Life Imitating Science

Life Imitating Science

Life Imitating Science

Our children should be studying Arthur C. Clarke, William Tenn, Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury and Robert Sheckley, not because these writers can tell them about rocket ships and time machines but, more important, because they can lead young minds through an imaginative exploration of the jungle of political, social, psychological, and ethical issues that will confront these children as adults

Alvin Toffler

Manuel and John are talking about the following article:
The Prophets of Science Fiction Explores Sci-Fi’s Best Writers

In this post the images comes from:

      1. Amina Filkins from Pexels
      2. Miriam Espacio from Pexels
      3. Pete Linforth from Pixabay

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Manuel

Hi John, would you like to collaborate on some articles with me?

Today 11:41   

John

Hi Manuel, happy to! What is it about?                                                   

Today 11:42   

Manuel

Well, my editor saw this series from ten years ago: “Prophets of Science Fiction

Today 11:43   

Manuel

and now he wants to do a series of articles discussing science and sci-fi

Today 11:43   

John

Oooh, sounds interesting!                                                                        

Today 11:44   

Manuel

Yeah, seems that it made some controversial claims at the time

Today 11:45   

John

Like what?                                                                                                    

Today 11:45   

Manuel

Mostly that they exaggerated a lot, like Frankenstein anticipates superhuman cyborgs

Today 11:46  

John

Ouch, that is quite a stretch …                                                                 

Today 11:46   

Manuel

Actually, that’s why I am asking you to help out … to help keep hype out and realism in

Today 11:48   

John

Okay, I might be able to help, or otherwise know who to ask for help.

Today 11:48   

Manuel

Great! Much appreciated!

Today 11:49   

John

So are you going to use the same setup as the series? Should I watch it first?

Today 11:50   

Manuel

Actually, yes and no. We’re not going to use exactly the same list authors …

Today 11:51   

John

… but there likely will be some overlap                                                  

Today 11:51   

Manuel

Indeed, and science has moved on, we expect.

Today 11:52   

John

Ha! So what would you need from me, exactly?                                   

Today 11:52   

Manuel

I’ll send you some drafts, could you check them over with an expert on brains and brain implants?

Today 11:53   

John

Sure, I know just who to ask!                                                                    

Today 11:53   

Manuel

I’ll head over to a contact to talk about robots. See you later!

Today 11:54   

… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …
Next week John will talk with Cho our Neuroscientist

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“Young man, you don’t think I’m encountering constructive symbolism for the first time, do you? “Unplug”: free yourself from physicality, from the vulgar earthbound physicality, from the evils of civilization, from electricity, nerves, and so on. Isn’t that what this is? The association is crystal clear, I’d be tempted to say, perhaps even too obvious” (Kishon 1987)

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You young badgers imagine that it would be enough to smear a pound of paint on the canvas and you’re already a modern painter. I would be willing to accept this abomination for a bad joke, if there was even the slightest humor behind it. But this here is an abracadabra! A nothing!

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Where is my flying car?

Where is my flying car?

Where is my flying car?

The future is already here

it’s just not very evenly distributed

Introduction

Sometimes it feels like we are living in the future, with technology straight our of yesterday’s StarTrek: Computing devices in our pocket! Live video-chats with someone on the other side of the planet! Ordering food and playing music through voice commands anywhere in your home!
However, equally often, we don’t really even notice the enormous improvements and changes that technology has brought to society anymore. Think of all the transitions a middle aged person has gone through:
From vinyl long playing discs being normal and widespread, to the introduction of cassette tapes and the walkman, the DVD, and currently MP3 players and always-online mobile streaming of music. Which, in a sense, brings us back to old-fashioned transistor radios …

Sometimes, as users and consumers of technology, it remains invisible what happens “behind the scenes”. We want portable music to give our lives a soundtrack, whether through our favourite radio station or streaming service. Over the past century and a half, perhaps some of the most noticeable impacts of technology has been on everyday household chores “How the appliance boom moved more women into the workforce

Time spent on washing, cleaning, cooking, etc. plummeted from nearly sixty hours a week to less than twenty between 1900 and 1975, mostly thanks to relatively simple improvement in infrastructure and the more complex appliances exploiting them. Running water, gas, electricity, central heating, plus appliances using water and electricity such as washing machines, fridges, dishwashers, ovens, lights, etc. improved our lives noticeably and immeasurably. We keep a lookout for flashy inventions like flying cars and forget to take notice of boring infrastructural things like intercontinental submarine communications cables, which are a lot less dazzling than the Starlink internet satellite constellation. Yet, it is the infrastructure that allows technological innovation to spread and gain traction. Sometimes innovations adapt to the existing frameworks, like the internet over copper phone cables, sometimes infrastructure is adapted to new technology, like bicycles literally paved the way for cars ( “Roads were not built for cars”: how cyclists, not drivers, first fought to pave US roads ).

and then urban spaces were designed around the increasingly widespread use of cars. Nowadays battery powered devices are everywhere, from your mobile phone to your car, and more and more solar panels are being installed on private homes: all working on Direct Current, while the main grid is working on Alternating Current. With household batteries becoming an increasingly affordable option, perhaps the next step will be a home DC network (Compatibility of household appliances with DC microgrid for PV systems) Yet, beyond the conspicuous initial investment and the potential savings (How much electricity can we save by using direct current circuits in homes? Understanding the potential for electricity savings and assessing feasibility of a transition towards DC powered buildings), we probably won’t really notice, unless and until new appliances start coming with different plugs.

Now that more and more devices are always-on and electronic, plus the infrastructure of widespread internet and WiFi home networks, the “internet of things” (IoT) could be poised for a takeoff, leading to a truly smart AI-powered home (What Will Smart Homes Look Like 10 Years From Now?).
Infrastructural innovations that are so basic nowadays to almost be boring, can still yield a potentially life-changing innovation. What if you could control your home from your smartphone or through your voice? What would this empower us to do? From flipping a page in our cooking e-book while we have our hands full in the kitchen to enhancing autonomy for people with physical disabilities.

Many innovations might seem trivial and simple at first sight and can yet vastly improve the quality of life for many, even though they are not expressly meant as medical or therapeutic technologies. Inclusive design benefits everyone (The 7 Principles).

{

the 7 principles

  • Principle 1: Equitable Use
  • Principle 2: Flexibility in Use
  • Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive Use
  • Principle 4: Perceptible Information
  • Principle 5: Tolerance for Error
  • Principle 6: Low Physical Effort
  • Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use

1997 North Carolina State University

Slow, invisible progress is still progress, whether we notice or not, and it may pave the way for much more radical innovations down the road. Is our current infrastructure holding us back? Is innovation creeping and seeping everywhere without us noticing?

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In this post the images comes from:

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  2. PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

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Natural Born Cyborgs

Natural Born Cyborgs

Natural Born Cyborgs

Human!
We used to be exactly like them… Flawed, Weak, Organic
But we evolved to include the synthetic
Now we use both to attain perfection

The Borg

Manuel and Sandra are talking about the following article:
Scientists Warn of “Bleak Cyborg Future” From Brain-Computer Interfaces

In this post :

    1. Nandu Vasudevan from Pixabay
    2. Cottonbro from Pexels

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Sandra

It may sound very apocalyptic, but it is a very remote possibility.     

Today 11:40  

Sandra

And yet something that we have to think about before it is too late.

Today 11:40  

Manuel

Absolutely! We do want policies in place for how things should be used.

Today 11:41   

Sandra

Right, and that’s why we collaborated not just with engineers and programmes, but with doctors, patients, ethicists, etc.

Today 11:42   

Manuel

Sounds like a very good idea. Still: are you a cyborg when you have an IMD? 😅

Today 11:43   

Sandra

Wow, that’s quite the question! I’m not sure, it seems like a gradual thing …

Today 11:44   

Manuel

Gradual? What do you mean? 🤔

Today 11:46  

Sandra

Well, “cyborg” sounds like you’re half a robot, not a natural human anymore.

Today 11:47   

Sandra

But we do so many other things that aren’t, you know, “biologically” natural

Today 11:47   

Manuel

Like, … wearing clothes? Unlike animals? 😉

Today 11:48  

Sandra

Yeah, maybe that is how it started, but think of everything else too: fire, tool use, building houses, etc.

Today 11:49   

Sandra

and then specifically changing our bodies. Wouldn’t every medical intervention make you “unnatural” then?

Today 11:49   

Manuel

There actually are some religions that suggest stuff like that …

Today 11:50   

Sandra

I know, but that’s not how I feel. Am I a cyborg for wearing glasses? Wearing contacts? Getting eye surgery? 🤓

Today 11:51   

Manuel

I see what you mean with “gradual” now …

Today 11:52   

Sandra

It’s not like a BCI or IMD takes over, it modifies who you are and how you act, just like a pill, or a glass of wine 

Today 11:53   

Manuel

So, it’s more subtle than that

Today 11:53   

Sandra

Exactly. It’s not like a pacemaker or a BCI turn you into a robot, in a sense it is not unlike any other tool, but now it is part of your body. 

Today 11:54   

Manuel

And because it changes what you can do, it is of ethical concern?

Today 11:54   

Sandra

Yes, anything that restores our capacity for action or gives us new options, raises ethical issues 

Today 11:55   

Manuel

Thank you so much! This has been very helpful! 😊

Today 11:56   

… Continue to read the conversation between Manuel and Sandra  on Saturday 23th October…

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Sketchy AI

Sketchy AI

“Young man, you don’t think I’m encountering constructive symbolism for the first time, do you? “Unplug”: free yourself from physicality, from the vulgar earthbound physicality, from the evils of civilization, from electricity, nerves, and so on. Isn’t that what this is? The association is crystal clear, I’d be tempted to say, perhaps even too obvious” (Kishon 1987)

read more
AI see, AI do

AI see, AI do

You young badgers imagine that it would be enough to smear a pound of paint on the canvas and you’re already a modern painter. I would be willing to accept this abomination for a bad joke, if there was even the slightest humor behind it. But this here is an abracadabra! A nothing!

read more
Sketchy AI

Sketchy AI

“Young man, you don’t think I’m encountering constructive symbolism for the first time, do you? “Unplug”: free yourself from physicality, from the vulgar earthbound physicality, from the evils of civilization, from electricity, nerves, and so on. Isn’t that what this is? The association is crystal clear, I’d be tempted to say, perhaps even too obvious” (Kishon 1987)

read more
AI see, AI do

AI see, AI do

You young badgers imagine that it would be enough to smear a pound of paint on the canvas and you’re already a modern painter. I would be willing to accept this abomination for a bad joke, if there was even the slightest humor behind it. But this here is an abracadabra! A nothing!

read more

Conditioning the Moral Compass

Conditioning the Moral Compass

Conditioning the Moral Compass

He has no real choice, has he?
Self-interest, fear of physical pain, drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice

Burgess 1962

Manuel and Sandra are talking about the following article:
The ethics of brain–computer interfaces

In this post :

    1. ArtHouse Studio from Pexels
    2. PixxlTeufel from Pixabay

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Manuel

It gets worse?

Today 11:39  

Sandra

Sure, as think about facial recognition: useful as assistive technology for the blind, bad if used for racial profiling

Today 11:40  

Manuel

Right, I see what you mean

Today 11:41   

Sandra

Also with Brain Computer Interfaces and neurostimulation: what could it be used for?

Today 11:42   

Manuel

You tell me!

Today 11:43   

Sandra

Well, have you seen or read “Clockwork Orange” ?                            

Today 11:44   

Manuel

The old Kubrick movie?

Today 11:46  

Sandra

Yes, but it’s actually based on a book by Anthony Burgess.                  

Today 11:47   

Manuel

Right, I remember the main character, Alex, being somehow conditioned, right? 😉

Today 11:48  

Sandra

That’s right: aversion therapy to block bad behaviour. Like spraying your cat when it gets on the counter.

Today 11:49   

Manuel

Ok, so like behavioursim? Pavlov’s dogs?

Today 11:50   

Sandra

Exactly. The story criticizes the attempt to “re-train” someone to be good. What if we could do that directly in the brain?

Today 11:50   

Manuel

Oh my goodness! That’s straight-up mind control! 😣

Today 11:51   

Sandra

Yep, put your tinfoil hat on. 😄                                                                

Today 11:52   

Manuel

So there actually could be a way to do that? 🤔

Today 11:52   

Sandra

It is realistic enough that people are afraid about this possibility    

Today 11:52   

Manuel

Really? 😯

Today 11:53   

Sandra

Maybe not now and not with a decade, but think about how much computers have shrunk: from room size to pocket size    

Today 11:54   

Manuel

True, I even have one on my wrist …

Today 11:54   

Sandra

So what if everyone gets a Brain-Computer Interface in 50 years because it is useful and practical … and then it gets hacked? 

Today 11:55   

Manuel

Now suddenly it doesn’t sound so unreasonable anymore …

Today 11:56   

… Continue to read the conversation between Manuel and Sandra  on Saturday 16th October…

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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Related post

Sketchy AI

Sketchy AI

“Young man, you don’t think I’m encountering constructive symbolism for the first time, do you? “Unplug”: free yourself from physicality, from the vulgar earthbound physicality, from the evils of civilization, from electricity, nerves, and so on. Isn’t that what this is? The association is crystal clear, I’d be tempted to say, perhaps even too obvious” (Kishon 1987)

read more
AI see, AI do

AI see, AI do

You young badgers imagine that it would be enough to smear a pound of paint on the canvas and you’re already a modern painter. I would be willing to accept this abomination for a bad joke, if there was even the slightest humor behind it. But this here is an abracadabra! A nothing!

read more
Sketchy AI

Sketchy AI

“Young man, you don’t think I’m encountering constructive symbolism for the first time, do you? “Unplug”: free yourself from physicality, from the vulgar earthbound physicality, from the evils of civilization, from electricity, nerves, and so on. Isn’t that what this is? The association is crystal clear, I’d be tempted to say, perhaps even too obvious” (Kishon 1987)

read more
AI see, AI do

AI see, AI do

You young badgers imagine that it would be enough to smear a pound of paint on the canvas and you’re already a modern painter. I would be willing to accept this abomination for a bad joke, if there was even the slightest humor behind it. But this here is an abracadabra! A nothing!

read more