As we all know we have just recently discovered a new “planet-et” on the outer reaches of Pluto, but this is not what I want to talk to you about. Something more controversial has entered my mind. The integration of human and machine.
Technology has brought us a far ways from the original striking two sticks together to create fire. Today we have computers and such. These technologies have been advancing at astronomical speeds. Back in 1995 I had a slow ass 486 running at 66 megahertz, but today we got computers going at 2 gigahertz (2000 megahertz); soon releasing Clawhammer manufactured by AMD a 64-bit processor (freaking amazing). The true issue is when will humans will be integrated with machine and it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. We know machine is faster, better, above all more efficient. We can talk at the lowest form of human and mech. Integration, such as a chip inserted into your body for Identification. What I’m talking about goes much deeper.
We know human senses are nothing more than electric pulses rushing through your brain. What I’m saying is with the integration of man and machine, we can have fake senses. What are you saying Jeff, I relive moments with my dead wife? Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying. I could recreate it so you can smell, hear, see, taste and even feel moments in your life, with a single chip that emits such impulses to your brain to create these senses. How would you like your dreams to become reality, I am not talking about VR (Virtual Reality) I’m talking about mending of dreams and reality together as one.
I close with that as your thought. This subject can go much deeper, but what I’m here to do isn’t think for you. I am here to give you something to think about, food for thought. So go out and THINK for yourselves and discuss.
There is no limit to how far science will go. The only limitation is the scientists and innovators
This is an interesting article. It’s hard to see man and machine ever being sperated. It’s also hard so see the full potentials of how humans can use machines for tasks we cant even comprehend.This article bring a book called “The end of Science” to mind. In the book, Scientists are trying to create robots, that not only can vacuum and fix diiner, but taking over the economy, or generate so much wealth humans wont have to work. They could eliminate poverty and war. Hold on, it doesn’t just end at ending poverty and war either, scientists are striving for robots to expand into outer space for resources, converting raw matter into information processing devices. “Robots within this frontier will be unable to expand physically, but will try to use the resources more and more efficiently and turn to pure computation and simulation and eventually, every little quantum action has a physical meaning and then basically you’ve got cyber space. As beings within this cyber space learn to process information more rapidly, it will seem it takes longer and longer for a message to get from point a to point b althought the information can only still travel at the spped of light, so the effect of this improvement would be to increase the size of the universe. “Therefore cyber space would become more dense, more large, more intricate, and more interesting then that of the actual universe” So do you think Humans will abandon there mortal flesh to become more free, to have the immortality of cyberspace? Maybe it will start with that chip jeff was talking about. Ashutosh is right, there doesnt seem to be a limit on how far science and technology will go.
Isn’t that a scary thought though? What if there is a limitation to science? There has to be a limit at some point buts its frightful to imagine that there are just some things that are impossible. Such as going faster than the speed of light. That is one of the few scientifc facts that we admit to be impossible, but will still try nevertheless. It is hard for us to grasp the fact that we are only limited to what we have in this dimension. Other dimensions, now thats something else to discuss. And if this argument ever leads to robots taking over the world, we can be safe on one thing. Robots don’t have judgement, the one trait that seperates us from animal. And WHAT a trait!
-Chris
thhugh provoking jeff. nice work.
Test.
There is no limitations on anything because as man progress, they will get lazier or demand more things. As they demand more things, they need better technology/science to support those demands. As they get lazier, they will demand more … objects that will make their life well, easier!
I think the next huge revolution in science is that of nanotechnology. The idea is that by manipulating things on the atomic level, we can build machines that can self-replicate and build anything according to plans. This allows us to create any sort of material or final product extremely cheaply (in the long run). There won’t be supply and demand. It will enable us to heal the body instead of helping it heal itself. Or change the body at the atomic level. Bring frozen brains back to life. Meld people together. Make people smarter and make machines smart. For more information, check out http://nanodot.org/ , http://www.foresight.org/ , and Eric Drexler’s book “Engines of Creation”. I wrote a paper about medical applications of nanotech found at http://freefour.com/index.php?page=6
Speaking of nanotechnology, has anyone read Prey by Michael Crichton? It’s the account of nanotechnology gone insane. Not too academic and a bit paranoid, but an interesting notion to entertain, given the topic of this discussion.