2008.12.20 01:00 - Technology and the mind

The guardian on call was Scathach Rhiadra and the comments are hers.  Fael Illyar was kindly present to support the new guardian taking over this time slot.

  Fael Illyar: Hi Scathach :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Fael:)
  Scathach Rhiadra: how are you today?
  Fael Illyar: Connections seem a bit loose today.
  Scathach Rhiadra: yes, it was very laggy too earlier
  Fael Illyar: This meeting tends to be rather small often ... at least in my experience :)

Crusty Goldshark joins us

  Fael Illyar: Hi Crusty :
  Scathach Rhiadra: hello crusty
  Fael Illyar: although, many of the recent people come to this slot too :)
  Crusty Goldshark: hi guys
  Scathach Rhiadra: I suppose it is an unsocial houh for americans
  Scathach Rhiadra: hour*
  Fael Illyar: Yes, kind of middle of the night for Americans :)
  Fael Illyar: So, have you been noticing new things when doing the 9-seconds?
  Crusty Goldshark: don't really do it
  Scathach Rhiadra: I managed to do the 9 secs every 15 mins for a few hours
  Crusty Goldshark: and?
  Crusty Goldshark: any good?
  Scathach Rhiadra: the regularity definitely kept me reminded of it during the rest of the time
  Crusty Goldshark: :)
  Fael Illyar: I found that as long as you keep doing them regularly, it kind of works as an universal alarm clock too :)
  Fael Illyar: kind of like "oh, it's already 15 minutes past since then again."

We had a brief conversation on meditation 'alarm' setting and Twitter.....

  Crusty Goldshark: Yes I know someone who had a PDA set for evey 15 minutes to create someawareness
  Crusty Goldshark: I have a couple of meditation watches (silent alarms)
  Fael Illyar: I can set my cellphone to do it :) Make a loud gong sound. Most people tend to wonder where's the gong that's making the sound.
  Scathach Rhiadra: :)
  Crusty Goldshark: Nice - I don't use a cell phone - too obtrusive - even find skype a bit much
  Fael Illyar: I don't get that many calls on it.
  Crusty Goldshark: intrusive - what does obtrusive mean? Obstacle?
  Fael Illyar: in a way skype is worse since it doesn't cost money to call :)
  Crusty Goldshark: Yes - even twitter is too much
  Fael Illyar: Well, with twitter you at least decide yourself when you read.
  Crusty Goldshark: Once was enough . . .
  Fael Illyar: Well, depends on whose twitters you're reading I suppose :)
  Crusty Goldshark: yes - I think I gothe twit page ;)
  Crusty Goldshark: I have enough of my own mind chatter without indulging others . .
  Fael Illyar: Yes, although kids nowadays seem to just thrive on the chatter.
  Crusty Goldshark: Alwas did - Always will
  Fael Illyar: :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: it keeps the mind occupied

.....followed by body decorating...

  Crusty Goldshark: Anyway I did some backporting - is it - got a santa hat wearing it now
  Crusty Goldshark: Next I will be looking for a cloak - so how is the body painting going Fael?
  Fael Illyar smiles 'I'm quite not wearing flowers on my hair in RL.'
  Crusty Goldshark: Me neither
  Fael Illyar: I am here though.
  Fael Illyar: the body paint is starting to be kind of ready :)
  Crusty Goldshark: Couple of roses trying to bloom - so might go for it later
  Fael Illyar: I didn't end up doing much more than adding some texture and some slight fixes on how it looks.
  Fael Illyar: I found that as long as I kept thinking I'll still do major changes, I avoided touching it at all :)
  Crusty Goldshark: I think body painting much more flexible than branding and tatooing which seem to do more with pain than enjoyment . .
  Fael Illyar: Yes, especially branding :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: sounds painful:)
  Fael Illyar: would you like to see how it looks?
  Crusty Goldshark: It is - people use hot wires or hot metal to brand tatoos - please - . . .

The discussion then turned to technologies for enhancing 'virtual' realities...and NDEs...

  Crusty Goldshark: I read of some research about putting mind into a simulated body - seems it can work - will have implications for SL ver II
  Fael Illyar: no need for ver II :)
  Crusty Goldshark: With web cams and other imputs people are able to adjust quite easily
  Fael Illyar: just have it mixed some people fully embedded, some not.
  Crusty Goldshark: indeed
  Fael Illyar: will need some special software changes though :)
  Crusty Goldshark: Yes - it is a way away yet
  Scathach Rhiadra: hmmm, but will they ever be able to 'toush' or 'feel' in SL?
  Scathach Rhiadra: touch*
  Fael Illyar: depends on the system :)
  Crusty Goldshark: depends on the interface - systems do exist - there is one crazy brit scientis wh has    an arm implant and can do some direct sensing with his wife
  Fael Illyar: direct sensing?
  Crusty Goldshark: he has an implnt the plugs into an arm nerve
  Crusty Goldshark: however the best systems use the manipulation of electrical fields to play with the mind
  Crusty Goldshark: you just wear a cap
  Crusty Goldshark: the Russians had a system a long time ago that was used to manipulate the electrical felds around them to match those of a person in optimal health - sick cosmonauts are not good technicians
  Fael Illyar: Interesting, did that work?
  Crusty Goldshark: yes - it works
  Crusty Goldshark: A healing system was developed in the 50's - the inventor could not get patents and the device died with him - new research and interest is reviing the possibilities . .
  Crusty Goldshark: It is perhaps how the tradional master - pupil osmosis occurs - through close presence and a realignment of magnetic fields - a sort of attunement
  Fael Illyar: Oh, interesting. Especially how preconceived notions are preventing things that actually work from getting off the ground
  Fael Illyar: I'd guess those are getting off the ground better now with more possibilities to connect around the world.
  Crusty Goldshark: well this has a hardscience basis - I am amazed we do not yet have post life studies - we have pre-natel studies
  Scathach Rhiadra: post life studies, do you mean like near death experiences?
  Crusty Goldshark: Well NDE are pretty well understood by science and why they occur is documented in neara studes - but yes that sort of death experience
  Crusty Goldshark: neural
  Fael Illyar: I read an article a few days ago that there are people who'll be conducting some kind of research with people going through NDE:s
  Fael Illyar: although, I suppose they're not going t be causing them.
  Crusty Goldshark: they can be induced
  Crusty Goldshark: I think anyway . .
  Fael Illyar: Yes, likely.
  Fael Illyar: do it in a controlled way that they can guarantee to bring them back.
  Crusty Goldshark: From what I remember - it is possible (again by manipulting the brains megnetic field) to induce an NDE without the person having to be near death
  Crusty Goldshark: It has always seemedto be an important (life changing) experience and the taboos need to be overcome - go study death scientists . . .
  Fael Illyar: :)
  Crusty Goldshark: OK - gotta put a new hard drive in
  Fael Illyar: Sure, see you later Crusty :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: bye crusty:)
  Crusty Goldshark: bye gals
  Crusty Goldshark: :)

....and finally the power of silence....

  Fael Illyar: Any topic you'd like to talk about?
  Scathach Rhiadra: hmmm, not really at the moment:)
  Scathach Rhiadra: what about you?
  Fael Illyar: me neither :)
  Fael Illyar: When I first started I was full of questions and things to talk about but after a while I started being just comfortable being silent.
  Scathach Rhiadra: ah yes, I am appreciating silence lately, not so much chatter:)
  Fael Illyar: Some people can't handle it though.
  Scathach Rhiadra: thay seem to just have to fill every minute with words:)
  Fael Illyar: Yes :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: I've found meditation has always helped me to just sit still and just 'be', so to speak
  Fael Illyar: Yes, it's very good for that :)
  Fael Illyar: I've found myself meditating during many things... without actually trying to do so.
  Fael Illyar: in some ways, it works better on those occasions :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: yes, its not forced at those times
  Fael Illyar: I'm not generally forcing it though. I don't meditate unless I feel like it.
  Fael Illyar: except for 9-seconds
  Fael Illyar: I tend to only meditate when it becomes clear 9-seconds are not enough for whatever reason.
  Scathach Rhiadra: maybe forced is wrong word, not conciously trying
  Fael Illyar: not thinking of doing it.
  Scathach Rhiadra nods
  Fael Illyar: kind of difficult to think of something that's kind of antithesis for thinking :)
  Scathach Rhiadra: :))
  Fael Illyar: Well, it's time for me to leave :)
  Fael Illyar: See you later Scathach :)