Bruce Stewart, who is editing O'Reilly's new and excellent Emerging Telephony website, IMterviewed Dr. Myra Vanderhood of the Auditory Institute, who says she has developed ringtones (called "Pheretones") that will help you meet a mate.
bruceETel: can i ask you a couple of questons?
DrPherotone: Shoot! Fire away.
bruceETel: what are pherotones and how do they work?
DrPherotone: That's an excellent question. How they work remains to be seen, and although I am convinced of their existence, many people in the scientific community are not.
DrPherotone: Essentially, think of pherotones not a s sounds, but inaudilbe sounds within sounds. You can hear them, but they are there.
bruceETel: Can inaudible sounds really stimulate someone's erotic nature?
DrPherotone: Now, my hypothesis is that specific sequences of these iinaudible tones can trigger a response in the human brain via the sacculus, in the inner ear.
DrPherotone: I believe they can. I have some…uh, um..some let's say personal anecdotal experieince with their power.
bruceETel: what exactly goes on at the Auditory Institute, RTP anyway?
DrPherotone: Right now, a lot of work! Our website just went live yesterday, I'm up to my ears in emails and IM's…it's crazy here today.
DrPherotone: But in general, we gather, study and craft pherotones, and experiement with their effects in volunteers we get from the local universities.
bruceETel: why do you think pherotones too controversial for mainstream science?
DrPherotone: Because sex and attraction are involved, research money is hard to come by. Luckily I am an awesome fundraiser and grant writer! But anything unproven, that involves human sexuality is controversial in science. You get accused of grandstanding, of going for the headlines instead of the truth…It's how it has always been. Look at what they did to Kinsey.
Meanwhile, over at the Make blog, Phil Torrone says he suspects this is part of a stealth ad campaign.
