We did that in high school physics. Physics was last period and before swim practice. We'd put a pencil in our hands and dangle our hand off the edge of the desk. When you dropped your pencil it'd wake you up. Hopefully it'd wake you up so the team wouldn't skeak off an leave you sleeping in the physics lab.
Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
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Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#42This does sound very cool, although I wouldn't be shocked to read at some point in the future that it couldn't be replicated.
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Maybe something like a soft object that when a few moments after it is released makes a squeak sound. Could use some kind of heat or capacitive touch sensor to detect when it's no longer in contact with your hand. Or I guess the KISS version of that would just be to use some sort of physical switch to detect when the object hits the floor. I could totally see there being a market for something like this!
I spent a bit of time trying to do it with flex sensors. Strap one to your hand, make a fist, take your nap, detect when muscle tone is lost and it unbends. I ran out of interest before I got it to work but I still think it's viable. Probably smart to build the flex sensor into a glove for ease of use, and you could put the microcontroller on there too. https://core-electronics.com.au/flex-sensor-2-2.html
You could also buy one of those two-piece door sensors that sound an alarm when you separate them. Tie one to your hand (or glue it onto a special sleeping glove), and hold the other piece.
Only potential problem is that you might get a heart attack considering how loud those things can be.
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#44Instead of holding a pencil, can't a smartwatch detect your sleep state and wake you up at exactly the right moment?
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#45This may have to do with being relaxed, not really thinking about the problem at hand and letting your intuition take over. I have had experiences where working intensely on a problem, even for weeks, didn't solve it but walking away from it and being totally relaxed and the solution just popped in my head. It could be in a shower, having a meal with friends, in the middle of the night or on a walk. You already have the necessary facts and observations but somehow you have not made that last intuitive leap. And when you do, you instantly know it is right as all of a sudden the cloud of possibilities collapses to a single point!
I don't think of it as creativity as much as sparking one's intuition. The "sleep technique" test also relies pattern recognition, which is sort of a limited creativity. You are making the final connection as opposed to opening up a whole new world of possibilities.
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#46Instead of holding a pencil, can't a smartwatch detect your sleep state and wake you up at exactly the right moment?
You’re not going to get that sort of fidelity from a smart watch, you need some brain traces
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#47I use the hypnogagic state as part of my meditation routine. I always shower before bed and that's when I tend to start getting sleepy. So I started meditating during that time. I can get to the phase of seeing shifting colors and patterns very easily in this setup. I've been able to get there outside the hypnogagic state but only with some difficulty and not consistently.
Meditation is about being alert and present. Hypnagogia in my experience is a hindrance that impedes meditation progress since it dulls the senses and experience.
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#48Instead of holding a pencil, can't a smartwatch detect your sleep state and wake you up at exactly the right moment?
Maybe? Why would you want to when a simple solution exists?
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#49I think I once got into this hypnagogic state by accident. I was having a nap and my dogs woke me up because it was time for their walk. I felt sleepy while walking the dogs but also had a clarity regarding anything I examined in my mind. It's as if my regular state of mind was like walking in a forest with limited visibility, and now I could see the territory from a bird's perspective. This lasted for about 15 mins…
I guarantee that someone out there can recommend a substance which achieves that effect
Weed could do it. Other things too, but weed is always a good first stop for nice mind effects.
Re: Sleep technique used by Salvador Dalí works
#50[deleted]