ARM or CORE?

[Teutooni]

Lately, I've read some intresting articles on cybernetic implants and brain-computer interfaces. This is no science fiction, brain implants have been succesfully tested on animals and crippled.

A guy who was completely paralyzed below the neck, got at least some independence back, as he could adjust his bed, the lights of the room and TV via an implant inserted into his brain. How would you like a remote controlled rat? I saw a TV documentary a couple of weeks ago, where a rat was remotely given instructions directly into its brain, and made to go into places it wouldn't normally go, and to find its way out of a maze.

New, better electronic arms and legs could replace organic ones. Imagine being able to run 100 miles an hour with your ENERGY LEGS, like in the 6 million dollar guy series? Eye implants would be relatively easy too. One day, we could percieve the entire electromagnetic spectrum - an X-ray vision for all!! \o/

There has been research on directly enhacning cognitive abilities with implants. Imagine plugging in a memory module, and suddenly you would have infallible memory.

But where will this all end? Will we eventually replace all inferior organic parts with computers and electric motors, and "transfer our conciousness into durable machines", or will there be an ethical movement refusing the patterning?

[Erom]

I know a guy who's doctorate thesis was on reading and writing memories to rat's brains. Scary stuff.

I am amused, however, how tightly the singulatarian belief system (that is, that we will toward the end of this generation or midway into the next convert ourselves into immortal machines) holds to Core doctrine. It would be highly ironic if the slapdash backstory to TA ended up closely mimicking the great political/ethical decisions of the next century.

For my personal belief, I believe that true cybernetics will be possible within our lifetime in a limited fashion, but certainly not full consciousness transfer. Think Ghost In The Shell, except even full body prosthesis sounds implausible to me - but ENERGY LEGS? Yeah, I can believe that, if they ever figure out the energy storage issues.

[manored]

Well personally if anyone offers me the option to get my mind transfered into a machine, I would happly agree :) But I think there are fairly high chances of we having a war or at least a well of a mess on this issue...

[Guessmyname]

I am amused, however, how tightly the singulatarian belief system (that is, that we will toward the end of this generation or midway into the next convert ourselves into immortal machines) holds to Core doctrine. It would be highly ironic if the slapdash backstory to TA ended up closely mimicking the great political/ethical decisions of the next century.

The advantage of having a very simplistic backstory: it's easy to mold to real world events, as you don't have to be fiddly over details.

[Caydr]

I refuse to be patterned unless it allows me to jump high and shit. None of this "put you in a computer" stuff.

[PicassoCT]

And he went offline - but it was to late, way to late, the Trollvirus was in his brainz, burning down the wires - and whenever he looked on something hole-like - he saw it - GOATZE ...

There will be only one Generation of Cyberware - after that this Industry will be so lawysuited to death - and i can´t await to Ghosthack those Victims

.. so you are imortal? How about some Adds to pass the Time ?

[manored]

Adds? UNIVERSAL DOMINATION for the win :)

[Jamuk426]

By the time we get to this stage in technological development where we can keep our minds alive forever, it won't be like in TA. There would be no need for sheet metal bodies or anything silly like that. Science would have already advanced far past what it is now. Whatever forms we would take would likely be able to experience everything that we can and so much more. The bodies we create for our detached minds just might be made of flesh and blood.

[TheRegisteredOne]

suddenly, a Vorlon planet killer blasts out of hyperspace and rayguns our world: "You are not ready for immortality"

[Zoombie]

Yay B5 reference.

So, if we ever have cyborgs, I'm going to push for calling them Enhanced Life Forms...

[PicassoCT]

Once we would have the Technology for bodyless imortality - there would be all of the sudden a rush of eternal living (and bored to the bones) Ghost from Civilisations who did that step before us and regret it... So you want eternity - here you go, can i have your body meanwhile - live is much more worth once you can loose it...

If you want to read up on Imortality and its effect on the mind->

http://www.amazon.com/All-Men-Mortal-Si ... 0393308456

[Teutooni]

I'm actually surprised these animal tests haven't gotten more negative attention. I mean, remotely controlling someones thoughts? Really scary.

Might be because of technological optimism nowaday. People are scared to eat genefood, but are generally optimistic towards gene treatments, and then there is nanotechnology, too. Nano has very little critique.

Cybernetics has the worst horror scenarios imo; fusion powerplant can blow up, yes, but it doesn't directly spam ads or even control signals into your brain via an integrated modem, not to mention mind viruses. And the transition from organic to cybernetic? Obviously it will be expensive at first, so only the rich have access to the tech. Are we going to abandon humane values and create a superrace of facist cyborgs?

All I'm saying: WHERE IS ARM?

I'm not against cybernetics in general, I merely want to discuss to what extent it should be used. To replace broken bodyparts, or to give new abilities? And what kind of abilities would be acceptable?

[PicassoCT]

My Concern is more that of monoculture - if it is fashionable or wanted by society - everybody will install the latest brainwindowversion behind there googles. Imagine how boring that could be - and while everybody is already the same, why not make a MySpace Collective. We are the MySpaceborgs- resistance is futile, but will be added anyway to our Facebooks. Lower your Ghostshields and surrender your bugly headware..

Before Cyberware happens the Web turns A.lI.ve & Consience by Virus

[TheRegisteredOne]

Everyone missed an important point here: If your consciousness is transfer to a machine, Is it really you in the machine, or a copy of you?

[Teutooni]

Does it matter?

[Zoombie]

I personally hate the people who picket genetic reserch facilities with signs like "I would rather starve."

Sure, YOU would rather starve you fat suburbanite American who is rich and has everything they could want. What about the people starving in Africa and Asia and other down on their luck places? I bet they wouldn't care that their food is more nutritious and easier to grow because it's genetically engineered, they'll just be glad to not DIE!

<sigh> Some people are really dumb.

I'm all for technology. It's the bad guys that I'm worried about, cause tech is a tool, something that can be used for good or for ill.

[Caydr]

Sure, YOU would rather starve you fat suburbanite American who is rich and has everything they could want. What about the people starving in Africa and Asia and other down on their luck places? I bet they wouldn't care that their food is more nutritious and easier to grow because it's genetically engineered, they'll just be glad to not DIE!

This is the only smart thing I've heard all week, thank you.

[PicassoCT]

@Zombie

The Problem is that more & more HiTech gets into the Hands of Bad Guys - just think of the middle Ages - a Bad Guy could rampage with a sword - he would kill five people before get cut down. Now take a homebuild Carbomb today - 50 Deads - or a highjacked Planes 500 per Plane..

So the Problem is we have to cut out liberty just to (slightly) limit the bad guys acess to HiTech?
So what if the Day approaches - "The do it yourself, built a Virus-KiT" is not just a comon sight in Secure La(b/p)s...

We really are in trouble to be two steps ahead - having double-antidots for every technology we let loose on humanity. And that isn´t the case.. i mean we have not even after fifty years managed some basic antinuke meassures yet..

That´s the Problem heading into Singularity that fast, stumble and we might fall once and for all..

[manored]

Well but thats because humans are stupid, not because tech is bad :) We just need to neutralize human stupidty with proper education...

Beside, we cannot discover how to keep a tech from being used in mean ways before discovering it...

[Caydr]

We've got anti-nukes and they work pretty well, it's just that they can be overwhelmed by sheer numbers of nukes. Theoretically though, they are cheaper to produce and can be built in much greater numbers per ICBM, so it should be possible to stop virtually any modern-day (as in 2008-style) nuclear attack in, say, another 50 years. I wonder what weapons we'll have then, though. Krogoths?

Odd how reality mirrors TA.

Interesting question: given all we know about limited natural resources and such, if you could go back in time would you stop the nuclear research program? Would the world be a better place if no nukes or nuclear technology existed?

It's a hard thing to answer IMHO. It's sad what happened to the Japanese, but theirs is the only country nukes have actually been used against to date (70 years have passed now and they haven't been used since), and it's widely agreed upon that if it was not for the use of those horrible weapons, the war would've dragged on for a much longer period of time. A land invasion of Germany was hellish, another invasion of Japan wouldn't be much fun either, and far more would've died on both sides than did at the hands of those two nukes. The entire country would've been a warzone.

Nukes have actually kept the peace, in a way. We're constantly in an arms race, but as long as more than one country has them, nobody else is dumb enough to use them. Because of them, no major world powers have dared to attack each other.

...That said, I'll be on the first spaceship off this crazy planet if I get the chance.