Dream Machines with Will Dowd [Patreon Preview]
Summary
Host Jack Wagner interviews author Will Dowd about his year-long experiment with Dormio, an MIT wearable designed to capture hypnagogic states. Dowd, who lost the ability to read due to a genetic disorder, uses the device to explore dreaming as a substitute for literary immersion. The episode examines the mysterious twilight zone between sleep and wakefulness, discussing its links to creativity, supernatural experiences, and the human desire to escape reality.
Topics discussed
Introduction to Will Dowd and the Dormio device
Defining hypnagogia and its supernatural associations
Host's personal experience and Edison's method
Preview transition and Patreon promotion
Will Dowd's background as a writer and science writer
Discussion on hypnopompic hallucinations and stress
Will's childhood memory of moving wallpaper
First brush with hypnagogia during college naps
Will's genetic disorder and loss of binocular vision
Impact of vision loss on identity and writing
Connecting the states of reading and dreaming
Conclusion of preview and Patreon link
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