Mulling over Marnie Trosclair to Steve Asher 18 Apr 2005

Hi Marnie,

 MT> First, the caveat:

MT> My thoughts along these lines aren't well-developed to the 
MT> point where I can articulate them without sounding incredibly 
MT> foolish.  :-)

SA> I don't think you sound incredibly foolish at all. The research 
SA> has transformed sci-fi into reality, with all its potential for 
SA> good and evil.

 MT> You can see it as "transforming sci-fi into reality," however,
 MT> being aware of cutting edge developments, new discoveries, etc.,
 MT> allows one to project.  "Sci-fi" is produced by those who look
 MT> ahead to see where developments might take us.  In this sense,
 MT> sci-fi is merely speculation about possible outcomes.

What I had in mind was childhood memories of Dick Tracy's wristwatch
communicator & the like - I grew up in a country town with a magneto
telephone exchange, private phones were rare, no television, though
it did arrive in the early 1960s - black & white (snow & ghosts) as
we were hundreds of miles from the transmitters. Now, the talk is
about convergence, where the fixed phone, mobile, laptop, tv, mp3
player etc are all connected & accessible.

 MT>  The sci-fi that becomes reality might be one of many paths / 
 MT> outcomes contemplated by a diverse group of "visionaries."  So, in 
 MT> another sense, sci-fi often transforms the present research and new
 MT> discoveries into a "projected reality," which, until it becomes 
 MT> real, remains fiction.

 MT>    In any event, I'll risk sounding incredibly foolish, and
 MT> proceed.   

 MT> About the diverging paths I mentioned:

MT> That some are attempting to accomplish this by augmenting the 
MT> brain with chips and electronic circuitry suggests a possible
MT> split or diverging of paths, where man becomes more dependent
MT> on machines along the first path, and man develops heightened
MT> senses or extra-sensory perception along a second path. 

SA> You are probably right about the divergence into two paths - 
SA> one path will probably seek to restore human abilities through 
SA> technology, while the other will seek to expand / transcend them, 
SA> as a form of high-tech witchcraft, where the implant replaces 
SA> the wand.

 MT> When I spoke of two paths, I meant one path involves the increasing
 MT> merger of man and machine, where man becomes ever-more 
 MT> dependent upon the functioning of machines.  Along a second path, 
 MT> man might develop heightened senses or extra-sensory perception, 
 MT> without merging with machines.  (  You could identify a range of 
 MT> other possibilities. )

 MT> Now, consider what might happen if you're in a supermarket and the 
 MT> power goes out.  I've seen this happen.  The scanners didn't work, 
 MT> so the barcodes meant nothing.  There were no prices marked on the 
 MT> products, so the checkout person didn't know what to charge the 
 MT> would-be customer.   The registers didn't work, so there were no 
 MT> computers to add up prices, multiply prices for quantities, or
 MT> figure  taxes based on percentages.  Everything came to a
 MT> standstill.  And  it wasn't as bright as it was only moments
 MT> earlier. 

I haven't been in a supermarket when the power fails, but have been
in a mall after half of the shops have been blacked out - they have
no alternative to close until power returns. Even a simple task like
checking a bank balance using a swipe card is impossible without
power or the uplink to head office. We have a number of "accessible"
buses with electronically controlled ramps which have a habit of
not retracting, meaning the bus is unable to continue its journey;
the driver is advised to turn off the engine, wait three minutes,
& restart in the hope that the electronics will reboot & retract
the ramp. The latest buses have a hinged ramp for the driver to
flip out & back, without the need for the electronics & the failures.

 MT> Under such circumstances, business can only crawl along at a
 MT> snail's  pace -if- you can find people who could perform some or
 MT> all of  the functions currently provided by the electronic
 MT> computational  systems presently in place.

 MT> As man continues to merge with machine, allowing chips to become
 MT> implanted, for the purpose of enhancing his abilities, augmenting
 MT> his decision-making processes, augmenting reality, he runs the 
 MT> risk of such a sudden disaster, and it may be fatal.  In the least,
 MT> a recovery will be daunting.

 MT> If, however, a different path was pursued, where the mind and brain
 MT> were developed, rather than become increasingly dependent upon
 MT> machines, a range of other scenarios might be contemplated.

 MT> Imagine if you could compute like the Dustin Hoffman character in
 MT> "Rain Man."  Imagine having the ability to speed read with a high
 MT> degree of comprehension and retention.  Such abilities would come
 MT> in very handy, no?  What if we produced a generation of prodigies, 
 MT> instead of relying on some thing called "Prodigy"?  (I'm
 MT> reaching.) 

SA> I always like to consider the implications - the "mental
SA> telephone" might be handy, but I wouldn't want to be contacted
SA> by politicians, telemarketers, spammers & scammers etc, and
SA> wouldn't want it linked to ENUM and other emerging technologies.
SA> Not that I want to be included in ENUM anyway. :)

 MT> We'll talk about the number thing in future posts.  As for the
 MT> mental  telephones, again, this could range from tech-augmented
 MT> hearing  and communications to the development of heightened
 MT> senses.

 MT> Is a form of telepathy possible without the aid of technology? 
 MT> Perhaps  you've some thoughts you'd like to share on the subject? 

I have, but I need an early night, as I have an appointment later today, 
& if I don't reply now, it might be a day or two before I get the chance. 
I am often slow in replying, as I wait 'till I am in the right frame of mind, 
& usually at night before I visit other news web sites.

 MT> Some believe  claims about "remote viewing" and psychic detectives.
 MT> Still others  claim contact with a higher consciousness, a global
 MT> mind, an "overmind."   Some speak of contacts with spirits and
 MT> angels.  Such communications,  if they're actually taking place,
 MT> don't appear to be dependent upon  machines.  If humans were able
 MT> to develop such abilities, it might be  seen as the less
 MT> mechanical, and more spiritual path.   

 MT> Perhaps this is a good time to introduce another set of links. 
 MT> They  include an inventor / author's contemplation of machines and
 MT> spirits  and the relationship of computers and humans.  See next
 MT> post.  :-) 

OK :)

Cheers, Steve..

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