Get out the tinfoil hats boys, paranoia just got real. A recent article published in the “Journal Of Neural Engineering” revealed how scientists connected 16 microelectrodes to two different parts of a patients brain, allowing them to determine what word the person was thinking. The technology is being developed to help people that are paralyzed and unable to speak, and while the concept is still in its infancy, the scientists are starting to see some good results. → Read More
Researchers would be wasting their time, and their patrons’ money, scanning my brain. They’d quickly find nothing but World of Warcraft Auction House strategies and an incredible amount of space devoted to translation Marca, A Bola, La Gazzetta Dello Sport, and France Football every morning. Maybe if they’d scan, say, the brains of Fez Whatley or Vince McMahon, then they’d find something interesting. → Read More
We all knew this would come one day, especially since the basic technology has been around for some time, and now we have it: A brain activity-powered remote control that can be used without you having to lift a finger. The Hitachi device is unfortunately a prototype, but at least they’re planning to commercialize it within three to four years.
The technology is being developed not for lazy couch potatoes but for something that actually makes a lot of sense: Hitachi says they would like to see physically handicapped people to use the remote control in the future (think about how many times a day you push buttons on your remote when watching TV). → Read More
It’s one thing to develop an interface that lets you control slow-moving robots with your thoughts alone, but it’s quite another to let you play pinball that way. But a machine built by researchers at prestigious Technische Universität Berlin in Germany makes just that possible. → Read More
Scientists in the UK (well, Reading) have developed a robot that has an actual brain. Like, the brain is made out of rat neurons. So already this robot is smarter than Biggs. The scientists, from the University of Reading, put together the robot so they can better study “how memories are actually stored in a biological brain.” That it may help them study diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s is like bonus points. The brain communicates with the body via a Bluetooth connection, which must be the best use of Bluetooth yet. So yeah, a rat brain robot. I’m sorta surprised this wasn’t developed in Japan. → Read More
On What.cd? yesterday, a freeleech torrent was uploaded containing a bunch of I-Doser FLACs. Now, call me ignorant or whatever, but how do I get these things to work reliably? I tried following the directions as best as I could—turn the lights out, relax, have a good pair of headphones, etc.—but I simply couldn’t get anything to happen. I tried the Lucid Dream and Hand of God (in honor of Diego Maradona, of course) and the only thing that “happened” is I got angry at myself for thinking anything would happen. For the unfamiliar, I-Doser is a program (nothing more than a set of sound files) that use something called binaural sound waves to “trick” your brain into thinking it’s in an altered state like drunk, on DMT, high, etc. It’s harmless. So if anyone knows how to make these things “work,” whatever that ends up meaning, please let me know. I-Doser → Read More
Getting old sucks, doesn’t it? One of the downfalls is that your brain isn’t quite as sharp as it was five, 10 or 25 years ago. It’s important to exercise the brain to try and combat the effects of old age and hopefully deter diseases linked to growing older such as Alzheimer’s. This is where Happy Neuron’s 25 brain fitness games can keep the five major cognitive brain functions (memory, language, attention, executive functions, visual/spatial) in tip-top shape. You won’t have to go it alone, either. Each Happy Neuron subscription includes an online coach that manages your personal brain workouts, progression and performance. A monthly subscription is only $9.95 or $99.95 for the year. You can try the games out for seven days for free, too. You’ll thank yourself later because you’ll remember. Happy Neuron [via Press Release] → Read More
Well Friday wasn’t the busiest of news days, but quality over quantity right? These are some of the biggest stories from the day that was yesterday. For now I’m gonna go try to work off this hangover. TiVo Slaps EchoStar, Its Customers Apple’s New Xserve Marriott Hotels Ready Wireless Check-In Lion’s Gate Movies Coming to iTunes Brain XP → Read More
Livescience reports that the brain, when waking, will boot up like a computer. Nitric oxide seems to be the “on” switch of the brain, as when the person wakes it triggers certain functions that will set the scene for increasingly complex activities—such as going to the bathroom. Scientists have found that the thalamus might not be the primitive structure they had previously thought. Before they thought it was simply a gate that opened and shut to allow sensory information to flow through or to bar it, now they believe it has more processing power and can pick and choose who goes through, like a bouncer does at a club. What does this all mean? It’s mostly food for thought, right now anyway, but it may lead scientists to make more advanced discoveries about how the brain functions. Your Brain Boots Up Like a Computer[livescience] → Read More
