The one thing I can be certain of about my future is that it will be vastly different from what I imagine it to be today. Still, I enjoy speculating about the future. I might still yet surprise my current/past self and be completely on point in my predictions. However, with that being said, even today as I write this is a day when I have discovered something new about the possibilities for my future that will change everything.
The past two days I have been walking through the research labs of my college's new Biomedical Engineering department. As I learned about the facilities that are available I was inspired by a prospect of building specialized tests in the form of what are known as microfluidic devices. We can essentially design a specialized self-contained tiny petri dish and have it 3D printed with just about anything we as scientists can imagine for a test. A major concept being built from this technology is called "organs on a chip" where the goal is to make this new specialized testing device our primary resource for testing different cultures of cells from a human body.
This gave me the inspiration to create a neuron or nerves on a chip as a research project. I imagined that I could build a microfluidic device that would test for input and output information from nervous tissue. Little did I know that a google search of this concept would show me that I'm already late to that party.
Steve M. Potter, PhD, has been studying neurons with microchips for well over a decade. The methods he uses incorporate a specialized plate which can attract neurons with food to the positions of small electrodes, which can cause each neuron to fire as well as sense when neurons are firing.
By comparison to my colleges microfluidic devices, the specialized neurons-on-a-chip dishes that he uses seem crude to me. There may be an opportunity for me to both perfect the design as well as move toward my real dream of discovering just how intuitively we can adapt to directly controllable machinery through our thoughts (aka neurons).
While I am not yet clear on exactly what I can do for a project, my head is spinning at the thought of what it could be. The loftiest goal on my mind right now is to surgically implant a wireless device into a rat and train the rat to control a robotic arm to get food.
Any of you with a well developed imagination must realize that I am already crossing into ethically difficult terrain. The ultimate motivation of what I want for the future is my own eternal survival (minus any severe suffering) and to optimize that I plan to do what is in the best interests of everyone, including myself.
If I didn't rely so much on the shoulders of giants to obtain this technological knowledge, I would prefer to keep my studies all to myself, allowing me to have an edge in society by virtue of some personal upgrades over time. But the fact is that I can't make as much progress without the help of the rest of the human race, so I have to go with a mutually beneficial program. I have to help shape and abide by ethical policies that establish and enforce humane rights.
I think the most immediate right being lost by technology today is privacy. As much as it is an important right, I'm afraid that for the most part, our privacy is permanently doomed. Nanorobotic devices are already being built. Control software and AI are among our strongest limitations when it comes to drones, second only to energy. While we are not yet spying on each other with tiny almost invisible drones, life has no problem infiltrating our homes with roaches and bed bugs that escape our notice with ease.
I'm not going to lie, I want the power to spy on others freely. There is a nature to me that I would prefer to keep in check, to not use such an ability for the purpose of obsessive control over my loved ones or to get a good look at a hot individual taking a shower, but such mistakes might still be inevitable. If I can control myself enough to stay focused on the more strategic uses of spybots I would find an ethical and more purposeful use for them by monitoring backroom deals made by political officials and judges so they can be exposed to the public for the corrupt idiots that they are. Another obvious use would be to uncover crime as it happens and report it to police.
Of course, this leaves open a few other possibilities that I would want to avoid doing, yet would forsee that could be done with spybot technology. The only difference between a spybot and an assassinbot is attaching a syringe of poison. Assassination is a very particular ethical dilemma. Some people, if dead, would leave the world a better place for it.
While there are more ethical approaches to stopping such individuals from their undesired behaviors, assassination is most effective if one can ensure that they would be able to get away with it. There's no question in my mind that small assassin drones would be fully capable of just that. Ever imagine what the world would be like if we could all kill each other with our thoughts? I suspect we will soon learn this first hand.
The hope would therefore be that we could cut off the potential for such use of spybots by making video exposure of crimes and legalized bribes effective enough to stop people from commiting crimes altogether. The risk of being punished for murder could be reasoned to would-be-assassins as less attractive than the risk of being seen as a journalistic hero to the public.
There are many possible strategies in between as well, which I hope would-be-assassins would consider as better options than murder. Spybots could be built to temporarily knock out or disable a target. They could even permanently disable a target if you think death is too good for them.
Do you notice that I am not speaking much about the ethics of the use of such things? The reason for this is that personal ethics are not a major concern for everyone that could get their hands on this technology. In order to stop the misuse of technology I think we need to operate as if we were unconcerned with personal ethics but still wanted to protect the society that we live in from danger. In other words, it doesn't take shame to stop someone from committing murder. It takes a rational alternative that will help them achieve the same goal at a lesser risk to them.
Ours is a society of reaction when it comes to justice. I don't think we will be prepared at all when spybots are perfected, because our politicians who should be preparing in advance are more concerned with making a quick payout from their corporate donors. Hopefully, the most foolish among them in this way will be the first and last to be victim to this inevitable reality. Only then will we have the smarter among them react swiftly and effectively to actually defend against the dangers of that technology.
The aging process beyond our maturity at 25 is known to be caused by the degradation of telomeres, a repeating genetic pattern at the ends of every chromosome. These are thought to protect our cells from mutations that inevitably happen, such as cancer. As some mutations are more likely than others to occur, it makes sense that small changes in the elastic strength of fibrous proteins in our bodies as well as losing the ability to maintain myelin sheaths along the axons of our neurons would occur with time.
There are some beneficial changes with age, but they don't amount to much more than triggering chatty behavior that helps pass valuable information to the next generation. I've always loved teaching, so I doubt I'll miss out on much if I were to remain forever young.
In case you believe that immortality will not be possible, you should note that there is one part of the human life cycle that does reinforce telomeres somehow. It occurs to form our gametes (eggs and sperm) for the development of the next generation. At the very least, a treatment for aging will be sought after and found just to help cure the rare individual children who lack that reinforcement and are born with the symptoms of old age.
One of my best friends who will likely read this has a position that this portion of human life is too sacred for anyone to mess with. She believes that we are meant to die past a certain age and would plan to push for laws that would enforce death. For this possibility, I will not go quietly. Some people protect their right to guns until someone pulls them from their cold dead hands. I protect my right to life.
As technology gets smaller and the potential use and danger from tiny machines increases, an individual's body will become a battlefield. Our bodies are already battlefields of disease, which we currently fail to keep under control, but this new technology will add a new front of easily designed machines. While the process will be slow, I expect to find that we will reach a point where those who do not want to die, be controlled, or taken hostage through what you might think of as biohacking, would need to adapt bodily upgrades for themselves.
Perhaps an added layer of protective artificial skin? Or maybe you prefer gas filters inserted into your nasal cavity? An exoskeleton with the ability to double as a solar panel? I hope that before the danger is great enough to affect me that I will adapt all of these things. Ideally, I would want to optimize my physical dexterity and micro security in a self-contained system of a body which is capable of surviving off of light energy or easily sanitized sugars.
I have no limits that I wouldn't cross in terms of types of technology to adapt towards this end. I would not harm others for the sake of upgrading my body, but I hold no individual part of myself to be too sacred to mess with. I am no longer constructed of the same materials that were once me as a child. I, therefore, do not mind a progressive transfer of my self from today to be completely made up of different parts and materials in the future. That which is me, myself, and I is a process that exists as a function of time, not merely a physical object.
While I will grant any conscious entity human rights, it is my current intention to never create an artificial intelligence that could be conscious. I won't live in denial if consciousness is far more simple and arbitrary than we make it out to be today, but I do plan on ultimately being consistent with what I want for myself to be granted to any being that resembles my state of self-hood. AI and robots should be built as tools, with the few that are built as companions being matters of exploration into the nature of consciousness. Those AI should have complete human rights as far as I'm concerned.
As mindless tools, I have tinkered with one somewhat terroristic thought of what I might wish to one day do as prank using AI. In parts of the world where the closed minded harass innocent people for violating their cultural norms by using their right to free speech and bodily autonomy, I would like to challenge such individuals to regret and fear such harassment. Keep in mind that these are just playful thoughts for now and that I would rethink them and hold myself responsible for any unwarranted damages that would be incurred by these pranks.
I would possibly have a non-conscious android walk the streets of an Islamic theocracy resembling an unveiled woman with a shirt that translates "Atheist" and watch the crowd of aggressive fools and/or police group around her, only to be spanked with a painful gas and made to run in circles chasing after her.
Or in another case have an army of drones and androids "attack" a North Korean Army demonstration with a slick substance on the ground and the smell of some relaxing recreational drug in the air. Amid the chaos, weapons would be disarmed and leaders would be kidnapped.
Still yet another case, I might have androids walking the streets of American ghettos wearing blue and red shirts, resembling minorities. I would find ways to spank both the gangs and the police who react aggressively to mere appearances so lightly.
And of course, with the recent political events in the US, I just might send androids into Neonazi hate groups to cause derision by questioning the "pureness" of every individual's race.
See, the point is that war is really bad, but if done in jest it can actually be effective enough to just waste the energy of fools until they give up by realizing that they are wasting their energy by trying to enforce their ideologies.
Parasites have epic ways of getting inside us and avoiding our immune systems. While they are not always naturally selected to cover up their path to avoid letting other invaders compete with them, it's my understanding that many of them manage to do so anyway. Just as we use retrovirus technology in the lab to study and affect our genetics, I expect that something along the lines of a robotic non-reproducing nematode will be the ideal means of getting into and affecting the body.
I have a weight problem as well as a heel spur in my foot that would greatly benefit from such technology. If perfected, I could do the surgery on myself with little to no risk, and I wouldn't even have to be put to sleep during it.
Full disclosure, while I did think about parasites being used to this effect beforehand, the specific use of nematodes was inspired by the novel Hyperion, by Dan Simmons.
Another alternative to solving my weight issue might be to incorporate the devices we use with technology that's adaptable to our biology. Why exercise when I could just as easily work it off by charging my with a USB cable plugged into my armpit? While the real thing will be far less crude, that's essentially what it will amount to.
As much as I love a runner's high from exploring the world, I just don't always have the time. Nor do I have the strength of will to stop overeating at the moment. This way, I can cram and spend countless hours doing research with a runner's high and a bit of panting because of the ATP delivering a charge to my phone.
This area, while not too sacred to me, is a tricky one. I may discover that the "self" of my brain holds some value that may as well be too sacred for me to change. Something I've considered about the process of upgrading my mind would be a need for each change to be quickly reversible. I would want to connect a wireless artificial lobe to myself, for example, with a limitation of 10 minutes to 24 hours at time while testing it. A change in my personality can only be proven as preferable or advantageous after I have reverted back to my original self and have reviewed my notes and behaviors during the changed state.
As for my current project idea, since it's not the same as connecting another lobe, I'm willing to be more risky with the idea of extending my motor neuron control of wireless devices. Though, I suppose just in case I get a sensory overload from someone hacking the wireless device, I should incorporate a manual off switch for it once it's ready to attach to myself. If I'm right, this technology will only be limited by my ever extending attention span.
First, I'll manage to change the channel on a tv. Then, I'll be able to wirelessly control any personal device. An interesting way that I imagine we will be able to hold on to some sense of privacy will eventually be through connecting to the earlier mentioned spybots. A spybot swarm with an encrypted semi-AI supported wireless control system would allow me to do a lot of awesome.
Honestly, I just might manage to become a bit of a superhero-like vigilante with that technology. A fight might best be broken up with an anonymous micro pepper spray to the eyes. That, or maybe a spybot getting in someone's ear and making a lot of noise would freak them out enough to stop what they are doing. To someone pulling a gun for a non-defensive purpose, I might attempt to blind them with a laser or flash at the risk of possible permanent damage if necessary... Can you tell I fight dirty?
There's no doubt in my mind that I and many others investigating the human brain will encounter what amounts to their own pleasure button. I'll push this button, fire off a few of my neurons, and feel an interesting tingle. Then I might fire again and feel bit high. Possibly even without losing any sense of good judgement or clear thought. Like scratching an itch that I could never reach before, I could find myself in a state of ecstasy and orgasm, unable to stop.
This is a state of mind that I dread. If I don't have a fail safe of some sort that acts like a grounding wire when working on a computer, I could die of drought or starvation from being stuck and unable to stop. You should all be very afraid of the next generation of drugs for this reason. Even if you take recreational drugs and feel fine with it, the worst is yet to come.
Presently there are individuals who die of a simpler version of such addiction. People actually die from playing video games until they are overly dehydrated or starve. They simply forget to eat or drink to take care of themselves. Our pleasure systems give us the motivation we need to move forward and progress in every way, but when altering our minds, we should aim for complete control over what exactly floats our boats as it were.
There's a poem I wrote a while back. I made a post of it here after I posted this one. The poem was a reflection on a homeless woman who was mentally damaged and who happened to spit on my business shoes as I was riding my bicycle past her. I asked her why and she just said, "I didn't do nuffin' mutta fukka!"
Needless to say, talking to her was pointless. But, that doesn't mean I shouldn't care to help someone like her. This area of thought is the most ethically questionable in my own mind, but I have to consider, could I one day fix someone like her? A set of microscopic nanobots could one day make analysis of her brain dysfunctions a swift possibility. But how much can I reasonably "fix" her and allow for her to still be her own person making her own conscious choice of upgrades to her mind?
This is especially difficult with individuals who are suffering from narcissism. They would never be capable of accepting that they have a fault without first showing them what it's like to not have to defend their ego for a moment. The process, as long as it attempts to be ethical, can even be ridiculous.
Subject: "Oh, my. This is much better. Thank you."
Doctor: "Ok. But just to be sure we have your full consent to make this permanent, we have to revert the changes and get your unaltered permission. [types an 'off' command]."
Subject: "What the hell did you just do to me mutta fucka!?!? Don't touch me!"
Another prospect for my future, if my desired research is successful, might result in me being one of the first in a specialty that I predict will arise, neuro-network healers. If a patient in a vegetative state has brain damage, an expert such as this could connect with them to help track down exactly where the damage is and start treatments such as stem cell therapy. However, there might also be some comas which can be cured by helping to assist in the information processing of the patient by a doctor using a neural net connection.
If such is the reality, then this will be the most busy period of my life. I would not stop at anything to help such victims regain their freedom from what amounts to my worst nightmare. I would even volunteer myself wherever necessary, because this is exactly what I would hope someone else could do for me if I were ever trapped in a vegetative state.
This gets to another insight of what I forsee about the future of neuroscience. While theories must continue to be verified by experimental data, I believe the the best hypotheses worth testing will require inspiration from human intuition. In the field of psychology, this is already the case. With this new technology, the behaviorist view will finally be able to merge with the cognitive view as we encompass and determine the entire reality of consciousness.
While I'm not willing to yet become full-on-borg and join the collective, I don't want to be completely detached. I think the first experiments I would want to attempt with neural-net connections to other brains will be to my pets. I'd like to finally have complete communication with my cat, for example. I don't want to deny her the choice to disconnect, but I do want there to be a chance that we could both see what it's like to be of the same mind.
I expect that she will be frightened, but that I will be able to calm her when it happens. She may still only be interested in food and sleep, despite my brain being able to verify that there are better plans to be had. I wonder how well she can remember our past experiences. I also wonder if she would be encouraged enough by the connection to wish for more upgrades for herself. I wonder if she would she ever want to stand upright or have opposable thumbs.
One option is to also consider mind reading before mind connecting. It might be feasible to connect another's brain firings to my own mirror neurons, allowing me to literally empathize with them 100%. Like anyone else, I DO have secrets I'd prefer not to share and this might help to avoid having to so while connecting with others.
There's also the prospect of at least partially connecting with my future kids or my lover. Would we as a family make a better team as a collective, or will it develop more problems? Any step in this direction should be met with the same care as the prospect of expanding my brain with an artificial lobe, since being of one merged mind is definitely a personality changer.
Quite possibly, the greatest strength of life is reproduction. There is no better means of ensuring future existence than becoming more than one thing to exist. I confess, in terms of reliving my life, I have something personal to prove by the prospect of raising a genetic twin of myself. Yes, that is my ego talking, and yes, I realize that it can be a limitation, but doing such a thing also just because I can is adequate reason for me to one day follow through.
I'd like to see a version of me that isn't manipulated and/or abandoned by his father. A version of me that is taught science well and from an early age rather than getting bullshit lessons that the moon has no gravity in a 3rd grade textbook. A version of me who could one day give a perspective that I don't currently have. One with no emotional traumas or defensive reflexes causing me to randomly feel afraid, angry, and inadequate for nothing.
Another form of cloning that interests me even more is that of the old Star Trek molecular transporter a la TNG. I'm ok with teleportation, but not the kind that destroys one of me and creates another. I don't necessarily see it as no longer existing, but I also don't see the necessity of the first step. What's more, unless I discover people who naturally think exactly like myself, I think it would be useful to go as far as to build at least a space crew size number of Steves eventually. Each would be a complete individual with their own rights, and they will share a significant amount of memories with me.
Versions of me will likely enjoy colonizing space at various stages of development of the human race. There will likely always be at least one staying on Earth until some form of energy and space-time manipulation allows for space to be a natural habitat as far as we are concerned. I suspect that we will eventually manage to harness dark energy, though I do understand why many are doubtful and worried of an entropy driven heat death. As dark energy accelerates galaxies outward, I'll hope that we can at least find a permanent source of life fuel from that source.
I imagine that my clones will want to be optimized as individual cyborgs and that we perhaps might form a space crew. Such a way of life would not be refusing collaboration with other non-Steves but it's really tough to know that you can trust someone more than yourself... when you aren't a psychopath, narcissist, or sociopath anyway. Consider this speculation as assuming my own self-reliance to a strong degree. My future children, grand children, and best friends will likely be comrades in my purpose to live and enjoy living for the sake of it eternally.
If altering space-time, and thus gravity and differences in relative speeds of time becomes a possibility, I have an idea of how I could optimize my own safety in space. Diffraction occurs as light goes through substances that change its speed. Going from slow to fast at an angle bends the ray outward. I think of it like the slow side causing the light to stick to it a little, so it's like if you hold on to an object a little longer before releasing it as you throw it. It directs the object more outward.
Similarly, I would think a great means of orienting a ship to avoid being hit with a bullet or missile as well as avoid colliding with another ship or space debris would be to create fields of slower space-time outward from the ship. This would cause the individuals within to be moving at relatively fast speeds while causing anything other than light to be shifted away from the ship as it approaches. Only a near impossible perfect trajectory or radiation will be able to actually reach the ship. Various lasers as well as the ability to see the ship could also manage to be thrown off if a set of layered liquids and gases could be held in place by these fields to alter the course of things that don't slow down with time.
In the case where entropy is inevitably going to end with a heat death of the universe, such a future might quickly turn overcrowded at some point. If this is the case, then a project to collect an optimum amount of energy into the form of sugar and water would be ideal, as well as to find optimal ways to still live yet minimize energy expenditure for each conscious entity.
My last wish will be to float as an entity that would not degrade with time and would be capable of resurrecting should the slightest form of energy present itself, be it radiation, kinetic impact, or some other being managing to discover my remains and deciding to say, "Hi," by injecting me with a necessary sugar.
This post is my entry into the first Deep Think Challenge. Please go to the challenge page and upvote my entry comment if you enjoyed my thoughts about the future!
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