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Implant a Chip in Your Head
vic_1066 writes "Brain chips sound pretty Orwellian, but the tech has come a long way (Soul eating registration required) in the past few years. Not that I'll be signing up anytime soon to get my head sliced open just for kicks, but if I was massively paralyzed this would be welcome news.
If you get a chance, check out Cyberkinetics Inc."
Will these new "brain chips" be called "microsofts" and plug directly into the back of your skull, coming in all kinds of fashionable colors?
Quod scripsi, scripsi.
Is it possible to do some mnemonic shit with this tech? ;)
I would really like to regain some of my toked away memory
The system had the verbosity of HTML combined with all the readability of compiled assembly viewed as bitmap images
do you have options for "enhancement" different modules and what not.. sounds a bit like Deus Ex
Mind/Machine Interface
TECH41
The Warrior's bland acronym, MMI, obscures the true horror of this monstrosity. Its inventors promise a new era of genius, but meanwhile unscrupulous power brokers use its forcible installation to violate the sanctity of unwilling human minds. They are creating their own private army of demons.
-Commissioner Pravin Lal,
Alpha Centauri the Game
I have a friend who was in a near fatal auto accident several months ago (not her fault, btw). She is now paralyzed from the chest down and has only limited control of her hands. Before the accident, she was one of the best competitive video game players that I've ever had the pleasure to know. Now, almost 6 months after the accident, she can play turn-based games OK, but does not have the fine control for the fast action FP type games. It would be so wonderful if something like this could give that ability back to her.
Phoenix
Implant a Chip in Your Head
Does it act as a co-processor to the one the government puts in our heads at birth?
Don't laugh!: Using your index and middle finger feel your skull at the base where your spinal column meets your skull. Notice that little bump? Now with your middle finger pressed firmly on the bump rub it with your index finger across the bottom near your top vertebra.
Feel that hard thing move? Of course not, but I'll bet there are hundreds of geeks like you pressing two fingers against their skull at this very moment.
Trolling is a art,
if only i had a chip in my head, i wouldn't have to register to read... and then have to remember my user/pass
but the tech has come a long way (Soul eating registration required) in the past few years. Not that I'll be signing up anytime soon
That's right, it's just disgraceful. I'll never ever sign up to get NY Time account...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
People that accept these will likely believe it will turn them into Jake 2.0. Sadly, it's more likely to turn them into human RFID tags.
So far I rely on pen and paper to remember everything... I mean seriously, I have a lot of trauma in my past and the way my brain dealt with it was to just become so forgetful that I can barely remember what I did the week before.
I'd really like some safe, secure way to "back my brain up" as it were, besides filling albums with photos to job my memory.
My Webcomic: Asylum on 5th Street
You must mean "surrender your chips"...
There's nothing new there, but, it's just so surprising that there's so little the world can offer to SciFi litterature, but so much SciFi can offer to reality.
It's coming so live with it.
You will love it. Or else!
Not sure if this was the same thing, but I read a little while ago about a tiny device implanted into the brain (and maybe afflicted organs/appendages?) that could mimic nerve impulses and possibly be used to cure (or at least treat) spinal injuries and neurological diseases like Parkinsons. Anyone know if this is that same thing?
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
"Turning Thought Into Action"
That's the CyberKinetics catch-phrase.
CyberKinetics, the company mentioned in the article, has implanted chips into monkeys that enable them to play video games using brain waves alone.
Not only is this a miracle for paralyzed people, but I predict that brain waves will be able to control bionic arms and legs. It's only a matter of biofeedback learning and a chip capable of measuring ten or so distinct brainwave patterns.
Now you can implant your child with the new profanity sensing V-chip. Yes, you child can grow up happy, healty, and wholesome thanks to this new technology. The V-Chip is implanted directly into your childs brain and will emit a tiny negative reinforcement whenever your child attempts to utter an obscenity, disobey, or otherwise act like a child of his or her age.
Also for adults, the Viagra-Chip, and for Politicians, the VAccountablility chip. Working with Pfiser, the Viagra-Chip, when implanted in the adult brain, will stimulate sexual desire and promote long term erections, overcoming such things as headaches, modesty, impotence and other debilitating male problems.
The Politican version will emit a tiny negative reinforcement every time a politican attempts to lie to the public, or attempts to promote or approve of a policy in which he or she will do everything possible to avoid accountability.
Coming soon, built in GPS, public registration numbers, ATM and bank account numbers, and even a full, updated copy of your credit history. Now all you need to do is wave a wand over your head to get instant loan approval!
(The U.S. Governemt endorses the GPS/ID enabled V-Chip implant, but swears to God that they will not use it to track, monitor, or otherwise ride herd on any U.S. Citizen. They really mean it. The promise! Cross their hearts and hope to die.)
"Our funds have never taken part in toxic or death spiral convertible financings of any sort" -BayStar's managing partne
With Tiny Brain Implants, Just Thinking May Make It So
Capt. Picard - Make it so, number one. I can already make number so, and i don't even need an implant.
you're sleeping with look like Pamela Anderson or Elizabeth Hurley, or ....
I'd get one implanted, but it sort of defeats the purpose of wearing a tinfoil helmet.
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
Interface, by Stephen Bury (a pseudonym for Neal Stephenson) is a fun exploration of media manipulation coupled with this idea. It goes slightly over the top in assuming the resources mentioned, but in terms of showing what is possible, it's quite interesting.
It's also a very fun read.
Homer:MMM... CHIPS
My Sig Beat up your Honor Roll Sig
Will this replace Diebold's e-voting machines ?
Trolling using another account since 2005.
I
personally
had my +
HP
8
6
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implanted
EVAL
"and I"
feel
just
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PRG
STO A
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
Maybe this will put viagra out of business. Oops, wrong head.
An alternative to President-Vice Cheney's mini-mike
ear implant in The World's Most Dangerous "Leader"
Cheers,
Kilgore Trout
From the article: "You don't wake up and turn on your hand," Mr. Surgenor said.
:)
Later overheard in the Mos Eisley Cantina:
Damn Luke! You need to get you some of that!
-JT
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/health/13BRAI.ht ml?ex=1082433600&en=a9a9d7096d1a147f&ei=5062&partn er=GOOGLE
...an operation that cost six million dollars in the '70s would probably run you about $70 Million today. Not sure that's a real viable option for us common folk yet.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
Until we've solved the problem of spam, I'm not getting any kind of hardware/software combination implanted anywhere in my body. (This includes penile implants. Yes, I'm talking to you Mr Spammer.)
Perhaps it was 1984? But as I remember it, the Party had never been able to develop a technique to discover what another human being was thinking. The inside of the human mind remained untouchable; it was the last sanctuary from their totalitarianism. Hence their reliance on propaganda and torture as cruder methods of mind control...
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
This reminds me of an old made-for-TV movie called "Knight 4000", based on the old, wonderful, TV series, Knight Rider.
Some woman gets shot in the head, and for some completely random reason, they take a Microchip from the old "KITT" car, and put it in her head, and magically, she is all better.
I just remember thinking how absurd that was, now only to see it actually happening.
"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
All will be good and well until you discover that the chip in your head can be tracked, just like RFID tags. Then you'll have to microwave your head!
And what about cellphones? Can you still use those or will you have an epileptic attack everytime someone uses a phone near you?
Scary stuff...
My only real question in all of this is where is it headed?(mind the pun there) Are all of us tech geeks going to be required to be able to "jack" into the computer systems we administrate in the near future? Will programmers start designing software that allows us to see the layout of our network graphicly in our heads as we sit semi-concious in chairs? Maybe not, but it is a possibilty.
My curiousity is when will this sort of thing become competitve enough that it will start to be asked for on job applications? When will it get to the point that it is no longer an option but a requirement in order to administer large networks?
This sort of thing is straight out of movies, like Johny Mnemonic even from role playing games like Shadowrun.
If this sort of thing comes to fruition would you have a chip installed in your head?
I know I would.
But I don't know many others that would comprimise their bodies for a career. Would you?
The Only Person Willing to be Me is ME!
How many GBs of porn can it store? >:D
article. good. (brain chip implant required)
What happens when it isn't just simple chips that can be interfaced with simple nerves, but instead we're interfacing entire systems with major sensory I/O?
If I'm able to translate and store information hot off my optic nerve, and translate and store vibrations picked up in my ear canal, could I be charged as a "Thief" or a "Pirate" for sampling a CD in a store or watching a movie in a theater, and "remembering" it with augmentation?
Gargoyle Steve Mann had some well-documented troubles in a similar vein - getting his equipment stripped and thrashed at airports, getting hassled at places with no-camera policies. But when, inevitably, the equipment becomes so small and flexible it can't be detected without other equipment when implanted or integrated into clothes or flesh, what will be done? When an organic camera - a pair of real human eyes - is used, what is the legality of 'no taping' or 'no camera' laws? Etc.
And getting "miscast as someone with too much information in his head."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/health/13BRAI.ht ml?ex=1082433600&en=a9a9d7096d1a147f&ei=5062&partn er=GOOGLE
I am waiting for the eyeball implant to go along with the brain chip. That way I can site at my desk, stare into space while surfing slashdot using blueberry wifi, and have it displayed at the back of my retina.
I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
... the stuff we see in the Matrix, Ghost in the Shell, and other assorted sci-fi stuff with people with brain-implants?
Forget needing special glasses to view things, why not have the chip piggy-back onto your optical nerve? Digital overlaying, all the stats you can stick on your HUD, like the first couple of pages in Ghost in the Shell 2: Man Machine Interface... sometimes it's useful being able to look at an object and automatically have a label pointing to it, identifying exactly what it is, what speed it's travelling at, and a line with it's projected path, the possibility to have people remote control bodies that can work in dangerous situations, etc etc.
Although, I'm not too sure about cracking open one's head to insert one of these things... maybe in another 20 years?
Founder of Mirror Moon - Tsukihime Game Trans
Did anyone else go to that Cyberkinetics site and get a weird creepy feeling like you couldn't tell if it was a fake website used for viral marketing a sci-fi movie, or if it was real?
Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
Wait until people get bluetooth type radio chips in their head for the purpose of telepathy, then the spammers will be sending messages straight to your brain!
The voices in my head told me to get a bigger penis!
The Niven/Pournelle book did a great job of demonstrating this in a more realistic light - they even broached the subject of pseudo-telepathy as well as spammed feeds when Millie was compromised.
to the phrase "Having a chip on your shoulder".
... but if I was massively paralyzed ...
:)
Am I the only one that thought of a beowolf cluster of quadriplegics? Parallelize the paralyzed!
(Is this crass enough to be modded down? Let's see
I know this is going to start a huge discussion of religion in general, but if I can save one person's soul, it's worth it.
Read Revelation 13 and 14. Take your time - this is one of the most obscure bits of the Bible that is very hard to relate to real life.
Note what happens at 13:16 - financial transactions are now dependent on some sort of mark (implant?) on the right hand or forehead.
Skip forward to 14:9, and see what the third angel says. Anyone who takes the mark is out of reach of the salvation through Jesus that all those pesky evangelicals keep trying to push on you. That is your only bridge to eternal life in paradise burned.
Think about it when the time comes. I know that this particular article is about helping paralysis, and that's great. Just be aware of the danger. Imagine one of those annoying "Are you sure?" dialog boxes.
Note to moderators: I'd suggest "Troll", "Off-Topic" or "Flamebait", but the Great Commission compels me to write this...
Ydco co
(Soul eating registration required)
you started my day off with a laugh, I appreciate that.
CBV
free ipod and free gmail!
... that in the blackops and/or despotic upper power and money levels in the world, that implantable chips that can control a lot of an individuals mind/emotions/physiological functions already exist beyond what "they" might admit to.
There is some anecdotal supporting this out there that can be found with googling (mkultra, etc), but I have no direct knowledge of it, but given the normal track record of advanced designs and processes out there in those blackbudget areas,ie, "more advanced than you think", combined with the easy to see "benefits" that the same blackops/despotic managers would see in such devices and schemes, I would wager they exist already in some fashion and are being used. There already exists data that drugs are used, for example, drugs that remove a certain amount of normal "conscious" in military personnel so that their violence proclivities might be dramatically increased (I have forgoten the name of the drug right this second, but there have been some incidents reported when returning combat members have continued to be effected by the drugs and have engaged in apparently insane violent acts), along with perceived energy level enhancers "speed"or "go pills", so I could see where they might want to enhance this even farther via microchip implanting.
And perhaps even leading to the "drone" chip which might be universally implanted (via force or trickery), basically to keep the mass of the population "content" with their lot and turned into..well.. complacent serfs.
In fact I would be quite surprised if this isn't being done now at least on a prototype scale.
but there was a story about a surgeon wanting to test an orgasm-chip for women, searching test subjects.
He make the basic discovery for that technique while accidently stimulation wrong parts of the spline of a women that had a punction....
HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
Of course, I wonder if someone is working on a socket to which bone and skin will graft. If you can get tissue to seal around the housing for the wires, it would make it even easier for people with the implant to live normally.
They hope to start trials in 2004 and you can sign up at sales@cyberkineticsinc.com. Unfortunately, the software runs only on Windows, so you would run the risk of your brain getting hacked.
BEware! This is the sign of the beast! The end is near! BRING OUT YOUR DEAD! THE END IS NEAR!!!!
When augmentation becomes common, society will shape itself around it. When the automobile was new a man was required to walk in front of it with a red flag to warn other people. While it might sound like a urban legend, I assure you it's true. It was because the horse carriage manufacturers lobbied to get the so called "Red Flag Act" passed to protect their interests. Said act was in effect between 1865 and 1896.
There will come a day when augmentation, brain interfaces, will be common and not having them would be like removing a part of your person. Before that there will be a lot of legislation and zealotry. It is IMO however completely inevitable.
I know a dude named Cartman that they already did this to. it is completely safe, just don't cuss at fluffy kitty.
boycott slashdot February 10th - 17th check out: altSlashdot.org
I think it's a given here that physically impaired people will only be about 30% of the market once this becomes perfected. Let's put the facts together:t ml t ml?pagewanted=2 ? pid=70&step=4
"or even to operate lights and other devices through a kind of neural remote control."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/health/13BRAI.h
"would be fully implanted in the brain, transmitting information without wires."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/13/health/13BRAI.h
"Our 12" disco ball is made hundreds of highly reflective tiny glass mirror squares."
https://ssl.adhost.com/noveltylights/merchant.cfm
I have nothing more to say.
Can you install Linux in the human brain???
Why therefore do people submit science stories with a link to NYT when they could just link to the source material? This is the frigging internet. You can do just as much research as the press-release-editing typewriter monkey at NYT can.
For instance, the facts in this story were reported six months ago on ScienceDaily , three months ago on Wired and dozens of other places that could be found in 20-30 seconds on googlage.
In summary, if you don't like NYT's registration, don't link to it. You are advertising for them.
</rant>
what does that require.. should I ask for the hammer to hit my spine above or below the neck?
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
How do you create registration free links and why don't we just put em as the origional link?
I'm one of those clueless shmoes with only one internet address. I have been unable to access the NYT website for a year or more having, forgotten my password, and have been unable work their lost password system to get the correct one from them.
"Every reaction has an equal and opposite reaction"
A speaker can be used as a microphone. A microphone can be used as a speaker.
Should add some interest to the thread eh?
A blog I run for the wealth
I can sure use more memory and a math co-processor. Oh, and a built in spell checker.
I want my brain to be powered by Dual G5's or may some old Dec Aplha cpu's. Yeah !!!
How many words per minute could I type if I didn't actually have to move my fingers?
To say nothing of having an imbeded PDA in my head reminding me of appointments I'm missing.
What I *really* want is image recognition tied into my vision so I can instantly remember the name anyone I've ever seen before.
I personally think this IS the future.
Research in brain-microchip interface is currently at a very incipient stage, but when it reaches the level when you can transmit audio or video directly to/from the brain (and lots of other sensory information, like smell, temperature, touch or sexual pleasure) through wireless networks, we'll all be hooked on this stuff.
And it's just evolution.
As you may have noticed, the tendency of the human race is to interact more and more on various sensory levels (see: internet, mobile communication, movies, music, computer games) and as an extrapolation of this tendency I sense the desire (and need) to create a unique, collective intelligence, which would be much more efficient in achieving whatever it is we want to achieve.
Imagine being able to see through the eyes of a friend located 10,000 miles away in real time. Hear and feel whatever he is feeling or hears.
Or take the easiest case: voice (speech) transmission to/from brain and consider the implications.
Humans are currently very inefficient due to many limitations of our body. Transmitting information through speech/text is very inefficient, but when you exclude the brain-muscles-mouth/tongue -> ear->brain chain, we will be able to communicate at a considerably faster rate. In time, this ability will improve and we will be communicating at gigabits/second instead of a couple of kbits/second max as we do now through speech. You can imagine the implications this thing will have on all our other activities.
All in all, I'm very excited about this technology and only wish more time and resources are invested in it, because I think this is the next step in our evolution.
Forget datajacks; I want cybereyes, a smartlink, bone lacing, and wired reflexes. I'll be the baddest street sam in Seattle. No, really. CP 2020 and Shadowrun are starting to look less and less like games.
If the US Department of Defense incorporates and starts handing out business cards, or kids start getting born with pointy ears, I'm moving to New Zealand.
-Carolyn
Like Daddy always said: if you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.
Wired 10.09: Vision Quest
"A half century of artificial-sight research has succeeded. And now this blind man can see."
The patient lost his sight to accidents. By inserting brain implants and connecting them to cameras he can 'see' well enough to drive again. The dataflow direction is reversed but the implementation is the same.
This technology is interesting, but as long as it is reliant on sticking spiked electrodes into your brain to reach neurons, it's not going to be that useful. If/when nano-tech develops to the point where it can be used to effectively interface with large volumes of neurons, with minimal intrusion into the physical brain, then we might see some cool/frightening stuff happening.
I'm still waiting for my Google implant.
Then I'll kick some serious butt on Jeopardy.
this forming the basis for Project Cyborg 3.0 when Kevin Warwick gets to it.
But it says in the Noble Quran that nothing is beyond the power of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. And it is also written that He will save those whom He wants to and let Shaitan lead others astray.
To a Jew the whole idea of "salvation" is kind of weird.
Religion doesn't necessarily mean your religion.
The man who never alters his opinion is like the stagnant water and breeds Reptiles of the Mind -- William Blake
For Libido! ect...
This will eventually revolutionalize the slave trade/industry unfortunately.
I want my brain to be powered by Dual G5's or may some old Dec Aplha cpu's. Yeah !!!
So you want the brain power of a mouse, or maybe a grasshopper?
Dare to dream dude.
If you think about it, could you imagine the control a company like MS would have over the population if theirs was a monopoly on brain chips, and not OSes?
Would you like an Intel or AMD chip to go along with your hair-cut?
We'll use those who have reduced control over the body now--but think of it more as using guinea pigs for the eventual benefit of everyone.
-I am an elective eunuch.
If it could record thoughts and ideas it might eliminate the need for words as we know it. Maybe something like a mind meld.
Not to argue your entire post, but I would like to point out some things you said in the following paragraph, because I think that although you've read the Bible and are being (rightly) critical, you've missed the point of the verse.
As far as I know, so far noone's asking you to accept some particular government to get a simple medical implant.
Ah if life were that simple! You're right, nobody explicitly does such things, but implicitly, the consent is given. At the risk of ending this thread (!) nobody voted for hitler to kill 6 million jews either, yet the implicit consent was given by society. The verse warns that it's under this environment that the mark is given.
Noone asked that you change religions to get any other surgery, you know.
Again, not explicitly. But what if the path society is following starts to contradict your religion? It may mean nothing to you or me to participate in a capitalist "winner take all" society, but what does it mean to someone that feels that this isn't the right path? One could always move, but remember that the in Revalation the government is global.
And noone has been so far asked to get a peg-leg to be allowed to conduct business, so, you know, I doubt they'll be required to get an implant against paralysis either.
Of course not, but try living without a credit card... or how about a bank account... these are enormous amounts of control in the hands of the very few.
The sky isn't falling, but until we get our act together, technology will give plenty to us, all the while taking plenty away.
btw, everybody check out Neil Stephenson's book Interface he wrote under the name Stephen Bury. According to Wikipedia, that's a collaboration with J Frederick George.
O~ Him that studies revenge keeps his own wounds green. -- Francis Bacon
Well, the author of the NYT piece has a masters degree from MIT in civil engineering, not in neuroscience, but that's still a lot better than a BS, and you're talking out your ass.
Don't blame me; I'm never given mod points.
So you think that i would EVER allow a Windows PC to be linked/networked/wified anywhere near my brain??? Until it is a Linux world I wouldn't even consider hacking my head.
What exactly would happen when you end up with the blue screen of death in front of your eyes. Any way you slice it that can't be good!
this suc*PFFFSSSSHHH* as*KKHHHRRRRTTTSS*...
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
Alright so I'm a recovering Geek so maybe my opinions don't count (I used to spend 8-10 hours a day on a computer in some manifestation, now I just use the thing to write essays and listen to music ... at work I read slashdot because I have nothing else to do). I think that the idea of chip implentation holds some ostounding possibilities but I feel it's a Pandora's Box. Where do we stop? What if people decide to stop living their life in reality and choose to just plug in and have fantasies fed straight in to the brain.
... the original meaning comes from Greek theatre and it was actually mask) and it is often difficult to get beyond those masks, which is necessay for a real connection to be made between two individuals. Thus the "plugged-in" notion would create another layer of illusion that we would have to deal with in order to make connections.
The underlying core of being a human being is the ability to make connections with other human beings, thus the next logical question becomes are the connections that could be made "jacked-in" to an artificial reality be considered real. In my estimation it would be "possible" but quite a bit more difficult. As it is we all live behind masks (hence the term persona was adapted from Greek
Another danger that I think exists with these sorts of interface are eluded to by Phillip K. Dick in some of his speeches and philosophical panderings; Dick asserts that at birth we are not "human beings" rather we exist as entities that have the potential to become so. He goes on to argue that due to the advances that are occuring within the computer world that our definition of who exactly can be a "human being" will need to be redifined. In essence Dick is attempting to assert the idea that we could have human-robots and robotic-humans. In other words, artificially created entities could attain personhood while homo sapiens could degenerate in to cold machines that are not human anymore.
Those criticsm being said, I think the technology has some amazing potential. I just don't plan to be having anyone or anything jacked in to my cranium, I enjoy my insanity and would like to keep it to myself thank you very much!
SURGENOR!
Why isn't he the one cracking open the trial patients' heads?
Intelligent Design: because MATH is HARD.
Anyone remember the old roleplaying game Cyberpunk? Where you could drop into the local "doctors" office and get a chip inserted in your brain for a very reasonable price.
When I was a kid I thought that was a great idea. Grown a bit older, I am thinking not so much. I would rather earn my knowledge/skills than have them plugged in. What is knowledge and skill without expierence and wisdom. I realize that is not the topic of the article, but the concept is coming much closer to reality than when I used to play Cyberpunk.
If we don't make light of everything, we are just stumbling in the dark - Blank
Many people compromise their health for a career, and have been forever:
Professional athletes
Stuntmen
Third world miners (even if it does not buy much for them...)
Conclusion: there will always be someone willing to risk life and limb for money or glory. More so if they are desperatly poor.
You're not old until regret takes the place of your dreams.
Seriously, it is one thing to have a buggy, insecure OS in your desktop, but would you want a device running a Microsoft OS implanted in your head?
I suspect that we'll need to seriously rethink systems software to make these things really useful. My guess is that the first real applications of this sort of thing will be extending people's memorization capability and ability to do mathematical calculations of various sorts.
To put the value of these into perspective, FDR had a man that travelled with him whose main skill was the abilty to remember the name, face and a few facts about anyone he'd ever met. This meant that FDR could greet local politicians by their first name--and ask how their children were doing by name. When that kind of capability becomes available, I doubt any CEO or politician will be able to function without a suitable device.
The way that western society operates, people tend to emulate their leaders. Credit cards for example were originally used by "high rollers"-and gradually filtered down to the masses. My point here: the capability here is so important, that we have folks that will pay tens of thousands of dollars to get it-and will take considerable risks early in the development curve.
Certainly brings up new possibilities for the Blue Screen of Death.
Didn't get it?
The bump only exists on the skulls of the Male gender!
Doh!
"Brain chips sound pretty Orwellian"
/. Is there some reason the science can't stand on its own and requires fearmongering to make it worthy?
Such phrasing is apparently all it takes to get something like this into
"First clinical trials planned for 2004."
They don't even know if it'll work. And if it does, these things are no more Orwellian than a joystick. RTFA and then act like you did, and stop submitting/releasing ScienceFUD. If you need a fix of Brain Eating Monsters, go turn on SciFi Channel or something.
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
Now I can get a chip in my brain to solve those damn Calculus problem :)
:)
If it can help me with my Counter-Strike gaming experience that would be perfect
It's a very neat view on what it would be like if we all had these implants, what various people would load onto their limited space, "modders" who illegally upgrade their system (risking brain damage), and of course, viruses which can directly screw your brain if you're not careful! And, of course, this plays a big part in the story. It's a good read!
Cheers,
Joel
Physicist, consultant, science communicator
I see there are lots of ideas floating around about sex chip implant, gaming chip implants, other recreational and educational uses, what not.. Why not go to the very top? Implement a brain IC that after being implanted midst the dopaminergic systems of nucleus accumbens will stimulate specific opiate receptors on the will of the owner for a paradise on earth - wouldn't that be the ultimate use for this technology.. being in the most perfect mood all the time, a constant joy of living without crude and primitive methods we employ today like drugs, binge eating, drinking, smoking, gambling, workaholism, desire for power, wealth, sex indulgence, wars, crime, the seven sins.. all this may simply vanish in irrelevance - live in the mood you wish, explore, travel, work, create arts or do nothing at all, all for your own pleasure and not for a necessity any longer...
I know I am going to be ridiculed, but isn't chipping something of a hot topic lately ?
(tin foil hat ready to be served sir! eat here or take away ?) :-)
and such began mans first steps away from the epoch of scribbling on cave walls.
;) (unsuprising but disappointing none the less)
fundamentally there is no greater advancement than communications. writing and art are the only refinements we've had to language, and i find its shortcomings... well, i dont have a word to describe it.
maybe in another two hundred years we will finally have a means of communication which more acurately details our meaning, not just increases the efficiency of passing off what content we can make. beyond the threshold where words fail us.
i think communication is the key to world peace. a pity only the rich will be able to afford it then.
We know that this will definitely come true, when you will not be able to buy and sell without the chip
I first became aware of this company about January. I immediately thought of the Anime "Ghost in the Shell". Even though the technology is at a "primitive" level, I wanted to know if anyone was looking into the security of such technology.
We didn't consider security when creating the Internet and many operating systems. We will have access to an individual's body from outside. What will happen then? The "hacking" that took place in the Anime and countless other stories could easily become a reality.
On 1/14/04 I wrote to info@cyberkineticsinc.com and asked if they or anyone else was considering this question. To date, I have received no reply. I guess it's business as usual. The letter follows:
Greetings,
I have been a long time fan of the idea of connecting the brain to our computer and networks. I feel the future man/machine interface of choice will be this method of connection but it does raise a concern. Since Cyberkinetics Inc. is making the possibility here and now, the concern for security becomes here and now.
I feel the term "if it exists, it will be abused" is even more real today than it was just five years ago. I would like to know if the company is looking at the abuses that can result from this technology. Not just the intentional abuse that may be used by unscrupulous people but the "cracking" we see now on the Internet.
It may seem a remote possibility at this stage but it's a question that should be addressed and developed along with the technology. Is the company looking into the possibility of "wetware" viruses being introduced as software viruses are? Is the company addressing the issues of privacy the technology will be raising?
The reason I am asking is that I am an amateur fiction writer and I would be interested in "real world" consideration of such issues.
What does the slash-dot community thing the next step should be?
Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted!
The number of the beast! 666 The one for you and me!
Meh.
I had this discussion with a friend a while back. Don't be the first in line for this tech--think about it. Your chip is guaranteed to be obsolete in a year and half, and then what are you going to do, upgrade? The first generation will probably be unremovable. You'll be stuck with a 2400 baud modem in your skull for all eternity.
Sorry for the rant but I hate the over abused term "Orwellian". People throw it about ad-nausea without even knowing what it means. This story about the chip is about as Orwellian as it is Kafka-esque.
In 1984(the book these people never read but love to make refferences to) they monitored people through TV's, not some chip implanted in your head. To me that sounds more "Borg-lian" or "Robocop-lian" than "Orwellian".
It's in MMORPG game eve-online
Ocular filter, Memory Augmentation, Cybernetic Subprocessor, Willpower
They even reported "Be a cupid. Shoot your target with the ID Sniper"