuss a range of topics ranging from Art and Communications to Sustainability.

The concept behind the XeLuS characters is inspired by Paul McLean’s Triune brain which he developed in the 1960’s. His model is comprised of three brains: the reptilian brain, the proto-mammalian brain and the mammalian brain. Although the scientific merits of McLean’s brain are now widely disregarded, however, the model remains iconic because of its strong explanatory power.

At XeLuS, we altered these brains, converting them to the concepts of survival and adaptability, feeling and learning, and, reasoning and creativity, respectively. Using these concepts, each XeLuS anchor was created to embody a different arc of being human.

The shorts in this comic are adapted from blogs and essays authored by subject matter experts and researchers that the studio works with. Assimilating the XeLuS anchors with the blogs, the content is presented here as conversations - Conversations that we could have with ourselves, conversations that we could have with others who possess different perspectives from our own, or conversations that we could observe among others about topics that we are still learning about.

The XeLuS Anchors

Original concept art by Antonio 'Toti' Ruiz

Hugh

Zara

Mo

Nicky

Manaia

Li

From our readers

Reviews

... The engaging art style and casual conversation of some quite complex issues go a long way to turning academic essays into a format that anyone can pick up and understand. The characters of XeLuS Mind Studio are entertaining and surprisingly diverse, given they are all aspects of the mind, cleverly utilizing the core concept of the Triune brain whilst updating the ideas to a more contemporary understanding of the human mind. Through their unique viewpoints on the human world, the six characters challenge each other as they expand their knowledge and understanding of the world around us through lively debate. Deborah Andersson's adaptation of the source material is always careful to allow for proper characterization of the six voices, which enhances the feeling of different perspectives with each contributing something meaningful to the conversation. An excellent contribution to educational non-fiction. I recommend this book to educators and students everywhere.

Andy Hutchings, Readers' Favorite
Comic-style illustration of the xelus mind anchors, Li and Hugh, having a conversation in front of a colorful stained-glass-like backdrop. Hugh starts by saying 'OK, but AI can still learn, right?'. To which Li answers, 'Yes, of course it can learn. Anything with advanced cognitive abilities can learn. But without access to phenomenal experience it is a limited second order form of learning. AI cannot truly understand that which humans give it to learn about.'

Our story

Only Life is Intelligent

The Beauty of a Combinatorial System,
Like Imagination,
Like Language.

To create something where
once there was nothing.

Not the synthesis of
existing data,
not the average of
a hundred thousand
data points.

Rather,
A combination of experiences,
the common mixed
with the uncommon.

The mix being akin to
a secret sauce,
with the power to predict things
that have never been.

And In some way,
Expressing what it means
to be Alive.