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Synthesizing contentment, at what price?
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Clinically Insane
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This is a subject my book/discussion group has taken up recently and it brought up some interesting observations so I'll pitch it here too.
Let's say there's a company that has a product, a family of devices, that can determine exactly what you desire. However, there's a catch, it requires that you get a neural implant that wirelessly interfaces with an analyzer, and after a period of time performing analysis, it determines what you want without any active input from you. Let's say you want to hear some music, it would automatically know that, then choose the type, volume, and duration of the listening experience based on what is read. The same goes for TV, web sites, etc., custom tailoring any content for you. Of course, it maps everywhere you go, records everything you think (based on your reactions to various types of stimuli), and due to the complexity involved, this information has to be shared with the content providers so they can know what to serve up. Would that interest you?
Going a step further, what if not only could it read what you feel but directly make you feel; blissful, afraid, anxious, or any emotion, by triggering specific brain centers, causing you to manufacture the various chemicals required, bypassing the need for any "traditional sources" of stimulation? Too far?
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Last edited by Shaddim; Jan 4, 2014 at 02:12 PM.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Clinically Insane
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Originally Posted by Shaddim
Going a step further, what if not only could read what you feel but directly make you feel; blissful, afraid, anxious, or any emotion, by triggering specific brain centers, causing you to manufacture the various chemicals required, bypassing the need for any "traditional sources" of stimulation? Too far?
For the general population, I'd think this goes to far.
I can, however, see this working as a treatment for illnesses, especially psychological ones.
And as a treatment for violent crimes offenders.
-t
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Clinically Insane
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The therapeutic aspects are an undeniable benefit, as a treatment for people who battle mental diseases, such as severe depression and schizophrenia, such a product could prove to change everything.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Administrator
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Part of life is denying yourself the short term wants in favor of the long term needs. Sounds like a great way to treat disease and/or pacify people.
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The cost of the apparatus and amount of insurance necessary to protect such an endeavor would price the gizmo away from all, but the mentally ill, uber-rich. This will eventually be deemed unfair at which time synthesized contentment would become a civil right and CGI would take over the project. "Glitch" would mean something else entirely and then we'd have a bunch of folks running around on auto-pilot trying to behead others for the stimuli in their analyzers.
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ebuddy
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While a UI that can intuit the music I'm in the mood for, or the show I feel like watching, sounds good... sometimes I like not knowing what I want, and discovering it.
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Professional Poster
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This sounds like any number of Outer Limits episodes.
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Clinically Insane
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I'm mildly interested in the first.
Don't care what the content providers know. Do care what they tell the gubmint.
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Clinically Insane
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The groundwork for Idiocracy was laid with the advent of reality TV. I wish I was joking...
Originally Posted by Demonhood
Part of life is denying yourself the short term wants in favor of the long term needs. Sounds like a great way to treat disease and/or pacify people.
I have a feeling the government believes that's its job as well (the pacifying part), as does certain demographics.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Clinically Insane
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IMO, reality TV is about an order of magnitude worse than hardcore pornography in terms of exploiting one's self.
At least people in porn are honest about what they're doing.
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Clinically Insane
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Originally Posted by ebuddy
The cost of the apparatus and amount of insurance necessary to protect such an endeavor would price the gizmo away from all, but the mentally ill, uber-rich. This will eventually be deemed unfair at which time synthesized contentment would become a civil right and CGI would take over the project. "Glitch" would mean something else entirely and then we'd have a bunch of folks running around on auto-pilot trying to behead others for the stimuli in their analyzers.
For the latter function, I think the economics of scale would kick in before long; first used with mental patients and the criminally insane, then as a drug for the wealthy, but ultimately it would get into the hands of John Q.
Early devices that are simple "readers" could already be in development, but the processing power necessary to analyze on the fly would be substantial, more than a top end smart phone can currently provide, and they'd be rather clunky at first; I imagine a device with two contact points attached to the head (behind each ear), and another about the size of a Zippo, that's attached to the first, that works as the interface to the computer (or tablet, smartphone, etc.). It could possibly even connect to current devices already being made, things like, say... Glass. All of this is hypothetical, of course.
Personally, as long as it stays out of my head, I'd be willing to try it, but I wouldn't let anyone cut on me to install anything. One, because I don't trust any company that much, and two, because I can only imagine how much of a bitch any upgrades would be. However, I can see where this would all go terribly wrong, people forgetting how to make choices and decisions on their own, attention spans becoming even shorter (think goldfish).
Originally Posted by andi*pandi
While a UI that can intuit the music I'm in the mood for, or the show I feel like watching, sounds good... sometimes I like not knowing what I want, and discovering it.
You'd be able to turn it off, though leaving it off for too long compromises the quality and accuracy of its data collection.
Originally Posted by subego
I'm mildly interested in the first.
Don't care what the content providers know. Do care what they tell the gubmint.
It's no secret I'm a pessimist, I'm pretty certain that any information the data collectors get will be compromised, legally or illegally, by the Feds. To me, that's a given. I can see it now...
It's 2021 and "Mindgate" has boiled over, it's been discovered that the NSA and DHS have been reading everyone's thought profiles, which were initially said to be completely inaccessible, but all this time there's been a deeper layer of information being collected, beyond simple tastes and preferences... [cue Duel of the Fates]
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Last edited by Shaddim; Jan 5, 2014 at 04:12 AM.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Clinically Insane
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Some day, someone will come up with the novel idea of founding a country based on freedom of interference from the government.
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Posting Junkie
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Originally Posted by subego
Some day, someone will come up with the novel idea of founding a country based on freedom of interference from the government.
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ebuddy
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Clinically Insane
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Originally Posted by subego
Some day, someone will come up with the novel idea of founding a country based on freedom of interference from the government.
I'm actually not sure if I should laugh or cry
-t
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Clinically Insane
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Something good came out of this, I liked my Mindgate blurb so much I've started writing a novella. I'm already 20 pages deep with notes and have 10 pages written.
"We know what you're thinking, and you can't stop us. No one would believe you, anyway."
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
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Originally Posted by Shaddim
Something good came out of this, I liked my Mindgate blurb so much I've started writing a novella. I'm already 20 pages deep with notes and have 10 pages written.
"We know what you're thinking, and you can't stop us. No one would believe you, anyway."
This thread reminds me of something vonnegut either wrote, or would have. Have at it.
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Clinically Insane
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There's 8", and counting, of snow on the ground here, what else am I going to do?
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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All work and no play makes Jack something something...
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Clinically Insane
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Originally Posted by subego
IMO, reality TV is about an order of magnitude worse than hardcore pornography in terms of exploiting one's self.
At least people in porn are honest about what they're doing.
I don't think that pizza guy was really a pizza guy.
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read "Learning to be Me" by Greg Egan from the collection "Axiomatic" about a device implanted into peoples brains that learns to be them, and once it has done so perfectly runs in sync with the implants own brain as a check before taking over and disconnecting the actual brain.
Axiomatic is packed full of wonderful hard science ideas.
Axiomatic (story collection) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
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Originally Posted by Doc HM
read "Learning to be Me" by Greg Egan from the collection "Axiomatic" about a device implanted into peoples brains that learns to be them, and once it has done so perfectly runs in sync with the implants own brain as a check before taking over and disconnecting the actual brain.
Axiomatic is packed full of wonderful hard science ideas.
Axiomatic (story collection) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Looks good. I've been thinking about picking up some new sci-fi, maybe I'll try to track this one down.
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