The Politics of Neuromania: The Impotence of Vision‏

[sophia_sadek]

In a previous posting I considered the difference between science and engineering as a difference between theory and practicality. In considering the work of military contractors developing neural wave technology the issue of distinguishing between invention and engineering came up. The military engineers have been handed the task of devising an

Comments

[notmrgarrison]

An inexpensive Chinese version is inevitable.

Will I get free fortunes without having to open a cookie?

[sophia_sadek]

Ask and ye shall receive.

BTW, the fortune cookie was not invented in China.

[telemann]

And Julius had nothing to do with that salad tossing you bring up all the time!

[sophia_sadek]

Orange Julius is related to everything.

[sophia_sadek]

The second question relates to the word salad. The first question was intended to expand the topic to consider the impact of intellectual property rights on the advancement or retardation of human progress.

[sophia_sadek]

The scientific principles upon which neural wave technology is based are fairly basic. Making a neural wave machine is simpler than putting a missile into orbit.

[pastorlenny]

My sympathies lie with the Spurs.

[sophia_sadek]

There are more humane ways to urge on a horse.

[devil_ad_vocate]

Ditto.

[comeonyouspurs]

I'm flattered. X

[underlankers]

Vision that's impotent? Needs a little heat in it!

[telemann]

Superman has quite the legs.

[sophia_sadek]

It's the steroids.

[telemann]

Nah, it's those Kryptonian Caesar Salads!

[policraticus]

that vision is powerless without a team of engineers who are ready, willing, and able to implement the vision

That vision is also powerless without a fundamental change in the nature of our physical reality. But why strain at a gnat, amirite?

[sophia_sadek]

What change in the nature of our physical reality would be necessary?

It has been nearly 24 hours and you have yet to come up with an answer. Let me give you a hint. Back when people thought that the Earth was static, what change in the nature of physical reality was needed in order for people to think of the Earth as in motion?

[policraticus]

Are you kidding? You are talking about a machine that can control thoughts. Remotely. Everything I know about physics, brain chemistry, biology and psychology tells me that is a pure fantasy. Link me to the blueprints, or link me to a paper that actually attempts to explain how neural wave machines do what they do. Give me a youtube video of a NWM prototype. If not, I am going ahead and saying that this is nothing more than hokum of the hokiest kind. You can't do this. Not in the "you can't fly to Mars because, apart from the money, we still haven't figured out the radiation shielding and the gravity issues yet" way. Rather in the, "you can't have a triangle whose interior angles equal more than 180 degrees" way.

[sophia_sadek]

Blueprints would do you no good since the machines are simple microwave devices. The value-add is in how they are configured to form a holographic projection of neural patterns. If you understand holographic projection and radio wave modulation you can conceive of such a machine quite easily. The physics is basic. I can see how "brain chemistry" could hinder your imagination as much as an obviously moving Sun hindered the imagination of static Earth proponents. There is research on brain chemistry at the level of microwave resonance that is probably beyond the horizon of your experience. There is a significant body of research on cytoskeleton resonance.