Surreal dreams and total immersion.

Imagine being able to design your own dreams.  Sounds fascinating ...  maybe another form of Creative Visualization :

Whatever you ardently desire,
Sincerely believe in,
Vividly imagine, and
Enthusiastically act upon,
Must inevitably come to pass.

- Sybil Leek, Diary of a Witch

Only here a gadget does it for you.  Yet a little scary ... what if the dream doesn't come true ... or on the other hand, starts governing your life ?  

I remember seeing a sci-fi movie many years ago on a similar theme - i forget the name now - where the main character had lost his girlfriend in an accident - and was able to re-create a life with her - through a gadget.  Photographs of his dead girl were fed into the gadget, and sounds, visuals, scents and touch were built in.  And he started to live his life with her in a small cubicle in a corner of his home, with the gadget and a headset ... and his dreams and fantasies with the dead girl.  So much so that he completely lost touch with reality ... and almost died - by physically stopping eating and sleeping, losing all ties with his family and friends, etc - you get the picture !  

'New toy makes your dreams come true'

"TOKYO (Reuters) - The Japanese company that came up with the hit "BowLingual" device that translates dogs' barks into human words has now come up with a dream product -- literally. Takara Co says its Yumemi Kobo, or "dream workshop", gadget gives stressed out people a chance to go on a holiday or find their ideal partner -- at least in their dreams.

Before nodding off, the would-be dreamer is supposed to look at a photo of what he or she wants to dream about and then record the story-line on the $140 (77 pound) machine. Using the voice recording as well as lights, music and aromas, the machine stimulates sleepers during periods of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and helps them direct their own dreams, the company says. After eight hours, it wakes them up gradually with music and lights that simulate sunlight, avoiding any shock that could destroy fragile memories.

The manufacturers caution, though, that not all users of the gadget achieve exactly the dreams they hope for ..."

A search on Google on this gadget led me to Josh Rubin's blog - Cool Hunting ... its neat ... he talks of "stuff from the intersection of design, culture and technology".

Thought for the Day - from my daily dose of guruisms : 

"Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding."

-- Myla & Jon Kabat-Zinn

Why do we want to become more aware?

If we remain unaware, we:
- repeat the past
- remain stuck in relationships
- live superficial, literal and one dimensional lives
- lack experiences of love and beauty, and
- have limited connection to others and the universe.

With awareness, we are fully involved with life. Awareness is sensing deeply and sensitively for what really is. To do this, we need to approach the present as totally new. When we can be open and attentive in each moment, we begin to free ourselves from the conditioning of the past and the suffering that it so often brings.

"If moment by moment you can keep your mind clear then nothing will confuse you."  - Sheng Yen

New York Times alerts us to watch out for a new worm : Bagle-A.

..... Users who suspect their computers may be infected with the virus should look for a file called bbeagle.exe in their Windows System directory. The file disguises itself with Microsoft familiar calculator icon."

Afterthought : could this be a hoax ?  I haven't really verified this - just went with it because i trust the source.