Lamp That Can Read Your Mind - It Turns The Color You're Thinking About
The Idea: The Mind Lamp is a $189 electric lamp with a random-event generator (REG) built in. When plugged in, the lamp gives off a white light before cycling through eight other colors. It then stays on the one that you're thinking about.How does this mind-matter interaction occur? Scientists aren't sure, but they claim that products that use REG behave "very differently" when subjected to human consciousness.
The inventors attempt to explain the phenomenon: "The REG uses a quantum phenomenon called electron tunneling, which is measured as a randomly fluctuating current across a potential barrier in an electric circuit. Surprisingly, and in a way that violates conventional theories in science, the PEAR researchers found statistically significant correlations between the output of the device and human intention in a variety of well-controlled experiments. The mechanism by which this occurs is unknown, and is the subject of ongoing research."
Whose Idea: Princeton, NJ-based Psyleron, a for-profit company and a non-profit research cooperative, based on the findings of the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory.
Why we like it: The concept of a mind lamp is fascinating because it draws a direct connection between the mind and physical objects. It's almost like the lamp is a living being - you stare at it and it knows what vibe you're giving off. Maybe this all sounds a little hard to believe (or even scary), but according to John Valentine, CEO and co-founder of Psyleron, "We are taking something that science says should be totally random, and we have evidence that suggests it’s not actually random, that people’s thoughts influence it." The Mind Lamp can be used to represent the human mind and, if anything, certainly helps us understand it.
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-15-most-brilliant-new-ideas-weve-seen-this-fall-2010-11?slop=1#slideshow-start
A $150 Wonder Pen With A USB Drive That Records Every Written And Audible Word
Here's how it works: The pen has a microphone and built-in speaker to record audio. It also has a camera that captures everything you write and draw. Once all of the audio/written notes have been recorded by the $150 1GB wonder pen, you can hook the device up to your computer via USB and transfer the files. Then, just copy and paste the HTML into a website or blog.
You can also share pencasts directly on Facebook, save your notes as PDF files, or export your recordings into an audio file.
Why we like it: Something as simple and mundane as handwritten notes can metamorphose into something as flashy as, well, Flash videos. Furthermore, the fact that they can be uploaded on the Internet with just a few clicks makes these Pulse Smartpens powerful little tools. Taking notes is a pain, and so is transcribing calls. This pen solves both of those annoyances.