Some days are better than others
I just finished this morning’s session with the vOICe. My performance was less effective than the last few sessions, so far as reach and grab, or reach and get close. I only had visual qualia a few times. More than once, I “saw” it, and then reached for the wrong spot, only to find that …
An auditory Tetris effect
It’s called, the Tetris effect. People who have played the game Tetris often find that they will start to see those falling blocks as they doze off, as they are just waking up, or even when they blink from time to time as they go about their lives. Though named after one rather addictive video …
Who turned up the world?
I was chatting on Twitter back and forth with @seeingwithsound about the vOICe. My Twitter handle is @lobbyandlab if you’d like to join the conversation. I mentioned that my echo location seemed to have improved since I began working with the vOICe. @seeingwithsound replied that though it was only anecdotal evidence, he’d noticed that his …
Ep 24: Which part of the brain, off on and when
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:59 — 2.7MB) | Embed
Which part of the brain, off on and when There is nothing simple about the brain. Wherein certain skills can be improved by shutting down one part, those same skills may require increasing activity in another. Here’s a collection of short videos on the flow state of consciousness. The Optimized Brain: A Workshop on FlowStates …
Ep 23: As I was saying
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:09 — 2.8MB) | Embed
As I was saying While it has been fun to talk about the vOICe and sensory substitution, it’s time to return to the brain, how it works, and how one might discover how best to use one of your very own. Here’s a blog post, with no podcast episode, about the vOICe, and my attempt …
A modified reaching exercise
Over the weekend, I did a good deal of research. I was trying to track down which parts of the brain may interfere with certain skills. But I wanted more than just which bit does what; I wanted to know the subjective feel. How does it feel when that part of the brain is active, …
Ep 22: Learning and doing
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:47 — 2.6MB) | Embed
Learning and doing If I hadn’t been digging around, attempting to learn about something else entirely, I may never have learned of the vOICe. And what fun is that? The more you learn, the more you can do. The more you can do, the more you can learn. I’m glad you decided to join me. …
Ep 21: where to zap and why
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:00 — 2.7MB) | Embed
where to zap and why If you wanted to use brain stimulation to increase the usefulness of, or decrease the training time for, sensory substitution; where would you stimulate the brain? According to the model developed in today’s reference, it would be more effective to turn up the sound, rather than to stimulate and cause …
Ep 20: Sensory substitution and brain stimulation
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:00 — 2.0MB) | Embed
Sensory substitution and brain stimulation In episode 13 we talked about brain stimulation, using electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, without having to cut into the skull, in order to improve certain types of skills. Starting in episode 17, we talked about sensory substitution, using one sense to deliver the missing information that would …