Your view on cybernetics

[pitou777]

Hello,

Following my survey on cybernetics, iNow and padren proposed to make a new thread, just about the last question I asked in the survey.

(you can view it here: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39101)

 

I thought this was a good idea so here it is! The question goes like this:

 

"If a brainimplant would be available, granting you direct access to the internet (thereby making you all-knowing, amongst other things), would you:"

 

-immediately have it done

-probably have it done

-consider it

-probably not have it done

-definitely not have it done

-other

 

What's your answer? Would you only do it under certain circumstances? would you prefer the chip to be "offline", for security? ...

[visceral]

I'd have it done definitely, if I could keep the thing offline for security reasons.

[ydoaPs]

It certainly wouldn't make you all-knowing. It does, however, raise all new privacy issues. And if implemented in certain ways, could lead to a borg-like population. However, given certain security problems could be solved and the connection could be turned on and off at will, it could be a cool toy.

[pitou777]

well, I meant all-knowing, as in "knowing (almost) everything that humans already know" what humans don't know yet, you could not know either. Except if you use your knowledge to know more

[bascule]

As I said earlier, I'll wait for non-invasive approaches, unless the benefits truly warrant surgery

[lifestream]

Yes, why not. But before i get it, id like to know any negative effects it has ( and where will it be "inserted" in my brain). Also i need to know if it can be used to alter my thoughts or even control me (so one-way chip with offline mode).

 

well, I meant all-knowing, as in "knowing (almost) everything that humans already know" what humans don't know yet, you could not know either.

 

Well If you know everything that even our top scientist know, your possibilities to create something new and revolutionary are huge.

 

True, you could easily become a borg king IF you are the first - just use your knowledge to make even better implants for yourself.

 

BUT what if you blow yourself up trying to make "hyper atom splitting coffee machine" cuz the formula at wiki was faulty ?

[pitou777]

hehe ^^

i'm sure by then you would be able to revive yourself;)

as bascule mentioned, if headsets in the future become more accurate and powerfull, there would be no need for an operation. but people with headsets are harder to call cyborgs in my opinion

[lifestream]

Really? well look at Borg... they had some kind of headset like stuff too

[pitou777]

hehe ^^

[essence_of_cool]

i dont think itll be possible to kknow everythiong or almost everything.

Plus, how would it work; would you need to look up stuff like yopu do now and actually read the text on the supposed screen (although no screen)? Coz if so, then it would be just like having ultra ultra portable access to internet and nothing more. Bye bye borg fantasies. But if you mean like, zapping info into ones conscious, then i still dont think it would be possible to sustain memory of everything...

 

Also, youd probably need a sixth sense, becasue being in your head, youd have to have some way of detecting what the internet/chip is transmittiing (you cant see it, smell it, taste it, hear it, or touch it...) Probabbly a sensitivity to electric stimulus would work, but very deep porby intrisuve surgeries needed.

 

Also, very quick way to kill someone; throw a strong magnet near their heads, casue a haemorrage. LOL

 

ANyway... yeah... just some random thoughts on the matter...

[lifestream]

true worst would be all that spam and popups

To get a visual link, attach it to optic nerve.

 

Just too bad when you are out of any wifi areas D:

 

And you have lots of space to download "illegal" software feds cant take ur "hdd" to check it

[Sisyphus]

You currently have access to the internet. Do you "know everything humans know?" No, of course not. You merely have access to a great deal of information. Why would a direct brain interface change that?

[lifestream]

most likely by the time we are able to create such a complicated implants, amount of data and ways to access and use it will e different... Perhaps evens specially designed for implants. Like whole digitized library's etc ( + reading trough and leaning it would be far easier - direct neural access - learn instantly what you read if you want to).

 

Perhaps you dont know all that humans do. But if you are first test subject, you may as well become the smartest human and use it to your advantage if you find it reasonable.

 

 

Surfing net with implant wouldn't be even close to what you do with your pc - no browsers ( and id never want to have IE installed in my head).

 

Problem would be internet access- even tho you can process and accumulate large amounts of data, you still would need a really fast internet connection ( and our current wireless technologies might not be enough).

[Xittenn]

this might help matters..............

http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39003

 

it could even act as a math co-processor for you...................you would still have to know what questions to ask specifically. Even then the answers could form a long list and the one you want could be way at the end.

 

I still opt to not own a 'puter because significant facts are towered by porn..........not that that's a problem if that's what you dig! Even if I bought a computer I wouldn't put it online 'cause some punk @$$ little punk would upload me a virus and I'd get some weird blip in my caustic data retrieved from samples I've run through Surface Plasmon Resonance and Fluorescent Imaging.......................

 

Don't I have enough voices in my head!

 

Answered: no, I'll take one but I'm not paying for it.

[pitou777]

thank you for your opinions

i know that this thing i said, about being all-knowing, is not a 100% right, but as lifestream said, you have to anticipate things like special knowledge packages online, e-libraries and similar stuff.

meanwhile, these are the temporary results for my survey, (you can still complete it)

http://www.sumopaint.com/web/#/image/78623/

http://www.sumopaint.com/web/#/image/78624/

http://www.sumopaint.com/web/#/image/78625/

[Lovecraft]

Brain Spam! Oh no!

hmmm... I'd do it. Instnat access to knowledge (I'd hope I 'd have a good BS filter in there too though, so much on the net is just wrong -- oh and I'd want a blog filter. Don't want any blogs in mah haid.

[iPeppers]

Well immediate problems with this operation is;

- that there is a lot of false information on the internet, so you would know a lot of wrong and unhelpful things. I think it would be better if it was connected to a database compiled of known scientific facts.

- also, what if someone makes a virus that feeds you what they want to?

 

A long scale problem is this situation... If this turns out to be a wonderful thing (as it would, because everyone would have the knowledge to do more with their lives), everyone will start to get this implant. If this happens, humans will no doubt be dependent on it, and it won't even matter if you happen to have brain defects at birth, because the chip would make you seem like everyone else and give you the same knowledge anyways. Thus it kind of cheats natural selection in humans a bit, as everyone has equal chance now to mate based on intelligence and probably personality (as the chip would most likely have a huge influence on a person's life). ....So what if everyone has been using this chip for thousands of years, and all of the sudden, a virus or something takes all of the chips out of service. Would we look around and realize that we had become dependent as a species, and either all drop dead and not be able to function, or realize that our brains had actually devolved?

 

I would probably still immediately get it done if it was cost effective and only a select few people would get the chance to do it in the next 10 years.

 

If everyone has the chance to get it done, then I would wait 5 years or so until most bugs were hammered out and/or a better model was up for grabs.

[antimatter]

To be honest, I'm in between "Consider it" and "Probably have it done". From all that sci-fi and cyberpunk books have taught me, it's most likely a terribly idea, but it's intriguing to think of all the possibilities. Not quite sure if they outweigh the odds of what could be a potentially harmful procedure, a whole new sets of privacy issue, and a constant feed of commercial information (it IS the internetz after all). I guess I mean to say that it's all a little vague. I would probably do it if there was an off switch, or a way to permanently kill it without brain damage.

[bbklcuren]

To be honest, I'm in between "Consider it" and "Probably have it done". From all that sci-fi and cyberpunk books have taught me, it's most likely a terribly idea, but it's intriguing to think of all the possibilities. Not quite sure if they outweigh the odds of what could be a potentially harmful procedure, a whole new sets of privacy issue, and a constant feed of commercial information (it IS the internetz after all). I guess I mean to say that it's all a little vague. I would probably do it if there was an off switch, or a way to permanently kill it without brain damage.

 

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You are honest.