Slashdot Mirror
Gates Says No to Implants
Tamas Feher from Hungary writes "The future of Slashdot's infamous Borg Bill thumbnail image may be in jeopardy after Microsoft founder William H. Gates said technology will one day allow computer implants - but hardwiring's not for him. 'One of the guys that works at Microsoft... always says to me 'I'm ready, plug me in,"' Gates said Friday at a Microsoft seminar in Singapore when he was asked whether computers would ever be implanted in the human brain. "I don't feel quite the same way. I'm happy to have the computer over there and I'm over here.' "
Resistance is futile.
In other words he doesn't trust the hardware and/or software being hooked up to his brain.
Gee, I wonder why...
The ratio of people to cake is too big
Only because he doesn't trust microsoft software running on his brain. The Blue Screen of Death could become literal and he knows it.
"Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses." - Arthur C. Clarke.
But where do you really draw the line? Most of us spend a lot of time staring at a LCD, would laser-projected images in the retina be that much of a stretch? Gates himself has his company working hard on speech recognition -- which is obviously a step towards taking away the interfaces. It seems to me the clear path is towards zero interfaces: direct brain stimulation. That would truly be the easiest thing for most users to operate. (But I wouldn't want to get a GPF in my brain! Ouch!)
So it's easy to say you're against connecting up to the computer, but it's not a black-and-white situation. I imagine integration will happen over several decades, not all at once.
Know What You're Talking About
And that Gates refuses to get man-boobs and wear a 'bro'.
Video games do propel technology. But open source propels it further, IMHO.
Do you have any kind of evidence whatsoever to back that up?
...would it run linux?
"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis
Would you want a body implant that runs on Windows?
I can just see it - adware popups that appear every 2 minutes on your ocular implants.
My rights don't need management.
Is running windows. Imagine the pain in the ass that would come about from a crash. Even Gates would admit that windows is not ready for this kind of critical application. Probably never will be.
I have always said that Microsofts failures and limits are because many people in that company (including Bill) always see the limit to computing. They are limited by what they think is reasonable and what they think will make the most money. Hell of a business plan, sucky for technological advancement though.
Now lets wait for all of the Microsoft zealots to flame/mod me.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." --Albert Einstein
Do you have any kind of evidence whatsoever to back that up?
Hm. I suspect your tenure as an active slashdotter has not been as lengthy as it may have been, or in more common parlance, "you must be new here".
Your cowardly reliance on anonymity, forthermore, may imply a certain embarrassment concerning your slashdot userid. I'd wager it's around twice mine.
I'm sorry. I'll get back to the point.
Now, you'll notice that the parent whom you prompt for evidence employs the phrase "open source" in a context suggesting blind allegiance and a rampant desire to propagate it (often at the expense of procreation).
This being slashdot, the original poster is exempt from the condition of providing evidence.
Or do you think that it is a bad thing for open source to be propelled?
Gentlemen moderators, the parent requires to be moderated "funny". No one on slashdot is dumb enough to require proof of outrageous claims.
Blearf. Blearf, I say.
Jeez Bill, never heard of Bluetooth?
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
In 2020, the BSOD crashes you!
"Only the small secrets need to be protected. The big ones are kept secret by public incredulity." - Marshall McLuhan
I've been using WinXP pro since pre-launch, on multiple computers, with several hardware upgrades, and have never, ever, had a single BSOD. Could you Linux addicts please come up with something new to bash on Windows with other than Kernel32 era bsod insults?
Seriously, for people that claim to know Linux inside & out and be extremely bright IT professionals, if you can't keep WinXP running smoothly then your knowledge is seriously lacking.
/. is good for you.
Might I suggest a new Bill Gates thumbnail based on this sexy pic?
Systemd: the PulseAudio of init systems
The Borg are a race of cyborgs in the Star Trek fictional universe. Some say the name 'Borg' is simply short for cyborg.
Borg are humanoids of different races that are enhanced with cybernetic implants, giving them improved mental and physical abilities. Although the cyborg concept has long existed in science-fiction literature, it is probable that the general concept of the Borg - a ruthless, aggressive race of bio-mechanical beings bent on galactic conquest - was influenced to some degree by the Cybermen, which featured in the popular British television series Doctor Who and who displayed similar rationales and methods as the Borg, including wanting to assimilate individuals to augment their race. They also bear significant resemblences to Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series.
The minds of all Borg are connected via implants to a hive, a collective mind, orchestrated by the Borg Queen and controlled from a central hub, the Unicomplex. According to themselves, the Borg only seek to "improve the quality of life in the universe" and add to their own perfection. To this end, they travel the galaxy, improving their numbers and advancing by "assimilating" other species and technologies, and forcing captured individuals under the control of the Hive mind by injecting them with nanoprobes. They harbor no ill will to anyone; they merely fulfil their biological or programmatic imperative to assimilate. As they say, "You will be assimilated - resistance is futile." They make good on that threat by their ability to quickly adapt to any attack to render it harmless. Thus, any successful defense depends on the ingenuity of the opponent to find a method to stop the Borg completely before they can neutralize it.
See also this cartoon.
This got me thinking... and what exactly is the prognosis for Open Source implants? Who wants to go first on the test bed? This ain't no operating system... testing could result in deaths and a lot of pain.
There are too sides to that.
On one hand, it's a lot more complicated than pain and death. There are probably a lot of people who would volunteer for it. Some would do it because they believe they are contributing for a greater good. Some would because they get a kick out of risks and pain. And who knows what else.
But the main problem would be regulation. In any first world country I can think of (and probably most third world countries), local health authorities are going to want to regulate it, and rightly so. Just look at all the hoops that pharmaceutical companies have to jump thru just to get a new drug tested on human subjects. And didn't just recently the FDA denied permission to implant a patient with a bionic heart? This is goint to be tested to hell and back before someone gives permission for this.
On the other hand, open source does not necesarily mean a lone coder in his basement/garage, tho sometimes that is the image that is sold by many. A consortium or a corporation with enough resources to comply with regulation could very well embrace the OS movement and develop OS implants. I don't know how likely this is since this would probably mean slower return of investment.
No sig
The Boy Scouts of America have a merit badge for that? Whoa! No way!
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
If slashdotters could have supermodels superimposed on their visual cortex to replace the women they could actually possibly get into bed, then yes, I could see it being quite popular.
500GB of disk, 5TB of transfer, $5.95/mo
Uh right... because kidnappings and muggings have never transpired prior to this invention of chip implants.
When impants start making you more competitive in the marketplace, you bet it's going to take off -- especially if they can be discreetly implanted.
What happens when a chip implanted in your brain can make you 25% "smarter"? Most people will recoil at the thought; a few will take advantage of it, and it will gradually catch on, until we reach the point that the most competitive jobs routinely have super-human requirements, and the people who don't have implants will start sliding down the economic scale.
Never underestimate the power of greed to transform human society.
Remember: Gates and Microsoft are all about PR, but only when it hurts somebody else.
Sometimes boldness is in fashion. Sometimes only the brave will be bold.
Imagine a future situation where under the guisse of equal and universal access to education it would be mandated that every child from a young age be plugged in and online. Or imagine under the guisse of fighting "terrorism" - hey, we'll still be at it as long as it's expedient and serves special interests(!) - those in power would claim that "if your got nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about!"
Wait for it!
Resistance is the quotient of voltage and current.
The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
I think Bill Gates has a point. When I want to leave the office, I want to leave the the office there, not take it with me everywhere I go. I'm just imagining having a pager built right into you 24/7... And that's just for starters.
I'm sure there will be different implant levels, but nah, i think I'll pass too.
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Of course Bill Gates doesn't want implants to take off. Microsoft would end up being the one writing the software for it. I for one would really like to avoid having Windows powered body parts. Blue screen of death, anyone?
Imagine a beowulf cluster of ME!
___
It's the end of my comment as I know it and I feel fine.
Money as a Motivator > Pretty much anything but your life as a Motivator.
Sorry but that just isn't true.
Most people when they have enough money to live comfortably find other motivations (suggesting that money is only a secondary motive, and comfort/survival are the primary ones).. how many people here have quite a higher paying job for less money but a better environment? In that case the equation is evil Boss + Lots of money nice Boss + less money.
I myself quite a job earning double what I am now to work on my favourite opensource project full time.. I've still got enough to live on, just can't buy as much new hardware every month.. big deal.. I'm much happier as a result.
Heck I've known people who have quite *all* paying work to go voluntary for a few years, supported by donations that might or might not happen. They're some of the most motivate people I've ever met, too.