A lamp that can read your mind?
There are many things I may never fully understand, such as why the Electoral College is still used in the United States, how anyone likes the taste of marzipan, and astrophysics. The LED lamp I am about to describe is also on that list.
The Mind Lamp, created by Psyleron in collaboration with the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab, is described as an "ambient mind-matter interaction lamp". The claim is that the lamp changes colors in real time based on quantum processes that have been shown to be influenced by the human mind. If I'm understanding this correctly, the key to the lamp's "quantum processes" is a device nestled inside it called a Random Event Generator (REG). Utilizing a process termed "electron tunneling", the REG takes electrons (with a variety of wave functions) from the environment and translates them into digital output. A microprocessor inside the lamp statistically analyzes this digital output, and based on patterns it finds, it adjusts the color of the lamp.
Let me just admit right now that even though I wrote the explanation above, I don't completely understand it. Concepts like "electron tunneling" and "quantum processes" are pretty foreign to me. However, if I were to try to translate that explanation into plainspeak, I would put it like this: The lamp senses and changes colors based on data from the environment, some of which might come from human consciousness. The question here is whether that means "I think of a color, and the lamp changes to that color" or "I have a mood, and the lamp reflects that mood with a color" or something else entirely. The researchers admit that they don't understand all the details, which is why this is a subject of ongoing research. (In fact, they were clever - they packaged this up as a consumer-friendly technology, and now they are reaping data on people's experiences via their reviews.)
Check out this video:
Mind Lamp: 60-Minute Time Lapse from Psyleron on Vimeo.
I find this lamp so intriguing, in part because I am having such a difficult time evaluating it. The skeptic in me starts listing the confounds (e.g., confirmation bias, when people only perceive effects that fit their expectations.) The logical part of me says that early research will always contain confounds, and these researchers are not hiding any of them. (The skeptic in me replies, "Yeah, like you can tell if you're being duped when it comes to electron tunneling and quantum science.") My imagination ignores them both and just thinks it's really cool, and wonders how else this technology could be used.
So there you have it. The lamps are $189.00 each, and you know what? I might just buy one someday.
Will Foursquare incentivize life?
I joined Foursquare today. I am officially a newbie!
Why did it take me so long? Aside from a hectic schedule and generally being overwhelmed by information, I quite frankly didn't want folks to know my whereabouts at that level of detail. The gaming aspect alone was not enough to draw me - I could care less about earning points by checking in to cool placees, and becoming a mayor. For me, the tipping point was internally motivated; I thought, "Where might this go in the future?" and suddenly my brain imploded. I did a bit of research.
At its heart, Foursquare is basically a framework for incentivizing human behavior, using certain gaming principles. Users "check in" to locations and earn points and badges, and share information about locations with other Foursquare "friends". Right now, the incentives are basically popularity/social networking and competition. This is usual with these sorts of Web 2.0 start-ups, and for some people, that's enough of a draw. However, with additional financial incentives (e.g., check in here for 10% off this doohicky), Foursquare could change the world by better attracting a huge user population: consumers. It's already happening. For example, Starbucks created its own Foursquare badge in May to try to appeal to its more loyal customers, and of course Foursquare has plans to broaden its appeal (and financial incentives are a biggie.)
So in the immediate future, sure, folks might start using Foursquare to get a deal here and there - but what might come next? This is where my brain liquifies - not in a bad way. Imagine all the incentives and services that can be provided to humans that are geo-trackable, tagged with information (some profile-based, some near-real-time), plugged-in and engaged. This is an advertiser's dream. However, if the API remains open and the community can keep developing apps (i.e. purposes), the appeal will reach far beyond advertisers. Users themselves will create uses, demand functionalities, and dream up new and interesting ways of overlapping the virtual and physical worlds. You could do a voice search for the nearest person certified in CPR to help you with chest compressions (maybe they'll have a CPR badge?) You can find a Boy Scout to walk you across the street. You can find a random person nearby who also happens to be craving avocado icecream. You and everyone else in a given restaurant can complain together about the loud dude in the corner - God he's annoying, and look at all the bars he checked in to before coming here. Wait - is that the mayor?
I'm being silly, but hopefully you get the idea.
About Face! The MIT Media Lab assesses microexpressions
When I was catching up on posts from one of my favorite blogs, Brain Pickings, I stumbled upon this post about a software application developed by the Affective Computing Group at the MIT Media Lab. The application, called FaceSense, detects and analyzes facial gestures in real-time, and then uses that information to make inferences about the person's mood and emotional state. As Brain Pickings points out:
An accurate disposition detection model for video can be used in anything from analyzing politicians’ televised appearances to testing news anchors for bias.
The possibilities - both wonderful and nefarious - are endless. Check out the video to find out more!