Net Connected Dream Inducer

Chudmorph writes "Philips is developing some odd thing they call Nebula. In a nutshell, it's "an interactive projection system designed to enrich the experience of going to bed, sleeping and waking up." "The system consists of a ceiling projector linked via the Internet to a database of content. The content consists of just about anything ranging from an alarm clock, to clouds, and even poetry." This thing even responds to body movements! " Here's a review, but I gotta believe that this is a joke.

So, it's pr0n?

The system Nebula consists of a ceiling projector linked via the Internet to a database of content. Once users have selected the content for projection, they can manipulate it simply by adjusting their sleeping positions and interacting with their partner while in bed.

Interact, indeed!

Hypnagogic dreaming

It has been known for some time that the earliest stages of dreaming can be strongly influenced by sensory input just before going to sleep. Whereas you cannot predict exactly what will be in the dream, it is fairly certain some of it will relate to what was happening just before you fall asleep. This is not as true of dreams later in the evening.

There is a nice trio of reviews of theories of sleep and dreaming in the latest issue of Science.

I know I'm an idiot...

But how does this work if my eyes are closed?

Dream Hackers

Some research has indicated that the brain is somewhat sensitive to magnetic fileds, and that certain unusual magnetic fields can cause wierd dreams.

So if you had something that induced odd magnetic patterns, like a sleeping pad under the sheets, you could get weird effects.

Taking it to the next step and hooking it up to internet control would perhaps not be wise.

I keep imagining the end results of Dream Hackers reprogramming your dreams for their pleasure.

Someting that would only happen in a science fiction story, of course.

the phrase

lucid dreaming.

The trick is to realize you're dreaming without waking yourself up. It's a bit difficult in the beginning because you usually realize you're dreaming when something happens that can't happen in real life. The shock makes you wake up. If you can control the shock and stay asleep after realizing you're dreaming, you have full control over what's going on in the dream. I've successfully done it once (maybe more) and it is truly a cool experience.

Camera?

Presumably if this thing can sense your movements, it's got a camera of some kind. Do you really want a net-connected camera pointing at your bed?

I was a beta tester for this!

First of all, this is a safe and recreational device. It has enhanced my calm though one side effect is that I crave Taco Bell a bit more than I did prior to the testing. I can't conclusively say that the craving and the testing are related but they did occur around the same time.

I was skeptical of this thing at first but once I relaxed and began to accept what was given to me, I found that I had a greater level of peace and serenity both in sleep and while awake. Clearly this level of mental and emotional peace has aided in my understanding various aspects of life that I simply couldn't see before.

1. Bill Gates is NOT the devil. HE is an innovator in the truest sense of the word. Sure he "borrows" ideas from other sources, but don't we all? Isn't the doorknob a variation on the wheel? I see nothing wrong with enhancing the existing world by extending it. But since the extension cannot live or exist without the root portion of the technology, it's only fair that Microsoft should own whatever they extend, even if it was free to begin with. You're just angry because you didn't think of it first.

2. Politics are no longer confusing for me. The motivations of the government favoring larger corporations makes compelte sense to me now. First of all, it's in the interest of the people that the government hand over control to distributed corporate interests. Think of it! Now instead of electing our government, we can buy stock in it! What could be more democratic or capitalistic than that?

3. Of course the automotive and energy industries have been sitting on technologies that could reduce our use of fossil fuels!! But is it a bad thing? I think not! Those fossil fuels are a poison to our planet and need to be burned up as quickly and as often as possible. Once we clear those contaminants out of the way, we can move on to a cleaner, more pure world! So instead of crying about the cost of fuel, use it all up so we can move on to better sources. By the time we're done with all those fossil fuels, our corporate leaders will have found a way to measure out our use of hydro, thermal, solar and hydrogen based energy usage so that it is fair and equitable for everyone. The fact that they occur naturally is no reason to cheapen them with low value assessments [low prices]. And again, what's good for our corporate leaders is definitely good for us in the end.

I encourage everyone to get involved with this enlightening new technology. It's amazing how a good night's sleep can enlighten your day.

A picture of the product

This appears to be a picture [philips.com] of the product in question. It's like something you'd see on a brochure.

--SC

Save your $500 and buy Nicoderm patches.

Why waste your money on elaborate internet-connected electronics? There are plenty of things you can do to "enhance" your dream state.

1) Nicoderm Transdermal Patches. If worn during sleep, they have the tendency to cause very interesting and detailed dreams/nightmares. The only downside here is that you cant determine in advance which will happen. You could have an awesome dream, or, you could have a titanically bad nightmare. More interestingly, the number of patches you wear at night correlates directly with the vividness of the dream you have.

2) Self-Hypnosis. $4.95 and a self-help book from Borders will give you everything you need to know to make yourself a porn star during sleep. The content of your dreams is largely determined by what you think about just before you go to sleep. Entering a state of deep relaxation while concentrating on gonzo Roman orgies will do the trick most of the time.

3) Drugs. More adventurous and stupid people take drugs before going to sleep to produce interesting dreams. Drugs are bad, mmkay?
3) The monitor trick. Sleep with the back-end of a couple large computer monitors or TV's near your head. Turn the volume off, point the display away from you, and run a screenblanker on each display. The EMF produced by the monitors may be significant enough to affect brainwave patterns. Good for wacky dreams.

Cheers,