this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2023
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Technology
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F this guy.
Well, if I'd have paralysis, with some probability I'd want to try even knowing all about Musk.
There's that problem though with Musk apparently being too excited about putting a cord in one's skull. Instead of, I don't know, scanning for brain waves and analyzing patterns? I know literally nothing of the domain area, it's just that maybe subtlety is a good thing.
Don't worry, just learn some flashy buzzwords and you'll know as much about brain implants as musk.
Fair.
A few years ago, I read a really comprehensive article about Neuralink on waitbutwhy.com. Mind you, it's long.
But if I recall correctly, the reason why needles rather than scanning is precision, speed and 2 two-way communication. Needles is a more risky and invasive procedure, but it does allow near instant communication, at the precise neurons you want to target, and it allows to override the signal.
In some cases of paralysis, the signal to move a muscle might be there, but it's just to weak to get anything done. By amplifying it, you fix that problem at the source.
Well, wouldn't that also require manufacturing a unique device for every person using it? In case it becomes commercial.
It's been a few years since I last read it, but from what I recall the devices themselves can be pretty much the same, but it might vary where exactly they "plug in". Also each individual user will have to learn how to use the device. That knowledge gap is supposed to decrease as the technology improves.
Initially it will be used to improve the lives of people with disabilities, but eventually it will be used for direct communication and beyond. For starters, it took me a few minutes to type out this response on my phone, being bottlenecked by my fingers and SwiftKeys insistence that I meant different words. If I could just "think" the words directly into the input ~~fortis~~ field, it would have been much faster.
It would be even faster if you'd use a keyboard on a PDA from early zeroes.
Faster than 1 finger swiping, yes. But not faster than I can think the words.
Imagine how much worse the internet will be when content is created at the speed of everyone's thoughts and not even even the slightest moment to be rethought as they are typed.
Have you every looked at YouTube comments? The difference might be smaller than you think.
Yeah this is one of those things where you don't have to like the guy to want to take advantage of the tech. Elon is a loud mouthed idiot, but he's somehow spawned some cool companies
His one actual ability is promoting companies to get private and public funding, then taking credit for all of it as if he had spawned them.
It's because he does things that sound cool to him and doesn't handle any of the engineering when it's too complicated and thus leaves all power to actual professionals
SpaceX does fine because he's minimally involved, as does neuralink. Tesla he's ruined through his involvement but only barely (the stupid touch-based yoke and no lidar, for example).
Murdering thousands of animals? No, thank you. If we want it for us, test it on people.
A really big percentage of what you use is tested on thousands and more lab mice etc, and they do die in process often.
Not that I disagree, just real world works this way. We eat animals, we test on animals, we have been using animals for propulsion for most of our history. Also for coloring cloth, also for making it in case of silk, etc.
So ... do you take any medicine at all?