31 March 2014
25 March 2014
Glass Brain
YouTube
... It’s not possible to know exactly what another person is thinking, but neuroscientists from UCSD and UCSF are on their way. They created a “glass brain” software that shows a person’s brain reacting to stimuli in real time.
The implications for virtual reality and digital communication are tremendous, according to Philip Rosedale, the founder of Second Life, who has been collaborating with the neuroscientists. “We’re trying to identify which critical factors can most help people feel like they’re face to face,” says Rosedale, whose new company, High Fidelity, is currently working on a next generation virtual world.
The neuroscientists used an MRI to scan the brain of Rosedale’s wife, Yvette. Then, for the recent SXSW demo, they fitted her with a cap covered in electroencephalogram (EEG) electrodes, which record brain activity. Sitting beside Yvette, Rosedale donned an Oculus Rift headset, which allowed him to see a 3-D picture of her brain activity. “In the middle of the presentation, somebody said ‘tickle her.’ I wouldn’t dare--she’d kill me. But I put my hand on her side and squeezed, and you could see the motor cortex activity lighting up all of a sudden,” he says.
This moment was particularly powerful for Rosedale, because it neurologically demonstrated the physical intimacy between himself and his wife. For him, that’s exactly why the glass brain software could be so useful. “There’s this theory of the brain that says we’re all kind of dancing together,” he says. “When I talk and you nod, you’re following the rhythm of my voice and guessing when my sentences will end. That’s something that we may be able to see with the EEG.” Rosedale says cell phone communication is “so terrible” because the delay, however small, disrupts this human interplay. “On the phone, you often can’t make a response sound like ‘mm-hm,’ close enough to the end of my sentence for me to feel it,” he says, “so one of the emotional elements of communication is lost.”
The glass brain software can similarly help improve the facial expressions and physical reactions of virtual reality avatars. “It will let us put a number on the quality of virtual communication and then compare that number to what happens face-to-face,” he explains. By hooking more subjects up to the glass brain and have them interact, “we can hopefully find out why video conferencing just doesn’t seem to work.”
Even if we will never know exactly what other people are thinking, Rosedale believes that watching a brain’s real-time response can lead to greater honesty. Right now, people won’t put on EEG caps for business meetings, but he says that in the future, technology will make brain activity transparent to everyone at the table. As evidence, he points to an iPhone app that can measure heart-rate based on how the skin flushes. “What if I could show, based on what’s happening in your brain, that you wanted to interact with me in a intimate manner?" he asks. "You can lie on a phone call but it will be harder to lie in virtual reality because of how your body and brain will be moving.”Fast Company
19 March 2014
'Don't Make Me Go Back, Mommy'
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Don't Make Me Go Back, Mommy was published in 1990. According to author Doris Sanford:
... the words of the text and the objects and situations illustrated are based on months of intensive research into the nature and practice of satanic ritual abuse. Any child who has been ritually abused will recognize the validity of this story.From the book's jacket:
When five-year-old Allison’s parents begin to see a change in her behavior at home, they seek professional help for her. They find that Allison and other children have been ritually abused at a day care center. Thus begins Allison’s recovery through counseling and through her parents’ affirmations that it was not her fault, that she is precious and loved, and they will keep her safe.Vigilant Citizen via Christian Nightmares
17 March 2014
'I Want To Peel All Your Skin Off'
Click to enlarge | imgur
Unfortunatebirthmark: I was tucking in my two-year-old. He said "Good bye dad." I said, "No, we say good night." He said "I know. But this time it's good bye." Had to check on him a few times to make sure he was still there.
NotTomPettysGirl: Not to me, but to his grandmother. He was cuddling with her and being very sweet (he was about 3 at the time). He takes her face in his hands, and brings his face close to hers, then tells her that she's very old, and will die soon. Then he makes a point of looking at the clock.
PookiePi: My toddler went through a phase where she would just constantly say hi to things. "Hi hi hi hi hi hi." One day it came out sounding more like "die die die die die." So I say to her, what is that you're saying? And she turns to face me and just whispers "Diiiieeeeeee......."
utcursch: Getting my two and a half year old daughter out of the bath one night, my wife and I were briefing her on how important it was she kept her privates clean. She casually replied, "Oh nobody 'scroofs' me there. They tried one night. They kicked the door in and tried but I fought back. I died and now I'm here." She said this like it was nothing.
GatorMcGovern: A friend of mine's child told him "Daddy, I love you so much that I want to cut your head off and carry it around so I can see your face whenever I want."
evillawnornament: "Daddy sleep" then pushing my head underwater at the pool.
Thingsimeantobe: My five-year-old at the time had night terrors and would scream in her sleep. One night I said 'mama's here it's okay'. She looked right at me still asleep and screamed 'mama? But who is that behind you?
jelb32: My five-year-old son asked me last week "what do you see through the black circles in my eyes when you're controlling me when I'm at school?"
Like_I_was_sayin: My three-year-old daughter stood next to her new born brother and looked at him for awhile then turned and looked at me and said, "Daddy it's a monster. We should bury it."
abluesxs: I jokingly asked: "What's the best way to get a girlfriend?" 7-year-old's response: "Tell her to be my girlfriend or she'll never see her parents again."
psalm_69: I was sound asleep, and at around 6am I was woken up by my 4-year-old daughter's face inches from mine. She looked right into my eyes and whispered, "I want to peel all your skin off".Reddit via Scary Mommy and Buzzfeed
Jimmy Fallon | Lip Sync Battle
YouTube
Epic lip-sync battle from September 2013 with Jimmy Fallon coming in a distant third.
Thanks, tomB
Last Hurrah
Six-plus inches of snow has fallen in Baltimore City since last night. Probably the last "snow day" of the winter, and a good day for hot coffee, hearty soup, freshly-baked bread, and catching up on paperwork.
15 March 2014
15 March 2014 | The White Man March
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Can't find anything newsy online indicating that this actually happened today.
UPDATE: White Man March Happens, Nobody Cares | Gawker
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