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The spectacle of Earth suspended in space was so overwhelming for Edgar Mitchell that the Apollo 14 astronaut and sixth man on the moon wanted to grab politicians by the scruff of the neck and drag them into space to witness the view.
Such drastic measures may not be necessary, however. Scientists are about to welcome the first participants on an unprecedented clinical trial that aims to reproduce the intense emotional experience, known as the "Overview effect", from the comfort of a health spa.
If the trial goes well, what led Mitchell to develop "an instant global consciousness" and a profound connection to Earth and its people could be recreated with nothing more than a flotation tank, a half tonne of Epsom salts, and a waterproof virtual reality (VR) headset.
"There's a lot of division and polarisation and disconnection between people," said Steven Pratscher, a psychologist and principal investigator on the trial at the University of Missouri. "We'd like to see if we can recreate the Overview effect on Earth to have an impact on those issues."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Bot on Tuesday December 31 2019, @07:22PM (6 children)
Suspiciously look like the sensory deprivation tanks used for mind control in suspiciously detailed science fiction novels. Well, we survived discos (the actualization of other forms of mind control with loud music, flashes of lights and drugs), in fact I enjoy them. So let's cross our fingers.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @07:46PM
A sensory deprivation tank isn't strictly needed since you have a VR helmet on, but it's likely to let you float better than a bathtub, and would be easier to keep clean than a pool or whatever.
https://www.urbanfloat.com/blog/2017/10/23/can-you-float-in-your-bathtub [urbanfloat.com]
https://www.wefloat.net/index.php/floatation-therapy-forum/1154-how-much-salt-is-required-to-maintain-a-float-tank [wefloat.net]
What I'm getting from this is that you need about a ton of epsom salts ($300-500) initially and only a small amount of it periodically to replenish it.
Flotation tank could cost between $10k to $30k, but this Kickstarter [kickstarter.com] got it down to about $1,600 allegedly, and DIY might be less. That's not far off from what you might pay for a gaming PC + a VR headset.
Alternatively, just somehow find a waterproof version of Oculus Go/Quest ($200-500?) and go to a spa with a sensory deprivation tank for $50+ per hour. Chances are you either will not care about doing this more than once or need to try it first before making it a weekly thing.
A float tank + VR helmet is for lazing around or getting that space-like experience, whereas Omni [wikipedia.org] + VR helmet tries to solve the active movement problem.
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(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:12PM (3 children)
There's something wrong with people whose minds don't immediately go "this is a scam." Maybe they don't know that the moon has gravity? Will they also sign up for a trip to the suns surface because we'll go at night when it's cooler? Anyone who falls for this deserves their place on the B Ark.
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:25PM
Astronauts train underwater on Earth. I don't think they train in sensory deprivation tanks but they do use isolation chambers sometimes. It's not perfect but it will have to do. Kind of like any virtual reality system short of a Matrix-style direct brain connection.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 01 2020, @02:44AM
https://soylentnews.org/~barbara+hudson/journal/ [soylentnews.org]
Hypocrite, much?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Common Joe on Wednesday January 01 2020, @11:07AM
I had wondered myself, although I'm not 100% sure because I don't know the science behind it. (I doubt anyone does.)
I suspect the first people not flying a plane but riding in one felt it. I felt something similar the first time I rode in a plane.
And if I'm right, then it's only a large perceptual shift that we're feeling. People with little or no emotions won't experience it. I suspect it's similar to the people who feel like they disconnect with their body when they are in deep prayer or meditatation. (I can't think of the term right now, but doctors have measured the particular areas of the brain affected. It's reproducible in a lab.)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 01 2020, @10:23AM
Search the one khallow dwells in. If you can't find it, it just means his mind has been thoroughly washed already and the only good a flotation tank can do to him is to drown in it. Which will be a pity, they'll need to drain that half a tonne of Epsom salts; such a waste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 31 2019, @07:38PM (3 children)
And no, it probably won't work. The missing ingredient is knowing the meaning of the experience. Floating in a tank doesn't measure up.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @07:47PM (2 children)
People are apparently paying $50-100 per hour just to float in the tank (maybe with the cost of drugs on top of that). Why not add a waterproof VR headset to the mix?
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:04PM
Or some LSD!
(Score: 5, Interesting) by sgleysti on Tuesday December 31 2019, @10:24PM
I went in for a 90 minute session at a "flotation" spa near me after reading the article several days ago. I found it to be both very relaxing and an interesting environment in which to think. I felt it was worth the money and might go again sometime.
(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday December 31 2019, @07:38PM (10 children)
Except in matters of the heart, emotional decisions are flawed compared to rational ones. It is telling that scientists who are unable to make a strong rational case are resorting to emotional arguments.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @07:48PM (5 children)
It is telling that you have become the fun police!
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(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:50PM (4 children)
I've been reading The Hell of Good Intentions. But I guess you can keep taking your soma pills or whatever.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @09:13PM (3 children)
This man's high on life.
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(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday December 31 2019, @10:37PM (2 children)
Good for you. Maybe you're also in the habit of telling others to smile more [theatlantic.com].
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @10:55PM (1 child)
Enjoy Doomsday in 2020. :)
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(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday December 31 2019, @11:12PM
I'm actually an optimist. Happy New Year!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Wednesday January 01 2020, @10:27AM (2 children)
If you think any decision taken by politicians is pure rational, no emotions (like greed and/or vanity) involved, I have a bridge to sell you.
Come on, you know you wants it, precious. Just think how many people will admire you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday January 01 2020, @03:28PM (1 child)
So what? The point is that this doesn't have a rational argument
Politicians aren't even involved.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday January 03 2020, @12:40AM
Yes, indeed, which is sorta a pity.
But, realistically... they barely have a personal conscience**, poor chances for them to develop "an instant global consciousness", even if one would
---
** having one is a major drawback for sociopaths.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 01 2020, @07:27PM
Lol, your kind of thinking is what leads to genocide. It is often quite simple to create supposedly logical reasons for genocide.
Besides, your comment is quite ignorant if you think these scientists are being overly emotional. The fact that you don't understand makes me think you have some issues with being close minded or overly analytical.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:13PM (2 children)
In 2025, People started going into space to obtain "an instant global consciousness" that was unable to be adequately simulated in VR float tanks. Those who returned, raving about the effect, encouraged more people to seek it out. Soon, scores of people were rocketing into space to experience the effect, with Each rocket launch using more resources than 100 airline trips, thus exacerbating global warming, the very thing they were trying to help.
(Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:26PM
SoylentNews is social media. Says so right in the slogan. Soylentnews is people, not tech.
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Tuesday December 31 2019, @08:42PM
Starship will burn methane with oxygen to produce mostly CO2 and water vapor. The methane could be made using the Sabatier process. Competitors might use hydrogen + oxygen.
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(Score: 1) by joey0 on Tuesday December 31 2019, @09:39PM
100 people from a small city in the midwest introduces host of biases. The sample size isn't large enough for the experiment to be even worth while.
I like what he's thinking though.
...sigh...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 31 2019, @11:52PM (2 children)
n/t
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 01 2020, @07:07AM
Watch the first episode of Fringe.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday January 01 2020, @12:33PM
Why not both? (grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by jmichaelhudsondotnet on Wednesday January 01 2020, @02:55PM
that you can use an image viewing program and sufficiently large display in a room with the lights all off to imagine that you are in that picture.
Then you can turn on music, grab a bottle of wine, and imagine you are in the space station without all of the attendant bureaucratic bullshit and risk of death. Or wetsuit. Don't knock it til you tried it.
But the tank thing might be nice, it is just rich people entertainment, and I have little estimation any amount of hours anywhere is going to morally reform these people if the atrocity of their greed is not already apparent.
Here have some free pictures:
https://thepiratebay.org/search/NASA/0/99/600 [thepiratebay.org]
https://archive.is/ZinJT [archive.is] i have little sympathy for parasites, and doubt the ability of such blind people to have epiphanies, at all
https://archive.is/QBVQJ [archive.is] this vr topic is one that promises to distract us from much more important not-vr things