That Nearly Scared Me to Death! Let's Do It Again

Fear is a handy evolutionary mechanism for staying out of danger. So why do we get off on it sometimes?

If the half-billion dollars spent by Americans on horror movies last year is anything to go by, I'm not the only one to ask that question. Scientists believe the answer is that humans have evolved to enjoy fear.

"There's a substantial overlap between those brain areas involved in processing fear and pleasure," said Allan Kalueff, a brain researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.

As Halloween approaches, the latest research into fear suggests that the neurological systems in our brains that are stimulated by fear are the same as those associated with pleasure. So while you're watching Saw IV or playing Resident Evil, you get the gratification of real fear without any of the danger.

Scientists say that while watching a scary movie, or playing popular games like Bioshock and Dementium, information runs from your eyes and ears to an almond-shaped clump of neurons called the amygdala. Located front-and-center in your brain, the amygdala has long been understood as vital to instantaneous emotional processing, especially of love and pleasure.

Wired

Design Concept: Disappearing Wall Stairs Should Be In Every Millionaire's Home

Aaron Tang's wall stairs are meant for living areas that are short on space, but they're so awesome that I'd want them even if I had 1,000,000 sq. ft. house.

Gizmodo

Smelly screens selling beer on the streets

The aroma-emitting Kaoru Digital Signage display will be appearing in front of a Tokyo beer hall called Kirin City from October 21 and will assault the noses of passers-by with scents of orange and lemon and the eyes with video of foaming jugs of beer.

Apparently, the men in suits reckon the citrus is “associated with beer” so the field test resulting in crowds flocking to the bar like journalists to, well, a bar will show that they’re correct. Either way, each installation uses ultrasound to vaporize aromatic oils and can waft the result over 500 cubic meters.

Digital World Tokyo

Welcome to the Rat Race: Steelcase's Desk/Treadmill Mashup

Anyone who reads the fine site Book of Joe knows that the man behind the blogging empire is religiously devoted to working out while writing, and prides himself on having integrated a treadmill into his workspace. Well manufacturer Steelcase thinks that this trend has grown beyond one individual multitasking in his underwear, and is poised to introduce a nicely-designed product called the Walkstation which seems more at home in a CEO's office than your messy living room.

Engaget

Bedroom 747: Man Builds $30,000 Jumbo Jet Simulator in his Bedroom

John Davis spent eight years and £15,000 building a Boeing 747 flight simulator in a room in his house. And now the 47-year-old's hobby has turned into such a full-time occupation that he has jacked in his job as a graphic designer to run a full-time flight simulation business from his home in Coventry, UK.

Gizmodo

High Impact: Impact Jackets (a.k.a. Wearable Airbags) Finally Make It to the US, and Are Immediately "Tested"

Impact Jackets, originally designed to save Japanese construction workers from long falls by inflating prior to impact, have finally made it to the United States. Only instead of construction workers, it's our motorcyclists that seem to be reaping the benefits. And it didn't take too long to see some results.

Gizmodo