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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?


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  • (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?

    Starting Score:    1  point
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    Total Score:   3  
  • (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.