Category Archives: Psychology

Cuttlefish Comm Board

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Communicating with animals is something that has interested me for quite some time. Whether it’s dolphins, chimps, seals, elephants, whales or wolves – I am interested in what they have to say.

Not an easy subject to study unless one happens to be an academic or a scientist. However, I have an idea to study animal communication from my garage to a local aquarium.

I plan to learn more about how the cuttlefish communicates. Cuttlefish belong to the class Cephalopoda – same as the octopus, squid, and nautilus.

Cuttlefish communicate primarily with their skin cells. They have specially adapted cells (chromatophores) that can change color, pattern and shape. These displays communicate to other cuttlefish various behaviors – aggression, mating, territory, and more.

Here’s my idea: build a cuttlefish communication/display board that is equipped with a programmable LED display strip. The LED strip can be programmed to simulate known cuttlefish displays (very rudimentary), as well as present new ones to see how the cuttlefish behaves. I am not even sure if it will work?

Where would I test this – at an aquarium with cuttlefish of course. I’d have to obtain permission, but I would wear all dark clothing (less likely to be seen in the background) with the cuttlefish comm board hanging about chest high. The LEDs would be controlled via an app on my phone.

Okay, crazy, but so interesting to really try it.

This is a long-term project. At this time, I have the board cut out and the addressable LED strip.

I am working on obtaining an Arduino kit (microcontroller and software) so I can program using my PC (with help) the LEDs to display in specified colors, patterns, and rates. First, I will emulate known displays and then create some mixed displays.

Once I have a functional prototype, I will contact a couple of local aquariums to set up a demo.

I hope that I can clearly communicate to them what I am trying to do. Do you think that they will understand?

Star Medal Dream Earrings

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Whenever I have a dream that I feel is significant, I try to bring an idea or product back from the dream to the waking state. I learned about this concept from reading Dr. Patricia Garfield’s books and her work with the Senoi dreamers of the Peninsular Malaysia.

One example of an idea I brought back from a dream is a pair of Star Medal Dream Earrings. I had them made up by a jeweler. Here is one of the earrings.

I’d like to share the dream with you. This is not a recent dream, but one which I had many years ago.

“Wandering through the Oregon woods, I came across a 1930ish style town.  The entire town was having some sort of a celebration, perhaps religious.

I overheard a woman asking where is the medal that her boyfriend had sent her from France.  At that moment, a little girl standing next to her says she is so happy that Jesus has given her a star.  She says that the star medal makes her little baby brother very happy.  He smiles all the time when she shows him the medal, even though he has been sick.  The little girl knows she has something special.

Somehow, I found out that this medal was made centuries ago from the star that led the three Wisemen to Christ’s birthplace.  The night following Christ’s birth, the star burned out and fell to Earth.  What was left of the star was recovered by a craftsman and fashioned into the Star Medal.

The Star Medal has gone through countless changing of hands, and now winds up in this backwards town in Oregon.”

It was a very powerful dream and I have had several others related to it over the years.

Here is the dream image that I sketched when I awoke from the dream, and ultimately gave to the jeweler.

He put the design into his CAD program and a day later sent me this image.

I thought that they looked amazing and said, “Please make them,” and he did.

Dreams are and can be very powerful. Respect them and always try to understand what their meaning has in your life. You will not be disappointed in your effort.