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RE: Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and a Blockchain-based Decentralized CloudMind. [Part 3/3]: The Brain as a DAO - and Steemit where you wouldn't expect it
Great 3 part post Irf1. Its a similar area of interest to me. It will bring about drastic change which is exciting but will humans (in their current form) be able to handle all this change?
Hey @green8 , thanks for your reply :) So that's actually a great question, and it's tricky. I think cognitivive dissonance would be an immediate issue, when confronted with other people's POV that may go against yours. Also such an environment would definitely shed our current perceptions and definitions of what it means to be human, conscious and have an identity, and perhaps most people wouldn't really be able to cope with it? Also from a purely biological sense again I think it would be hard for the brain to acclimate to such a new sensory regime. But seeing how differently say an 8 year old vs an 80 year old would go about using a even just a smartphone today and operating in the world as it currently is, I would have no trouble seeing generations born in such a futuristic world having issues with it. Again, it's tricky, and definitely food for thought. Thanks for the insightful comment!
I ADORE this post series :)
I believe the brain of a child born into a world with this kind of technology would probably end up so different to the brain of someone born before this time that they could potentially seem as if of different species.
Not to mention that with biotech, some might just decide to re-engineer the brain to be more accepting of this kind of connection.
There... there are SO many possibilities XO
In any case, I'll be following you closely. Your post series was superb !
You're awesome bro, thank you so much :) :) I cannot possibly fathom how the world of a child born into such a system would be like, but I think nature has planned ahead to make that both feasible and, well, natural! So I think perhaps no bio-engineering would be needed for the lucky souls born in that hopefully awesome future, the brain would develop in accordance with the environment, but most likely something to that effect would be in order for older people getting into it.
I have actually recently started thinking about potentially pursuing work in a related field in the future (biotech engineering/bioinformatics/neuroscience/BCIs etc.), most likely not in a formal R&D capacity but hopefully more into the commercial / product development part of it (even perhaps data science). I am a forward looking guy (hence my involvement with crypto, trading and investmenting overall) and want to ride the next big waves in technology and in our societies overall, and I was wondering whether you may have any recommendations on that front. What are the possible moves you are considering yourself for the future? Very curious what a guy like you, with such cutting-edge education, is thinking about in terms of work for the future. Any suggestions for areas and capacities I should perhaps look into myself? Thanks in advance for your input and thanks again for the kind words and the resteems :)
True, brain plasticity is awesome, and it will probably be enough to get the job done for the younger generations.
Biotech engineering requires a lot of capital to get into for the moment, but that's starting to change. I believe a rethink of the concept of GMO's is on the horizon, from their rather negative use nowadays (Monsanto, engineered pesticide resistance, etc...) to more positive, non-toxic ways of solving problems.
I can imagine a few, but they are pretty far fetched (there's no pests eating the fruit on the tree if, say, the fruit has an external skin with the resistance of metal, but that then degrades completely when the fruit is no longer connected to the tree/bush)
Honestly, I am just at the start of my education. I've got a Bachelor's in biology, and just finished the first year of a Master's in bioinformatics mainly aimed at teaching biologists basic tech skills (more or less of a breeze at times, as I always was good with computers. But very informative nonetheless !).
Bioinformatics will most probably evolve from it's current form of prediction/analysis of data to a more programmatic role.
There's already 1 or 2 "programming" languages for creating modified organisms, but they are VERY complicated (I tried the tutorial for Cello last year... The tutorial application...that they made.... failed to work properly in their system XS).
I believe we're going towards basic manufacturing of components made of metals and conductive of electricity (so most every kind of electronic equipment really) coming from 3d printing and atom-manipulating tech, and all the complex molecules (perfumes, medicines, food of known and unknown variants, etc...) coming from systems of modified bacteria.
And we'll have ways to program bacteria to perform different tasks. We'll probably even have "workhorse"-style bacteria programmed to move products to and from other bacteria to keep them fed and move products along a kind of biological assembly line at cell level...
To put it lightly, I have MANY ideas as to how everything might go XS
One of the most prominent branches that I think will hit the markets very soon is anything related to personalized medicine to treat chronic conditions or "cure" them completely by using information coming from the DNA of a person to solve their specific problems.
Woah... that writing spree went on for WAY longer than I thought XO
Now that I think about it... I'm supposed to be at the end of my education,
seeing as I'm not sure if I'll do a Doctorate degree... Hmm...
Maybe if I can figure out a way to spin my bioinformatics knowledge, using the 6 months Internship I have next March, towards the programming and neuroscience part of BMI's... Hm....
They'll need algorithms to read the electrical potentials from the neurons and feed them to AI systems, and ways for the AI to feed information back to the brain...
There's potential there ! (this is a neuroscience joke... I can already make these so I'm on the right path XD)
Ha I love the writing spree man, that's what I expected! I hear you, I'm in full agreement, and I think personalized medicine will indeed blow up in the future, especially with the increasingly smaller cost of running entire genome screens for individuals on a commercial basis and the new techniques. Very lucrative and interesting field (in fact I have urged my sister, who is a very well educated pharmacist, to keep tabs on the field for future work).
For bioengineered bacterias, yeah I remember reading about the bioprogramming languange that came out of MIT, super super promising field too. Actually here's a commercial idea: bioengineered bacteria that you apply to your mouth, they kill the pathogenic germs, live symbiotically in your mouth without harming your health, and also releasing whitening substances. Keeping your mouth healthy and your teeth white 24/7, say goodbye to brushing. Ha I think it's a sexy idea :P
Man so many cool things are to come in the future, so so excited! Let's share cool stories with each other as they come :)
Hey @irf1 , yit all interesting and could go in any direction. I like to think about the positives and hope it will benefit all. However, i think this topic and other major technological changes(blockchain, medtech, fintech) etc may create tense geopolitical battles as securing the most advance technology will be similar to the battles for strategic oil field over the past 30+ years.
The ability for a human brain to be connected to the cloud via nanobots in the bloods stream is fascinating and i enjoy Ray Kurweil talks in this area. The difference between having these connected capabilities to the cloud as a human/cyborg and a regular human with a traditional brain will be like the analogy on wait but why website where they compare the cockroach to a human.... the vast difference will be like a new species.
Very interesting take on it @green8 , thanks for the input. I see your first point about an 'arms race' and it makes sense that government or communities would want to be the first to benefit the most, that being said what we have seen so far has been primarily driven by a hunt for profits and power, and given the inherently more inclusive and decentralized nature of these technologies I think the same status quo would not necessarily apply. But who knows, depends on the exact applications and manner of deployment.
As for the second point, well throughout history there have been groups and societies of people living in the same age but technologically being very far apart, and it's true today as well, when looking at different countries or the concurrent existence of advanced western civilization and tribal communities in different parts of the world. So I think it's natural that there will be a divergence (don't think it's necessarily ideal), even implying a more advanced species leaving others behind, but again I think it's only natural. We should strive to make these technologies as inclusive and empowering for as many people as possible, and of course for those who would want to participate. So let's see, hopefuly we will witness such developments in our lifetimes, and it's not at all far-fetched to think so!
Thanks again for the insightful comment, Steem on!