Human machines

[KEND]

In the Terminator the machines are the villains, but it struck me that if humankind is to survive for a few more hundred years let alone for millenia there has to be radical changes in a humans structure. At the moment we have a very limited range of temperature for life to exist even using technological devices and require a wide range of nutrients dependant on the existence of plant life. The oxygen/nitrogen ratio also cannot vary too much. Any thoughts?

[Bill]

We are wedded to this planet where we evolved. As the planet goes, so go we all.


if you know what I mean.

[Bill]

Also, humans are very adaptable. We have survived colder periods and warmer periods. I don't see us being threatened by the environmental changes that will occur say, in the next 5000 or so years.

[I-mon]

there's a talk on www.ted.com by some internet pioneer about "the next 5000 days of the web", saying that the web is only 5000 days old and such and such has happened which no one could foresee and so the next 5000 will also be full of surprises. but the most interesting point i found was that the web has become "one machine", and all of our little laptops, desktops, phones, blackberrys, GPS's, etc are just interfaces with it. google earth has photos of much of the planet, and there are things like google earth for looking into the crowd at obama's inaugural speech, soon there will be for the streets of england or anywhere else as the number of cameras grows as the ability to store and send and organize information continues to increase exponentially.

so within a generation or two chances are quite high that there will be people interfacing with the "one machine" plugged directly into their brains, possibly 24/7, pulling information around using brainwaves (check the other thread about biofeedback games), with nano-probes floating around their bloodstream monitoring their organs. there could quite conceivably develop an entire class of people who actually live their conscious lives entirely within the machine - a lot of people are quite close to that state as it is.

[gosao]

Resistance is futile

[everything]

furthermore, according to the "Onion", 90% of waking hours are already spent plugged into the machine, currently via glowing rectangles but why not via direct brainwave access later

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/re ... ours_spent

[I-mon]

http://www.ted.com/talks/ray_kurzweil_on_how_technology_will_transform_us.html

another outstanding talk from TED.

[qiphlow]

so within a generation or two chances are quite high that there will be people interfacing with the "one machine" plugged directly into their brains, possibly 24/7, pulling information around using brainwaves (check the other thread about biofeedback games), with nano-probes floating around their bloodstream monitoring their organs. there could quite conceivably develop an entire class of people who actually live their conscious lives entirely within the machine - a lot of people are quite close to that state as it is.

read the otherland series by tad williams. what you just described plays heavily in the story.

[Bhassler]

there's a talk on http://www.ted.com by some internet pioneer about "the next 5000 days of the web", saying that the web is only 5000 days old and such and such has happened which no one could foresee and so the next 5000 will also be full of surprises. but the most interesting point i found was that the web has become "one machine", and all of our little laptops, desktops, phones, blackberrys, GPS's, etc are just interfaces with it. google earth has photos of much of the planet, and there are things like google earth for looking into the crowd at obama's inaugural speech, soon there will be for the streets of england or anywhere else as the number of cameras grows as the ability to store and send and organize information continues to increase exponentially.

so within a generation or two chances are quite high that there will be people interfacing with the "one machine" plugged directly into their brains, possibly 24/7, pulling information around using brainwaves (check the other thread about biofeedback games), with nano-probes floating around their bloodstream monitoring their organs. there could quite conceivably develop an entire class of people who actually live their conscious lives entirely within the machine - a lot of people are quite close to that state as it is.

Interesting concept, but it remains to be seen if people want that. Lots of things that were predicted as part of the future back in the 50's and 60's (like flying cars) never happened simply because the market wasn't interested or the nuts and bolts of the thing became more trouble than it was worth.

It is interesting to think of the ramifications of such a thing-- if 90% of the world was constantly interfacing with the same "one machine", is it possible that a collective consciousness could develop? That would be great in the sense of achieving unparalleled peace and other social and technological marvels, but by definition would also come at the price of a certain amount (possibly a great deal) of individuality.

Would you give up your "self" to be part of a collective, if it meant that human suffering (YOUR suffering) would essentially end?

[I-mon]

i'd give it a go just to see what it was like, but i really doubt that i would plug in full-time.


Has anyone else read "Last and First Men" by Olaf Stapledon?