The merger of Silicon and Carbon

Imagine that you can get real-time readings of the firings of every group of about 100 neurons on your neocortex. This data is fed real-time to a computer.



It would be interesting to imagine if the computer (I like to call her Ainhoa) could be programmed to learn as the brain learns, but let's suppose that engineers pre-coded some algorithms into it, so that it will help you better develop and function everyday.

Maybe your neurons could learn to program the computer the same way as your limbic system learns to control and use your cortex as you develop.

Here are some of the highly theoretical guesses as to what this computer extension would mean:

  • Exporting arithmetics problems.
You see the multiplication '9411×10037' written on a piece of paper or on a screen. Before you even grasp that those are numbers, the computer has already analyzed the visual data from your cortex and it understood that it was an arithmetics problem and has an answer ready for you.
Since it can stimulate your visual cortex, you can choose to have the result of the multiplication displayed above the digits for example.

Or you could have it display as soon as you 'think' of some predefined code (ie. 'Ainhoa maths display 3' to switch on the real-time arithmetics solver.

  • Imagine that you are looking for a word on a page. The computer will find it for you and highlight it within a milisecond.
 The command could be something like 'Ainhoa textfind xyz'.
  • Imagine that you are listening to a Chinese couple's conversation and you see the subtitles projected from their mouths in real time. Not only that, the computer knows when you understood the text or not and can adjust the font size and scroll speed.
Or... The computer could stimulate those brain areas where the concepts are stored, which the chinese couple is talking about.

  • Telepathy. Since your communication with the computer and between the computers of people would be instantaneous, you could literally make another person feel what you feel.
  • An entire new form of art could emerge, where you can download entire experience packages.

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