h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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Well I’m back after a refreshing Xmas break, and now I shall continue stirring up the big ‘ol pot of conversation like I did before I went away.
My first idea of this brand-spanking-new year is one aimed at those who find being high up very, very scary.
Many people (including my self) suffer from vertigo.
At times it can be completely incapacitating as those affected can just freeze or grab hold of the nearest railing and not let go. The solution I have found to this problem is not to look, either by closing your eyes or keeping your head down. Both of these methods are very inconvenient for obvious reasons. Therefore I have created the solution of the vertigo helmet, a cross between a baseball cap and racehorse blinkers. The baseball cap is worn as normal but at the sides of the cap are two large moveable blinkers that can be positioned so that the heights seen over the sides of walls and railings can be partially concealed from view. Since this would look rather strange the blinkers can be concealed under a large veil-like piece of cloth that would cover the blinkers and the back of the neck. (Which would stop your neck from burning, two problems solved at the same time) The peak of the cap could also be made adjustable so that more of the unpleasant viewing can be concealed. This idea may seem completely stupid and unnecessary to some but it could effectively ease the fear of a vertigo sufferer.
[link]
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How can it be adjusted if the wearer can't let go of the railings? |
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1) Do you really mean that closing your eyes is an "incontinent" method for fighting vertigo? |
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2) If you put very strong magnifying lenses where you currently have the blinkers, the ground will appear larger, and thus not so far away, which would give the impression of not being so very high up. |
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Made a little speeling error there. The ideas put forward so far are great. Two points though:
*It would be adjusted before going up to the heights,
*If a big lense was used what would happen when you looked at things nearby. |
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The lenses are on the horizontal, at cheekbone level, so you only see through them when you look down. (Or weighted on a hinge, so that they are always directly underneath your field of vision - like the creepy opening-and-closing eyes on dolls). |
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Downside - you would look like you were wearing clown shoes. |
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A welding mask would have the same effect - as the original idea, I mean. |
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[friendlyfire], the focal point of the "very strong" magnifying lenses would need to coincide with the height in question. Otherwise the lenses would actually make the ground appear smaller, or farther away, intensifying the vertigo effect. |
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AN adjustable lense then, or maybe a groovy cybertronic eye with those spiral shutters which leave a little pupil like hole in the middle. |
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Yes that's it! Eureka! Where’s may towel!
Instead of the vertigo helmet, "vertigo glasses" with afore mentione cyber tronic eye. Now every one can look like a mad hunter-killer type robot, as well as eliminating vertigo. |
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[Friendlyfire] on the subject of vertigo and my accidental use of the word incontinent. Vertigo can do this to some people. |
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Perhaps this helmet/glasses can train you out of vertigo. The hysterical laughter of bystanders as you don said apparatus might help take your mind off the problem <g> |
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Hark, and ignore the scorn and laughter of the crows! |
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