Wednesday 26 August 2020

Can we communicate with each other with our brain thoughts?

There is so much talk, so much potential yet so many unforeseen problems that worries us when we think of tinkering with our brain. 

  We like to know more about the human brain and how it works?We hear of being able             to look ahead to the day when neural interface devices can enable us to develop                       a universal way to map our brain signals and test same in a safe,ethical and effective               way. Perhaps, brain surgery would be required to accomplish tasks what scientists now have in mind to implant ultra-thin threads or probes into a person's brain. These threads they say would be thinner than human hair. These threads would connect to chips embedded in the skull,like a string of pearls and will be capable of reading "brain information". 

It is impressive to see how fast they have got to this point of research. 

"It would be interesting to see how far they can go", said Prof. Andrew Jackson, Professor of Neural Interfaces at Newcastle University. He went on to say, they will be able to read the electrical activity of a large number of brain cells,which will be implanted under the skin,as wireless implants distributed throughout the brain. 

What can this implant do?

In layman's language for a start it can help in the treatment of brain disorders,boost the bandwidth of information coming out of the brain. 

Already Neuro Surgeons from Stanford University, Calif.USA, and possibly elsewhere are working on research funded in 2019 by Elon Musk, to the tune of $100,000 million to explore all possibilities.According to the New York Times, some 90 researchers are employed with some eminent neuro surgeons involved in this study.                                                               


Musk it would seem, is hardly the only person throwing big money at this initiative, with its increasingly competitive space for investment. 

Columbia University, New York scientists last year translated brain waves into recognisable speech. 

Other experiments too have been carried out . As early as 2016 a brain implant allowed an amputee to use their thoughts to move the individual fingers of a "prosthetic hand". 

Brain machine interfaces have also been used to create mind controlled "robotic exoskeletons"  and to restore a sense of touch for people with spinal injuries. 

More interesting research work is also being done to "mediate brain to brain communication" in humans. 

Are scientists playing God with the brain?  

What is subtle is that scientists are trying to turn sc-fi, science fiction, into reality. We are also informed that the difficulty at this moment is approval for use in humans, including consent from the US Food and Drug Administration. Medical ethics is at the heart of this search. 

We know that human minds have been able to commune directly with the digital realm. 

Neuralink, a brain -machine interface Company, a brain child of Elon Musk, of Space Ex fame, a pioneer of so many "out of the bottle" innovations is hoping one day to treat brain disorders,like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, epilepsy and even depression. 

What are the possibilities open?

Could we someday, or one day not too long in the future have the ability to transmit our thoughts directly into another person's brain, with a new form of direct communication, without the use "Cortana" or even phone or mobile calls?

Could we someday, cultivate increased intelligence and memory, without direct education?

Elon Musk is set to make an announcement about his Company "Neuralink" which designs brain computer interface technology this Friday 28 August,2020.

Will we soon be able to beat Microsoft browser technology and  be able to communicate  emails with our minds as well as receive messages without coded language.

Would this be theoretically possible, or is it even practical. We know about mind over matter. But what is at stake, ethics or technology? 

Seeing the patterns behind the details of living in the Coronavirus Age, anything is possible within reason and within our realm of science. 

Seeing the patterns behind the details of this new way of communication can become most useful now, helping you arrive at solutions to our problems or new takes on existing situations. 

Let us think of both the positive and the downside of tinkering with our minds before we jump in wholesale? 

Psychologists warn us that thanks to our brain's super yet unhelpful habit of looking at the stormy side of things first,our perspective is biased towards the negative.

As far as our minds are concerned, anything bad has a stronger appeal than good. 

Lord Buddha taught in very simple words, that we need to filter our raw thought before we communicate.

Victor Cherubim

      



Saturday 8 August 2020

Sun,Sea and Sangria

What is going on in the beaches of England. They say it is Corona virus time, but where is the social distancing, the face masks, the sanitisers, TTI's (Test, Trace and Isolate) on the pebbled beaches where thousands are flocking to escape the heatwave,scorcher with temperatures reaching record figures of 36 degrees C.

Several beaches from Bournemouth to the Dorset region have become congested despite Local Authorities literally pleading with visitors and residents to play their part in avoiding overcrowding at popular beach spots.

                   

          Forecasters have predicted the warm weather with the mercury set to rise to at least 37           degrees C (98.6 deg.F) in London and the South East is hotter than some of European             holiday destinations including Ibiza and Tenerife as well as in far off Barbados or Egypt.

      The Met Office has warned people not to underestimate the heat which could cause                 dehydration and sunburn among the most vulnerable.

       People are hardly heeding this advice and most of UK's south east have been put on               red alert as crowds of sun seekers flock to the seaside, as they are unable to go on                  holiday abroad.

       Victor Cherubim