+Binaural Beats

     This week Philip G. and I made our presentation on binaural beats.  The presentation can be found at the end of this post.  Essentially, binaural beats are two channels of slightly different frequencies, each played in one ear of a set of headphones.  Our brains perceive a pulsing of sound due to the perceived alternating of constructive and destructive interference.  One thing which I forgot to mention during the presentation is that the speed of the pulsing is equal to the difference of the two tones being listened to.  So if one ear hears 100 Hz and the other hears 105 Hz, the pulsing is at a rate of 5 Hz, or 5 pulses per second.  The hope of binaural beats is that this pulsing or beating will cause the brains waves to be drawn toward that frequency.  While I would like to see more studies on how exactly electrical signals in the brains are affected, I think there is enough evidence to be cautiously optimistic that there are positive effects.  At the very least, I think it is helpful to sometimes have a steady sound to help keep focused, so long as it is not played too loudly.  In The Shallows, Nicholas Carr lists four categories that all technologies can be placed into: those that extend our physical strengths  those that extend our range or sensitivity of our sense, those that enable us to reshape nature, and those that "extend or support our mental powers - to find and classify information, to formulate and articulate ideas, to share know-how and knowledge, to take measurements and perform calculations, to expand the capacity of our memory" (44).  Binaural beats, whether placebo effect or true science, is a technology that can extend and support our mental powers.



 

YouTube:
Last week, we presented on YouTube and the EDU portion of YouTube.
For more information, see our Presentation

Connected, But Alone

     In February 2012, Sherry Turkle, author of Alone Together, gave a talk at TED 2012, which I think is a great summary of her views presented in the book.  I encourage you to watch the talk, embedded below.  If you have already read her book, her talk is great at reiterating the main point, and if you haven't then it will introduce you to her insights.


     So what can we do about this?  How can we still be good people to each other while simultaneously owning a piece of connected technology and having the desire to be connected?  I think it begins in the small moments.  That moment when your friend or group of friends is on their cell phone, not speaking to you.  I think a good start here is to be more willing and open to sharing what's on our devices.  "What are you doing on your phone" you could ask.  Take an interest.  If they're texting someone, ask them how that person is.  But this only breaks the surface.  It may lead to some mild conversation, but nothing too deep.

     In her talk, Turkle says that many of us desire "The illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship".  So I think that we must all demand friendship, but without demanding.  How do we do that?  It requires that you be the best that you can be to another person, but without putting on a show - really taking interest in them.  Care demands respect without being demanding.

     So, the next time you hit that moment of silence in a conversation where you don't know what to say next, let it play out in real life.  Be brave, don't reach for that device in your pocket.  Don't hide behind the phone because hiding makes it impossible for others to truly find you.

Rewalk: Alexis & Amy

Rewalk is a great tool that can help drastically improve the lives of those bound to wheelchairs in many ways.  The system basically mimics the motion of walking by attaching a pair of robotic legs to someone’s real legs.  A computer strapped to the back then moves the legs, allowing the user to “walk.”  This seemingly miraculous technology allows paraplegics and the disabled to regain strength, bone density, and cardiovascular health simply from the motion of walking.  These people have been forced to sit for so long that this upright mobility can really help get their bodies moving in ways that just cannot be done from the confinements of a wheelchair.  The ability to be able to actually get up and walk around also greatly boosts the users’ morale.  It gives them more confidence and security and allows them to make level eye contact, something that we take for granted but is very uplifting to those who are used to constantly being below everyone around them.

            The Rewalk’s function and structure itself has many positive aspects as well.  For one, it allows the individual to have a wide range of mobility—walking, turning, sitting, and even climbing stairs.  The Rewalk can also be of use to a wide range of people, being able to fit anyone who weighs up to 220 pounds and is between 5’3” and 6’3”, making it a very versatile piece of technology.

                  Although there are a lot of positive things about the Rewalk, there are negative aspects as well.  One problem is that Rewalk can only be used in physical therapy.  Additionally, one Rewalk costs around $100,000.  Also, a common misconception about the Rewalk is that it can heal whatever problem the user has by training them to walk again.  This is not true; the purpose of Rewalk is to regain lower body strength. Although there may be cases reported where therapy has helped the problem, Rewalk is not designed to do so.  Even though Rewalk gives the opportunity to regain physical strength, the user must also have a level of physical strength to even use the nearly 50 pound device, which isn’t always realistic for anyone who has been confined to a wheelchair. Despite its range of mobility, Rewalk is not designed for everyday life.

                  Altogether Rewalk is a versatile technology that gives the user a creative type of therapy that promotes health and confidence. However, use is limited, its expensive, and it is not a remedy for whatever problem is faced by the user.  Despite all of the current limitations placed on the Rewalk, the device is pretty cool and there is absolutely no limit on the innovations that could eventually lead to alternative treatment for paraplegics.

InfraScanner

The InfraScanner presents an interesting new technology developed in order to have a portable brain scanner to use in the detection of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).  TBIs are the leading cause of death and disability every year. These individuals range from sports players to military servicemen children falling to ordinary  people in car accidents.  InfraScan, Inc. created this technology based on near-infrared wavelengths, which penetrate skull and show the tissues of the brain. The largest downside to the InfraScanner is the accuracy, as the device shows different areas of the brain rather than a complete brain image, as a traditional CT would.  The InfraScanner's portability is a huge draw.  The size allows for the device to be carried to patients that are far from hospitals or the importable CT scanners, such as comatose patients and soldiers. The device also allows for patients to be scanned quickly, which is a benefit for children, as well as pregnant mothers who could not have a CT due to the radiation affecting the fetus but can have a brain scan through this method.  Educationally, Carr presents a history of technology and how people throughout history, such as Socrates, believed that the brain was suffering for this ideal.  Likewise, Rosen presents disorders that can root from the dependence on technology and the effects of the technologies.   Aldous Huxley presents a similar view, stating "Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards."  All three of these authors present valid points pertaining to the derelict state of the mind due to technology but I believe this InfraScanner presents a new technology in a way that the human mind alone could not function; therefore, this technology presents a innovative mean of saving lives, cutting down costs, and providing brain imaging , despite the flaws.

Argus II - Hayley Nicolich and Josh Saltz

Instrumentalism vs. Determinism

     In beginning my reading of The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, I was at first skeptical of the prologue's claim that it is not the content of the media that shapes us, but the media itself.  But then I recalled that Maryanne Wolf's Proust and the Squid gives much support that the development of reading has shaped the way mankind thinks.  I have long been an instrumentalist, though I never had seen the word until I came upon it in Carr's work.  An instrumentalist believes: "Our instruments are the means we use to achieve our ends; they have no ends of their own" (Carr, 46).  A technological instrumentalist uses his tools to achieve good.  At the other end of the spectrum, we have determinism.  A technological determinist believes that "technological progress...an autonomous force outside man's control, has been the primary factor influencing the course of human history" (Carr, 46).  The extreme view of determinism says even that our only role is to produce sophisticated technology, until technology is able to reproduce itself.  "At that point, we become dispensable (Carr, 46).

     First of all, I think that finishing my read of The Shallows will likely convince me that the idea that media shapes how we think.  But at the same time, I will still see the way media content shapes who we are.  Both are true.  In regards to instrumentalism versus determinism, I have slightly altered my view and propose a balanced approach.  It should not be unreasonable to say that the internet has made us text skimmers, books promote deep thought, that music gets us to listen to sound differently, and that movies orient us towards visuals and plot.  But technology will never have ultimate control over us.  In fact, instead of thinking so much in terms of control, maybe it would be appropriate to think in terms of a conversation.  People make things that you may see or use, which can influence you via content or form of media.  In turn, you create something which has been influenced by things made past.   This can apply to more than just technology.  It applies to all things - works of art, buildings, music.  But you get to choose what to make, if you make it, how you make it.  You get to choose your tool set and how you use your tools.   Like our Creator, we like to create because its in our nature.  But our creations are based on materials that are around us.  Therefore, we listen and we learn, then we speak.