At the San Francisco consciousness hacking monthly meet-up, about 150 personal development geeks are crowding around hi-tech consumer devices that promise a more relaxed you. There is a brain stimulator called Thync, released in June, that applies an electric current to the head to deliver calming vibes, and a breath-monitoring device that looks like a stone, called Spire, that alerts you if you have failed to take a deep breath recently. There is also a virtual reality meditation environment called Harmony, which its developer would love to commercialise, where a user puts on goggles to help with their chakra visualisation. Conversations bubble up. “I tried meditation but I never really got there and gave up,” says Richard, an IT specialist on a quest to improve his quality of life through technology and science. “What tech do you use to help you?” Many in California were early adopters of mindfulness practices like mediation and yoga and nowhere is this truer … [Read more...] about Get ahead in Silicon Valley: Upgrade your mind with a brain buzzer