INVISIBLE CITIES XXV -- Cities and Eyes: VALDRADA

1. The fundamental idea behind Valdrada is fascinating to me: how would life be different if your actions were always before you, and how is this question different from the similar question (for those who are religious), "How would life be different if God weren't always watching?"  As far as I'm concerned, actions always before self and peers is very different from actions always before God.  Thoughts?
2. How do the two halves of Valdrada differ; why is it not a parallel city?
3. Can you think of examples when the reflection will increase the value of an action and examples of when it will diminish because of the reflection?

one more Escher; why not?

INVISIBLE CITIES XXI -- Cities and Desire: ZOBEIDE

(Zobeide -- perhaps from the Arabic "Zubaida," a female name for "elite" or "prime")

1. Smacks a bit of Christopher Nolan's Inception, doesn't it--this dream sharing?
2. What is Calvino getting at when he describes the city as having forgotten the dream of its ... err ... inception?
3. The later men who had shared the dream of the running woman: did they have the dream and seek out the city, or did they stumble upon the city coincidentally?
4. Why is the city so ugly?

M.C. Escher -- again

INVISIBLE CITIES XX -- Chapter 3, ..... 1

1. Kublai Khan notices that all of the cities are similar.  Really?  They all seem remarkably different to me--at least superficially.  How are they (here we go) perhaps even all the same city?  What evidence is there here at the opening of chapter 3 that this is so?
2. What then is the difference--if different at all--between Marco's various accounts (of the same or different city/ies) and what Kublai does when giving details and asking if there is such a city?
3. Now tie this into dreams.

M.C. Escher