Subject: Binaural beats - banned in Beirut! From: Brian Gygi <bgygi@xxxxxxxx> Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:04:06 -0800 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>------=_Part_45952_642075604.1415639046713 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable All you folks who worked with binaural beats never dreamed what a dangerous thing you were working with. But you do know why all those volunteers sign= ed up for your studies! Brian Gygi, Ph.D. Middle East authorities are cracking down on audio that gets you =E2=80=9Ch= igh=E2=80=9D Officials in Saudi Arabia are holding =E2=80=9Curgent meetings <http://www.arabnews.com/featured/news/654301> =E2=80=9D to prevent the arr= ival of a drug. In Lebanon, authorities are taking legal measures <http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Oct-30/275936-lebanon-o= n-alert-over-digital-drug-phenomenon.ashx#axzz3HhiuPuat> against the same product. But these officials aren=E2=80=99t freaking out o= ver hard drugs, because they=E2=80=99ve already done a good job scaring residents <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7234786.stm> with harsh drug laws <http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/09/unitedarabemirates.travelnew= s> and keeping contraband substances out. Now, they=E2=80=99re tackling spook= y-sounding MP3s, hoping to combat the growing use of =E2=80=9Cdigital drugs,=E2=80=9D = or binaural beats. Binaural beats are audio files that are meant to induce a state of ecstasy.= They include two tones at slightly different frequencies <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938497004368> , and = are listened to through headphones. The audio is generally used to help with meditation, alertness, and even as a sleep aid. But the producers of some t= racks claim to induce the same effect as chemical drugs. The audio files are available on YouTube, or for a small price on retail websites like I-Doser <http://www.i-doser.com/> . Although there is no evid= ence <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR20100802= 04842.html> that people can actually get high from binaural beats, they=E2=80=99re alar= ming authorities in the Middle East. In 2012, a police scientist in the United A= rab Emirates called for these audio files to be treated the same as marijuana a= nd ecstasy <http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-call-to-ban-hypnotic-music-as-= illegal-digital-drug> . ------=_Part_45952_642075604.1415639046713 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org= /TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"><html xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/1999/xht= ml"><head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUTF-8= " /> =20 </head><body style=3D""> =20 <div> All you folks who worked with binaural beats never dreamed what a danger= ous thing you were working with.  But you do know why all those volunt= eers signed up for your studies! </div>=20 <div>   </div>=20 <div id=3D"ox-signature"> Brian Gygi, Ph.D. </div>=20 <div>=20 <p><strong><span style=3D"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Midd= le East authorities are cracking down on audio that gets you =E2=80=9Chigh= =E2=80=9D</span></strong></p>=20 <p><strong><span style=3D"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></sp= an></strong></p>=20 <p data-annotation-count=3D"0" data-thread-id=3D"124046" data-article-id= =3D"293069" class=3D"annotatable"><span class=3D"anno-span">Officials = in Saudi Arabia are holding =E2=80=9C<a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://ww= w.arabnews.com/featured/news/654301">urgent meetings</a>=E2=80=9D to preven= t the arrival of a drug. In Lebanon, authorities are taking <a target=3D"_b= lank" href=3D"http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2014/Oct-30/275= 936-lebanon-on-alert-over-digital-drug-phenomenon.ashx#axzz3HhiuPuat">legal= measures</a> against the same product. But these officials aren=E2=80=99t = freaking out over hard drugs, because they=E2=80=99ve already done a good j= ob <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7234786.stm= ">scaring residents</a> with <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://www.t= heguardian.com/travel/2008/jun/09/unitedarabemirates.travelnews">harsh drug= laws</a> and keeping contraband substances out. Now, they=E2=80= =99re tackling spooky-sounding MP3s, hoping to combat the growing use&= #160;of =E2=80=9Cdigital drugs,=E2=80=9D or binaural beats.</span></p>=20 <p><strong><span style=3D"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></sp= an></strong></p>=20 <p data-annotation-count=3D"0" data-thread-id=3D"124047" data-article-id= =3D"293069" class=3D"annotatable"><span class=3D"anno-span">Binaural beats = are audio files that are meant to induce a state of ecstasy. They include t= wo tones at <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://www.sciencedirect.com/scien= ce/article/pii/S0031938497004368">slightly different frequencies</a>, and a= re listened to through headphones. The audio is generally us= ed to help with meditation, alertness, and even as a sleep aid. But the pro= ducers of some tracks claim to induce the same effect as chemical drugs.</s= pan></p>=20 <p><span style=3D"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class= =3D"anno-span">The audio files are available on YouTube, or for a small pri= ce on retail websites like <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://www.i-doser.= com/">I-Doser</a>. Although there is <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://ww= w.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/02/AR2010080204842.html= ">no evidence</a> that people can actually get high from binaural beats, th= ey=E2=80=99re alarming authorities in the Middle East. In 2012, a poli= ce scientist in the United Arab Emirates called for these audio files to be= treated the same as <a target=3D"_blank" href=3D"http://www.thenational.ae= /news/uae-news/uae-call-to-ban-hypnotic-music-as-illegal-digital-drug">mari= juana and ecstasy</a>.</span></span></p>=20 </div> =20 </body></html> ------=_Part_45952_642075604.1415639046713--