MindPlace Forums - Blogs

Procyon Review Videos

neuroasis — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 06:39:54 GMT

Jandy Rainbow aka JezebelDecibel

Nick Dutch

Brain Brightening Protocol for the Procyon (upgraded)

Joseph Kao — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:22:46 GMT

Note: I originally designed these sessions for the Proteus (and TomC converted the originals to the Procyon in 2010). Now that I've finally upgraded to the Procyon myself, I thought I'd revisit them and upgrade the series to make better use of the Procyon's audio and visual capabilities.

Brain Brightening Protocol for the Procyon

"Brain Brightening" was a protocol devised by Tom Budzynski PhD, where light and sound stimulation is delivered with rapidly changing frequencies to increase overall brainwave activation, rather than focusing on any one specific entrainment frequency.

Whilst these sessions are not an exact replica of Budzynski's protocol, they are still primarily based on his research, and they have the same goal (broadband activation of frequency bands for cognitive enhancement), so I've taken the liberty of giving them the "Brain Brightening" name.

The album itself consists of eleven sessions, which are designed to be used over a period of several weeks to produce lasting improvements in your ability to concentrate, focus and be creative. They may also help lift your mood and energy levels.

The eleven sessions are:

1 - Quick Brain Brightening - 12 mins
2-8 - Brain Brightening sessions - 18 mins each.
9-11 - Mind Calming sessions - also 18 mins each.

*The link to download the album is at the bottom of this post*

About these sessions

One of the challenges of any light and sound machine is to ensure it doesn't become a novelty gadget, gathering dust on the shelf. Research indicates that devices like the Procyon can create tremendous mental and physical benefits for people, but this typically happens only when these machines are used regularly and consistently.

I have made all of these sessions relatively short, to make using them on a regular basis as convenient as possible. Instead of being a group of unrelated sessions to dabble with now and then, this set is designed to provide a brainwave training system, to be used consistently over a period of weeks and months.

In designing this album I drew on neuro-feedback studies and audio-visual stimulation (AVS) research to produce a series of sessions that target a wide spectrum of SMR and beta brainwaves frequencies. Research indicates that these are frequency bands that are likely to have significant cognition-boosting effects.

I created these sessions both for my personal use ? to promote creativity and mental sharpness in myself ? and also for several clients I've treated, who wanted help relieving the ?mental fog? they were chronically experiencing. The clients in question did indeed report that they felt much sharper and more focused after a couple of weeks of using this protocol.

I hope these sessions will offer you a system, a protocol, for making the Procyon a tool that you make use of daily.

The seven core ?Brain Brightening? sessions

These seven sessions are based on research by Tom Budzynski and others, showing that regular usage of light and sound stimulation over a period of weeks can boost grade point average, lift depression, and in essence, create sharper, more focused mental abilities in the user.

As a treatment protocol for relieving chronic fatigue, depression, ADHD, and age-related cognitive decline, I recommend using the seven core Brain Brightening sessions at least five times a week for two months. If you choose to use the sessions every day, or even twice a day, this is also fine, and may produce better results.

Using the Brain Brightening sessions in the morning or afternoon is recommended instead of in the evening, as these sessions may disrupt sleep if used too close to bedtime.

None of the sessions is more advanced than any of the others. Each session simply targets slightly different brainwave frequencies in a different order, so as to provide a variety of different challenges and ?mental stretches? for your brain. This is the same principle as varying the exercises that you do at the gym in order to develop all-round fitness. I suggest using a different one each day, rotating through all seven sessions repeatedly.

After two months, notice what the benefits have been for you. You may then choose to continue the protocol indefinitely (people have safely used light and sound machines daily for years).

Alternatively, after the initial two months, you can reduce down to a maintenance protocol, by either using the sessions 2-3 days a week, or by repeating the two month protocol twice a year. There is no research as to which choice is better, so you will need to find what works best for you.

When you don't have time for a full 18 minute Brain Brightening session, you can use the Quick Brain Brightening session as a substitute ? this session lasts 12 minutes.

The three ?Mind Calming? sessions

These three sessions are an excellent way to to unwind in the late afternoon or early evening. They are all similar in structure, but each one goes slightly deeper into the brainwave frequencies associated with deep rest and relaxation. As with the Brain Brightening sessions, I suggest alternating between each of them so that your brain doesn't get too used to any particular session.

All of the Mind Calming sessions begin and end by spending some time stimulating SMR brainwaves, which are associated with calm alertness.

I've personally found it very effective to use one of the Brain Brightening sessions early in the day, and one of the Mind Calming sessions in the early evening.

What to do during the session

1. These sessions will be most effective when used with eyes closed.

2. In my experience, in any light and sound session it's a good idea to put some deliberate, conscious attention on the flickering light and the sounds.

Your mind may naturally wander over the course of the session, but at least for the first few minutes I recommend being actively interested in the light patterns ? to pay attention to any shapes or ghostly after-images you notice.

By doing this, you're signifying to your brain that this is a stimulus you want to engage with.

3. If you want to feel more alert, it's best to use a session sitting upright, rather than lying down. Being horizontal primes your brain to feel sleepy, whereas being upright primes your brain to feel more alert.

4. I recommend doing a simple breathing exercise for several minutes during each session. For example, try several minutes of square breathing, where you repeatedly:

Breathe in for the count of four

Hold for four

Out for four

Hold for four

Deep, slow, rhythmic breathing like this has a variety of physical and cognitive benefits, and I recommend doing some reading in this area if you'd like to find out more.

5. It's okay to practise a deep relaxation exercise when using a session that's designed to boost energy and alertness. In fact this can produce very useful results.

By deeply relaxing each part of your body, step by step, whilst simultaneously experiencing the brainwaves of high focus and alertness, you'll be training yourself to develop a peak performance state of ?relaxed attentiveness?.

6. You can also feed music, radio or an audiobook into the Procyon's auxiliary socket.

Technical details

All of the Brain Brightening sessions target the SMR range and the beta range.

The Mind Calming sessions primarily target the SMR range and high alpha. In the middle of each session they dip into the alpha-theta range.

You can read about Tom Budzynski's research into AVS here: http://www.mindplacesupport.com/Downloads/Biolight-paper.pdf

Attached Files

New content on SoundCloud: Craig Tice

Robert Austin — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 20:42:16 GMT

Craig Tice (CraigT) has given us permission to share some of his AudioStrobe-encoded audio tracks, which you can find at www.soundcloud.com/mindplace. He's taken a different approach to AS encoding than Scott Hendrickson: Scott wrote his own audio software plug-ins for this purpose, while Craig uses Mind Workstation (and these tracks are great illustrations of how you could use MWS to create your own content). Craig uses modulated noise to make the AS tracks, lending them a somewhat 'fizzy' or shimmery effect. Give them a try--they're free--and let us know what you think of his work, and Scott's, and what you would like to see and hear in future free and for-sale offerings.

Enjoy!

Synchromuse Session for Sleep Induction

neuroasis — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 06:16:37 GMT

Hello all,
In response to a request from Ryan I have created a 60 minute sleep induction session using MindWorkstation Enterprise from Transparent Corp. I have added a Synchromuse program as well for Procyon users. For Sirius or Proteus there is a standard AudioStrobe track in the audio. The file is 103Mb because it is a 60 min high bitrate mp3. There is a zip archive that contains the audio and the Procyon session files. Load the session file to your Procyon and put it into dL2 or dAS mode and play the audio from your computer or mp3 player. It should automatically trigger the session to play.

http://soundcloud.com/mindplace/sleep-cycle-sm

I have added an mp3 to SoundCloud that triggers Synchromuse from my computer but not from my mp3 player :dontknow: Maybe the mp3 playback engine is still filtering higher frequencies. I would appreciate if others would test this out and let me know if works for them.
The FLAC file is still available from the link below. If you don't want to download that archive, I have attached the session files to the bottom of this post.

The zip archive is here: http://db.tt/Elwamg7O . Right click on the link and choose Save As... It will be added it to the SoundCloud account sometime soon.

Let me briefly describe what is going on with this session as there are several new theories that I am pursuing.

There is a lot of power in audio. Mostly meditation audio seeks to become 'wallpaper', to be soothing and non-challenging. This makes a great deal of sense if the goal is to bliss out. This type of audio leaves room for the mind to wander as it leaves space for stray thoughts. This is almost always a good thing and I live on that type of music.

However, another type of meditation audio can be deliberately challenging at moments. I find that people do not usually tolerate high pitches very well. Because they act as slight irritants they are good for creating contrast or what I have begun to think of as 'thought-stopping' techniques.

Ryan's request centered around the trouble that he has sleeping due to chronic pain from a spinal injury. I had a serious injury earlier in my life that required a couple of surgeries, weeks in 'traction' and nearly a year of recovery. So recalling that I can relate to overwhelming pain. The point is that pain takes center stage in our attention. The goal of any type of pain medication is to dull it to a tolerable level so that it doesn't completely override all of our other thoughts.

It is not wholly different when trying to meditate. One of the biggest challenges is to quiet our active thoughts. The more we try to reign in stray thoughts, the harder it is. Also, we become very aware of random sensations in our body. The slightest itch or pressure can be amplified to ridiculous levels. Therefore in both cases a thought stopping technique is a good thing.

The interesting thing about thoughts (and pain) is that often we sense them as being continuous. This may not be exactly true. When we pay close attention we see that they occur in waves. Of course I can only speak for my own perception. Pain is the same way. It occurs in waves. We all know the experience of throbbing.

So part of the strategy is to recognize the peaks and valleys of the waves. When we find the 'spaces' in between then we can seek to stretch the distance between them or apply counter rhythms to dampen them.

In the audio session I have included a high continuous tone in the beginning that breaks up and fades over time. It is prominent so it commands your attention. Ride it all the way out and you will be rewarded.

The main frequencies of the track are in the sub-delta range. Google what research shows this is useful for as we can make no medical claims. The channels start with dissociative alpha frequencies and ramp quickly down to placate the chattering left brain while the right brain is activated.

Toward the middle and end of the track it dissolves to pure white noise so as not to require any further attention.

The Synchromuse shows a really wide ranging palette of subtle and beautiful colors, thanks to the slow frequencies. They are extremely soothing and catnaps in and out create nice, pleasant imagery. This is a deep track. No need to hold on to the end. Just let yourself drift away...

As always feedback is encouraged and appreciated.

Ryan, I hope this helps you. Please share your results.

Scott

Attached Files

New video on YouTube: Introduction to the Procyon Editor

Robert Austin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:04:49 GMT

Scott Hendrickson (Neuroasis) has just released another of his fine new series of MindPlace tutorials on our YouTube channel. This time around, it's an introduction to the Procyon Editor software, and he walks you through the process of creating your own Procyon sessions, including how to use the powerful 'looping' feature. Highly recommended?this is a 'must see' video if you are interested in making your own sessions. Thanks, Scott!

Free AudioStrobe Tracks for Your Enjoyment

neuroasis — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:10:44 GMT

Hello all!
It's time to break out of the laboratory and release some of the last few months work out into the wild!

We have created a MindPlace SoundCloud account and will periodically be adding content for you. Currently, I have programmed 4 tracks using a new and advanced form of AudioStrobe encoding that I have been perfecting. We are calling this process SpectraSync. The end results provide light shows far beyond anything that has come before. The leds are being controlled by the amplitude and spectrum of the audio file. In addition layers of entertainment pulses are mixed and crossfaded to create extremely organic, complex, and entrancing tracks. Please sample and comment. We hope that you will be as excited about these developments as we are!

Be sure to download the tracks for full audio quality...

Oceamniotic returns you to the source of all life, the nurturing ancient ocean. You are miles away from all commitments. lounging on a carefree coast.
The SpectraSync track tickles your inner sense within a tidal sanctuary of flooding fluorescent filaments.
Procyon owners may wish to switch their Ganzframes to Emerald and Sapphire mode to jettison into blue green corral castles.

http://soundcloud.com/mindplace/oceamniotic

Chromatic Emergence froths and churns from a syrupy audio under bed. Punctuated hits from a simulated whale bone drum drive perturbations throughout the feedback network.
The light track reacts in a dance of delicate finely woven strands cascading into starving synapses. These weave together and breed greater interconnectedness.
SpectraSync creates geometry unlike anything seen up to now.

http://soundcloud.com/mindplace/chromatic-emergence

Enceladus is a chasmatic vision reflected in a diffuse obsidian skrying mirror. Named for the moon of Saturn where deep ice gysers have been discovered.
This track explores the concept of flowing frozen dark liquid light... an enigma indeed.
Subtle SpectraSync AudioStrobe patterns emerge from a luminous green backdrop, all in perfect symphony with spacious reverberant primordial sound surges.
Theta range entrainment pulses guide the mind toward deep awakened dreams and contemplation.

http://soundcloud.com/mindplace/enceladus

GlitchTrix is a noodle soup of minimalist glitchy drum rhythms tightly synced to a generative light track. It showcases the amazing range of visual patterns and illusions that can be created using SpectraSync AudioStrobe encoding. Be prepared for an intense ride through fractal phantasms and loosely controlled chaos.

http://soundcloud.com/mindplace/glitchtrix

Comment on your experiences below....

Scott Hendrickson aka Neuroasis

Larry Paros at the NTF

Robert Austin — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:56:39 GMT

I'm in process of posting another video lecture from the 1992 Neurotechnology Forum on Youtube (in four parts, as usual), this time by Dr. Larry Paros. In his talk, Larry discusses various applications for Cranial Electro-Stimulation (CES), a technology which sends tiny pulses of electricity through the brain, apparently causing shifts in aspects of neuronal and cognitive functions.

Taken together, this series of lectures provides an excellent snapshot and time capsule of what the burgeoning field of 'Neurotechnology' promised at that time, when interest in the field--and the idea that there was such a 'field'--had been stimulated in part by Michael Hutchison's bestselling book, ?Megabrain.? This series is a must-view for anyone seriously interested in the range of technologies which can cause positive shifts in our 'normal,' daily states of consciousness. You can view the entire series here: http://www.youtube.com/themindplace

The usual caveat: no medical claims of any sort are being made by The MindPlace Company; this posting is of educational and historical interest only.

Len Ochs on EEG-driven light and sound

Robert Austin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:01:14 GMT

I've uploaded a new batch of videos to our Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/user/TheMindplace) - this time, the Neurotechnology Forum lecture by Dr. Len Ochs. Len is a highly regarded biofeedback pioneer, and in this lecture he discusses (among other things) an EEG-driven light and sound system that he was using in his clinical practice. This is similar to the equipment used by Dr. Harold Russell in clinical studies involving the treatment of ADHD, which were funded by the US Department of Education. A key difference is that Len was treating PTSD, and found that very low brightness levels were needed, due to the sensitivity of his client population. Len has since gone on to develop his current LENS system, which injects very low level radio frequency signals directly into EEG electrodes.

The Neurotechnology Forum

Robert Austin — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:13:24 GMT

Back in 1992, we (or rather, our former company, Synetic Systems) hosted a day-long conference dedicated to the subject of neurotechnology. We invited a number of prominent individuals in this field to speak, including Tom Budzynski, Anna Wise, Stephen LaBerge, Len Ochs, Larry Paros, and Julian Isaacs. Topics covered included biofeedback, light and sound stimulation, subliminal and other psychological techniques, cranial electrical stimulation, lucid dreaming, and a broad range of related topics. We recently located videotapes of the conference, and are in the process of uploading them to a new youtube channel, TheMindplace. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheMindPlace

They are uploaded in 480p.

Enjoy!

Biosensor Tattoos?

Robert Austin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 06:13:23 GMT

A paper in the 8/12/2011 issue of Science magazine describes essentially a breakthrough technology for biosensors. According to the piece, all of the necessary components of the devices, including electrodes, electronic components, sensors, radio frequency communication components and power supplies, are set within an extremely thin (about 30 micron) elastic polyester sheet. The sheet is flexible, and weighs less than a tenth of a gram. It's lightweight and stretchable.

A key component of this technology is the use of nanoribbon and micro/nanomembrane elements to allow extremely small but flexible designs.

It can be applied as a temporary tattoo, and can be used to measure heartbeats (ECG), EMG, and alpha EEG on the forehead.

I think it is safe to say that this development will revolutionize the field of biofeedback, among others.

http://arstechnica.com/science/news/...nt-devices.ars

Megabrain

Robert Austin — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 05:12:45 GMT

In the year 1986, a book entitled ?Megabrain: New Tools and Techniques for Brain Growth and Mind Expansion? was published. The author was journalist Michael Hutchison, and it sparked a mini-revolution. Hutchison assembled into a single tome a wide and varied range of technologies, all intended to boost intelligence and otherwise enhance consciousness. In so doing he created a viral meme, which spread well into the 1990s, during which time he authored the followup book ?Megabrain Power? and a series of journal-like ?Megabrain Reports.? He also co-authored an audio series and a marketing company with his then-wife Kelly Howell, and co-founded the Neurotechnology Research Institute in San Francisco.

By the early 1990s, new light and sound companies had practically become a cottage industry, giving rise to such products as the MC2, Inner Quest, IM1, PR-2, and perhaps dozens of others, with sometimes incomprehensible names. Eventually the audio-meditation company Zygon, well known at the time for their ?in 20 minutes you'll be meditating like a Zen monk? adverts in Omni and practically everywhere else, released their Supermind, then the Learning Machine, for which they ordered full page ads in USA Today. Light and sound had become mainstream, at least for a time.

The story of what happened to the light and sound 'industry' will be told on another occasion, but this is Michael's story.

I first met him in ca. 1990, during a visit to the Neurotechnology Research Institute in San Francisco, and I've had the pleasure of a long string of conversations over the subsequent half decade. Then, he and his wife Kelley Howell divorced, and she moved to another state with their son. Michael followed, and then it happened: he fell down a rocky chasm, and found himself quadriplegic: paralyzed. Through strength of will and determination, he managed to recover much physical function, earning him the label with his care-givers as the 'miracle man.' He's since written a book about his experience, which we sincerely hope finds a publisher, in a publishing environment very altered from the 1990s. He's also recently signed up for Facebook, and that's how we've recently re-established out friendship. Welcome back, Mike, and I hope you decide to apply your formidable journalistic skills to an update to Megabrain! Namaste.

The Tone Generation

Robert Austin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:41:50 GMT

Back in the 1950s, electronic music was just emerging from the musique concrete movement, with their massively spliced magnetic tape assemblies and shellac records. In those days, lone composers might assemble a few military-surplus audio oscillators and filters with a tape recorder, and cobble together odd sounds by hand; the modular synthesizers made famous by Robert Moog in the late 1960's had not yet been conceived of. Some amazing works were created during this period, despite the technical limitations of the time, such as the 1957 composition ?Song of the Second Moon? by ?Tom Dissevelt,? republished in the 1960s, and still found in modern day re-mixes.

Music has long held the power to deeply affect our consciousness and emotional state, but electronic and computer music can be precisely tweaked to create new kinds of sonic tapestry, impossible to generate using conventional techniques. Binaural beats are the easiest to create, requiring just two stable audio oscillators. Clicks, crackles and other spiky waveforms are especially efficient when it comes to generating audio evoked potentials (AEP), and these potentially irritating sonic sources can be effectively masked behind other samples while still achieving their desired goal: namely, the transformation of your current state of awareness into something potentially quite different. The 'ambient' soundscapes of such masters as Robert Rich, Steve Roach, Ian Boddy, Alio Die and others can seemingly move one's awareness into a parallel Universe, even while populating it with strange planets and beings.

British musicians and cultural historians Ken Hollings and Simon James have put together an amazing history of the electronic (later, computer) music movement, resulting in a (currently) 21-part series entitled 'The Tone Generation'. I'd like to take this opportunity to heartily recommend it to anyone interested in this topic, and you can download them all from http://www.simonsound.co.uk/sound.

Battle of the Colors

Robert Austin — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 05:31:36 GMT

Some of us remember the light shows pioneered back in the late 50s, that were especially popular additions to rock shows in the latter 60s. Though a number of techniques were used, from film strips to strobes, the most popular was perhaps the 'wet show', in which drops of colored water were added to dishes of oil (or vice-versa), and manipulated in various ways. The results were projected onto a screen, and no doubt contributed to the altered states of consciousness experienced by many concert-goers of the time.

But this technique was developed in the 1920s by Max Teuber, and described the April, 1925 issue of Science and Invention. Some things take a long time to catch on... Teuber, though, was not alone in exploring the effects of colored light on mood and mind-state. At around the same time, Thomas Wilfred was developing his Lumia system, which relied on increasingly elaborate optical systems, using lenses, mirrors, and a wide variety of unusual materials in the optical path to project diaphanous, multicolored abstractions of often exquisite beauty. I urge you to search for ?lumia? in Youtube for some examples. Eventually, his optical innovations were incorporated into laser light shows, where they remain today.

Whilst Teuber was developing unique lighting effects for a ballet, Wilfred approached his Lumia compositions from both an aesthetic and mystical perspective (he was a Theosophist). His gradually evolving displays were objects of meditation, potential spiritual transformation. The automatic display devices he built for home use could run more than a year nonstop before repeating themselves. They embodied the essence of tranquility, and I would lay odds that anyone who took the time to attend to one for a quiet half hour or so would display strongly altered brainwave activity, especially a boost to theta and alpha amplitudes and drop in beta, even though the displays barely flickered, but because attending closely to those ethereal, gradually transforming patterns had the power to transform your mind.

I think light and sound stimulation can become a minor, but importantly useful, art-form. In a sense, it already is; the sorts of patterns and visual transformations that most of us experience are often quite compelling. Adding external displays which convert a wall or other object into a sort of 'strobo-sculpture' may be a next step in advancing this technology. Our own Electronguy has generously shared his recent design for such an illumination source elsewhere on this site (this could make a good Sparkfun addition, you DIYers?). Watch for more on this topic in the coming months.

Attached Images

Defining Magick

Marisa — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:04:42 GMT

Magick is the art and science of mastering the mind. There is no religion in magick, though there is heavy use of symbolism (often confused with religion or the occult). The symbolism is useful, it helps direct the mind and associate ideas. The key is not to get caught up in the symbolism and mistake it for reality.

The infamous Aleister Crowley was the first person to coin the term "Magick" and his definition is: "Magick is the Science of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."

What I've always liked about Crowley is that things are never as they appear with him. I can't say that I totally understand everything that Crowley talks about, there is a way to look at his work from a perspective outside of religion or occult theory - that makes some of it rather practical and brilliant. Take for example the following paragraph:

"The sincere student will discover, behind the symbolic technicalities of this book [Magick in Theory and Practice], a practical method of making himself a Magician. The process described will enable him to discriminate between what he actually is, and what he has fondly imagined himself to be. He must behold his soul in all its awful nakedness, he must not fear to look on that appalling actuality. He must discard the garments with which his shame has screened him; he must accept the fact that nothing can make I'm anything but what he is. He may lie to himself, drug himself, hide himself; but he is always there. Magick will teach him that his mind is playing him traitor."

Of course, not all of what Crowley writes is useful but that can be said about anything. :eusa_think:

M.

Recent updates to MindPlaceSupport

Andy — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:46:17 GMT

Hi everyone;

Andy Broughton here, MP Forums administrator. Over the past month or so, there have been some big changes to the MindPlaceSupport page and the forum. I plan to use this blog to discuss updates and let you all know about changes and new stuff that you can do on the site.
Any issues or questions at all regarding the site, please post in the Site Support forum. Also, any feedback, changes, suggestions, let me know in that same forum.

REGISTRATION AND USER GROUPS
When you first register to the forum, your user group is called "New User". As a new user, there are a few limitations as to what you are able to do on the site. The reason for this is protection against spammers and spam robots which are rampant nowadays. They register to unprotected forums and cover them with advertisements, links to questionable websites, and generally make things annoying for forum users. As a valid new user, you can make posts, download attachments and so on, but your posts will first be "moderated", meaning that they first have to be approved before everyone else can see them. Once you've made a couple of posts and it's clear that you're NOT a robot, your group will become "Registered User". Once you are at that level, you are free to add an avatar, a signature, post links and attachments and even create a blog and a picture album. Good things come to those that wait! :)

BLOGS
The default for blogs is that comments do not need to be moderated (i.e. "approved") before they appear to the general public. You can change this setting so that the comments need your approval before showing. This can be done in your settings (Settings/Blog/Default Entry Options) What makes that tricky is that they are readable to you at all times, regardless of whether or not they have been approved, and the only indication that they are NOT viewable to the general public was a little icon on the post that looks like this: - Quite hard to see, so I made a change. Now unmoderated comments will appear in red background so you can tell right away that they need approval.

To change your settings to not allow comments without approval, go to your settings (Settings/Blog/Default Entry Options) and check "Moderate comments before displaying".

To edit a blog, hover your mouse over the title of your blog, and you will see a little pencil appear (). If you click that pencil, you can edit your blog post.

BBCODES
There is a new BBCode type that looks like an orange cloud on your editor toolbar. It's for soundcloud links. Good for any samples of music you want to share. Check Neuroasis' blog (e.g. this one) for an example. Thanks to Neuroasis for the tip!

OTHER
Stay tuned for an update coming soon to the forum that changes the editor. It's a better editor with more capabilities and support for more browsers.