Monday, September 26, 2016

What LSD tells (some) of us about human nature

"What was most remarkable about the research is that the degree of ego dissolution reported by the participants correlated with a specific neural transformation. To get through the pragmatics of day-to-day life and the demands of survival, brain activity naturally differentiates itself into several distinct networks, each responsible for a particular cognitive function.
The three networks most closely examined by these scientists include a network for paying attention to what’s most salient, a network for problem-solving, and a network for reflecting on one’s own past and future. There is also a natural segregation between high-level (abstract) cognitive areas and low-level (concrete) perceptual areas, most notably the visual cortex. These distinctions are thought to be an essential design feature of a functional human brain.
The impact of LSD was to diminish connections within each of these networks, relaxing the bonds that kept them intact and distinct, while increasing the cross-talk among them. In other words, the normal etiquette of the brain requires segregation among networks that have different functions, and that etiquette was blown to bits.
Now most parts of the brain were communicating with most other parts of the brain. Concrete sensory experiences, like vision, intermingled with cognitive abstraction, and cognitive abstractions reshaped visual imagery. Perhaps that’s what explains the intricate fractal elaboration that people see in the branches of a bush while tripping on acid. The perception of salience and refinement of a sense of self are hashed together like potatoes and gravy. The brains and their owners no longer distinguish between what is most important, how to get stuff done, and who in fact is the arbiter of the importance of the stuff that needs to be done."--Guardian. 
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/15/lsd-research-brain-neuroscience-human-nature-psychedelic

Thursday, September 8, 2016

The Future of AR is Already in Your Pocket - SXSW Convergence 2016


In the Great Reality Debate, battle is waged between headsets — Morpheus versus HoloLens, Vive versus Rift. Which device holds the key to our next "real" world? But what if the future of augmented and virtual reality does not rest on the success of a single piece of head-strapped hardware and instead is already in your pocket? John Hanke, founder of Niantic Labs, the innovative studio behind Ingress and pioneers of ”real world gaming,” will examine the future of augmented reality and its next big platform: the smartphone. John will examine AR rooted in enhancing mobile and location-based technology bridging the gap between the real and virtual worlds and how developers can harness it.
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About SXSW:Started in 1987, South by Southwest (SXSW) is a set of film, interactive, and music festivals and conferences that take place early each year in mid-March in Austin, Texas. SXSW’s original goal was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas. That continues to be the goal today whether it is music, film or interactive technologies.
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Some evidence for Cannabis cures: