From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Fri Jul 06 2001 - 21:11:11 MDT
From: "Reason" <reason@exratio.com>
> Hell, I'd lay down a challenge to see if we can get an article on inloading
> into abcnews.com's science section. Seems like the sort of thing they'd go
> for, and all it would take is a speculative science paper handed to the
> right people. The editors there got four days worth of space out of the
> biotech super soldier stuff.
Yes, someone will (could, might, must, whatever) refine Michael Korn's formula
and invent ExCITE, Extropic Cognitive Inloading for Transhuman Enhancement,
and perhaps you remember the articles about injecting live neurons into brains
to repair stroke damage? IIRC, the injections resulted in brain growth.
Incremental progress, indeed (I think they were rat brains). The transmission
connection and interface presents the biggest challenge for my imagination.
Perhaps the human eye can be modified for this: Fiber optic extensions of
retinal nerves -- eyeballs microsurgically replaced by cable sockets which
distribute one fiber to each cone and rod of the retina. (More gooey than
GUI.)
> You make them sound like B-movie zombies :)
Yes, well, Kubrick might be able to polish the scenario a bit. τΏτ
> Although; semantics. Religionists are fine. It's religionists (and others --
> some economists fall into this category) that happen to be missionary
> luddites and/or deathists that are problematic.
Doesn't extinguishing deathism require removing the reasons people wish to
die, and in the case of those who believe the "soul" lives on, doesn't it
require copious debunking?
Stay hungry,
--J. R.
Useless hypotheses, etc.:
consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind, free will, qualia,
analog computing, cultural relativism, GAC, CYC, and ELIZA
Everything that can happen has already happened, not just once,
but an infinite number of times, and will continue to do so forever.
(Everything that can happen = more than anyone can imagine.)
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