Snow World: Helping Burn Victims Using Gaming and VR

A joint research team at The University of Washington developed a VR game called Snow World. By playing this game, burn victims can reduce their pain perception by 50-90 %. The study of physiological aspects of pain has a long history, though the most prominent theory that explains how pain perception works is 'the gate theory'. The Gate control theory of pain is the idea that physical pain is not a direct result of activation of pain receptor neurons, but rather its perception is modulated by interaction between different neurons. To make a long story short, pain is experienced by modulating gates that turn pain on or off.

Brainstorming Application

Here's a site I found that helps you brainstorm with friends effectively.
http://www.molecularthinking.com/brainstorm/welcome

Seoul Nabi New Media Festival

Caspar and I grabbed a bus to Seoul this past weekend. I wanted to see Caspar's piece at the Seoul Museum of Art. He is in a show called Where Euclid Walked.
http://seoulmoa.seoul.go.kr/html/eng/exhibitions/search_result_detail.jsp?display_seq=2007-08-1
We also checked out the Nabi festival called pARTy, a corny name that stands for people, art, and technology. There was some interesting work. The best part of the show was an installation at the gallery (the rest of the show was at a theater complex). It was an experimental sound piece consisting of flickering lights that hung from the ceiling. The viewer brings in a box with headphones that looks like a geiger counter. The box reacts to the light frequency and creates different sounds in a way that encourages exploration and interactivity. I found myself weaving in and out of a landscape of morphing sounds. The performances at the theater were ok. I met Paul Miller A.K.A. DJ Spooky. He is a big art star who writes a lot about new media and experimental sound. He seems to have bridged the pop world and the academic world. Academics seem like him because of his ability to speak and write intelligently about his work as a DJ. The other interesting piece was a skate boarding performance in which the skateboards were wired with sensors that modulated sound. Professional skateboarders skated on a half-pipe to perform the piece. It was nice piece.