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Sixth Sense Eraser

 Now you see it, now they don't.
 
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Ever had the feeling you were being watched? The hairs standing up on the back of your neck, or your spine tingling?

The sixth sense eraser is a small patch attached to the skin which would sense these reflexes (hence tapping into your sixth sense or intuition). The signals are sent into your PC and if you feel like you're being watched from behind it would immediately wipe your screen of sensitive information.

After blanking the screen, the sixth sense eraser would monitor your reaction - if your body showed signs of relief, it would turn the screen back on. If it detected symptoms of terror, it would erase the recent history and/or hard drive.

I envisage this as a tool for people who are saving the world with James Bond style espionage, or for scientists who might be overlooked while working with sensitive information.

However, I imagine that the project would be funded by a commercial version aimed at people safeguarding their reputations while surfing porn on the internet.

Obviously the patch will be blue tooth so that James Bond doesn't get tangled up in wires as he leaps into action.

—Fishrat, Mar 16 2004

Can people tell they're being watched? http://www.csicop.o.../2001-03/stare.html
Debate from Skeptical Inquirer, with Robert Blake anti and Rupert Sheldrake pro. Blake's research seems flawed, but Sheldrake's not convincing either. [kropotkin, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Fortean Times on same research http://www.forteant...les/101_stare.shtml
[kropotkin, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

http://www.bauerfot...speak/eyes_back.htm http://www.bauerfot...speak/eyes_back.htm
Your muscles know where they are, in relation to each other. [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

proprioception http://serendip.bry...ro02/web2/slee.html
Your muscles know where they are, in relation to each other. [Vernon, Oct 05 2004]


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Annotation:







       Or just position your desk so your back is to the wall. Duh.   

       Though I do think this might be interesting for research purposes. You could track people's reactions right before they are strike by serial killers or die in automobile accidents, and see if they sensed it was coming like they do in the films.
—DrCurry, Mar 16 2004
   

       You could have your pc remotely lift the back of your hair and stare right back. [link]   

       So... the hard drive was erased at 03.21am. I'd put the time of death at... let me see... hmm... 03.21am. Smart work Dr Watson. I mean Curry.
—Fishrat, Mar 16 2004
   

       Let's see...if the traditional five senses are those of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, then this Idea here must actually be about a SEVENTH sense, not a sixth!   

       The reason is that there is indeed a sixth physical sense, and its name is "proprioception". This is the sense you use, when your eyes are closed and your arms are outstretched, to touch your nose with your index fingertip. It is a sensing of the position of the body, from WITHIN, via the muscles.   

       Furthermore, there are some people who lack this sense, and they are indeed handicapped, just as blind and deaf people have handicaps. See link.
—Vernon, Mar 16 2004
   

       No Vernon, that is you physical perception and is linked to your sense of balance. which is not regarded as a sense at all. Which maybe some would argue it should be. Also most people regard the sixth sense as the sense of consciousness. thus the reason I feel fishrat used it in the title. Anyway, enough. This is a little pedantic. It would be interesting to see if when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up that it actual means something is wrong. This device could test that. i am sure some interesting results could be gained from this experiment.
—DRudge, Mar 16 2004
   

       interesting link [V] but at first glance I don't see that as being a *sense* in the same way as the others. the traditional 5 and fishie's 6th are about perceiving and being conscious of objects etc that are outside our own selves. well worth reading though.
—po, Mar 16 2004
   

       ;)
—DrCurry, Mar 16 2004
   

       ;)
—po, Mar 16 2004
   

       [DRudge] and [po], when the human body has been described as being a kind of universe unto itself (complexity not size), then sensings within that universe are worthy of note. What sense is involved when Oriental monks do the equivalent of biofeedback exercises (WITHOUT the conversion-to-audiovisual hardware that Westerners use)?   

         

       Then there are aspects to the ordinary senses that can boggle the mind...for example, did you know that if you have normal hearing, and are placed in an "anechoic chamber" (extremely quiet room), and given time to adjust, you can actually hear air molecules bouncing off your eardrums? That's the fundamental noise level of the transmission medium! (Your brain also has circuitry that can do some echolocation, like a bat, but involving normal human-hearing frequencies.)   

       Now I don't mind that it is traditional to equate a sixth sense with parapsychological phenomena (MUCH more than merely noticing being watched; there are many known cases of precognition, and remote empathy, and psychometry, and etc.), but I do understand that this tradition exists because proprioception was not even recognized as a sense until very modern times. Why else does it have such a fancy multi-syllabic name, while all the other senses can be referenced by just one syllable each?   

       So, all I was trying to do was indicate that that traditional "sixth sense" needs to be promoted. Not to mention that this would be a good match, the mystical sense with the number 7, heh heh.   

       [bristolz], nice try, :), but actually, of course, the sense of touch is the main one involved there (and what a touch it is!).
—Vernon, Mar 16 2004
   

       Just to not-let-go of this Idea yet, here are a few more physical "senses" -- what do you suppose they are called?   

       The sensation that informs you that you need to run to the restroom QUICKLY.   

       The sensation that informs you are hungry or thirsty.   

       The sense that informs you are roasting or freezing, DIFFERENT from the temperature sensors built into your skin.
—Vernon, Mar 21 2004
   

       Actually - any other senses would be after:
Common sense
Sense of humo(u)r
—thumbwax, Mar 21 2004
   

       " I see 'baked' people".   

       :-)
—dale223, Aug 22 2004
   


 

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