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posted by janrinok on Saturday December 03 2022, @07:52PM   Printer-friendly

Elon Musk and Neuralink Announce... Nope Nope Nope nope Nope NOPE nope No.:

As a journalist, I'm supposed to approach news stories with an unbiased attitude. Just the facts, ma'am. But sometimes, that's not possible. When it comes to Elon Musk and Neuralink's desire to implant tech in our heads, I can only say NOPE. HECK NO. But hey, human trials are just six months away.

I will try, however, to get into the facts of the story with some seriousness. Neuralink, if you're unfamiliar, is one of Elon Musk's many companies. And in some ways, you could almost view it as a crossroads between those companies. If Tesla (his EV company) is a technology that we get into, and Twitter (his social media company) is a technology that broadcasts our thoughts, then Neuralink is a technology that gets into us and broadcasts our thoughts.

No seriously. The idea here is that Neuralink will implant an interface device into your skull—and into your brain—that can wirelessly connect to computers. You could then think at a computer to type out messages.

To start with, the company already mentioned releasing an iOS app that could Bluetooth connect to the "Link" device in your head to allow you "wireless" and "hands-free" control. Presumably, you'd be holding the phone while not using your fingers to type on it, so you could see that it worked correctly. That might be a boon to someone with disabilities that prevent the usual method of typing messages, but then again, other options already exist and don't require brain surgery.

At an event last night, Musk showed off the devices implanted in monkeys. The monkeys typed out phrases on a computer without using their hands or fingers. Now, to be clear, the monkeys didn't know what they were typing and didn't think the phrases themselves. Instead, they moved around a cursor to click on highlighted letters and words—they were guided to the phrase. But still, as Musk put it, they "telepathically" moved the cursor.

The company also showed that the monkey had already trained to sit under wireless chargers to charge the Link devices. Because that's right, now your head needs wireless charging too. Every night you'd put your watch on its wireless charger, your phone on its wireless charger, and your head in its wireless charger. That sounds amazing.

Getting the Link installed involves robotic surgery to remove a piece of your skull and insert 64 "hair-thin" threads into your brain. The LINK device, which resembles a stack of coins, would sit flush with your skull. Or, as Musk put it, "it's like replacing a piece of your skull with a smartwatch, for lack of a better analogy."

However, there have been many reports of animal cruelty levelled against Neuralink, including claims or high animal mortality rates, including:

So is this justified in the name of science, or is it something that for the time being we just don't need to do?


Original Submission

Related Stories

FDA Reportedly Denied Neuralink's Request to Begin Human Trials of its Brain Implant 13 comments

The Morning After: FDA reportedly denied Neuralink's request to begin human trials of its brain implant:

Neuralink's efforts to bring a brain-computer interface still have a way to go. According to a new report from Reuters, Elon Musk's startup was apparently denied authorization by the FDA in 2022 to conduct human trials using the same devices that, well, killed 1,500 animals. Those tests, according to internal reports, lead to needless suffering and death of test subjects.

Current and former Neuralink employees told Reuters: "The agency's major safety concerns involved the device's lithium battery; the potential for the implant's tiny wires to migrate to other areas of the brain; and questions over whether and how the device can be removed without damaging brain tissue."

The FDA is concerned that, because of the minuscule size of the electrical leads, they are at risk of breaking off during removal (or even during use). At Neuralink's open house last November, Musk claimed the company would secure FDA approval "within six months," basically by this spring. That's looking increasingly unlikely.

Previously:


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:04PM (8 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:04PM (#1281037)

    All of modern medicine is built on poor suffering animals, boohoo.

    If you don't want to get the implant, fine. Don't deny that option for a paraplegic.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Opportunist on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:17PM (4 children)

      by Opportunist (5545) on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:17PM (#1281053)

      We're literally talking about someone who throws money about on harebrained adventures and hopes some of it sticks. This man isn't investing, he's essentially gambling.

      And I'm not exactly a fan of gambling with the life of people.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:53PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:53PM (#1281057)

        This research is not that much different than what has been done for decades. The difference is the neural lace, which is more advanced than previous implants.

      • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday December 04 2022, @06:17AM (2 children)

        by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @06:17AM (#1281100)

        "I'll be honest, we're throwing science at the wall here to see what sticks."

        • (Score: 2) by Opportunist on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:38PM (1 child)

          by Opportunist (5545) on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:38PM (#1281160)

          Yes, but you do it with mice, no humans.

          That's the difference between scientists and politicians, a scientist would have to go through an ethics commission and be grilled endlessly for what a politician does at a whim.

          • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:19PM

            by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:19PM (#1281172)

            If you're Cave Johnson, you do it with astronauts instead of mice. And still call it Science.

    • (Score: 3, Informative) by acid andy on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:11PM

      by acid andy (1683) on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:11PM (#1281060) Homepage Journal

      Humans are animals too, but this research features suffering primates, much like that paraplegic in your example. Some paraplegics already have a better quality of life than many of Musky's lab monkeys.

      --
      If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
    • (Score: 2) by stretch611 on Sunday December 04 2022, @11:23AM (1 child)

      by stretch611 (6199) on Sunday December 04 2022, @11:23AM (#1281121)

      I think that in light of the alleged animal abuse that the first two people in human trial should be none other than Elon Musk Himself and Dr Oz.

      Also, I think the first thing that they should test is how if you max out the voltage, you can use a computer with the interface from farther away. Let's see just how much juice it takes to control a computer on the ground from an orbiting Space X capsule.

      --
      Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
      • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @04:17PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @04:17PM (#1281153)

        PEOPLE I DON'T LIKE SHOULD BE TORTURED, HURR HURR

  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:33PM (7 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:33PM (#1281040) Journal

    Don't wireless frequencies cause brain cancer? Let's just put a wireless transmitter IN the brain!!

    I need a 1/2 sarcasm tag there. The idea that radio waves at cellphone and WIFI levels of power cause cancer has been debunked again and again. Still, the idea continues to crop up, after all these years.

    • (Score: 4, Touché) by krishnoid on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:18PM (3 children)

      by krishnoid (1156) on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:18PM (#1281063)

      That's your complaint? I was thinking that people being able to think their thoughts directly into Twitter and Facebook [youtu.be] would shorten the human lifespan in developed nations enough that you wouldn't have the opportunity to die from biological causes.

      • (Score: 2, Touché) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:28PM (2 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:28PM (#1281066) Journal

        Well, you've approached the problem from an unexpected tangent. Who exactly believes that those who want the implants are human? It might be the lizard people getting these implants!

        • (Score: 2) by krishnoid on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:56PM (1 child)

          by krishnoid (1156) on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:56PM (#1281074)

          I'd think the only thing that could actually absorb that stuff at any speed [theverge.com] without losing its sanity and/or moral compass is an artificial intelligence. And even that's not guaranteed [theverge.com].

          • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday December 05 2022, @04:13PM

            by Freeman (732) on Monday December 05 2022, @04:13PM (#1281278) Journal

            You're implying that a set of algorithms can have a moral compass or sanity. The programmers that programmed the set of algorithms may possess those things, the algorithms and code is a set of data. It has much more in common with Shakespeare's Sonnets than a cat, dog, monkey, pig, dinosaur, or human.

            --
            Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by Snospar on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:04AM (1 child)

      by Snospar (5366) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:04AM (#1281088)

      Don't wireless frequencies cause brain cancer

      No, they don't. You follow with the fact that that claim has been debunked again and again. These radio waves are travelling, harmlessly, through you and me right now and they aren't powerful enough or at the right frequencies to do anything at all to the matter that makes a human body. But go on, keep spouting your shite. No one will care or listen.

      --
      Huge thanks to all the Soylent volunteers without whom this community (and this post) would not be possible.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:51AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:51AM (#1281090)

        I need a 1/2 sarcasm tag there.

        Reading comprehension, much?

    • (Score: 1) by ShovelOperator1 on Sunday December 04 2022, @12:31PM

      by ShovelOperator1 (18058) on Sunday December 04 2022, @12:31PM (#1281126)

      No! The radio waves caused cancer when they were used by hobbyists, ham radio or electronics experimenters. They are totally OK when they are used by corporations. ;-)
      (pointing at 5G and these alarming 90s articles that amateur microwave communication will fry our brains)

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:33PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:33PM (#1281041)

    Fuck off and die, musk rat

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by istartedi on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:36PM (11 children)

    by istartedi (123) on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:36PM (#1281042) Journal

    I'm given to understand that during the 19th century it was actually not unusual for people to just knock out all their adult teeth and go with dentures to avoid the long drawn-out pain of slowly losing them.

    Today nobody with healthy teeth considers this because we have dramatically better dentistry. Even root canals don't hurt that much (voice of experience) and are done before an implant or bridge is considered.

    Getting a brain implant to interact with the world seems like a 21st century denture, except you'd still have the analog of teeth; but it seems equally drastic. Isn't cutting in to healthy tissue a violation of the Hippocratic Oath? Is that even still a thing? You don't hear about it much these days.

    As TFS says, it makes sense for people who are already disabled. Something like this could be a godsend to quadraplegics. That leads me to think that if we ever go full cyborg, it'll be the handicapped who lead the way to some extent. They'll prove it out, and if being a cyborg turns out to be better than being a natural human, why not?

    Of course, you'll have to be disqualified from the Olympics but that's a long way off. I don't think I'll live to see it... unless I manage to catch the viability of some life-extending implant in my old age.

    --
    Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
    • (Score: 2) by Nuke on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:59PM

      by Nuke (3162) on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:59PM (#1281048)

      during the 19th century it was actually not unusual for people to just knock out all their adult teeth and go with dentures ...

      20th century too, at least until the 1930s, although a dentist did take them out. It was regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood.

    • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:41PM (6 children)

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:41PM (#1281072)

      The Hippocratic oath has no legal standing, and more importantly is not recognized by insurance companies when determining eligibility for coverage.

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:28PM (5 children)

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:28PM (#1281133) Journal
        Insurance companies aren't doctors.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:31PM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:31PM (#1281143)

          Insurance companies aren't doctors.

          In the US they sure like to think they are, second guessing every decision a doctor makes. They will say what procedures they think you should or shouldn't have and what medications you should or shouldn't take for example.

          • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:17PM (2 children)

            by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:17PM (#1281171) Journal

            In the US they sure like to think they are, second guessing every decision a doctor makes.

            That's their job. There's a huge conflict of interest with doctors that gets addressed by the purchaser of those services second-guessing the decisions.

            • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday December 05 2022, @04:31PM (1 child)

              by Freeman (732) on Monday December 05 2022, @04:31PM (#1281280) Journal

              I might have tended to agree with you at some point. That point is not now.

              I know a doctor who is part of a practice that went from one set of owners to another.

              The doctor wasn't notified when one of their patients was moved from one status to another. The insurance provider which is the new owner of the practice decided it would be best and just did it. The patient was unaware of what it meant and the only reason the doctor knew about it was that they noticed something odd.

              Insurance providers are not your friends, they are the hostile entity that want to spend as little money on you as possible. Which means keeping you out of the hospital. That seems like a laudable goal. Except that they use every trick to keep you out of the Hospital. As opposed to helping you get, for instance, life saving treatments that would cost them a very large amount of money. There's an even bigger conflict of interest when it comes to insurance companies making decisions for you, about your health.

              Now, the two groups, doctors, and insurance companies may not always have your best interest in mind. The biggest difference I see is that it's much easier to change who your doctor is, than it is to change who your insurance provider is. It's also much easier to sue a doctor than it is to sue a major corporation (most insurance companies).

              --
              Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
              • (Score: 1) by khallow on Monday December 05 2022, @10:40PM

                by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Monday December 05 2022, @10:40PM (#1281336) Journal

                Insurance providers are not your friends, they are the hostile entity that want to spend as little money on you as possible.

                And doctors are hostile entities that want to spend as much money on you as possible. And you're a hostile entity who wants to stay as healthy as possible. In other words, welcome to conflict of interest. Everybody has them.

                Now, the two groups, doctors, and insurance companies may not always have your best interest in mind. The biggest difference I see is that it's much easier to change who your doctor is, than it is to change who your insurance provider is. It's also much easier to sue a doctor than it is to sue a major corporation (most insurance companies).

                I don't see that ease of change, but I allow that suing a major corporation is harder than seeing a doctor. It's also more profitable especially if you can get a class action going. They never just do it once.

        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:39PM

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:39PM (#1281146)

          Sadly, even the best doctors I have worked with are still tools of the insurance companies.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:09AM (2 children)

      by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:09AM (#1281096) Homepage Journal

      Even root canals don't hurt that much

      Correct. Local anaesthesia works. I was once so bored during a root canal that I fell asleep.

      • (Score: 2) by istartedi on Monday December 05 2022, @12:55AM (1 child)

        by istartedi (123) on Monday December 05 2022, @12:55AM (#1281200) Journal

        That's some next level chill. It may not hurt, but all the grinding sounds, vibration and awkward position (was yours not in back?) are going to keep most people awake.

        --
        Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by oumuamua on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:38PM (2 children)

    by oumuamua (8401) on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:38PM (#1281043)

    Sure, it is a long way off but it is a great antidote to job loss through automation.
    Especially compared to other responses to job loss:
    Let the people starve in the gutter - this is the current default in most of the world
    UBI - dead in the water, not implemented anywhere but petro-states
    Genetic enhancement of human intelligence - huge ethical issues
    Get rid of capitalism - the world will end before that happens

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:48PM

      by JoeMerchant (3937) on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:48PM (#1281073)

      UBI as a serious proposal is in its infancy. Consider how long women's suffrage took, or the end of (legal) slavery.

      Most '1st world' countries already have a form of UBI plus a layer of 'demonstration of need' on top, sooner or later the wilfully ignorant will figure out that the shell game is only feeding big government and that UBI actually results in smaller government. There's no need to have an army of bureaucrats to determine eligibility and administer benefits when the test is: legal citizen, currently breathing?

      --
      🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:38PM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:38PM (#1281175) Journal

      Sure, it is a long way off but it is a great antidote to job loss through automation.

      The problem here is that nobody has actually established that there is net job loss through automation! A lot more mileage can be had by addressing things that increase the cost of employment and living.

  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Thexalon on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:52PM

    by Thexalon (636) on Saturday December 03 2022, @08:52PM (#1281047)

    Approximately zero of Musk's promised timelines actually happen.

    --
    The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Nuke on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:03PM (20 children)

    by Nuke (3162) on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:03PM (#1281050)

    To understand Musk's interest in this project, you need to realise he is a megalomanic control freak. He is utterly contemptuous of other people. Implants in people's brains fit nicely into his dreams.

    • (Score: -1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:14PM (18 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:14PM (#1281052)

      First there was Trump Derangement Syndrome, now there's Musk Derangement Syndrome. Always gotta have someone to hate, eh?

      • (Score: 3, Flamebait) by Opportunist on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:20PM (17 children)

        by Opportunist (5545) on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:20PM (#1281054)

        Have you ever entertained the idea that the people could actually be right if they call them psychopathic lunatics?

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:58PM (10 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @09:58PM (#1281058)

          Still waiting on some actual evidence to show up.

          Yesterday a friend spent hours trying to convince me Trump was a racist. He sent me 15 different links that talked about how Trump's *father* was racist in the housing market. The articles talked about how some people who worked for Trump were racist. But there was no direct evidence Trump was racist himself. Anyways, this friend just got married to a black woman, so apparently he's simping for her. He also went from one of the staunchest second-amendment advocates I'd ever seen to selling the 30-or-so guns he had because "guns are evil". After doing some digging, it turns out his wife has mental issues and sees a psychologist weekly for depression and suicidal tendencies...so that explains that...

          If he had said "Trump is a misogynist", I would have been on-board right away. He's actually on tape saying he wanted to "grab her by the pussy" when referring to some woman.

          I don't think Trump should be president again. I can't stand the guy...but I'm so damned sick of defending the guy from all the lies put out by the media. He's pretty terrible given the *provable* shit he's done--you don't need to make stuff up. Hence Trump Derangement Syndrome.

          • (Score: 5, Informative) by Opportunist on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:19PM

            by Opportunist (5545) on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:19PM (#1281064)

            What Trump does is he talks the talk but when it comes to walking the walk, he ain't exactly there. He's gonna tell you what you want to hear so you support him, then he'll use your support to get accomplished what he wants to achieve. That's not necessarily in your interest, but that's also not the point. He just wants your vote so he can get his agenda done. That's not exactly uncommon for contemporary politicians, the only thing that's new is that he's flaunting how he's basically abusing his voter's trust. He's basically telling people they're dumb fucks to trust him, and they cheer him for it because otherwise, they'd have to admit that they've been duped.

            Personally, I find that hilarious. But then again, I'm an ocean away and didn't have to suffer from his tomfoolery.

          • (Score: 5, Touché) by helel on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:39PM (8 children)

            by helel (2949) on Saturday December 03 2022, @11:39PM (#1281071)

            Still waiting on some actual evidence to show up.

            Yesterday a friend spent hours trying to convince me the sun is hot. He sent me 15 different links that takes about how *stars* are hot. The articles talked about how some elements that are in the sun can be hot. But there was no direct evidence the sun itself is hot.
            Anyway, this friend just went to university so apparently he's simping for science. He also went from one of the staunchest followers of astrology I'd ever seen to laughing at horoscopes because "fortune telling is stupid". After some digging, it tuns out professors aren't allowed to sleep with students...so that explains that...

            If he had said "the sun is bright", I would have been on-board right away. You can actually see how bright it is in the sky.

            I don't think the sun should rise again. I can't stand it...but I'm so damned sick of defending it from all the lies put out by science textbooks. It's pretty terrible given the *provable* shit it does--you don't need to make stuff up. Hence Sun Derangement Syndrome.

            • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:23AM (4 children)

              by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:23AM (#1281097) Journal
              Here's how you do it: 1) find a transcript [time.com] of Trump's 2015 announcement speech of running for US president, and 2) gratuitously quote the "some" part of the speech:

              Our country is in serious trouble. We don’t have victories anymore. We used to have victories, but we don’t have them. When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let’s say, China in a trade deal? They kill us. I beat China all the time. All the time.

              When did we beat Japan at anything? They send their cars over by the millions, and what do we do? When was the last time you saw a Chevrolet in Tokyo? It doesn’t exist, folks. They beat us all the time.

              When do we beat Mexico at the border? They’re laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically.

              The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems.

              Thank you. It’s true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

              But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we’re getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They’re sending us not the right people.

              It’s coming from more than Mexico. It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably— probably— from the Middle East. But we don’t know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don’t know what’s happening. And it’s got to stop and it’s got to stop fast.

              Notice how a big part of the anti-immigration part of the speech is about the people we allegedly get from south of the border. "Some, I assume, are good people." Talk and talk about the flaws or crimes of a group of people and then weaselly acknowledge that the majority of Mexican and other immigrants aren't actually problems. Technically, this isn't racism, but it is the same sort of shifty bigotry.

              • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @04:16PM (3 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @04:16PM (#1281152)

                Notice how a big part of the anti-immigration part of the speech is about the people we allegedly get from south of the border.

                So? And? I worked with a local police department for the better part of a decade. You know what they did when they had homeless people, petty criminals, and other "riff raff"?

                They'd drive them to the border of a neighboring county and dump them just inside the county line. The other county had to deal with all the problems and the financial issues involved with dealing with them.

                Mexico is no different. They want all the bad people out of their country. Why not send 'em across the border and make them Someone Else's Problem?

                Regardless, I'm not a fan of borders and walls. Eventually the guards will turn their guns inward, and we will become the second largest prison on earth--second to China.

                • (Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:41PM

                  by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @07:41PM (#1281176) Journal

                  Mexico is no different. They want all the bad people out of their country. Why not send 'em across the border and make them Someone Else's Problem?

                  Because they don't have the capability to do that.

                • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Sunday December 04 2022, @08:54PM

                  by maxwell demon (1608) on Sunday December 04 2022, @08:54PM (#1281188) Journal

                  You know what they did when they had homeless people, petty criminals, and other "riff raff"?

                  The telling thing here is to put homeless people in the same category as petty criminals.

                  --
                  The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
                • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday December 05 2022, @04:39PM

                  by Freeman (732) on Monday December 05 2022, @04:39PM (#1281281) Journal

                  The problem is the Cartels. https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=Mexican+Cartels&ia=web [duckduckgo.com] I don't have anything against the Mexican populace.

                  --
                  Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @10:05AM (2 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @10:05AM (#1281114)

              Yesterday a friend spent hours trying to convince me the sun is hot. He sent me 15 different links that takes about how *stars* are hot. The articles talked about how some elements that are in the sun can be hot. But there was no direct evidence the sun itself is hot.

              That's fine for proving natural phenomena. But when you do it to people it's called guilt by association and the last time we had a serious outbreak of that 11 million people died in the camps.

              • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @04:12PM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @04:12PM (#1281149)

                That's fine for proving natural phenomena. But when you do it to people it's called guilt by association and the last time we had a serious outbreak of that 11 million people died in the camps.

                Funny, I don't see many conservatives doing this...but all the liberals around me are.

                They're trying to block free speech.

                They're trying to use government to enforce their arbitrary morals.

                They're segregating people into classes.

                Hell--my own mother who is a lifelong Democrat, *hates* Trump (and anyone with an 'R' next to their name), and thinks anyone with an 'R' next to their name is "racist' actually had this conversation with me during the 2008 election:

                Democrat: You're not going to vote for John McCain are you?

                Me: No. I don't even vote.

                Democrat: If you were forced to vote, who would you vote for?

                Me: Probably McCain. While he's a warmonger, he's probably not going to be restricting my personal freedoms here at home.

                Democrat: How could you even think about voting for that guy?!?!? He can't even type on a damned computer!

                Me: That's because he was tortured as a POW. Both his thumbs were broken or something like that.

                Democrat: Yeah, I don't want a crippled president who can't even use a computer.

                Me: I was raised to not discriminate on people based on their race, gender, religion, or physical disability.

                Democrat: I'm not discriminating! We can't have a president that can't use a computer.

                Me: Because...? Do you think when it's time to nuke another country, the president himself is going to be the one having to type shit on a computer to launch the attack?

                Democrat: ...

                Me: Would you put up with me saying I wouldn't vote for Obama because he's black?

                Democrat: No, I raised you better than that.

                Me: Yeah, and you also raised me to not discriminate on physical disability. I'm ashamed you're voting against a physical disability.

                Democrat: Sorry, I have to go. I'm in the middle of a quilting projec*click*

                They hate getting called out on their bullshit.

                Not that any of those statements aged well.

                She voted for Biden, and I don't think he can use a computer, let alone a set of stairs. And Obama actually allowed bumpstocks whereas Trump banned them.

                • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2022, @06:17AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2022, @06:17AM (#1281224)

                  Did you even read this thread?

        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:00PM (5 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:00PM (#1281059)

          No, we don't need to entertain your second-hand reductive MSM poison.

          • (Score: 2) by Opportunist on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:14PM (4 children)

            by Opportunist (5545) on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:14PM (#1281062)

            What is MSM? I know MSG, but MSM?

            • (Score: 1) by Runaway1956 on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:33PM

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Saturday December 03 2022, @10:33PM (#1281067) Journal

              monosodiummedia

            • (Score: 2) by Kell on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:25AM (2 children)

              by Kell (292) on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:25AM (#1281081)

              As someone who's been in the queer community for a long time, I've always known it as men-who-have-sex-with-men.

              --
              Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
              • (Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:55AM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @03:55AM (#1281091)

                Those are related to The Men Who Watch Goats.ex, aren't they?

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2022, @06:19AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 05 2022, @06:19AM (#1281225)

                  I SEE what you did there. And now I cannot unsee it.

    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday December 06 2022, @02:32PM

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday December 06 2022, @02:32PM (#1281392) Journal

      To understand Musk's interest in this project, you need to realise he is a megalomanic control freak. He is utterly contemptuous of other people.

      I think he has been conditioned to believe that he knows better than everyone else. He has now had several major successes where experts all said he was wrong, it was impossible, but Musk turned out to be right.

      So now he thinks he knows better than everyone else when they tell him something is not going to work out, such as "absolute free speech".

      Far right: Heil Hitler!
      Far left: rail workers deserve sick pay
      Elon Musk: These are equally bad!

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Sjolfr on Sunday December 04 2022, @12:21AM

    by Sjolfr (17977) on Sunday December 04 2022, @12:21AM (#1281075)

    Cutting edge technology delivers more on the scale of hope rather than practical application. We have just begun to understand the regions of the brain, how they function together, and how they function in combination with our bodies. In science-time we've only just realized that nerve cells can regenerate and we've just got to the point where we think we may have some insight in to how that happens in a predictable way. To date science has been promising a fix for spinal cord injuries, every 5 or so years, for the past 35+ years and have been failing misserably. Not only failing to deliver but failing to show the public the truth about the challenges.

    Elon Musk has a very lofty goal, and expectation, for his brain link. What are the odds that he simply needs lofty sums of money to fuel his engine of hope? We've seen his ability to sway stock prices and shake-up the business world. This hype looks and feels just like all the other hype ... fund raising.

    Is it a worth-while project to fund? I think so because it may reveal core scientific solutions to very basic challenges. Those kinds of scientific advances benefit far more people than one might think. I just think that it's too bad that it all has to be wrapped up in the smoke and mirrors of hope/hype.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by SomeGuy on Sunday December 04 2022, @01:34AM (3 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Sunday December 04 2022, @01:34AM (#1281078)

    You say no now...

    But one day you will have to have one to get 10% off your purchase at the store. You will have to have one to authenticate yourself to your work database. You will have to have one if you want all the latest information quicker than all those old slow cell phone users. The TV will sing the praises of these devices, and you will look like and old Luddite if you don't have one. You still keep your shopping list on your old cell phone!? Just have the link think it all back to you. And don't forget to open additional neural ports for so you can use the FREE weather/news thought alert service and advertising!

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @01:49AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday December 04 2022, @01:49AM (#1281079)
    • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:44AM (1 child)

      by tangomargarine (667) on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:44AM (#1281086)

      Similar to self-driving cars, I'm not against the thing in theory, it's just that I have no interest whatsoever in getting in on the first generation.

      Come back and talk to me again when it's 10 years down the road, and I'm sure it won't accidentally give me brain cancer or something.

      (that, and a lot of people's vomit reflexes are probably being triggered because it's specifically Elon Musk who's involved)

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
      • (Score: 2) by kazzie on Sunday December 04 2022, @06:24AM

        by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 04 2022, @06:24AM (#1281101)

        That's assuming the self-driving car can find its way down the road for 10 years.

  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:33AM

    by Gaaark (41) on Sunday December 04 2022, @02:33AM (#1281083) Journal

    "Carrie, Moss: the first scene in Carrie!"

    https://youtu.be/imLJ_Lyk9A0?t=69 [youtu.be]

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by gznork26 on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:05AM

    by gznork26 (1159) on Sunday December 04 2022, @05:05AM (#1281095) Homepage Journal

    Come on, if you're going to get people to permit a direct connection between their brain and a computer, it's only a matter of time before it's monetized.

    Just think about the possibilities! Adverts could be directly fed into your brain, bypassing the gatekeepers of your senses. That sponsored voice in your head telling you to buy a cheeseburger is far more valuable than mere eyeballs. Sneaky advertisers could incept you with the desire, making you think it was your idea to hit the drive-thru. There'd be porn, spam, and a whole new kind of contract through adhesion slipping into your head unbidden. Spies exfiltrating your secrets.

    And then imagine hackers mounting a denial of service attack that sets the masses of wireheads muttering incoherently, unable to quiet the firehose.

    Yeah, that would go well. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that.

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by ShovelOperator1 on Sunday December 04 2022, @12:36PM (1 child)

    by ShovelOperator1 (18058) on Sunday December 04 2022, @12:36PM (#1281127)

    Let's look at the Internet:
    First, military guys exchanged their data.
    Then, scientists exchanged their ideas.
    Then, hobbyists exchanged their knowledge.
    Then, corporations... and now we can only watch ads, and publishing is intentionally more and more difficult.
    Let's look at the telephone. Let's look at the cable TV. All inventions repeat this pattern. Simultaneously with this trend, hackability goes lower and lower preventing "users" (users???, useds???) any control.
    Apply to the brain chips invention. Want to have ads in your dreams?

    I'll do the same as with smartphones, and with hard drugs: Not even once.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Freeman on Monday December 05 2022, @04:44PM

      by Freeman (732) on Monday December 05 2022, @04:44PM (#1281282) Journal

      I would like to say you're wrong . . . I would like to.

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
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