During the 'pleasure lab' years of 10 Speed Guiloteen, Jeff introduced me to the art, er the experience of PVS, the Peripheral Vision Stimulation. It started one day by me noticing an odd pair of glasses he had. They had red leds in them. Jeff told me to put them on and "try it" he said. I was initally intriqued by the concept for completly bogus bladerunner like looks. They looked cool. They looked scifi. I closed my eyes and turned the dial, the red leds pulsed and i could change their speed of flashing.
With my eyes closed I could almost feel the red pulse of the light. A trance maybe? Perhaps. I can still recall the images i saw in my mind that day when I wore those glasses. Why and what is it for?
"These glasses feature Peripheral Vision Stimulation and are great for writing, reading, computer tasks, studying, composing music or anytime you want improved focus or creavity while getting things done."
A bit of clarity? Maybe.. I dunno really. I couldnt shake the trance of the glasses with whatever the pleasure lab was producing at the time. It was a cool effect. An effect I'd later take to raves and promote with smart drinks, all back during the crazy toaster days. Jeff would compose music under the spell of the glasses.
While I was curious, Jeff on the other hand experiemented in just about everything and seriously. Sound was by far his greatest trip and he hated the notion of listening to anything worth listening to without headphones. Headphones were sacred, you listened, you respected an artist via headphones. The glasses were another way he'd let go to get to where he wanted to be I guess. Other forms applied as well, drugs, alchohol but he and I were both interested in these alternate routes.
I don't know why this has come out now. I've been digging thru the archives of 10 Speed looking for background tracks to some new animations ive been playing with. And ive been on a quest to find better ways to, or maybe just more ways to relax. I stumbled upon an image of a guy with these glasses on.. made me wonder about the whole gambit of tech in this area. Light and sound machines, mind machines, bio-whatever this and that, meditation, air cleaners.. i got one of those. Maybe I need a machine... Actually alot of brings me back to the days of the Whole Earth Catalog, something i discovered by mistake at a comic book store. The Whole Earth Catalog had everything, it was WIRED magazine before WIRED was ever around, it even pre-dated MONDO magazine.. least it did to me.
Another 'mind alteration' Jeff introduced me to was called the Dream Machine. He built one himself in his basement and it was just as sacred as his headphones. If I recall correctly it was essentially a cardboard cutout rotating on a turntable with a light in the center of it. It looked like a rotating column of light. The trick was to stare into it at a certain part of it based on the hole cut pattern in the cardboard. Actually this guy explains it better...
"The reason for its five discrete shapes lies in the mathematically calculated rate of flicker generated by precise placement of a lamp fixture within the rotating cylinder. The user sits or stands very close to the machine (nose approximately two inches from cylinder), eyes closed. The flickering light induces Alpha waves to defeat Beta waves normally active in the "awake" brain. By subtly shifting facial positioning and proximity to the machine, an Alpha range of light interruptions (8-13hz) opens to the user. Effects of such periodic waves on the human brain vary among users."
The dream machine is borderline concept art. More and more I see it online regarded as an art concept. Something the MIT kids would toy with.
Some of these concepts really make me wonder. Obviously someone made them, maybe even with radioshack parts but someone made them and someone sold them and whos buying them and why? Like the Neurophone DSP. What the heck is that?
"Using the Neurophone is simple … just put the transducers on your forehead using the headband, choose the built-in “pink sound” generator or your own music or learning CDs … and you’re on your way to re-sensitizing new neuro pathways to your brain. By bypassing the ears, the body “hears” the sound making reading, meditating, studying and learning much easier.
It stimulates areas of the brain that normal hearing pathways do not, resulting in expanded consciousness and integration awareness of all the senses. Some research suggests that the Neurophone activates new neurological pathways, which may increase intelligence, visual perception and may aid those with Alzheimer’s disease. In contrast, our ears are not selective to the content of hearing information. By using transducers, information is processed directly by the brain without distractive input."
Science lost in the realm of gadgetry? Again it brings out the bladerunner in me. That and I think I had so much fun with the glasses its like i'm looking for the next strange thing. Course the Neurophone is only $540 bucks or so and its documented to be used to develop Dolphin-Human holographic communication. I mean come on thats some serious shit.
Other things like the Trifield Meter are even more interesting. I've had this thought lately. If I could see wifi visually, what would it look like? What would cellular, wifi, etc.. what would it look like on camera? Could it be defined, does it take shape? Can you spot the wifi like waldo in an image? Why? I dunno why, I'd like to see how it oozes out from room to rome or does it just beam thru walls cutting thru skin and presence? The Trifield Meter independently measures electric field and magnetic field, and is properly scaled to indicate the full magnitude of currents produced by each type of field inside the human body. As a result, it "sees" much more than any other electromagnetic pollution meter.
Ya I think an inversion table would rock the heavens as well. That and the real massage chair. Course don't be suprised if ya see me next time with a pair of red led flashin glasses on.
