April 15, 2004

The BrainGate™ Any remember this post from a while back? It seems that a Massachusetts company has just gotten FDA approval for human trials of a neural implant that can act as an interface for a personal computer.
posted by mexican 20 years ago
  • Resistance is futile /someone had to say it.
  • I hope it works out well for them. Access to computers lets you interact with people on an equal level, and that's something that's probably really important for these folks. Plus, nobody needs to know all you wear is a strategically placed tubesock. It's win-win.
  • Duke has now moved on to work with humans too. Good luck to them all, though I think implanting electrodes into areas of the brain which are not specialised for output is inherently less likely to work than using existing nerves. It's a bit like trying to solder a new keyboard lead directly into the CPU, instead of patching up the original connection, if you ask me.
  • Wierd coincidence. I was reading this article about the (horrifying) rise of private armies, complete with combat helicopters and other first-world apparatus, and I thought, "If I'm going to live in a game of Shadowrun, where the fuck are my neural implants and magic powers?" And then I see this. Magic powers must be coming in 2012, right?
  • And... And... A robotic arm! That fires donuts! this is gonna be so cool...
  • rodgerd, there were some Shadowrun players that disallowed the magic side of the game, and also all the Tolkein fantasy aspects. Just a Street Samurai with no regard for his own Essence versus the world! That is where we'll live.
  • Well, of course, having nueral implants would fuck my magic powers. And with my luck, I'll turn into a Troll.
  • Turning into a troll wouldn't be so bad. Could be worse. Could wake up as an insect shaman. I miss Shadowrun. They need to make it d20. It'd be the only way I could get the people around here to play.