Subj : Chips Common As Mobiles To : Marnie Trosclair From : Steve Asher Date : Thu Apr 21 2005 12:43 am Mulling over Marnie Trosclair to Steve Asher 18 Apr 2005 Hi Marnie, MT> First, the caveat: MT> My thoughts along these lines aren't well-developed to the MT> point where I can articulate them without sounding incredibly MT> foolish. :-) SA> I don't think you sound incredibly foolish at all. The research SA> has transformed sci-fi into reality, with all its potential for SA> good and evil. MT> You can see it as "transforming sci-fi into reality," however, MT> being aware of cutting edge developments, new discoveries, etc., MT> allows one to project. "Sci-fi" is produced by those who look MT> ahead to see where developments might take us. In this sense, MT> sci-fi is merely speculation about possible outcomes. What I had in mind was childhood memories of Dick Tracy's wristwatch communicator & the like - I grew up in a country town with a magneto telephone exchange, private phones were rare, no television, though it did arrive in the early 1960s - black & white (snow & ghosts) as we were hundreds of miles from the transmitters. Now, the talk is about convergence, where the fixed phone, mobile, laptop, tv, mp3 player etc are all connected & accessible. MT> The sci-fi that becomes reality might be one of many paths / MT> outcomes contemplated by a diverse group of "visionaries." So, in MT> another sense, sci-fi often transforms the present research and new MT> discoveries into a "projected reality," which, until it becomes MT> real, remains fiction. MT> In any event, I'll risk sounding incredibly foolish, and MT> proceed. MT> About the diverging paths I mentioned: MT> That some are attempting to accomplish this by augmenting the MT> brain with chips and electronic circuitry suggests a possible MT> split or diverging of paths, where man becomes more dependent MT> on machines along the first path, and man develops heightened MT> senses or extra-sensory perception along a second path. SA> You are probably right about the divergence into two paths - SA> one path will probably seek to restore human abilities through SA> technology, while the other will seek to expand / transcend them, SA> as a form of high-tech witchcraft, where the implant replaces SA> the wand. MT> When I spoke of two paths, I meant one path involves the increasing MT> merger of man and machine, where man becomes ever-more MT> dependent upon the functioning of machines. Along a second path, MT> man might develop heightened senses or extra-sensory perception, MT> without merging with machines. ( You could identify a range of MT> other possibilities. ) MT> Now, consider what might happen if you're in a supermarket and the MT> power goes out. I've seen this happen. The scanners didn't work, MT> so the barcodes meant nothing. There were no prices marked on the MT> products, so the checkout person didn't know what to charge the MT> would-be customer. The registers didn't work, so there were no MT> computers to add up prices, multiply prices for quantities, or MT> figure taxes based on percentages. Everything came to a MT> standstill. And it wasn't as bright as it was only moments MT> earlier. I haven't been in a supermarket when the power fails, but have been in a mall after half of the shops have been blacked out - they have no alternative to close until power returns. Even a simple task like checking a bank balance using a swipe card is impossible without power or the uplink to head office. We have a number of "accessible" buses with electronically controlled ramps which have a habit of not retracting, meaning the bus is unable to continue its journey; the driver is advised to turn off the engine, wait three minutes, & restart in the hope that the electronics will reboot & retract the ramp. The latest buses have a hinged ramp for the driver to flip out & back, without the need for the electronics & the failures. MT> Under such circumstances, business can only crawl along at a MT> snail's pace -if- you can find people who could perform some or MT> all of the functions currently provided by the electronic MT> computational systems presently in place. MT> As man continues to merge with machine, allowing chips to become MT> implanted, for the purpose of enhancing his abilities, augmenting MT> his decision-making processes, augmenting reality, he runs the MT> risk of such a sudden disaster, and it may be fatal. In the least, MT> a recovery will be daunting. MT> If, however, a different path was pursued, where the mind and brain MT> were developed, rather than become increasingly dependent upon MT> machines, a range of other scenarios might be contemplated. MT> Imagine if you could compute like the Dustin Hoffman character in MT> "Rain Man." Imagine having the ability to speed read with a high MT> degree of comprehension and retention. Such abilities would come MT> in very handy, no? What if we produced a generation of prodigies, MT> instead of relying on some thing called "Prodigy"? (I'm MT> reaching.) SA> I always like to consider the implications - the "mental SA> telephone" might be handy, but I wouldn't want to be contacted SA> by politicians, telemarketers, spammers & scammers etc, and SA> wouldn't want it linked to ENUM and other emerging technologies. SA> Not that I want to be included in ENUM anyway. :) MT> We'll talk about the number thing in future posts. As for the MT> mental telephones, again, this could range from tech-augmented MT> hearing and communications to the development of heightened MT> senses. MT> Is a form of telepathy possible without the aid of technology? MT> Perhaps you've some thoughts you'd like to share on the subject? I have, but I need an early night, as I have an appointment later today, & if I don't reply now, it might be a day or two before I get the chance. I am often slow in replying, as I wait 'till I am in the right frame of mind, & usually at night before I visit other news web sites. MT> Some believe claims about "remote viewing" and psychic detectives. MT> Still others claim contact with a higher consciousness, a global MT> mind, an "overmind." Some speak of contacts with spirits and MT> angels. Such communications, if they're actually taking place, MT> don't appear to be dependent upon machines. If humans were able MT> to develop such abilities, it might be seen as the less MT> mechanical, and more spiritual path. MT> Perhaps this is a good time to introduce another set of links. MT> They include an inventor / author's contemplation of machines and MT> spirits and the relationship of computers and humans. See next MT> post. :-) OK :) Cheers, Steve.. --- * Origin: Xaragmata / Adelaide SA telnet://xaragmata.thebbs.org (3:800/432) .