Sensory Deprivation Chamber: The Next Step in Mind Evolution?

What resembles a really futuristic-looking bathtub is actually a Sensory Deprivation Chamber.

Inside, a person floats in the dark, unable to hear, see and eventually, feel. What’s makes this person float is 8000 pounds of salt in the water, which is heated and maintained at skin temperature, so you eventually don’t feel it against your skin anymore.

The result: You feel ‘weightless’. It feels like your mind has been unlocked, unleashed, no longer withheld within the constraints of your body. There are no distractions to alter your thoughts. No sounds, no sights, no smells, no taste and no touch. What’s left are your thoughts.

 

Comedian and X-Factor host, Joe Rogan, explains his experience.

 

Firstly used to study more about the human brain, scientists wanted to find the origin of the brain’s energy source. What they stumbled upon was a method of relaxation, a mind-altering experience. From then on it has been used in the medical field as a tool for stress therapy, alternative medicine, and also meditation.

Week 6 : Tutorial

Today’s tutorial was pretty much the same as last week, with everyone grouping together to create a Niki entry. Had fun getting into a new group and we had a great idea to start a “fake” Facebook page for Robert Scoble, the most well renown technology-related online blogger.

Robert Scoble talking about AdStage.

Having a lot of fun with these niki entries, I find the most interesting aspect that I like about the assignment is that we can choose how to deliver our Niki messages. This promotes creativity and also a collaborative work space practice. It makes things more engaging and also provides us with the common practice of researching information thoroughly.

03 Readings – Vannevar Bush’s ‘As We May Think’

The general idea behind Vannevar Bush’s article, ‘As We May Think’ is that technology is always developing and evolving. We might not be in a time where new inventions come about, developing a whole new line of product, but instead, we live in an era where tools are constantly being improved and technology is always improving.

Image from http://digitalphotographysecrets.com/camera-equipment/choosing-camera-and-lens-equipment/

Image taken from: http://digitalphotographysecrets.com/camera-equipment/choosing-camera-and-lens-equipment/

Take photography for example. The first camera was created in 1840, which could only take black and white photos. In recent times however, camera technologies keep advancing and newer and newer equipment are always being released. Right now, these additional functions of the camera don’t seem to have a huge impact on mankind. However, if you compare the cameras of today, versus the first camera that was ever invented, in the context of how the camera is being used, there is a noticeable difference.

  1. The equipment of cameras has improved tremendously.
  2. The development of film and the development of digitalized images have a large difference. We don’t need a dark room or hours of manpower to develop photos anymore.
  3. The introduction of video recording into cameras.

These are just a couple of notable advancements that have altered/developed the use of a camera. In this sense, it is possible(on some level) for us to predict the future of the development in technology, by keeping an open mind and a creative perspective.

Week 4: Review of course so far.

For a couple of weeks now, the course seems to be highly experimental, with the ‘unique’ lectures that want our feedback, the reading materials, and also tutorials. It seems to be an interesting and fun experience.

When lecturers and tutors are welcoming feedback regarding their lectures, as a student, I find it is good to feel like lecturers put a lot of effort into making students feel comfortable with the lesson.

The reading material, on the other hand, has got me wondering. “How does this relate to web media or networked media?”. I thought we would be studying about how to design a webpage and all that but the readings seem to be out of context to what I thought networked media is about. However, it seems that most of these readings seem to open our minds, or to generate a different mindset, so to speak, about the way we think. I find this highly interesting, as it seems to inspire me, as compared to other courses which have rather dry readings. It feels as though these readings are selected for us to broaden our minds before actually proceeding to fill it with information.

Very interested to see how this course pans out.

Week 3: Tutorial

This week, we were introduced to Niki and basically have to work in creating an entry as per our assessment in this course. A Niki, is very much like a Wiki, in the sense that we have to create a record of information of things and places as well as people. Entries are created by students, for the use of students. Attaching credible links and information, these Nikis will prove to be reliable.
I find this particular project highly interesting as we are not merely completing an assignment, but we are making a contribution to future generations. On some level, we will be a part of history and have contributed in at least a small, but still significant way, to the education of mankind. Looking forward to getting started on this assessment.
On a random note, blogging from a phone is tough. Everything is so tiny and it’s so hard to get organised. But, nonetheless, with a lot more time and effort, it is completely mobile, and a great tool for on-the-go blogging.

Week 3 : Unlecture

Today’s unlecture was highly interesting, and I find it particularly helpful that the staff are constantly asking for feedback or how we feel about the unlectures. It makes students feel better, knowing that our classes are affected by student feedback.

Image taken from: http://www.magerempowerment.com/v2/blog/?p=1623

Also, I found several of the ideas pointed out by Adrian in the lecture, highly interesting. The first idea that I was intrigued by is the difference between knowledge and information. Information is just an object. Knowledge, on the other hand, has value. The same piece of information might not mean as much to other people. The value of that information to someone, is knowledge. Understanding this will help you see that this can happen in any situation.

Image taken from: http://www.londonrelocationconsultancy.com/en/information/

For example, from an interviewer’s point of view, it is not about what information you give, but rather the values that show your actions. If you show up to an interview with your hair messed up, shirt untucked, or other sloppy gestures, you portray an unorganised trait. In a positive scenario, if you go to all your lectures, it shows responsibility, creativity, motivation, innovation, and so on and so forth.

Image taken from: http://www.coag.gov.au/schools_and_education

Education is an experience, not a commodity. It is not a service, or a product that you can buy. You do not pay large amounts of money to buy an education, nor do you own an education. It is an experience you have to go through. This particular lecture, had me thinking about paying attention to the tiniest details, and interpreting that information, to obtain knowledge. It makes me practice being more observant about the things around me, and also how I react to people around me. Noticing small things such as when someone has lost weight as a compliment or noticing a new pair of earrings can help brighten up their mood. It is also good practice to be more observant and thus, more efficient. This particular unlecture has inspired me.

Reading 01 – Chris Argyris and Theories of Action.

Chris Argyris’ theories of action helped me realise and understand a little more about how we, as individuals, function, so to speak. When we go about our daily activities, we develop a plan in our mind, which is referred to as a ‘mental map’.  According to the ‘theories-in-use’, this map serves as a guide to how we do things. Argyris’ espoused theory of action claims that when we tell stories about our accomplishments, we tell the story according to how we would like others to view us. I found this highly interesting, as I have always been interested in the way the human mind works.

What I understand from governing variables is that these variables determine why we are conducting our course of action. It outlines our intended outcomes, and also shows how certain variables can have a tremendous impact on the outcome, no matter how small the change is. These variables are the dimensions in which you alter your point of view. It provides another method of solving your problem by looking at it from a different perspective.

Action strategies are the methods that we implement to achieve our desired outcome. These strategies are made to overcome obstacles or hurdles that we might encounter. It is the answer to the question,” How do we get our desired outcome?”

Consequences are the effect of our action strategies. It is the outcome of our actions, whether we achieve our intended result, or stumbled upon an unintended outcome.

A question that I would bring forth in the context of this reading is the manner in which the ‘espoused theory of action’ is conducted. Technically, we are summing up a desired outcome of what we intend it to be, and we convey this message towards others, thereby forming an identity for ourselves. After all, our actions determine our character. In that sense, I find that we sometimes exaggerate or maybe even make up theories when we provide an espoused response. If this theory were solid, would that mean that all humans have the tendency to lie or exaggerate? What is the purpose of us portraying ourselves in a different light? Are we genetically “programmed” to do so? After all, the human race has always been at the mercy of each other’s judgement. That is how we have come to function as a society. Certain acts are accepted by society, while others are not.

Reading 01 – Researching Your Own Practice:The Discipline of Noticing by John Mason

An interesting piece by John Manson, entitled, ‘The Discipline of Noticing‘. The key idea in this article is ‘to notice’. Noticing, as simple as it sounds, could actually be one of the hardest things to do.

Manson’s explains that noticing is something that doesn’t happen intentionally. It comes and goes, and there is no guarantee. The most you can do is increase the likelihood of it occurring by exercising discipline to notice things around you. And by noticing, it means to say that a person who has noticed an occurrence should be able to re-tell the story to others or to himself. To actively mark that occurrence as a valuable piece of information to be reflected upon. That, is noticing.

Image taken from http://www.chestwear.com

There are so many things that we are aware of, but have never really noticed. For example, if I asked you to name one of the items on the back of a $20AUD bill, could you do it? Because I can’t. We look at these pieces of paper frequently, and have been doing so ever since we could remember. And yet, we still can’t recreate an image of a $20AUD bill in our minds.

Noticing isn’t as easy as I thought it was. Mindblowing stuff. Now, to test if you were noticing, answer this question: What is the title of the article?

Reading 01 – ‘Blogs in Media Education’ by Adrian Miles

Education has had a large influence on mankind. The process of learning was practiced by reading books or some sort of tangible, hard print. However, with the emergence of the internet and today’s innovative technology, learning can occur in other platforms, and not just in books. In ‘Blogs in Media Education‘, by Adrian Miles, the main takeaway point of this piece is the use of blogs as a tool of education.

There are several characteristics that blogs possess, which make it a suitable platform for a learning environment. These are several traits of blogs that have sparked interest in me.

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Life.

Life has been the largest unanswered question in the history of mankind. Why were we put on earth? For what reason? In my opinion, everyone deserves the opportunity, and the responsibility to define their purpose in life. Everyone has their objectives, so to speak, to achieve their desired outcome from life.

Life is beautiful, only if you make it beautiful.

Recently, I find myself turning into what society perceives as being successful. Securing a stable job, maintaining successful human relationships, and other smaller daily rituals that society deems normal. I used to think that life is all about doing the things that make you, as an individual, happy. But lately I have come to realise that life is a lot bigger than just me.

It’s not just about making money, or being successful in your careers. We are a part of a larger system. The money we make, is the money we spend, which keeps the economy rolling. Life is much more than just making money and being rich and famous. I have come to think that it is about achieving a state of mind where you can actively think towards a progressive future, no matter how small of a difference you think you might make. Every small step, no matter how tiny, is still a step forward.

Contributing to society and changing the world to evolve into a better place is a very huge dream and it is a very long process. In the famous words of Michael Jackson, ‘I’m starting with the man in the mirror’. Although I might not be around to witness the outcome of what I deem to be my life’s dream, if I can pass on this vision or concept, everything would have been worth it.