more tech news

Rekaar. · Post by **Rekaar.** » December 5, 2004, 5:15 pm

http://www.jsonline.com/alive/news/dec04/281287.asp

With electrodes implanted directly on their brains, two Madison patients were able to control a computer cursor and play a basic video game just by thinking about it.

Ultimately, the technology could be used to restore movement to disabled limbs by sending electrical impulses that bypass the spinal cord and go directly into muscles, stimulating the movement of arms and legs.

The UW researchers join a small fraternity of cutting-edge neuroscientists whose technological feats of tapping the brain might have been considered the stuff of science fiction only a few years ago.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 6, 2004, 12:33 am

This rocks. I can't wait until our scientists find a way to link a brain directly into whatever cyberspace is called at the time. Even better would be if they figure out a way to download the contents of your brain (soul for you religious types) into a matrix type environment.

I'll be the first to volunteer for either of those. I could care less about my body. It's all about the mind!

Raistin · Post by **Raistin** » December 6, 2004, 12:46 am

Can only hope the power will go out as soon as you "up linked" and lost forever!

Aaeamdar · Post by **Aaeamdar** » December 6, 2004, 2:48 am

I'm with Winnow on this one. There is a lot I would give up in exchange for immortality. The idea of ultimately maintaining my consciousness in a computer is a very attractive notion. That or a long line of replacement clones. Not sure which Sci-fi but getting closer to reality I wold prefer.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 6, 2004, 2:59 am

Raistin wrote:Can only hope the power will go out as soon as you "up linked" and lost forever!

Always back up your brain bitch! I did a backup right before I had to read your last post so at least I wouldn't have to read it again!

I'm serious though. Give me a little storage space on a fast server to call home, a built in spell checker, and I'm a happy camper. Break a law? You just get turned off for a few years. Erase another citizen? you get deleted! Cheap efficient penal system!

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » December 6, 2004, 10:26 am

Immortality in this world? I'll pass.
Outliving everyone and everything that has made me happy in my life... watching the world crumble around us.. eventually forgetting everyone and everything that I've ever cared about...

No thanks.

Lynks · Post by **Lynks** » December 6, 2004, 10:29 am

Reminds me of the Lawnmower man.

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » December 6, 2004, 11:54 am

I am with Akaran on this one. I like my corporeal existence. I just turned 36...and with some luck I can call that "middle age".

Rather than "live' (loosely used) as a program on a computer...I would rather they use technology/science to better the quality of life for people by reducing the effects of disease and damage to the body.

Fash · Post by **Fash** » December 6, 2004, 12:56 pm

If I had Winnow's body, I'd be saying 'Its all about the mind!' too.

same goes for [you]'s too.

Lohrno · Post by **Lohrno** » December 6, 2004, 1:51 pm

Akaran_D wrote:Immortality in this world? I'll pass.
Outliving everyone and everything that has made me happy in my life... watching the world crumble around us.. eventually forgetting everyone and everything that I've ever cared about...

No thanks.

That assumes that nothing in the future will ever make you happy. I'd say that's a pretty dismal forecast.

By the way, this is old news, and not even close to said fantasies of virtual immortality.

Here's another little article that I think those of you interested in this topic may find cool. A basic breakdown on telomere theory.

So since we're on this, people tell me: What is it that makes us 'conscious?' Is our brain a computer that's running a life program? Is it our brain itself using some sort of other unknown methods?

-=Lohrno

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 6, 2004, 2:34 pm

Fash wrote:If I had Winnow's body, I'd be saying 'Its all about the mind!' too.

same goes for [you]'s too.

Akaran, it wouldn't be immortality in "this world" as this world doesn't have the capability to do this yet...and why would you outlive everything that has made you happy in this life if everyone else is doing the same thing? You also wouldn't be watching the world crumble because you'd be long gone before it did as the power to your cyber based mind would be shut off early in any collapse.

If you really wanted a body, I can picture cloning bodies and having a wireless cyber connection that stored all of your activity on a computer so if your cloned body met an untimely demise, you would download your "brain" into another body, having not lost any memories. (don't be cheap, go for the raid system) I'd make a fat and ugly clone so I could see what all the fuss is about. I bet I'd still score more than [you]!

---> ({you}) don't get all bent out of shape! : )

Lynks · Post by **Lynks** » December 6, 2004, 2:39 pm

Also, if everyone that you cared about were dead, you can always format c:

Lohrno · Post by **Lohrno** » December 6, 2004, 2:47 pm

If you believe (like I do) that the brain is a computer, and our consciousness is the current running process, then most attempts to transfer this would fail. (IE from your point of view you die.) Even if it's successful, it's just someone exactly like you running another instance of yourself. But you have already died. But if this were successful, next time the computer crashed, you would also 'die'.

-=Lohrno

Rekaar. · Post by **Rekaar.** » December 6, 2004, 4:53 pm

Lohrno wrote:By the way, this is old news, and not even close to said fantasies of virtual immortality.
-=Lohrno

Posted: Dec. 4, 2004

"This (the UW work) is a significant development," Chen said.

->

Lohrno · Post by **Lohrno** » December 6, 2004, 4:58 pm

I saw on TV at least 4 months ago a similar development. There was this guy who couldn't communicate as his mouth and hands and basically 90% of him was paralyzed. They put electrodes in his brain, and set him up with a monitor, and he was able to move a cursor around the screen, and thus communicate by selecting letters. I suspect the news is just that they have gotten a little better at this. But still this is nowhere near making a matrix like link up.

-=Lohrno