A Moment’s Notice:
Striving for Awareness of Each Moment,
Reflecting on Events of the Moment
Consumers of science fiction know
that the world will end with an apocalypse.
It’s just a question of what form the cataclysm will take: Sentient machines overthrowing their makers,
alien invasion, and the current favored contender, a virus/drug/weapon created
by mad/evil/well-meaning scientists which turns your next door neighbor into a
zombie or vampire. (Maybe he’ll finally
return your power washer before he gnaws off your arm.)
I’ve enjoyed sci-fi since Daddy and I
huddled together on the couch to watch “Star Trek” on TV (the original series,
the one where the captain had hair, thank you very much). I should add that as a Christian I believe
our planet’s current state of affairs will cease precisely when and how our
Creator chooses. Still, I think
speculation about the end of the world and mankind’s involvement can be useful
if it helps us steer clear of senseless unpleasantness.
This brings me to my soapbox du jour:
Chips in our heads. I’m not talking
about the ones in the noggins of alien abductees or unfortunate incidents
involving snack food but real honest-to-goodness computer interfaces in our
brains. In the New York Times blog
“Bits” writer Nick Bilton describes how the Google Glass eyewear could respond
to nonverbal communication such as a nod or wink. But that’s just the beginning:
But don’t expect these gestures to be necessary for long.
Soon, we might interact with our smartphones and computers simply by using our
minds. In a couple of years, we could be turning on the lights at home just by
thinking about it, or sending an e-mail from our smartphone without even
pulling the device from our pocket. Farther into the future, your robot
assistant will appear by your side with a glass of lemonade simply because it
knows you are thirsty.
Mr. Bilton refers to a report in the
MIT Technology Review about research at Samsung’s Emerging Technology Lab. Researchers there are working on tablets that
can be controlled by a subject wearing an electrode-studded ski cap.
The technology, often called a brain computer interface, was
conceived to enable people with paralysis and other disabilities to interact
with computers or control robotic arms, all by simply thinking about such
actions. Before long, these technologies could well be in consumer electronics,
too.
Okay, so far so good. Who can argue with an advancement that would
enable a man or woman who lost a limb in Iraq or Afghanistan to resume a
semblance of a normal life? But then, as
always, things get sticky.
But the products commercially available today will soon look
archaic. “The current brain technologies are like trying to listen to a conversation
in a football stadium from a blimp,” said John Donoghue, a neuroscientist
and director of the Brown Institute for Brain Science. “To really be able to
understand what is going on with the brain today you need to surgically implant
an array of sensors into the brain.” In other words, to gain access to the
brain, for now you still need a chip in your head.
Mr. Bilton
goes on to describe the probable evolution of this technology, which will
include chip-free interfaces made possible by a complete map of the brain. He quotes Miyoung Chun, a molecular biologist and vice president for science
programs at the Kavli Foundation, about the future of conversations between man
and his machines:
“The Brain Activity Map will give hardware companies a lot
of new tools that will change how we use smartphones and tablets,” Dr. Chun
said. “It will revolutionize everything from robotic implants and neural
prosthetics, to remote controls, which could be history in the foreseeable
future when you can change your television channel by thinking about it.”
(You can read Mr. Bilton’s entire
column at http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/disruptions-no-words-no-gestures-just-your-brain-as-a-control-pad/ )
Imagine a
future where channel surfing requires nothing more than thinking. Back in the ancient days my family had access
to four television networks: NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS. If we wished to switch from one to the other
we had to walk over to the television set and turn a knob. We didn’t skip between shows during
commercials because that extra effort wasn’t worth it. Come to think of it, I don’t remember my
folks ever watching any network other than NBC.
Now I can
access more than 200 channels just by pushing the buttons on my remote. (Whether there’s anything worth watching is a
topic for another day.) I’m writing this
post on my laptop and when I’m finished I could go online to shop the clearance
“aisles” at a favorite store. If I start
to wonder about the location of Kazakhstan I don’t have to retrieve the “K”
volume of the encyclopedia from the shelf; I’ll ask Mr. Google.
I think I
gained five pounds just writing that paragraph.
Technology
can be a wonderful servant, but it is a terrible master. If we don’t handle this next wave with care we
won’t have to wonder if extinct creatures can be resurrected a la Jurassic
Park; we’ll become wooly mammoths ourselves. Thin won’t be in anymore, because the owners
of the latest toys will be known by their girth. Call it Revenge of the 500-Lb. Man. Piano-size caskets all around.
Of course,
the Wizards of the New might solve this problem by replacing food with pellets that
provide just enough nutrition to keep our sedentary bodies functioning. No Chick Fil A Waffle Fries, no chocolate ice
cream, no chili dogs, no grits, no butterbeans, no fried okra. Oh, the horror!
As grim as
this speculation may be, I think it pales in comparison to my other concern
about brain-computer interfaces. I’ll
deal with that next time.