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Technology Transforms Us

Huntn

Huntn

macrumors Penryn
Original poster
May 5, 2008
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The Misty Mountains
USA Today 28Aug2013: Researcher remotely controls colleague's body with brain.

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Shades of Darth Vader and demonic possession? Brain researchers say that for the first time one person has remotely triggered another person's movement, a flicking finger, through a signal sent to him by thought.
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What I envision is human computer augmented brains and brain to machine interfaces based on thoughts alone and just around the corner, kind of mind blowing. ;)

This article astonished me and it reminded me of the book Future Shock that claims that the faster technology accelerates, the more likely that humans will have a hard time staying connected to reality. Interesting premise, although I believe we as humans are able to adapt fairly quickly to technology even it comes at us fast.
 
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This is the kind of technology that the porn industry needs to embrace so that it can go from experimental to "in-use." (Yes, every cutting edge technology that has been pornified has become something we use on a daily basis.)
 
In Breakthrough, Scientists Edit a Dangerous Mutation From Genes in Human Embryos (Aug 2017)

Ok, it's started, human DNA repair and manipulation. Where can this take us? A subject covered fairly well in science fiction, it has me thinking of Gattaca, Guardians of the Galaxy, Andromida, Star Trek, and not really related, Logan's Run, but mentioned below.

Here's are my questions comments.

  • If humans can do it (manipulate DNA), they are already doing it in animals, but what limits will there be regarding humans? What limits should there be?
  • If people can choose designer babies, possibly maintaining some family physical characteristics, but otherwise choosing highl levels of health, intelligence, and desirable physical characteristics, is there an issue with this?
  • As someone who is not thrilled with the ongoing consequences of aging, this could be interesting, the Logan's Run question. What if technology developed that allowed you to mature and live with a circa 24 year old body and brain, up to, but experience sudden premature death at age 60, versus experiencing normal aging and live to 100, how many people who choose the latter versus the former? :)
 
D.T. said:
My wife has been remotely controlling my body with her brain for _years_.
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Tin foil... :)
OLDCODGER said:
Technology has merely begun the process of taking over from a much older mind control - religion/superstition.
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At least for science we use a set of rules (scientific method) in a framework of objectivity that promotes confidence in our conclusions. But you never know, this reality could all be individual delusions. :)
 
Huntn said:
Tin foil... :)

At least for science we use a set of rules (scientific method) in a framework of objectivity that promotes confidence in our conclusions. But you never know, this reality could all be individual delusions. :)
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For quite a long time religion/superstition was the science of the day.
 
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Just a thought: For a long period of time, what we know as the natural world was wondrous/magical/fearful to people. Now, having a greater understanding of such wonders, many have moved on to worshiping technology, treating an OS like a god, and even going so far as to suffer great sacrifice in attempting to keep it quiet (offering patches). To others it is the new magic - switch on, press some keys, and magical things happen.

When the human race reaches the point where such technological advances are as mundane as the TV remote, what will people reach for next, so as to satisfy their longing for something more than reality?

Perhaps D.T. Just prophesied?
 
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CountryBobs said:
This is the kind of technology that the porn industry needs to embrace so that it can go from experimental to "in-use." (Yes, every cutting edge technology that has been pornified has become something we use on a daily basis.)
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I'm curious to hear how washing machines and household refrigerators were "pornified".

On second thought... Never mind. TMI.
 
Huntn said:
If humans can do it (manipulate DNA), they are already doing it in animals, but what limits will there be regarding humans? What limits should there be?
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The limit? Khan Noonian Singh is the limit. I welcome our superhuman over lords. Most likely it will be the military doing this trying to create a super soldier.

Huntn said:
If people can choose designer babies, possibly maintaining some family physical characteristics, but otherwise choosing highl levels of health, intelligence, and desirable physical characteristics, is there an issue with this?
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I would. I'll give my boy the Ron Jeremy upgrade.:eek: Kidding. I ain't messing with nature here, unless there is a genetic defect (Down Syndrome) that would affect his health. I want my boy to be completely natural.

Huntn said:
As someone who is not thrilled with the ongoing consequences of aging, this could be interesting, the Logan's Run question. What if technology developed that allowed you to mature and live with a circa 24 year old body and brain, up to, but experience sudden premature death at age 60, versus experiencing normal aging and live to 100, how many people who choose the latter versus the former? :)
Click to expand...

Upgrade me to the 35 year old brain with the 24 year old body. A 24 year old brain is too immature (I made many, many foolish decisions in my 20's). The chances of living to 100 is pretty low, so 60 years of excellent health is a great bargain.
 
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Mousse said:
The limit? Khan Noonian Singh is the limit. I welcome our superhuman over lords. Most likely it will be the military doing this trying to create a super soldier.



I would. I'll give my boy the Ron Jeremy upgrade.:eek: Kidding. I ain't messing with nature here, unless there is a genetic defect (Down Syndrome) that would affect his health. I want my boy to be completely natural.



Upgrade me to the 35 year old brain with the 24 year old body. A 24 year old brain is too immature (I made many, many foolish decisions in my 20's). The chances of living to 100 is pretty low, so 60 years of excellent health is a great bargain.
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What about the elimination of genetic defects? It's a slippery slope. :) I have concerns about the technology being abused, but human beings want to control their existence. I see this as an real near future implementation of that philosophy.
 
Mousse said:
I want my boy to be completely natural.
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That's totally normal.

But GATTACA depicts a future where genetic modification is readily available and commonly used. Everyone else chooses superhuman babies, with natural babies being a rare exception. Natural people end up being comparatively weak, sickly, unintelligent, unattractive, and unemployable.

Yes that's a fictional story, but genetic modification is already a reality. It will continue to advance and become more available. So now picture yourself planted a few decades ahead in time, about to plan a baby. Everyone else is designing their babies. Would you still pick a natural boy in that world, knowing you were dooming him to be far below average and disadvantaged in every way?

There's a flip side to that. What if some super disease comes along and wipes out everyone with the now-universal genes for super smarts? Then the natural boy, and the others like him, are literally the only people to survive. We've already seen this occur with zero-diversity, genetically-designed populations such as tree farms and bananas.

It's weird stuff to think about.
 
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Huntn said:
USA Today 28Aug2013: Researcher remotely controls colleague's body with brain.

1377627661000-B2B-image.jpg




What I envision is human computer augmented brains and brain to machine interfaces based on thoughts alone and just around the corner, kind of mind blowing. ;)

This article astonished me and it reminded me of the book Future Shock that claims that the faster technology accelerates, the more likely that humans will have a hard time staying connected to reality. Interesting premise, although I believe we as humans are able to adapt fairly quickly to technology even it comes at us fast.
Click to expand...

Providing it all works as planned ya..

What i (don't) like is technology helping us improve life, and then u find bugs *later on* that totally make it worthless, or grabs this critical info information.

There is much more high standard when it comes to this stuff over just an "operating system we use everyday"

A saw a report about automous robots i the war on things..... how its really scary that technology can actually turn on each, other or even "us" eventually...


Then where would we be.

In actual fact,,,, the smarter ones will be staying behind, not moving forward and getting up in arms with what they have no idea that will be in the future.
 
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Mousse said:
The limit? Khan Noonian Singh is the limit. I welcome our superhuman over lords. Most likely it will be the military doing this trying to create a super soldier.

I would. I'll give my boy the Ron Jeremy upgrade.:eek: Kidding. I ain't messing with nature here, unless there is a genetic defect (Down Syndrome) that would affect his health. I want my boy to be completely natural.

Upgrade me to the 35 year old brain with the 24 year old body. A 24 year old brain is too immature (I made many, many foolish decisions in my 20's). The chances of living to 100 is pretty low, so 60 years of excellent health is a great bargain.
Click to expand...

ActionableMango said:
That's totally normal.

But GATTACA depicts a future where genetic modification is readily available and commonly used. Everyone else chooses superhuman babies, with natural babies being a rare exception. Natural people end up being comparatively weak, sickly, unintelligent, unattractive, and unemployable.

Yes that's a fictional story, but genetic modification is already a reality. It will continue to advance and become more available. So now picture yourself planted a few decades ahead in time, about to plan a baby. Everyone else is designing their babies. Would you still pick a natural boy in that world, knowing you were dooming him to be far below average and disadvantaged in every way?

There's a flip side to that. What if some super disease comes along and wipes out everyone with the now-universal genes for super smarts? Then the natural boy, and the others like him, are literally the only people to survive. We've already seen this occur with zero-diversity, genetically-designed populations such as tree farms and bananas.

It's weird stuff to think about.
Click to expand...

If humans "can" they will, especially if it gives them a perceived advantage. While I can imagine some people saying they want a "natural child" along with all it's blemishes and genetic defects, in the future, if genetic manipulation becomes the quasi norm, they might think twice about it, if it puts their offspring at a competitive disadvantage. Biology dictates you push your genes forward where they will continue. :) While you could think of a situation of unintended consequences (like you mentioned) might give the natural people an advantage, they would be at a distinct disadvantage otherwise. Hence this technology will have to be approached very carefully. And I can guarantee that if it can be done, someone on this Earth will do it.

My question is when genes are altered in an embryo, are those modifications passed forward or no? The answer is:

2015 was the year it became OK to genetically engineer babies
This technique won’t create the fabled “designer babies” just yet. But the changes made to an embryo will be hereditary, and thus alter the genetic makeup of all the offspring to follow. The story of how we got here, and what will come next, is why 2015 will be remembered as a turning-point.
 
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CountryBobs said:
This is the kind of technology that the porn industry needs to embrace so that it can go from experimental to "in-use." (Yes, every cutting edge technology that has been pornified has become something we use on a daily basis.)
Click to expand...
With that post, you needed another "o" in your user name. ;)
 
I watched Gattica yesterday which aligns closely with my previous post in the thread. The character in the movie, a natural baby, had a long list of potential health issues, some at high percentages.
He swaps his ID with a "valid" person so he can pursue his dream and not be a janitor.

This topic of genetic manipulation sounds bad, but while recognizing there could be negative unintended consequences, in some ways it's not much different than vaccines. If you could choose to have a child without defects, and was physically enhanced, this would become the new competitive standard of the human species.
 
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