Overused Silly Sci-Fi Science.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Very true. I see where today's research on quantum particle entanglement is bringing the idea of telepathy or other instant-over-any-distance communication into the realm of the possible. Maybe our minds just got entangled there for a while?

Instant-over-any-distance communication... I'd believe that long before I'd believe in telepathy. (Mind you, I'm not talking about some exotic form of communication among aliens, I'm talking human telepathy. Something that has never been proven to exist, and so far each instance of it has proven to be a parlor trick. I didn't even use it in Evoguía, I consider it that far-fetched.)

Same thing goes for telekinesis. Crazy-silly. Might as well believe in a being from Krypton who looks just like a man and can fly fast enough to reverse time on a planet.

Say... have we discussed superheroes?

[WT Sharpe]

Humans with telepathic powers, telekinesis, etc.—I don't believe that either, but I do believe the day is near when implanted chips will allow for communication and remote manipulation of objects that would give the appearance of these so-called sixth-sense abilities to an uninformed observer. I don't mean to imply that people will be moving mountains with the power of thought, but monkeys in the lab are already moving cursors on computer screens via chips implanted in their skulls, and I can foresee the day when anything that can be remotely-controlled will be remotely-controlled via a similar implant in humans.

[Ekaros]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Humans with telepathic powers, telekinesis, etc.—I don't believe that either, but I do believe the day is near when implanted chips will allow for communication and remote manipulation of objects that would give the appearance of these so-called sixth-sense abilities to an uninformed observer. I don't mean to imply that people will be moving mountains with the power of thought, but monkeys in the lab are already moving cursors on computer screens via chips implanted in their skulls, and I can foresee the day when anything that can be remotely-controlled will be remotely-controlled via a similar implant in humans.

There is no physics to stop human/machine interaction, I don't know too much about brain so it's hard to say. Atleast minor control can be achieved already(reading which areas are active and thinking of something to get something done), direct two-way link is something we have to wait, not sure how well people could adapt to that at older age...

[VydorScope]

Actually I disagree, telepathy is not so silly. Think about the very little we know about the human brain. We know that it communicates to the rest of the body via electrical signals that travel through organic wiring. We also know that "thinking" involves this same use of electricity. This means we can "think" messages via electricity right now, with out any help. The only leap need for telepathy is a way for us to sense and read the natural electrical field that surrounds each other's heads. Like a mobile EKG or what ever. So if humanity some how developed this electrical sense then telepathy becomes a possible jump.

[Ekaros]

Communication other than by sound is viable, we already do communicate in eletromangetic way by our eyes. Further development in mangetic, electromangetic and such is feasible. Telepathy with ways we haven't evolved to use is ok.

Still, it doesn't mean faster than light, which is often potrait with telepathy, physics are againts that. The difference between possible and silly is if it breaks the fundamental rules we now know.

[Freeshadow]

Thx Vydorscope.
@antipsionists : you haven't forgotten, that our brains are electrical devices?

[Penforhire]

Okay, setting up for some future telepathy today --
http://www.dailytech.com/Brain+Activ...ticle23909.htm

If you and I had brain embedded networks, a near future version of this, and a simple wifi connection we could hold a telepathic conversation. Very cool.

[altworld]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Okay, setting up for some future telepathy today --
http://www.dailytech.com/Brain+Activ...ticle23909.htm

If you and I had brain embedded networks, a near future version of this, and a simple wifi connection we could hold a telepathic conversation. Very cool.

But what happens if you can't pay the bandwidth bill? Or you get backed hacked? Windows Software for the brain? Or maybe Andriod lite? Or do you have the walled garden where all your thoughts have to pre-approved and belong to them...

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by altworld

But what happens if you can't pay the bandwidth bill? Or you get backed hacked? Windows Software for the brain? Or maybe Andriod lite? Or do you have the walled garden where all your thoughts have to pre-approved and belong to them...

I realize you are joking, but I think those are serious issues that could come up.

[dworth]

Interestingly, there have been reports in the news this week about research along these lines:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16811042

[Penforhire]

alt, some of us are already at internal hacking risk! There is a steady movement toward wireless communication and programming of implanted heart defibrillators, insulin pumps, and the like. There have been investigations of some risks, such as being hacked and given an instruction to give your ticker a jolt or overdose some insulin. This isn't SF. It is real life today.

Similar concerns apply to cars with wireless connections to their diagnostics, also coming along. The very minimum risk is, say, turning off your engine while manuevering in traffic. I might also hate having my radio taken over, blaring some spam. As we electrify our vehicles the risks increase. We should see electric brakes (in place of hydraulic) enter the market soon. They reduce weight, actuate faster, and have no fluid to dispose of at end-of-life. On the other hand, a hack could acuate them! We already have full-electric power steering in many cars (safer when power is lost, saves weight, saves fuel because fluid isn't constantly pumped, and also no fluids at end-of-life). This might be hacked to steer you into a tree, assuming we get to wireless connections to that level of the vehicle's brains. Many throttles today are already electronic. How about a little unintended acceleration?

[altworld]

Originally Posted by VydorScope

I realize you are joking, but I think those are serious issues that could come up.

It would be Apples dream come true to be able to tell you what to think and only give you information pre-approved by them.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

The brain has shown zero evidence or capability of being able to intercept and interpret external electromagnetic signals, nor to generate signals powerful enough to be intercepted and interpreted by another brain. No scientist has found any physical mechanism in the brain that would permit such generation or reception. So telepathy or telekinesis created solely by the brain are preposterous.

Now, figuring out a way of creating a brain-electronic interface, essentially giving the brain an external transmission/reception unit... I can see that, although we're still so far from being able to map individual parts of the brain as to require a great deal more research before we can create something more than rudimentary communication.

Originally Posted by altworld

It would be Apples dream come true to be able to tell you what to think and only give you information pre-approved by them.

Only Apple?

[teh603]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

The brain has shown zero evidence or capability of being able to intercept and interpret external electromagnetic signals, nor to generate signals powerful enough to be intercepted and interpreted by another brain. No scientist has found any physical mechanism in the brain that would permit such generation or reception. So telepathy or telekinesis created solely by the brain are preposterous.

Its also remotely possible that such an interface exists, but the scientist who discovered it was suppressed. Anthropologists (for example) suppress any findings that directly contradict the Leakeys; there's too many theses and dissertations at stake. Gregor Mendel had the same problem; what he wrote depended more on Darwin than God (although he was writing from a Christian perspective), so his work was suppressed for decades until it was rediscovered by accident.

[VydorScope]

This seems like a good place for me to use this video to make a point...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKaRQMZ7TqQ