No, I am not suggesting we all have to live like Amish, but there should be a middle ground, that is to say, we can't just treat all technology as if it is a some sort of god, and therefore, never to be challenged, measured, or questioned, right? Esp the application of it, or possible application. After all, who knows what horrors would unfold if you deregulated all science and tech, right? There would be nothing ethic based to anchor scientists from trying human cloning, or whatever other sort of freak show stuff, that it would lead to. Tech has not made Gov's, therefore you, more safe. It has made their data more easy to access, not less, to external forces, since back in the day, you would have needed more footwork, more old fashioned spying, to literally get what you wanted, but now, now a lot of it could be done remotely, and faster. Further, if it has made anyone more safe, it is the Gov themselves, and their lackey's. They have used it to make themselves less transparent, and you more transparent, to them. Isn't this Communism with an X Box and Large fries? *** Pentagon's DARPA researchers learn to control rat's brain over Internet Government mind control may not be as farfetched as it sounds: after 15 years of research, scientists have found a way to transmit information from one brain to another, thereby controlling the thoughts of its test subject. Scientists have successfully captured the thoughts of a rat in Brazil and electronically transmitted them through the Internet to the brain of a rat in the US. The Brazilian rat had been energetically running around in a lab. When the American rat received the brain waves of its South American counterpart, it immediately began to mimic the behavior despite the thousands of miles between them, Reuters reports. Scientists refer to the technique as a brain link. The $26 million study of brain-machine interfaces was funded by the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which ultimately hopes to have this technology available to humans. By linking human brains together, scientists believe they can combine brainpower to solve problems that are too difficult for one person to handle alone, Duke University Medical Center neurobiologist Miguel Nicolelis told Reuters. Nicolelis refers to this link as an organic computer, and said scientists will first test it out on monkeys to determine its feasibility. But not all researchers are excited about the prospect of brain manipulation. Having non-human primates communicate brain-to-brain raises all sorts of ethical concerns, one neuroscientist told Reuters. Reading about putting things in animals brains and changing what they do, people rightly get nervous. This sort of technology raises the concern about the possibility of using humans or animals as soldiers in battle, the scientist added. While the idea may be unbelievable to some, neurobiologists claim that brain-machine interfaces have actually moved far beyond what is publicly known. Andrew Schwartz, a University of Pittsburgh neurobiologist, says that the experiment with the rats is of limited interest considering other advances in the field. Its cool that the stimulus came from another brain rather than an electrical device, bioengineer Douglas Weber told Reuters. [But] many labs have shown that animals can detect electrical stimuli delivered to the brain. This paper simply shows that the animals can detect electrical stimuli from another rats brain. The same team of DARPA-funded researchers have also been able to send rats brain signals that caused them to press a lever a the sight of a red light, distinguish narrow openings from wide ones, and poke water a water port with their nose. But by granting $26 million to scientists to develop this sort of technology, DARPA is likely expecting the research to be of use to the Pentagon at some point whether its for problem-solving or other uses not yet defined. http://rt.com/usa/rat-brain-darpa-pentagon-645/
I hear ya. The Internet gives an unfettered platform to every crazy conspiracy loon that comes down the pike.
Do you, or do you not agree that it is now much easier for a group, with the skills, to cause global chaos, than it would have been 30yrs ago?
I'd say it's an even trade. While Anonymous can trash people, governments can trash them. We live in exciting times. In a related matter, now that Manning has pled guilty and will go to prison, do you think he will snuff himself or get Dahlmered?
The fact that the government knows how to send messages directly to our minds and control our actions is alarming. In the history of mankind, there has never been a weapon that wasn't used.
Yes, and rest assured we will be told; A) It would never be used for that.. B) It would only be used for 'good things'. C) Okay, even if it is used for that, so what, I mean, if you're not a criminal... Etc
The brain wave thing is probably no more effective than the Pavlovian conditioning they do to society, along with the various forms of hype and fear they generate to get folks to do what the conditioners want. Military music and medals are another form along with the officers and sergeants pointing a gun at your back to keep you moving to suicide. Almost a whole generation of young men died in the trenches of WW1. Gotta give the French some credit, They went on strike and refused the war.......at least for a while.
What pisses me off is when you call some customer service line or something and you KNOW what you are saying is right, but they argue with you because the computer says this or that.. And you say no you didn't order that service and rather than them saying okay well we'll not charge you and we'll update our system, they just argue saying well the computer says you did and it's a computer so it can't possibly be wrong.
I have no problem with you abstaining from tech, just don't tell me to do the same And yeah, $26m spent by the government is ridiculous - let the private sector deal with such things. They already have, DARPA just want it patented for military purposes. ?? Dahlmer was bashed by an inmate, presumably for being a serial killer. Manning has pled guilty to several small crimes totaling a maximum of 20 years in prison, yet the prosecution is still going after him for the heavy stuff. Aiding the enemy and such things. I don't see the parallel and it comes off as a silly attack.
The progression of technology cannot be stopped. But that does not mean the taxpayer should be funding it.
An interesting and informative post, as usual. Thanks, Jack - - - Updated - - - It is not about 'stopping technology', but it is about seriously regulating it's application. That is a must.
