[ni'k]

i found this cool programme called virtual hypnotist - no you can really make those explorers,ferraro etc. CS's work!

you can use whatever audio (or video) you want in this programme, so you can effectively use it to hypnotise yourself using whatever album you want - or make a hypnagogic video to accompany an album.

it's up on majorgeeks
http://majorgeeks.com/Virtual_Hypnotist_d4623.html

or you can get it straight from the site
http://vhypno.sourceforge.net/

i've only messed about on this briefly but imagine it could be cool to use for drone/ambient/hypnagogic albums.
________________________________________________
as could the dream machine -

 

____________________________________

i know some might be cynical about it - so you can first read this new york times article

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/20/garden/20mach.html?ex=1264050000&en=2ead60550b324624&ei=5 088&partner=rssnyt

AT first glance it looked like something in the window of a TriBeCa furniture store, an oversize lamp from the early 60's maybe. But when Kate Chapman flicked a switch and the three-foot high latticework cylinder in front of me began to spin, it was clear that we were dealing with more than just another piece of midcentury flotsam. The machine started to cast strobelike patterns of bright light on our faces, and when I closed my eyes as instructed, there they were, the dazzling multicolored forms that I'd been told about: mandalas and crosses and even Mandelbrot fractals, dancing across my eyelids.
I was sitting on the floor of Ms. Chapman's Brooklyn loft, and she was demonstrating her prized household appliance, a 1996 Dreamachine originally made for William S. Burroughs. Besides the trippy visual effects the device is said to induce an "alpha state" - a state conducive to lucid dreaming or intense daydreaming - in people who face the cylinder with their eyes closed as it spins around a bright light.
Dreamachine enthusiasts - whose ranks have swelled recently thanks to chat forums and a book published last year - claim that it promotes a trancelike serenity, intensifies creativity and insight and even uncovers suppressed memories. Ms. Chapman's Dreamachine is one of more than a thousand that have been manufactured since the early 90's by a California composer and conductor named David Woodard. One is on display this month at the Clair Obscur Gallery in Los Angeles along with an exhibit of photographs of Burroughs taken by John Aes-Nihil, an underground filmmaker, and the premiere at the gallery of his film, "William Burroughs in the Dreamachine." Burroughs, along with other figures from the Beat Generation like Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary, was fascinated, even at times obsessed by the Dreamachine, which was invented in 1959 by their fellow Beats Brion Gysin, an artist, and Ian Sommerville, a math student at Cambridge. Mr. Leary called it "the most sophisticated neurophenomenological device ever designed"; Mr. Burroughs experimented with it for nearly four decades. (The film shows him using his Dreamachines at his home in Lawrence, Kan., shortly before his death in 1997) ....

"He was focused on its commercial potential," Mr. Geiger said. "He imagined a Dreamachine in every suburban home, in the spot formerly occupied by the television set, but broadcasting inner programming. He really saw this idea as his ticket out of bohemia town."
Mr. Gysin's attempts to commercialize the Dreamachine during the 60's and 70's never got very far. He met with corporations like Philips, Columbia Records and Random House, but they did not share his vision of the Dreamachine as the successor to TV. They were also worried about lawsuits resulting from seizures caused by the machine. ...


David Woodard, who now makes Dreamachines to order at his studio in Los Angeles, learned about the device from a friend of Mr. Gysin's a few years after his death in 1986. Mr. Woodard was able to borrow the original Dreamachine templates from the friend, and built his first one in 1989; within a few years word of mouth and modest advertising led to a full-fledged business. He made two for William Burroughs and has made others for celebrities including Iggy Pop, Beck and Kurt Cobain. ( Rumors circulated that Cobain had been using the device heavily in the days leading up to his suicide, although later reports contradicted this.)...

Ms. Chapman thought it might be helpful if my body were more relaxed, so I lay down on a sofa, and she put on soothing music. She flicked the machine back on as I shut my eyes. A moment later there they were, the same flashing patterns as before. After a while I became bored and my mind began to drift.
That's when it happened. I didn't "see" as much as I strongly imagined a campfire in a clearing in a dense forest at night. My boyfriend Jim was sitting to my left, laughing. Later I seemed to find myself in a large empty auditorium, walking toward some chairs arranged in the middle of the room. In one creepy moment I was in a basement hallway, following closely behind someone walking ahead of me, whose face I couldn't see.
I was imagining these scenes so vividly that it was almost as if I were seeing them. The thoughts had a kind of slow-motion jump-cut feel, just like dreams, but because I was fully conscious, I was able to contemplate all of this as it was happening.
With my eyes still shut and my mind now very relaxed and slightly adrift, I started to notice that the wall of flashing patterns was receding backward and developing a dark border around its edges. It was at that moment that I sensed someone to my left, sitting beside me, watching what I was watching. This figure was not in the room with me, but in my head, which had now turned into a little theater. I felt that if I turned my head, I would be able to look over at this person.
I opened my eyes, and reality rushed back in, to my relief. That last vision hadn't really been frightening, but it wasn't exactly heartwarming either. But I was impressed. As I talked to Ms. Chapman about my experience, I became aware of an unusual serenity and mental clarity, as if I had just waked from a refreshing nap.
Days after my experience with Ms. Chapman I found myself craving the Dreamachine and the vivid imagery and sense of calm it had produced. I'm not sure I would part with $500 to bring one into my life. But having lived through the experience, it was hard not to think about Mr. Gysin's vision of an alternate-universe America in which every home would tune into internal landscapes instead of commercial programming.

if you read the full article, at first it didn't work for her but then the second time it did. if you are at all skeptical or curious this is a really good article that will explain it all.

[ni'k]

 

 

________________________
http://legendsmagazine.net/105/brion.htm

A dreamachine is little more than a perforated tube of paper placed on a spinning platter with a light bulb positioned in the tube. Holes are cut from the tube according to a specific pattern. You sit in front of the dreamachine at eye-level with the bulb, with your eyes closed. If constructed correctly the dreamachine should emit a pulse of light between 8-13 Hz, which is the precise rhythm of alpha-waves in the brain. Alpha-waves are dominant during the "alpha state," which occurs during deep meditation or the early stages of sleep. Alpha-waves are associated with a healthy mind and a stress-free life. For those of us with mentally taxing jobs and stressful lives, the dreamachine can restore order and relaxation, with the bonus of some interesting visual effects.
The first dreamachine was imagined and constructed by Brion Gysin sometime in the early 1960's with the aid of mathematician Ian Sommerville. Gysin, an occultist, artist and writer living in Paris, was a close friend of William S. Burroughs (who often receives credit for the invention). Burroughs and Gysin experimented with the dreamachine extensively. Both men were familiar with British neuroscientist W. Gray Walter's discovery that flashing lights quickly altered brain activity and not only the visual cortex, but the whole mind.
Aside from relaxation and increased mental abilities, dreamachine users report seeing otherworldly colors, swirling intricate patterns and dream-like images.

Subjects report dazzling lights of unearthly brilliance and color. ...Elaborate geometric constructions of incredible intricacy build up from multidimensional mosaic into living fireballs like the mandalas of Eastern mysticism or resolve momentarily into apparently individual images and powerfully dramatic scenes like brightly colored dreams. - William S. Burroughs

You could achieve the same "alpha state" after learning and practicing meditation, or by training yourself with bio-feedback machines, however the dreamachine offers you a fantastic light show and relatively quick alpha-wave production. People find that dreamachine therapy and other alpha-wave related therapy lead to decreased anxiety, overall calmness, increases IQ scores, increases in brain hemisphere coordination and overall intellectual function. All this without drugs!

wiki -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamachine

it is possible to make one of these yourself, using a bulb, cardboard and a 78rpm record player -

this guy has written instructions
http://www.danpetley.co.uk/dream%20m...structions.htm

you can also buy them in america or from here in the uk from a website that i can't find the link to - they are about 40quid in the uk. the american guy featured in the nyt article sells them from $500 up to $3000
__________________________________________________ ____
link to online dream machine

don't use it if you are epileptic, sit in the dark close to the screen with your eyes closed - it seriously works, it took me 3 tries but stick with it and make sure you are relaxed properly and breathing deeply.http://www.netliberty.net/dreamachine.html
REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED!


so remember if you are epileptic DON'T USE IT!
__________________________________________________ ___
documentary on the dream machine with burroughs and iggy -
: The dream machine looks simple enough: A 100-watt light bulb,
a motor, and a rotating cylinder with cutouts. Just sit in front
of it, close your eyes, and wait for the visions to come. The
dream machine offers a drugless high that its creator - poet,
artist, calligrapher and mystic Brion Gysin - believed would
revolutionize human consciousness. He wasn’t alone. Kurt Cobain
had a dream machine. And William S. Burroughs thought it could
be used to “storm the citadels of enlightenment.” With a
custom-made dream machine in tow, director Nik Sheehan takes
us on a journey into the life of Brion Gysin - his art, his
complex ideas, and his friendships with some of the 20th
Century’s key counterculture figures. Taking the dream machine
as the basis of its explorations, FLicKeR asks crucial
questions about the nature of art and consciousness, and
imagines a humanity liberated to explore its creativity in
complete freedom. http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4837...Rip.XviD-FiCO.
__________________________________________________ __________
some more youtube stuff on dream machines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&h...&v=fe57yuW4hFo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0rVU...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH_T6...eature=related

there are dream machines available on youtube but they are nowhere near as good as the one in the link i posted.
__________________________________________________ ___________

now hopefully with all that you can all dream and trip and hallucinate as much as you want in the safety of your own home. these things don't have any of the brain damaging health ruining self destructive aspects of certain drugs - and they are free so they don't run out. i've been using the online dream machine all night and it is amazing! it's not just for dreaming and getting freaky, i found it very relaxing and calming - they should use it in therapies.

[pbradley]

Yeah, I remember reading about Cobain's "dream machine."

Count this one as too lazy to reach enlightenment.

[ni'k]

how rude... after all the effort i put in.

why don't turn off the lights, go here http://www.netliberty.net/dreamachine.html click start, make it full screen and then close your eyes for 30 mins. it will relax you.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by ni'k

how rude... after all the effort i put in.

why don't turn off the lights, go here http://www.netliberty.net/dreamachine.html click start, make it full screen and then close your eyes for 30 mins. it will relax you.

 

then close your eyes for 30 seconds. it will relax you

[Rob Instigator]

 

[Rob Instigator]

 

[Rob Instigator]

 

[ni'k]

the whole point is that i'm off all drugs now and trying to stay off them. i thought my spiritual leader suchfriends would approve, but apparently he's been corrupted by the sweet sensimella...

[Rob Instigator]

what are "drugs?"

[ni'k]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

 

there that's better - those are exactly the kind of role models you want to emulate on your life of sobriety - those guys are way more freaky than any stanky stoner - they have authentic H-GOGIC CREDIBILITY as certified by dave keenan. it's a vaild currency.

[ni'k]

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator

what are "drugs?"

i no longer do coke weed ecstacy lsd ket strychnine and fuck knows what other crap was in the "ecstacy" i used to take alcohol tobbaco

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by ni'k

the whole point is that i'm off all drugs now and trying to stay off them. i thought my spiritual leader suchfriends would approve, but apparently he's been corrupted by the sweet sensimella...

as your spiritual advisor I would recommend

1)
smoke two joints in the morning

2)
smoke two joints at night

3)
smoke two joints before you smoke two joints

4)
and then smoke two more

 

then yr fit to watch some of yr favorite selections on Laserdisc TM

[floatingslowly]

hypnagogic is my most favorite word of all!

those "machines" look very easy to make. I think I might have a new project. god knows where I'd put it (the garage).

I'm not sure that I'd use paper and lightbulbs though.

[ni'k]

are you in the uk?

there is a site that sells them for £40 - you just need a 78rpm turntable to spin it on.

i think there are guides on how to build one somewhere in one of the links i posted.

make sure to post your results and keep us updated.

im off to use it before bed.

i can see myself using this thing at least once a week.

[floatingslowly]

I'm in the OKC and the turntable might be hard to find. I just wonder how fast it "has" to spin to make people dizzy.

[ni'k]

there is a turntable on ebay for £40 that has a 78rpm function. i actually used to have it, as a turntable for playing vinyl it was pretty mediocre. but still, you could prob find it or another one for less than £40.

it has to be between 8 and 13hz which you will get with a 78rpm one. altho i do remember reading a guide that said you could modify a 33rpm one to make it work, something to do with cutting the holes differently.

keep searching for the instructions, shouldnt be too hard to find. try youtube, some of the videos there i remember having links to sites with intstructions.

[floatingslowly]

I just think that if I'd ever be "allowed" to bring something like that into the house, it couldn't be sitting on an old record player.

I be a small electric motor would spin it fast enough. I'm not much of a craftsman, but I would think that the cut-out portion would be better if made of metal.

[Toilet & Bowels]

what does that software do?

[ni'k]

seriously all - i know many of you are skeptical. just try it for 15 mins at least tonight - it is REALLY working for me.

i don't know if it will work for everyone, but i seriously recommend trying it.

i woke up today feeling excellent after doing it before i went to bed last night.