Tag Archives: technology

Would You Be Willing To Merge With Technology?

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Science fiction has long depicted the existence of androids, cyborgs, sentient holograms, and other technologically based life.  Interpretations on what life would be like with these beings vary greatly depending upon who creates the fiction.  Some portray these tech based life forms as cold, unfeeling, and even threatening.  On the flipside, others conjure up images of these beings with vibrant personalities that can live, socialize, and develop meaningful relationships.  These concepts in fiction are engaging and stimulating, but what if it wasn’t fiction?

I recently read an article that describes how a very wealthy Russian wants to turn the concepts captured by science fiction and make it a reality.  It is a bold move to be sure.  However, according to an article on Mashable, a sincere effort is underway that would allow humans to make a transition from their biological form to a technology based form.  The end goal is said to be achieving an indefinite existence and transcend the limitations of humanity’s physical form.

Dmitry Itskov is aiming to have humans capable of merging with technology in four separate stages.  The transference will start by allowing a robotic body to be controlled by the brain.  The following three stages involve transplanting a brain into a synthetic body, replacing the organic brain with an artificial copy, and ultimately transfer the human conscience into a pool of collective thoughts that can take holographic form at will.

The project that Itskov is looking to see for the future of humanity begs questions regarding the issue of whether it is even possible, ethical, and would spur endless philosophical discussion.  The question I would like to pose brings the issue a lot closer to home.  If the technology existed, would people do it?

People may reject this kind of embrace of technology.  It can be argued that people are who they are because of their physiology.  Our bodies are constantly subjected to chemical reactions and hormonal production.  To take it a step further, one may argue that our personality is a product of the decisions we make because of or despite those reactions.  Take away the biology and what does one become?  The radical change that a person would go through might make them very different.  The change might be compared to a caterpillar’s metamorphosis into a butterfly.

Itskov states that his goal is immortality.  For the spiritual and the religious, this type of transformation may only introduce another set of boundaries restricting spiritual transcendence.  The new existence in technology might look like a prison, preventing a different kind of moving on.

To play the devil’s advocate, a variety of technology has become so much apart of every day life many would be lost without it.  The widespread popularity and use of social media may indicate that many would welcome the idea of being a more intimate part of a network of minds and personalities.  Cell phones are in constant use and are rarely outside of arms reach.  So many feel a deep need to be connected to others, information, or stimulus.  In this light, Itskov’s vision would almost certainly be embraced.

Right now there is no way of knowing if a feat like the avatar project is even possible.  Further more, the article indicates that Itskov has not gotten the support among his peers that he was vying for.  Regardless of whether or not this, or something like it, comes to pass it still begs the question…  Would you be willing to merge with technology?

 

Social Media Food Fight! Social Media Topics to Throw Around the Table

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Turkey day is upon us and like most family functions there is more than just pumpkin pie and vegetarian stuffing for this overrated holiday. Like any holiday, family fights are served at the holiday dinner table as much as the cranberry sauce. Whether it is Uncle Jake’s drinking problem or Sister-in-law Maggie’s promiscuity, the family has a lot to talk about.

While these topics are hard and hardened into the Thanksgiving tradition, isn’t there any other topic to discuss this holiday? Here is a triad of topics that you can spend screaming in each other’s face for the holiday weekend:

Cool Tech

With Christmas right around the corner it only makes sense to buy the latest and greatest piece of technology. Apple’s innovated genius is designing a phone made of flexible plastic. Like the cool twisty straws that all of us used to play with as kids, blowing bubble in our chocolate milk, we know have he bendy phone. Your family can argue whether or not the phone will break when bent too far and even see how far your phone can bend before you make your drunken uncle buy you a new one.

Tweet or Like?

Everyone’s favorite topic is the social media industry. The youngsters of the family can get in on the argument action this year by declaring their love for post liking or retweets. While the argument ensues, Grandma can record the argument on her iPhone and post the video on YouTube. A guaranteed viral video if the family doesn’t mind being judged.

Online Television or Cable?

With the rising trend of streaming television, a big question has reared its ugly head; should I cancel my cable plan? While most people are sitting on their couch and getting their cable pumped into their house from their service provider, others are streaming online with Netflix or Hulu. Committed television goers are pledging their allegiance to cable and refusing to sign up for a streaming option (Netflix might serve as a secondary movie source). Your family can argue over the benefits of watching a show a day late and whether not saving money should be left up to the Geico lizard.

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You Can Recycle – and Get Paid for – Your Computer’s Extra Power with CPUsage

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It’s a good thing we all learned to share in kindergarten (well, most of us anyway).

There’s a new kind of collaboration going on known as the sharing economy, or collaborative consumption movement. Courtesy of startups like Airbnb and TaskRabbit, sharing your car and divvying up your chores has become a trend.

But did you know you can just as easily share the not-so-materialistic things in your life? Thanks to CPUsage, a startup based in Portland, OR, you can get paid for your extraneous computing power – and watch it be redistributed to someone – or an entire company – who may need it.

Here’s a little more about the endeavor straight from the company’s co-founder, Jeff Martens:

“The idea is that there are so many computers around the world that sit idle most of the day. In the U.S. alone, there are 250 million PCSs – and most of us let those computers sit idle most of the time. And even when we do use them, the average person is using about five percent or less of the CPU’s capabilities.”

According to Martens, CPUsage’s role is to harness the unused processing power of those virtual sitting-ducks and repurpose it by selling it to companies that can use it -  chiefly, those with major performance needs. Data visualization-based businesses is one prime example of a platform that could definitely benefit from your computer’s “wasted” power – simply due to its high-performance requirements.

Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Because NASA did. The concept of sharing power was first initiated by a Space Sciences Laboratory project which redirected extraneous power towards searching for extra-terrestrial life! For Martens, however, the idea was a little more down-to-earth: he was working at an electronic design automation company when a colleague of his, who worked at Sun Microsystems, kept whining about how long it took for him to run his simulations. The light when off in Martens’ brain, which spawned the CPUsage startup.

How Does it Work?

CPUsage performs rather easily, with little work required on the user-end of things. Users need only download the proprietary software, install the program and sit back. Their program runs in the background, withdrawing itself to allow that user’s priority programs to run first – and a taskbar displays how much money is earned as well as how much power a software program is using at all times.

The program has been designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. It begins running at a computer’s startup, and if that computer goes beyond a particular usage level, it automatically shuts off. So users needn’t ever worry about their computer lagging or freezing due to the extra work it is performing.

Right now, CPUSsage is available exclusively for Windows, but the company has an objective to hit Linux and OS X, too. Currently, there are thousands of users with more on a waiting list, and these numbers are growing, according to the energy-intercepting team.

 

Janice Bevilacqua is a tech content blogger. She writes chiefly for CPS, a tech-device and home appliance warranty provider.

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