Madam Lichtenstein's Cosmic World

Ring Tone Therapy

Ring tone therapy is becoming all the rage in Japan which is on the cutting edge of cell phone usage. A company called Japan Ringing Tone Laboratory claims that they are developing a series of ring tones that will help hay fever sufferers and even those who are overweight.

The Japan Ringing Tone Laboratory is led by Matsumi Suzuki, an expert in voiceprint technology. To use these so-called "therapeutic" ring tones all you have to do is to wait for a call from your mobile phone. For hay fever sufferers, the sound of the ring tone is supposed to dislodge pollen if the user holds the handset up to their nose. Another therapeutic ring tone is for those trying to lose weight.

While this is all very interesting, it is not totally proven out. However just for fun, I like Lab's  astrological rings tones. The Lab offers a range specially tailored for the needs of people with different astrology star signs, such as one for Taurus, the bull, complete with mooing.

As for me, I will try my luck with all sorts of ring tones to see what works for what.

Synthetic Telepathy

I have heard about mental telepathy and believe that some people may have this intuitive streak. And then I read about synthetic telepathy which is a type of computer programming that enables machines to think and "feel". Of course "feel' would be like a series a pre-programmed responses ... errr... I think.

According to a Futurist Magazine article earlier this year, there is a group a brilliant scientists and programmers who are trying to create a computer that feels on an emotional level. David Poeppel is a neuroscientist who is considered to be a master of synthetic techonolgy. He says all mental thoughts create an electronic signal that can be then transferred to a computer. The communication between a human brain and a computer could become telepathic commuication between human and machine.

I wonder what would happen if someone with psychic abilities was hooked into the computer in this way. Would the computer be able to better predict the future using these mental electronic signals coupled with computer-based strategic algorithims? I wonder...!!!

There are many good books on this interesting subject. Check out these Synthetic Telepathy Books

Apple iPhone App - Ocarina

The Apple iPhone has many applications but one new one is especially new age. It's called Ocarina, named after the ancient clay wind instrument.

Here is how it works:  Once you install and open this program, your iPhone's screen displays four colored circles of different sizes. These are the "holes" that you cover with your fingers, as you would the holes on a flute. Then you blow into the microphone hole at the bottom of the iPhone, and presto: the haunting, expressive, beautiful sound of a wind instrument comes from the iPhone speaker. Different combinations of fingers on those four "holes" produce the different notes of the scale. (You can change the key in Preferences--a first on a cellphone.) Tilting the phone up or down controls the vibrato.

You can check out the software company's Web site, Smule.com, for extra bits of information including sheet-music pages that show you how to play well-known songs on Ocarina.

It appears to be an amazing app that has many unique features. If you tap the little globe at the bottom of the screen, the screen changes to a map of the world--and you start hearing the Ocarina performance of one person, in one city (indicated by animated sound waves on the map), who's playing the thing *right now*. Sometimes it's the halting fumbles of a rank beginner; sometimes it's a lovely melody played by someone who's got the hang of it. You can hit a Next button to tune in to another stranger, and another, all around the world.

It's a brain-frying experience to know that you're listening to someone else playing Ocarina, right now, in real time, somewhere else on the planet. (And then you realize that someone, somewhere might be listening to *you*!) It creates a world wide musical experience.

Bravo Apple, Smule and Ocarina!!
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To help you make music, here's a songbook: 101 Songs for the Ocarina. If you don't have an iPhone you can still have fun with this "real" 12 Hole Ocarina From Legend of Zelda .