3 replies to this topic

[MarcusAurelius]

I have always been fascinated by coming technological leaps and remember how awed I felt as a kid witnessing the coming digital age. I must of been 5 or so when Atari launched in my hometown. And I never forget seeing a Rubik cube being simulated on a computer at this technology fair showcasing Atari and many other digital wonders.

Fast forward 30 years and we find ourselves in a new digital landscape. With the coming age of optical computers around the corner and quantum computing not far after

http://www.zeitnews....erconnects.html

http://www.zeitnews....trol-light.html

http://www.zeitnews....-computing.html

I have just started to marvel at what possibilities will lay in the future for even more revolutionary and ground breaking technological changes. One thing that came to mind was how some researchers are looking into our visual cortex and experimenting with what is now crude images of a dream machine so to speak. But the implications of this technology are mindblowing. Can you imagine one day sifting through dreams you had since a child instead of playing Avatar for the 20th time! lol One thing is for sure, the movie industry will be quite peeved at the new competition. Or youtube littered with billions of captured dreams from anonymous millions. It would sure make the internet new and fresh again. Or how about technology enabling us to interact in a dreamworld. Or sophisticated developments in creating a kind of dream VR where lucidity is guaranteed at the touch of a button. No doubt the mind boggles.

The following article discusses one such technology that may be on the drawing board in the not too distant future.

http://www.accelerat...ulating-dreams/

So what would this new tool bring to humanity? How will it shape our lives, and will its secrets be used in unravelling the greater mysteries to neuroscience and beyond?

[Logically Irrational]

I could imagine that we might get some kind of "art exhibit" of dreams if this technology were to become mainstream. I don't know, maybe some kind of mental exercise to influence what your mind creates in your dreams, and then display it.

It could be a virtual art museum, with each hall leading off into a person's dream world.

Of course, I'm being extremely hypothetical here.

[kjaggard]

two things to keep in mind about dreams:
1) they are a means of sifting and organizing events for your life, at least that is what science says, and conciously altering the sorting process could very well have unforeseen consequences.
2) Dream while often wild imaginings would be hard to watch like a movie. They would be like watching a movie written by a 5 year old. No character development to speak of, and the setting will be vague and likely change suddenly at some point without warning. This could lead to recordings that are like the oldspice comercials "Look at me, now look in your highschool locker, now look at me again, I'm your boss in a tutu..." it might be halarious but not a replacement for traditional entertainment.

I could tell you about some dreams I've had that would be so weird they'd just confuse other people, and only after waking up and reinterprreting the can I make a cohesive story out of them and even then they have surreal aspects that need a sort of retcon to explain away.

[MarcusAurelius]

@Logically Irrational> I share your sentiments sir. I would think alot of what we dream is artworthy. Almost like a mini indie arts film that is sometimes so abstract that it boggles the mind. But sometimes quite awe inspiring.

@kjaggard> You are quite correct in that most dreams are a confusing mess of sensory input, in fact this anime comes to mind.

http://en.wikipedia....rika_(2006_film)

but some of the greatest scientific minds drew inspiration from dreams for their discoveries. Some noteworthy scientist like Tesla, Edison and Einstein just to name a few.

http://www.world-of-...d-dreamers.html

Another link for your perusal.

http://www.gizmag.co...ecording/10558/


http://www.brilliant...mous-dreams.htm

Edited by MarcusAurelius, 03 July 2012 - 08:58 AM.