Will we ever be able to see the brain at work? Could it be possible to observe thinking and feeling as if watching a live broadcast from within the human head? Brainmedia uncovers past and present examples of scientists and science educators who conceptualize and demonstrate the active human brain guided by new media technologies. Drawing on original archival material, Brainmedia outlines a new history of “live brains,” arguing that practices of - and ideas about - mediation impacted the imagination of seeing the brain at work. Through five carefully researched and illustrated historical case studies, Flora Lysen shows the conceptual but also practical assembling of brains and media: from exhibitions of giant illuminated brain models and staged projections of brainwave recordings; to live televised brain broadcasts, brains hooked up to computers and experiments with “brain-to-brain” synchronization. By combining accounts of scientists examining brains in laboratories with examples of public demonstrations and exhibitions of brain research, Brainmedia casts new light on popularization practices, placing them at the heart of scientific work. The book argues that a vital part of brain research is the performing of knowledge with and through media. This means that the significance attributed to neuroscientific research today also much depends on the changing forms of fascination that ultimately allow for the persistence of promises of seeing the live brain at work.

This is the first book on brain-computer interfaces (BCI) that aims to explain how these BCI interfaces can be used for artistic goals. Devices that measure changes in brain activity in various regions of our brain are available and they make it possible to investigate how brain activity is related to experiencing and creating art. Brain activity can also be monitored in order to find out about the affective state of a performer or bystander and use this knowledge to create or adapt an interactive multi-sensorial (audio, visual, tactile) piece of art. Making use of the measured affective state is just one of the possible ways to use BCI for artistic expression. We can also stimulate brain activity. It can be evoked externally by exposing our brain to external events, whether they are visual, auditory, or tactile. Knowing about the stimuli and the effect on the brain makes it possible to translate such external stimuli to decisions and commands that help to design, implement, or adapt an artistic performance, or interactive installation. Stimulating brain activity can also be done internally. Brain activity can be voluntarily manipulated and changes can be translated into computer commands to realize an artistic vision. The chapters in this book have been written by researchers in human-computer interaction, brain-computer interaction, neuroscience, psychology and social sciences, often in cooperation with artists using BCI in their work. It is the perfect book for those seeking to learn about brain-computer interfaces used for artistic applications.

The hidden brain is the voice in our ear when we make the most important decisions in our lives—but we’re never aware of it. The hidden brain decides whom we fall in love with and whom we hate. It tells us to vote for the white candidate and convict the dark-skinned defendant, to hire the thin woman but pay her less than the man doing the same job. It can direct us to safety when disaster strikes and move us to extraordinary acts of altruism. But it can also be manipulated to turn an ordinary person into a suicide terrorist or a group of bystanders into a mob. In a series of compulsively readable narratives, Shankar Vedantam journeys through the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to uncover the darkest corner of our minds and its decisive impact on the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Filled with fascinating characters, dramatic storytelling, and cutting-edge science, this is an engrossing exploration of the secrets our brains keep from us—and how they are revealed.

Intelligence is wasted on problems that themselves have been caused by an excess of intelligence. Lean Brain Management strives toward uncompromising Lean Brain Quality. Lean Brain stands for consistent economization of intelligence in all realms of life: Intelligent systems will only be operated by unskilled workers. Education, universities, and schools would become obsolete. A week of training would be enough for virtually any job. ("You are now the physician for the measles in the State of Ohio. In response to phone calls, send this prescription.") Lean Brain is not aimed at dumbing down! Lean Brain can survive on just a very small amount of central intelligence. Potential savings amount to trillions! This is demonstrated using Germany as an example. With this book, Dueck presents a radical suggestion for world improvement. The desire to laugh infinitely about it will eventually segue into a collective rude awakening. The book contains concrete advice for managers to economize on intelligence, and is thus—in keeping with the theme—written in an easy-to-read fashion. It contains no self-doubt whatsoever. Awarded the Business Book Prize from Financial Times Deutschland and getAbstract AG

This book offers a detailed exploration of the role social media plays in our daily lives and across a variety of contexts, from social networking sites, messaging applications, and enterprise communication platforms to virtual reality. Offering readers an introduction to the uses, effects, and central debates surrounding the subject of social media, this text is organized into three sections, each with a distinct focus. Part I provides an overview of social media, defining it through communication characteristics and exploring both theoretical and practical approaches to understanding it; Part II examines the impact of social media on individual users, including its effects on expression, health, and relationship management; and Part III investigates the wider social implications of social media, including its impact on politics, entertainment, marketing, and information consumption. Featuring key contemporary case studies and learner-centered exercises throughout, this book offers a rich and engaging look at the most pertinent issues of the social media era on both an individual and societal level. This is an essential text for students of digital media, communication, journalism, and beyond, as well as a useful resource for researchers and industry professionals interested in exploring the social and psychological effects of social media.

From TV to smartphone apps to movies to newspapers, mass media are nearly omnipresent in contemporary life and act as a powerful social institution. In this introduction to media sociology, Lindner and Barnard encourage readers to think critically about the power of big media companies, state-media relations, new developments in journalism, representations of race, class, gender, and sexuality in media, and what social media may or may not be doing to our brains, among other topics. Each chapter explores pressing questions about media by carefully excavating the results of classic and contemporary social scientific studies. The authors bring these findings to life with anecdotes and examples ripped from headlines and social media newsfeeds. By synthesizing research on new media and traditional media, entertainment media and news, quantitative and qualitative studies, All Media Are Social offers a succinct and accessibly-written analysis of both enduring patterns and some of the newest developments in mass media. With strong emphases on theory and methods, Lindner and Barnard provide students and general readers alike with the tools to better understand the ever-changing media landscape.