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Sunglasses that train your brain by dimming when you daydream (digitaltrends.com)
54 points by vivek11439 on May 3, 2015 | hide | past | favorite | 22 comments


This seems like a very bad thing to do. Daydreaming may have a very important factor in how our brain deal with overwhelming amount of information. By interfering with it, you're more likely to mess up your ability to retain information and other things.

If you're that easily distracted, this device ain't going to help, you have a bigger problem than daydreaming. Gotta change the environment around you, not the brain's fault that you keep feeding it too much.


I disagree. I think the idea is not to eliminate daydreaming, but to remedy those who do it excessively (I have been one of these when I was younger). Once you've got the problem under control, you should discontinue use.

As for your second point, sometimes it is the brain's fault. It may not be severe enough to be a disorder, but individuals differ in their ability to concentrate.

But I understand what you mean -- there are a lot of distraction creators in the modern world (smartphones being on top, IMO). Using a device without addressing those is not the best way to go.


This is just neurofeedback which many people believe is an effective treatment for ADHD. Day dreaming in and of itself is not bad, but constantly being distracted from tasks is. Some people are incapable of reading more than a page of text without losing concentration.

Neurofeedback is useful for training yourself to produce different mental states on command, so you can focus when you want to focus.


Right - this device seems to be for the kind of person who only measures "productivity" and "being engaged with something" by direct and tangible, immediate results. I read five pages - I was productive. I wrote two pages - I was productive.

Lord knows how many times I've been able to refine my thinking and model of something by just casually letting my mind wander and quasi-daydreaming about it.


Can they be hacked to dim when they detect that you are perceiving danger?


Of course they can, Zaphod.


Dimming the glasses while in danger doesn't seem like a sensible thing to do.


http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Joo_Janta_200_Super-Chroma... It is, if you want to help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger.


That's right, it should come with auto-dampening headphones as well. See no evil, hear no evil.


Hrmmm...I've only ever seen studies that claim daydreaming is an important part of creativity, learning, and mental health.


Cute, but why not just shock yourself instead? Like an anti-barking collar Dimming the glasses doesn't seem very punishing, in fact it might help you sleep.


Instead of shocking people, why not dim some lenses in front of their eyes?


It's probably not easy to get electroshock devices approved for sale. Also, is "punishing" what they are going for? It seems like it's biofeedback, which isn't the same, it stimulates awareness.


> It's probably not easy to get electroshock devices approved for sale

It's easy if you classify your product as a "game".

http://www.electricshock.org/electric-shock-games.html


Hah. That's amazing.


No, he is being sarcastic. I believe that counts as gratuitous negativity: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html


>sarcasm is gratuitous negativity

I hope YOU'RE being sarcastic.


I'll invoke Poe's Law.


Like pavlok.com?


Handicap eyeshades for daydreamers. I think Harrison Bergeron is about that.


I use stimulants myself. There is no way I'm daydreaming after three cups of coffee.


This is beyond cool. Are there any known side-effects to the sensor?




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