metaViper

The thought of inserting any device into my skull makes me cringe, but the potential benefits certainly are tempting. While reading A Step Toward a Living, Learning Memory Chip by Scientific American, I learned that a group of scientists has created a method of recording a set of patterns originally created via synapses in the brain to a device that can store that pattern for many days. The key here is that this transfer of knowledge doesn’t disrupt any other function in the brain, as far as they know. That’s always the caveat with new technologies though.

Beyond the physiological risk, this opens an entirely new realm of competition between humans. It’s almost like gamers with their hardware rigs, and the race to have the most realistic graphics and purest sound. Similarly, I can see a future where humans scramble to buy the latest upgrade to their implant processing subsystem.

My question is: what happens when the system gets bogged down with spyware or the more recent botnet scams? Because if implants go mainstream, wireless implants would soon follow. Would you be able to perform a system reformat and start over?

The ethics in a situation like that become debatable. I would argue that ascending too quickly and creating an addiction to embedded mechanical technology is dangerous.

For a present example, ask any World of Warcraft addict how fulfilling their life is.