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A little off topic but...
I'm sure many of us reading this have played games like Deus Ex (all 3), System Shock and other futuristic games where things like modifications, implants and genetic modifications are pretty pivotal to the happenings of the world. Now let's look at what is happening to us. A little over 20 years ago someone using a PC for something other than playing solitaire and working would be considered a geek / nerd / whatever. Maybe that timeframe is wrong, but you know what I mean.
Now fastforward to today. Tablets and smartphones are overtaking PC sales, and using a tablet for menial tasks like email or browsing are far more convenient than what they were thanks to intuitive touch interfaces and convergence from all sorts of areas (web integration is one - I'm sure there are many that can be named.). Added to this, an Ipad is something sought after by even the most tech-stupid people. It just makes things simpler to do. I saw my mother in law talking to her aunt in Australia via Facebook on an Ipad. THAT is a big change.
Now personally, I find touch interfaces irritating because of the level of attention they demand from me. Now if mobility and integration are the names to consider let's see where this can go.
To go back to my first statement: Let me be honest here and say that implants are scary and the moral grayareas surrounding this concept are plain daunting for a person like me who chooses to switch off my PC and drive in a car with a plain FM / AM radio.
However, there are people who will want to augment better eyesight with an implant in the future. I see others wanting not to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses and wanting to see better and further due to the wear on their eyes, or genetic problems. I see arthritis being sidelined for many with implants on the joints. I see paraplegics (spelling?) performing more and more tasks that they may have never been able to do before.
Furthermore to this, what about brains directly interfacing with wifi / neural networks to perceive more detail than before?
http://thebeautifulbrain.com/2011/06/the-neuroscience-of-tetris/
That should tell you that the brain already has capacity to adapt as it is fed with information and stimulation from the senses and nervous system. This is both exciting and frightening. Boundaries are bound to be crossed here.
Anyway, off topic ramblings aside. The future is looking interesting to say the least
Think that Deus Ex and System Shock are too sci-fi? I think that 200 years ago digital wristwatches weren't envisioned by most, and that having wikipedia overshadowing our university / college text books in terms of level of detail and availability where 20 years ago this never would have happened.
Our kids and their successors are in for a very, very fascinating future indeed.
Now fastforward to today. Tablets and smartphones are overtaking PC sales, and using a tablet for menial tasks like email or browsing are far more convenient than what they were thanks to intuitive touch interfaces and convergence from all sorts of areas (web integration is one - I'm sure there are many that can be named.). Added to this, an Ipad is something sought after by even the most tech-stupid people. It just makes things simpler to do. I saw my mother in law talking to her aunt in Australia via Facebook on an Ipad. THAT is a big change.
Now personally, I find touch interfaces irritating because of the level of attention they demand from me. Now if mobility and integration are the names to consider let's see where this can go.
To go back to my first statement: Let me be honest here and say that implants are scary and the moral grayareas surrounding this concept are plain daunting for a person like me who chooses to switch off my PC and drive in a car with a plain FM / AM radio.
However, there are people who will want to augment better eyesight with an implant in the future. I see others wanting not to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses and wanting to see better and further due to the wear on their eyes, or genetic problems. I see arthritis being sidelined for many with implants on the joints. I see paraplegics (spelling?) performing more and more tasks that they may have never been able to do before.
Furthermore to this, what about brains directly interfacing with wifi / neural networks to perceive more detail than before?
http://thebeautifulbrain.com/2011/06/the-neuroscience-of-tetris/
That should tell you that the brain already has capacity to adapt as it is fed with information and stimulation from the senses and nervous system. This is both exciting and frightening. Boundaries are bound to be crossed here.
Anyway, off topic ramblings aside. The future is looking interesting to say the least
Think that Deus Ex and System Shock are too sci-fi? I think that 200 years ago digital wristwatches weren't envisioned by most, and that having wikipedia overshadowing our university / college text books in terms of level of detail and availability where 20 years ago this never would have happened.Our kids and their successors are in for a very, very fascinating future indeed.
Posted by plut0nash
13th Nov
