Evidentally "trigger warnings" and "safe spaces" are not the only thing college age students feel they need because they are too frightened of the outside world to understand that 1) Not everyone is going to agree with them and 2) Sometimes they will have to listen to an opinion other than their own.
Seems that a survey conducted of 18-24 year old Brits, published their results in February 2016, which found that 32 percent of them were "scared" to check their bank balances, suffering what was termed an "ostrich effect," because they don't want to see how much money they have spent or how much money they have left in their bank accounts after paying their bills.
A little over three months later, on May 19, 2016, a company called Intelligent Environments launched their solution, called the "World’s first Internet of Things bank," which didn't include telling these scared-of-life children to grow up and learn some responsibility, but instead offered a variety of options designed to guarantee these "ostriches" do not have to do anything that might "scare" them, such as checking their bank balances.
One of those options is software such as Google's Nest Thermostat which would be connected to the users bank account and if the customer’s account balance drops below their self-imposed spending limit, the bank will automatically turn their heating down.
Then the second option, electric shock via a Pavlok wrist devise, to "train the brain" to curb overspending.
The Interact IoT Pavlok integration works in four easy steps. First, customers log into their credit card or bank account. Second, they connect their Pavlok device and set a spending limit. Third, when they near their self-imposed spending limit, their phone will display a notification. Finally, if they go over their limit, Pavlok will deliver an electric shock to their wrist.
While Intelligent Enviroments is a company based in the UK and Nothern Ireland, many may be familiar with a few of the companies they partner with, such as Experian, Fukitsu, First Data, T|SYS|, UNISYS, CSC and more.
Before getting into a few of the creepiest "testimonials" for the Pavlok device, below is the video offered by Intelligent Environments for their launch of their World’s first Internet of Things bank, which in and of itself is a real "shocker."
Anyone else just get a chill running up their spine after watching that?
But wait.... it gets worse.
A look into the Pavlok device, which launched in 2015 and how they boast of "training your brain," we see right on their front page, testimonials which had I not researched this, would have thought was a joke, satire or even a hoax, but it isn't.
Whenever I feel like I don't have the energy to work on my email inbox, I shock myself to remove procrastination. Before Pavlok, taking a shower is the remedy that worked. But since it takes too many steps to shower, I end up not doing that at all. Shocking myself is easier than to take a shower. I'm more likely to do it. And it's as effective in getting my ass out of bed. – Caleb Abenoja
I played video games on purpose for 30 minutes while some other people were zapping me at random intervals. Next morning I didn't feel like playing at all but as part of the conditioning I continued playing 30 minutes a day for the next four days and I just felt sick thinking about the game. The rewards of the game simply didn't outweigh the annoying feeling of the zaps. – Yanjaa
Now before watching the founder of the Pavlok device explain how it works in the last video, consider the potential for abuse by local, state and the federal government if they wish to "punish" anything they consider bad behavior and reward anything they consider to be good behavior, should they decide to force individuals, say those that oppose government policies, to wear such a device.
Stefan reminds me of a perfect example as a Maryland judge was just given a years probation and a $5,000 fine after ordering a defendant be shocked in court by a "stun-cuff" around his ankle.
Robert C. Nalley of La Plata, Maryland, will also have to spend a year on probation. Nalley, 72, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a civil rights violation for ordering a deputy to activate a “stun-cuff” that a defendant appearing before him was wearing around his ankle. The defendant, who was acting as his own lawyer, was before Nalley in July 2014 for jury selection and had failed to listen to Nalley’s orders to stop speaking.
After he was shocked, the defendant fell to the ground screaming. A video of the exchange without sound and separate audio was played in court Thursday. Prosecutor Kristi O’Malley noted that the defendant didn’t raise his voice or yell during the exchange and even called the judge “sir.”
See that courtroom scene below:
I am sure readers can appreciate our concern for the potential abuse of having these devices on, but what is even more "shocking" is the amount of devices we consistently see being bought willingly, which are continuously shown on the bottom left hand corner of the Pavlok menu pages, not the front page.(Takes about 30 seconds before they start showing up). Screen shot example below.
Also note the use of the teminology used below in the Pavlok Intro, where the founder explains the device works through "classical conditioning" or "Pavlonian conditioning", which means "of or relating to classical conditioning as described by I. P. Pavlov."
Pavlovian conditioning was a major theme in Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel, Brave New World, a novel written in 1931 described as a novel that "anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and classical conditioning that combine profoundly to change society." - Wiki
