A review of the future, as it is available today:

[flamingsword]

Science is changing every aspect of our lives, from what we eat to how we cook it, parenting to child development to our own personal development. If facebook has changed how we relate to our friends, what about the emerging technologies that are changing how we relate to ourselves? The structures of our society are shifting over to new paradigms

Comments

[jslorentz]

But so far technology has been masterful at moving obliquely to our expectations. Things the generations past felt were certainly not far away have yet to materialize, while others have effortlessly redefined our lives.

I had never thought about augmented memory as a way of recording and reliving the past, but that is exactly how I would use it, and I'm certain I would do so to my detriment. When I'm feeling a bit lonely or missing someone who is no longer in my life, it's already hard for me not to dwell a little too long on knickknacks, photos, and memories. I remember ten years ago a comedian saying that once VR allowed any man to have sex with Claudia Schiffer, we would know new realms of addiction, but for me the much larger threat would be VTT--Virtual Time Travel. My memory is already too good at that.

Thanks for the food for thought. I am now thoroughly ambivalent about the future of technology! ;)

[flamingsword]

But how much easier will socializing and making new memories be when you have external recording of memory that you can't distort and can replay without fade? You can go back over a situation to understand why another person is upset, and own your actions more objectively. You could learn more from the sharper memories than you would from the same experience without the technology.

Addiction immunization is one of the medical technologies currently in the works. It'll take another 8 to 10 years to get the vaccine effective and them apply that to the rest of the major drug addictions. But as our computer modeling of the brain becomes more accurate (through technology!) we'll be more aware and better able to deal with reward centers and addictive behavior.

[jslorentz]

Not easier at all. I fear I would be the kind of person who replays such conversations long after I've won the battle and lost the connection

[jslorentz]

BUT! Considering how few technologies function quite the way we anticipate, I could totally see people getting tired of recording their lives (like how little people use video chat), but applying such technology for study, download of information, and OHOHOHIWOULDLOVETHIS: direct mental transcription!

OK, I'm on board. :D

[kadairk]

But ... we aren't gods. Thus, we should not function in god mode.

Of course, I spent yesterday fasting from the internet. I'm something of a Luddite, when you get down to it.

[sushi_slave]

"If facebook has changed how we relate to our friends, what about the emerging technologies that are changing how we relate to ourselves?"... and what would those be?

PS, Huzzah for Cyborg grandchildren!