IT Jockeys Are Naturals for Mind-Over-Matter Toys From: Baseline Magazine - 06/2009 - page 42 Concentrate. Really hard. Are there any ping-pong balls floating around the room? Well, there could be soon if toymakers Mattel and Uncle Milton have anything to say about it. A story on Washingtonpost.com tells us that competing mind-over-matter toys are about to hit the marketplace. These are the first "brain-computer interfaces" to hit the mainstream consumer market. They allow the user to control objects with thought, commonly called "telekinesis." Basically, the user dons a headpiece that contains a simple EEG, concentrates on something - anything - and the brain activity causes a fan to spin faster and faster, thereby pushing a ping-pong ball into the air. Apparently, multitaskers have a terrible time focusing long and hard enough to make it work. But some individuals, such as copy editors and "IT jockeys," are naturals at it. Mattel's Mindflex and Uncle Milton's Force Trainer are destined for the market soon. But there's some serious science here that has the government interested. DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) is using similar technology for the neural control of mechanical arms, hands, and legs. From: http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/Out-of-Scope-June-2009-348042/ Read the entire article at: Brain Wave of The Future http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/04/22/ST2009042204139.html?sid=ST2009042204139 Links: Video: Coming soon to a store near you http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2009/04/22/VI2009042203236.html Mattel’s Mindflex http://www.ohgizmo.com/2009/01/16/ces-2009-mattels-mind-flex-game/ Uncle Milton’s Force Trainer http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1880784,00.html