Time For Another Technology Moral Panic? Digital Drugs! Be Afraid!
from the thank-you-USA-Today dept
USA Today got us talking about the concept of technology moral panics with their fear mongering article about predators using game consoles -- and now it's back with a big warning about "digital drugs" in a column by Kim Komando. It's actually just an article about binaural beats, which are hardly new. And, yes, there are those who believe that there are certain binaural beats that can have an effect like drugs, though there are many who believe the impact is mostly self-created.However, while the article briefly points out that some are skeptical, it immediately moves on to suggest that even so, binaural beats are somehow dangerous as a sort of gateway drug, claiming that they "encourage drug use." Of course, the article doesn't present any evidence of that -- and you could just as easily argue the opposite: that they offer a non-chemical way for people to experience other states of consciousness (if it works, that is). If Komando believes that this somehow encourages drug use, then does she also believe that meditation is encouraging drug use? After all, doesn't that also push people to experience other states of consciousness?
But, of course, when it comes to creating a technology moral panic, all you need is a bunch of scary sounding claims in a major newspaper... and then you just wait for politicians to take over. How long until someone somewhere proposes banning these dangerous sounds?
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Filed Under: binaural audio, digital drugs, moral panic, technopanic
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"binaural beats"
looking it up now, Thanks for the info you DUMB Bietch!
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Digital Drugs . . .
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Pssst
over here
You looking for some binaural beats? got a deal for you...real good stuff.
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Re: Pssst
Oh, just a minute...the cat has something to say which she's suddenly saying in Oxford english.
See you later, I'm off to Jupiter!
ttfn
John
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Re: Digital Drugs . . .
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Kim = ID10T
I've listened to her show, and was unimpressed with her troubleshooting skills. She told someone to reinstall windows when they had accidentally deleted some fonts, when all they had to do was extract them from the CAB files.
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I remember those...
That was binaural, right?
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"rim shot!"
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Sweet!
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Huh?
Hopefully this work is located amongst the editorial columns.
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Tried it
http://www.i-dose.us
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You say that others say that it causes no damage, but does it? You claim that cell transmission isn't proven to cause damage, but does it?
Asbestos used to be considered a wonder product, then we found out that it isn't. Everyone said men should have their prostrate checked, until the recent study came out that says it does more harm than good.
Where does that leave us?
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WHAT?!?
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"binaural beats"
Ambient Electro-Acoustic Music & beautiful trippy visuals with binaural frequencies ( Alpha ) by illume in essence.
This track is from Unison Vol 2.
www.unisontherapy.com
Binaural Beats used with Stereo Headphones stimulate; brain entrainment, instant relaxation, emotional balance, healing and wellbeing and heightened states of consciousness.
Experience the full effects of Binaural Beats with a free stereo demonstration at www.unisontherapy.com
Binaural beats; a sonic alternative medicine. A dependable relaxation tool for resolving depression and anxiety and provides support to make meditation easy.
Binaural Beats are a scientifically proven brain entrainment process that slowly started to gain recognition after an article called, "Auditory Beats in the Brain", by Dr Gerald Oster, was published in the October 1973 edition of Scientific America.
Binaural beats work by sending two different Hz frequencies, to each ear via stereo headphones causing the left and right Brain hemispheres to work in unison to hear a phantom frequency or third tone, the centred Hz difference between the two tones. The Hz separations cerate a constant gentle beat and its timing and pulse match the Hz separation per second.
Unison Therapy incorporate several types of brain entrainment and audio psychology processes into their; sound therapy / audio therapy and blended with beautiful music you will go, beyond meditation.
illume in essence
(Jandy Rainbow & Tahlee Rouillon)
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Re: "binaural beats"
--Glenn
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Bah!
to generate binaural beats with a computer
written just after the sound blaster cards
became available. Later the program Cool Edit
came with a tool to do this as well, the
"brain wave synchronizer." There was also an
article on using a sound card to generate the
waveforms for direct application of electrical
currents but this is dangerous. The PC lacks
necessary isolation from the electric utility.
Binaural audio beats depend on the non-linear
response of the listener to mix the two signals
generating a low frequency product that may have
some effect. People toyed with it in the 1940's
probably earlier... The computer is simply a
substitute for two audio oscillators. You can
obtain the same effect with two low power RF
oscillators pointed at the subject's head.
Magnetic fields as work well. There was even
an LP produced with two tones recorded on it
(yeah, vinyl) for use with stereo headphones
in the 1970's. Flashing lights also work to
some extent too.
The main thing is to get that low frequency signal
into the brain, either directly generated or as
the result of mixing to signals with the desired
difference in frequency. The path to the brain
can be through the senses like sound or light.
It may be an applied electrical current. Or via
radio waves, magnetic induction, even electrostatic
fields have been used.
One company I worked for modified some standard
product high power microwave sources for research
in this area during the late 1970's.
Why fiddle with some second order effect when you
can go straight to the root of the matter?
Google trans cranial electro stimulation instead.
Also check the USPTO. The methods run the gamut
from gentle brain wave entrainment to magnetically
induced electro convulsive "therapy."
Some names of historical interest; Jose Delgado
(the original doctor evil inserted electrodes
directly into the brain) probably used equipment
made by Grass Instruments. Michael Persinger who
uses magnetic induction. Frey, Sharp and Grove
researched microwave induced hearing.
Patrick Flanagan who seems to have gone off the
deep end after inventing an electronic hearing
device using surface electrodes and Somatics, LLC
the magnetic seizure and ECT guys. Even waaay back
guys like Volta and Ampere experimented with currents
though the eyes and ears...
Of course I'm not advocating that anyone experiment
with their brain. Leave that for the professionals.
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Re: Bah!
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When I saw...
NOW THAT WOULD BE A GREAT TECHNO-PANIC!
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Gateway Drug...
Kim Kommando's real gateway drug is her husband. He has a radio show in the Phoenix area and if anything will drive you to drugs, it is listening to his show!
Freedom
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The real scary thing
Hilarious and Scary. Also, totally a myth and untrue.
Come to think of it, that article is basically a "Brown Note" of sorts as it's just crap.
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Well
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some digital drugs to consume.
DS
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Drugs, Morality, Retribution, Assertion-of-Power...
Fortunately, although they are American citizens, and adults now, they were able to spend most of their youths outside the USA.
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compare USA Today article to 6/28/08 Komando posting
http://www.komando.com/tips/index.aspx?id=5095
Am I the only one who thinks the tone of the 6/28/08 posting is substantially different from that of the USA Today article?
BAD, BAD media. STOP picking on the sheeples...they panic much too easily for this type of obfuscation and FUD.
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Re: compare USA Today article to 6/28/08 Komando posting
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50 cents worth
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i forgot one thing...
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Re: i forgot one thing... ummm errr
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Shhhh
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Re:
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======================================================
peter
to learn games
games4all
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digital drugs
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OMG
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Beat Frequency Drugings
I'm a composer and producer here in Canada. Since the 80's I've been producing those entirely bogus "hypno" recordings and following the research on this subject.
From my personal experience I can say, yes, you can definately get a kind of brain-isn't-working-correctly buzz from listening to this stuff. My research eventually led me to conclude that the whole "hemi-sync" hypothesis is bad for you.
Your brain is *supposed* to have two, independantly working hemispheres running at slightly different "clock speeds". Syncing them only serves to interfere with the proper working of your brain. Not so great, really.
But as for the whole youtube videos nonsense, purely a reaction to being on camera/placebo/ego thing. It actually takes 20+ minutes for anything signifigant to happen. And by signifigant I mean, feels like you've been listening to sine waves with your eyes closed for 20 minutes. That'll make anyone feel goofy.
Just a thought.
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binaural beats
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Asbestos used to be looked at a wonder item, then we discovered out that it isn't. Everyone said men should have their flat examined, until the latest research came out that says it does more damage than excellent.
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