Zapping the Masses

The idea of being able to send out electrical frequencies and ‘zap’ peoples minds in order to then download certain behaviors, actions or ideologies sounds like an average day on set of a psi-fi series.

The shocking thing is that its not fiction, nor does it appear to be a thing of the distant future, but it is a reality of today.

While we may not quite be to the point of zapping peoples brains, technology has been developed that allows the interpretations of human conscious and unconscious thoughts and emotions. Along with this the technology for sending out signals which can alter or affect the human brain in particular ways has also been on the rise sense the first known experiments in the cold war.

Imagine what this could mean. People who have lost the use of their limbs could, through the power of their own mind and technology, move once again, could speak, could become artist or virtually anything they desired to become. So long as the brain was working, anything can potentially come into existence.

The possibilities for the mind itself may also be transformative. Signals could enter the brain to reduce anxiety, create regular sleep, or keep the mind positive.

Of course, as the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.

And who should be able to control this power? Would it be any safer in the hands of the people as it would be in the hands of the government? Power corrupts, of that there is unyielding proof. The selfish streak in humanity runs deep, and any kind of ‘electronic telepathy’ or signalaing that can be used to bennifit an individual, a group, a nation, will undoubtably be used to benefit one to the detriment of others.

But should such fears of control and manipulation really stop such exciting ventures into unkown possibilities? People always have and always will find ways to manipulate others, be it with words or actions. While the consequences could be on a more dramatic scale with such technology as this, the doors it could open and the benefit it could create would be ten fold as well.

I guess what it really depends on is peoples faith in ourselves and the world in which we live.

How much do you love your technology?

It may seem strange to us to think about falling IN LOVE with technology, not just a mere love for your new ipod or iphone but physically, emotionally and psychologically in love with an artificial object.
Take this man for instance he is the creator of Roxxxy, the life-sized, doll which comes with artificial intelligence, an articulated skeleton and flesh-like synthetic skin.

This has become the companion of many men, it has given them the opportunity to fall in love, get married and you never know maybe in the future creators will start to make baby dolls and men will regard it as their first born daughter/son, can a person really fall in love with a doll or anything technological to be frank and still experience the same emotions a person experiences when they find their true love?

*note the (XXX) in Roxxxy's name, this doll was originally designed as a sex doll, but with the advancement of technology Roxxxy now has an inbuilt personality, five to be exact...

Your interested?

Okay let’s go through the choices of selection

Bachelor number one is called Wild Wendy she is outgoing and adventurous

Bachelor number two is called Frigid Farrah she is reserved and shy.

I think you get the point..... This doll can literally hold conversations with its partner supplying men with not only sexual needs but emotional needs..... this doll allows men to choose everything about their doll from the skin colour to the size of the dolls breasts, giving men the opportunity to "build" their perfect ideal women for prices ranging from 5,600 and up (depending on the choice of features of course) you can have your very own doll.....

Still not convinced? Okay, okay....."She can’t vacuum, she can’t cook but she can do almost anything else, if you know what I mean,’ =D (Douglas Hines, of manufacturers TrueCompanion.)

Don’t worry Ladies a male sex robot is coming out soon his name is Rocky (how romantic).

But hey I guess these days you can fall in love with almost anything...no really I mean anything...take this man for instance he has fallen in love with a pillow...

Lee Jin-gyu fell for his 'dakimakura' - a kind of large, huggable pillow from Japan, this pillow has the picture of a popular anime character printed on the side. The image is Fate Testarossa, from the 'magical girl' anime series Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.

Technology has become so a part of our lives that it can even enable us to fall in love with it...even if it means marrying a pillow with the picture of the anime character printed onto it.

Can’t wait to see what technology has in store for us in the future.

Source: http://www.metro.co.uk/home/

New Media Technologies and The Spoilt Generation

It seems that what constitutes ‘good parenting’ is one of those topics forever destined to attract heated debate. In reflection of this, TVNZ’s Breakfast Show recently featured an interview with UK psychologist and child-rearing expert, Dr Aric Sigman, about his latest book provocatively entitled The Spoilt Generation. He argues that children today are not developing the social skills and empathy necessary for them to successfully interact with others in a civilised manner, in part due to the number of hours they spend looking at screens rather than other people. And so a generation of “little emperors” has emerged, oblivious of others’ reactions to their own behaviour. In this sense, Sigman is suggesting that we are indeed the product of our relationships with technology, and he casts this in a negative light.

But surely the nature of the content being watched or accessed matters? For example, what about the use of new media technologies as teaching tools, evidenced by the plethora of educational games available online? From the technologically deterministic perspective of Sigman, this is irrelevant. "Parents have been preoccupied by content, but these effects occur whether your children are watching the most educational thing in the world or porno,” he said in an interview with The Press.

Yet, even if we wholeheartedly accept the notion that we are the product of our relationships with technology, Sigman’s argument still fails to acknowledge the potential for positive impacts on children’s development. Certainly, there is research indicating that by playing computer games, children expand their problem solving, cognitive, spatial and coordination skills.

I would argue, however, that the emergence of Sigman’s so-called “spoilt generation” is a reflection of the broader societal shift towards individualism which in turn shapes the development and use of technology, rather than a phenomenon arising from technological change itself.

One final point which struck me towards the end of the Breakfast interview was the discussion about the need for parents to clearly establish boundaries and limits. For Sigman, this is of utmost importance so that children have something to rebel against during their teenage years. According to this logic, pushing or challenging boundaries is both a natural and necessary stage of healthy human development. When considered in light of debates surrounding post-humanism, could we not also, by extension, conclude that it is natural to push against the boundaries of the human form through technology?