Apple "iThink" - Upgraded

This past summer, I illustrated a concept I was kicking around in my head for a while - an "Apple iThink" computer of the future that actually fuses with the human nervous system. It connects directly to the brain via a Matrix-like connection in the head.

"Introducing the iThink"

The unit, though, would be wirelessly connected to a global network of both iThink users and other electronic communication devices. Apple's legion of loyal minions would be part of a techno-telepathic hive mind that I wrote about in my last post.

The "Apple iThink" is a thought experiment that should be equally intriguing and terrifying. Since I first posted the concept renderings, science has continued to progressed and made such devices closer to a reality. People have already been putting microchips in their bodies for one reason or another, so it's only a matter of increasing the complexity of the technology.

Even the Daily Show's Samantha Bee followed the rabbit hole to the hysterical(?) possibility of human-cybernetic symbiosis:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Future Shock - Roombas of Doom

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

The first image I posted didn't give enough of a sense of the multi-layered interface that a person would perceive in his area of sight.

The iThink would be able to produce as many different visual representations as the user's imagination could handle. Since the iThink should also serve to augment the user's imagination, there is always the possibility that people might find themselves in a catatonic state of infinite visual immersion.

Anyway, to better illustrate the multi-dimensional interface that such a device would create- I added some 'Mind Apps' throughout the model's visual field to get a sense of the multi-tasking such a device would allow. It's like the iThink got an upgrade to its virtual user interface.

(click for full size)

(click for full size)

iThink Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency




***And just for the sake of sharing the creative process, I'm also posting a really early rendering of the iThink, when I briefly considered making it square like a Mac-mini:


I think I improved on it quite a bit...

iThink Tech 2016

Back in 2008, I introduced my concept for an Apple-branded computer brain implant, the "Apple iThink".

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

Apple iThink

(Click to Enlarge)

iThink Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion: Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency
_____________________________________

Since I originally created these graphics, I've watched technology continue to advance, as different fields converge to making such a neural implant possible.

Although there are now implants in use that allow communication by thought and remote control of software, we are still a long way off from a device that contains the many features of the iThink.

Without some cataclysmic event happening on a global scale, I don't see the progress of this kind of research ever stopping. There will always be resistance to any kind of implantable devices, and there might eventually be a "Deus Ex" scenario where humans create social distinctions based on cybernetic augmentations. There may be conflict between implant-free "Naturals," and "Enhanced" (or "Cyber") humans with neural or physiological augmentations. Any new technology, no matter how beneficial, usually brings with it slight uncertainty and the potential for misuse.

My iPhone and Mac computer are extensions of my cognitive and creative processes. I feel like these  devices are portals into the global consciousness, while simultaneously augmenting the functions of the brain. However, I often think about whether the digital techno-sphere is a trap for individual consciousness, preventing it from finding freedom in the more spiritual sense. My personal feeling is that digital technology and mobile devices are enhancements, more than they are traps. It depends on how they are used, of course, but I feel that their benefits outweigh the potential danger.

Anyway, I love to speculate on the future of humanity and the new ideas that will lead to revolutions in our world. I have been floating around ideas for even more advanced tech & features, that would be in an Apple iThink 2.0. However, seeing as we haven't come close to reaching even this stage in implantable technology, I haven't created graphics for the next version yet.

In the meantime, I've been compiling "iThink Tech"- scientific & technological advancements that are leading us down a road toward implantable computers which will interact with our brains directly, for completely immersive computing.

Here are the relevant links I've found from the past year:

 Singularity Hub:

The Brain Tech to Merge Humans and AI Is Already Being Developed

Digital Trends:

Gamers learn to control characters strictly through direct brain stimulation 

Big Think:

A New Implant is Being Developed for Enhancing Human Memory

New York Times:

Implant Eases Communication by Late-Stage ALS Patient

(Thanks to my good friend Dr. Phil for this link)

PBS Newshour:

Wireless brain implant allows paralyzed woman to communicate, but is it safe?

BoingBoing:

Neurosurgeon had brain-computer interface installed in his own head

Inhabitat:

 US govt developing brain implants that give humans the ability to never forget

BoingBoing:

Brainjacking: the future of software security for neural implants

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

"As our minds will attain the non-linear associative powers 

that will do away with the static mold of analog information,

we will finally break through the speed barrier of thought."

-rene

Apple "iThink" Concept- in MacLife!

(click to enlarge)

It is always cool to see any of my work published, but I was really excited when an editor at the magazine MacLife contacted me - & wanted to include a concept that I created for fun in one of their issues. They ended up publishing my letter, "Future Influencers", and both images!

Unfortunately, I didn't get my hands on a print copy of the magazine, but here is a link to the digital edition that I came across recently:

MacLife
Photo of the Month - "iThink"
February 2009 pgs. 10-12

A year or two ago, I put together some graphics for a concept that I had floating around in my head for awhile: an Apple-branded computer w/ a brain interface, that I dubbed the "iThink".

I am re-posting the 'specs' and the artwork at the bottom of this article. Here is a link to my previous entry where I improved the graphics a little:

Monkeybuddha.com:
Apple iThink-Upgraded

I have seen others comment online about this idea from around the world, which itself is amazing to me. Ex. (1) (2) (3)

People's views have ranged from very enthusiastic to completely horrified at the possibility of our brains being directly connected to The Machines. As one girl I know exclaimed when she saw it, "You thought of this?... My God, you're the enemy!!!" For some reason, I was totally amused by this reaction.

Regardless of how one feels about the inevitable progression of technology, digital-neural interfaces are becoming more of a reality- even since I first posted the original artwork. I saw the following article linked on Monochrom & realized I might not have been all that far-sighted:

Scientific American
"Plug and Play:
Researchers Expand Clinical Study
of Neural Interface Brain Implant"

So here is the iThink, presented again in light of it's print debut in MacLife (as well as the impending Singularity).

click to enlarge

iThink Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency


*My favorite web comment so far:
"This looks much more congenial than the long anticipated converted pneumatic cattle dropper designed to stuff an rs-232 micro socket somewhere above the hairline. And it appears to be short range wireless, which eliminates any need for hygienic socket maintenance. Bravo puppet masters! Soon we’ll all be dancing around like multi-mode idiot savants, knowing all while aware of nothing! Can’t wait for my turn up on the rack."

Introducing the "iThink"

I love Apple computers.

Besides providing modern necessities such as internet & email, the computer is pretty much my sole source of creative output. I started using Macs in my college design classes & was glad to be rid of Windows from my life after growing up with DOS & Windows 3.0.

As a senior, one of my semester projects was to design a computer of the future & relevant promo materials. Mine was basically a powerful handheld device with a wireless keyboard and an eye piece for a screen.

Since then, there's been alot of talk about what will happen when the creeping advance of digital technology begins to directly permeate our consciousness. We already have bionic body parts, brain implants, mind-interaction software, primitive AI, and all kinds of other that are signs of the continuing fusion between man and machine.

This also got me thinking about the inevitable augmentation of human experience through computers that will link directly to our conscious thoughts. This web is already being interwoven, so to speak, and there is speculation that some sort of super-consciousness could result. This idea has been given labels such as the Hive Mind, The Singularity, The End of Novelty, etc.

My Dad always jokes that one day, people are just going to be white blobs hooked up to all kinds of computers & electronics. I'd been thinking about the possibility of microchips being implanted that were essentially computers connecting to our brains. I wondered how my favorite brand, Apple, would exist in such circumstances.

That's when I thought up the "iThink":

"The most revolutionary computer in history,
iThink allows you to interact with
unlimited information, virtual imagery & sound,
and even immersive environments,
all within your mind!"

click for larger image (1900x1200)

It's taken me awhile to actually finish these graphics due to procrastination & the interference of life in general. I've been running it around in my head for awhile, though. Anyway, this was just a fun project for me. This all might seem incredibly geeky, but I think it's a pretty intriguing concept that illustrates real possibilities.

We have to ask ourselves what a human being's mental experience will be like when we get to this point. Will we be able to close our eyes and create an environment like a holodeck inside our own headspace? How will we control the data streams and imagery that will be flooding our perceptions? Will any outside source be able to hack into our brains? Will there be different classes of people according to whether they are 'natural' or 'cyber'?

There are millions of questions that only time will answer. For now, we can only imagine how a product like the "iThink" would affect mankind.

In addition to the poster above, I also created a spec sheet to resemble those used for Apple's existing products. Scroll down for text of the tech details...

click for larger image (1900x1200)

iThink Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency

Apple 'iThink' on Gizmondo

About a week ago, my Apple "iThink" computer concept was mentioned on the gadget blog Gizmondo. It was part of a feature about the future of human/machine interaction called "This Cyborg Life."

Apple iThink
(It's Not Real, But You Know You Want It)

The author used the older graphics from before I posted "Apple 'iThink' - Upgraded." It's still cool to see people appreciate the possibilities such a concept presents.

click to enlarge

Apple "iThink" Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency

The Future of Apple?

I'll end my personal tribute to the legendary co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, by looking forward.

As a college student, one of my senior design projects was to design a computer of the future. This was around 2000, & our labs had the original iMacs & G4 Powermacs.  Cell phones weren't common at all & the Internet was just becoming the eminent communication & information tool it is today.

My design for a futuristic computer used a portable handheld device w/ peripherals like a touchscreen monitor w/ embedded speakers & an immersive eyepiece that that was another interface option.

I'll post the renders I made of the concept when I get around to it. Anyway, that project inspired me a few years ago to imagine an Apple-branded computer of the future, called the Apple iThink. It's been featured on websites & magazines around the world.

Apple iThink

My "iThink" concept pics & the imaginary specs are at the bottom of the post. I'm determined to update the graphics one of these days.

I've been talking to people this weekend about the impact of Steve Jobs and Apple & no one can really say for certain how the computer interface will be improved after the touchscreen. Perhaps 3D or holographic technology is the next step. However, interfaces that connect directly to the brain seem to be inevitable. Then, our thoughts may be augmented by digital systems. Maybe our memory & perceptions could even be enhanced.

Here's a list of links to stories that I think herald the coming of future devices with iThink Tech:

CNN:

The Future of Brain-controlled Devices

BBC:

Chemical computer that mimics neurons to be created

PopSci:

The World's First Commercial Brain-Computer Interface 

Wired:

Pentagon Turns to Brain Implants to Repair Damaged Minds 

Design Mind:

Envisioning Your Future in 2020

Discover:

How to Plug in a Brain

PopSci:

New Brain-Machine Interface Taps Human Smarts to Enhance Computers' Abilities

BoingBoing:

Method for wiring chips with nerve cells

MSNBC:

FDA approves computer chip for humans

Huffington Post:

IBM 'Synapse' Chips Mimic Human Brain

 

Apple "iThink" Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency

"iThink" Tech & The Evolution of the Mind

"I hate this place. This zoo. This prison.
This Reality- whatever you want to call it,
I can't stand it any longer.
It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it.
I can taste your stink and every time I do,
I fear that I've somehow been infected by it. "
-Agent Smith "The Matrix"

I have been collecting links for awhile about emerging technologies that will inevitably enhance the phenomenon that we call "human consciousness." I think that all of the advancements I'll be listing are leading to the possibility of our minds being augmented by a future technology like my conceptual "Apple iThink."

A couple things led me to finally post what I've found so far. Recently blogger Mac Tonnies passed away unexpectedly, & he was only a few years older than me at 34. His blog Posthuman Blues was a regular read of mine that I enjoyed because of the unorthodox, mind-bending content. It was a great mix of futurism, Fortean speculations, & general weirdness.

The other factor has been my current forced week-long stint at home due to illness. Nothing makes you dream of transcending the mortal confines of the flesh than being seriously sick. I started sympathizing with Agent Smith in the scene above, except he was imagining a trip in the opposite direction- from the digital realm of light into the physical world of the human body.

The mortality & existence of man has been a source of concern since the dawn of time. The Egyptians believed we were spirits of light encased in these bodies. The Gnostics imagined Reality as a type of virtual prison that confines our luminous true selves. The Taoists believe everything is just emanations of the ever-fluctuating, infinite Tao.

Of course, our experience is limited by the sensory nature of our interaction with the world. The universe of information bombarding each of us at each moment is distilled by our physical receptors & organs including the brain. What if we could transcend these limitations? Physics teaches that as a human traveling in a spaceship speeds up and approaches the speed of light, the relative experience of time slows down. However, nothing with mass can actually reach the velocity of electromagnetic energy.

I've always wondered what would happen if the functioning of the human mind were no longer constrained by the chemical & biological processes of the neural connections in the brain. If our thoughts could somehow actually travel uninhibited at the speed of light, how would it affect our perception, & would there even be any perception left as we know it? Perhaps like an inverse, large scale Bose-Einstein condensate, our mind would expand into... everything!

So with these thoughts off my mind, I'll share some fascinating discoveries that have caught my eye- myriad doors all leading to a future in which the human experience may be much different than the limited, localized reality-tunnel that each of us currently knows.

• "Mind Uploading and Mind Children"

• "MIT team develops hi-fi quantum memory"

• Artificial brain '10 years away'

• The Future of Human Enhancement

• Will We Eventually Upload Our Minds?

• Brain-to-brain communication over the Internet

• Multi-contact brain probe can be injected through a needle

• The Psychedelic Transhumanists

• Raytheon's combat simulator offers virtual action in real world

• Scientists hail a thoughtful future with ‘brain-to-brain communication’

• An Input/Output Device for the Brain - Made of Light, Algae, and Bacteria


Here's the Apple iThink concept I came up with:

Apple "iThink" - Upgraded






Apple "iThink" Technical Specifications

• Size:
1.5 x 1.5 x .5 inches

• Symbiosis™ Neural Interface:
Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are one!

• Intel Fusion™ Quantum Processing:
Uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought.

• Holographic Data Storage:
The iThink’s tiny internal holochip has a staggering individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes (1000^8), for seemingly infinite augmented memory

• Intra-neural Communication:
Mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want to send or recieve instantly over the wireless iThink global network

• Perceptual Immersion:
Images, sound, & other data are projected virtually into your sensory fields by directly connecting into your brain’s activity

• Integrated GPS and Google Earth:
Receive directions and location information anywhere on the planet, and the ability to be located in case of an emergency

iThink Tech 2015

In my last post, I shared a project from my college years, called the Omega Computer.

"Omega Computer" Concept

The project assignment was to design a computer of the future. Years later, I revisited the challenge of imagining futuristic computer technology & took it a step farther.

Instead of the external, portable devices used in the Omega Computer concept, I designed a computer brain implant called the "Apple iThink". You can see the specs of the iThink in my original post:

Apple iThink- Upgraded

Since I made those graphics, I've closely followed developments in science and technology that are leading toward a brain-computer interface, like the iThink.

I see technology, like my iPhone or computer, as extensions of my mind. The mystic sentiment that "consciousness is in all things" seems more true, the more I look into Reality. The Universe is made up of something more fundamental than particles or atoms- The Universe is made of information.

Human consciousness is just one manifestation of the Universal Information Field (UIF), that can manifest in infinite varieties. There is no reason why the ordinary conscious experience of the biological brain cannot be modified or enhanced to create novel states of being.

Of course, every step of the way there will be problems and questions that have to be addressed. Certain choices and directions may have unintended or negative consequences. However, I think it is inevitable for humanity to continue to seek new abilities, information, & understanding. We have uniquely mastered technology for this end, and will continue to expand both the individual and collective consciousness through technological means. Perhaps suprisingly to some, this technological innovation will be continue to be simultaneous, and perhaps symbiotic, with deeper spiritual and philosophical understanding about the nature of ourselves and our world.

I've collected links which, individually, are amazing developments. However, when seen as precursors to technologically-augmented consciousness, these scientific breakthroughs signal new frontiers in the human experience.

Time:
• 2045: Kurzweil on When Humans, Machines Merge


New Scientist:
• Cyborg Tissue is Half Living Cells, Half Electronics

Extreme Tech:
• MIT Creates Glucose Fuel Cell to power Implanted Brain-Computer interfaces

Daily Mail:
• The Groundbreaking Microscopic Thread That Could Let Us Plug Our Brain Into a Computer

Waking Times
• Decoded Neurofeedback: Matrix-like Learning With No Conscious Effort
 
Extreme Tech:
• Brown University Creates First Wireless, Implanted Brain-computer Interface

The White House:
• BRAIN Initiative Challenges Researchers to Unlock Mysteries of Human Mind

Kurzweil AI
• Organic transistors for brain mapping

Popular Mechanics:
• Going Wireless and Restoring Memories: The Incredible Future of Brain Implants

CNet:
• What Google Glass Aspires to Be

Technooccult:
• DARPA Wants to Fit Soldiers with a Little Black Box Brain Implant

The Atlantic:
•  The Not-So-Distant Future When We Can All Upgrade Our Brains

DefenseOne:
• The Military Is Building Brain Chips to Treat PTSD

The Verge:
• Google Leads $542 Million Funding of Mysterious Augmented Reality Firm Magic Leap

Techcrunch:
• The Ongoing Quest For The ‘Brain’ Chip

H+
• Biology is Technology — DARPA is Back in the Game With A Big Vision

BBC Future:
• The Code That May Treat Blindness

Smithsonian:
• A Flexible Circuit Has Been Injected Into Living Brains

Aeon:
• Hive consciousness: Do We Really Want to Fuse Our Minds Together?

Apple iThink Concept - in NWT Magazine

Recently I was contacted by journalist Tamar Stelling from the Netherlands, who writes for the Dutch science magazine, NWT. (english version)

She asked if they could use my concept art for the Apple iThink computer implant. Tamar thought it would fit well in their issue on futuristic technologies.

I created the graphics a couple years ago & it's been featured on a number of websites since then. It was also published in the Feb. 2009 print issue of MacLife. After Da Vinci's Challenge, it's probably the creation I take the most pride in. The idea of a brain-computer interface is a realm of vast possibilities, but also full of practical issues & problems that people are only beginning to explore.

Of course, I said NWT could use it for their issue. They gave me credit & a link to The Monkey Buddha. Tamar was kind enough to send me a couple copies, so I scanned the pages below.

click for larger size

Here is the issue the iThink was in:

NWT Jan. 2011

(english version)

I have another post w/ emerging iThink Tech to put up soon. The graphics are due for an upgrade, too...

Neuralink Brain-Computer Interface

Well, it took only 10 years... but technology is finally catching up with my concept for the "iThink" Apple-branded brain/computer interface.

The Neuralink tech that is being developed by Elon Musk's company uses thread-like electrodes that are embedded into the brain using a device similar to a sewing maching. The threads are implanted directly into the brain, but not directly connected to neurons.

Engadget:

Elon Musk's Neuralink Hopes to Put Sensors 

in Human Brains Next Year

This concept is truly dystopian & frightening to many people, but I think it is the next logical step in the "meta-volution" of the human mind.

As much I love the natural world and feel like it is good to disconnect from the web & devices from time to time, the organic structure of the brain will soon need to be augmented beyond the external digital tools we are currently using. The rate of digital information flow and capabilities of A.I. are just advancing too quickly for biological evolution to keep up.

Some of the abilities that could result from tech like Neuralink are:

• "Telepathic" brain-to-brain communication

• Instantaneous mathematical and scientific calculation

• Access to an unlimited databank of multi-sensory media

• Virtual or augmented reality that is directly experienced in the mind

• Expanded multi-dimensional consciousness beyond our current "single point" awareness

• Real-time language translation

• GPS combined with Google Maps to facilitate information-rich navigation

• Etc., etc., etc.

Yes, this technology has the potential for negative uses (mind hacking, unwanted advertising, inability to disconnect)... but ALL tools have that risk. This is the danger that sci-fi classics such as Star Trek's "Borg" and The Matrix have tried to warn us about. However, the same tools that could be extremely dangerous also have the potential to create amazing beauty & benefit for humanity.

As the late, great Timothy Leary said:

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"The level of intelligence has been tremendously increased, because people are thinking and communicating in terms of screens, and not in lettered books. Much of the real action is taking place in what is called cyberspace. People have learned how to boot up, activate, and transmit their brains.  

Essentially, there’s a universe inside your brain. The number of connections possible inside your brain is limitless. And as people have learned to have more managerial and direct creative access to their brains, they have also developed matrices or networks of people that communicate electronically. 

There are direct brain/computer link-ups. You can just jack yourself in and pilot your brain around in cyberspace-electronic space." 

-Timothy Leary (Chaos & Cyber Culture) 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Below is the Apple iThink concept that I envision back in 2009:

The Monkey Buddha Achives:

Apple "iThink" - Upgraded

Messages From Our "Cosmic Friends"

I recently came across a true Internet gem, which features some of my favorite things:  conspiracy theories, aliens, & (most of all) crazy graphic design:

Cosmic-People.com

TALKS WITH TEACHINGS 
FROM MY COSMIC FRIENDS

I highly recommend bookmarking this page, and exploring the wealth of information & awesome imagery on the website.

Basically, it seems to be a channel for communication from benevolent alien beings. It is also meant to warn against humans being eventually "chipped," with a computer implant like the "Apple iThink" I came up with:

Monkey Buddha Archives:

Apple iThink & The Evolution of the Mind

Apparently, being "chipped" will allow evil aliens to exert complete control over humanity. These malevolent beings, called "Saurions" seem to be the same kind of entities David Icke calls "Reptilian Shape-shifters".

Of course, the way to defeat these negative forces is through the usual means- self-awareness, cosmic consciousness, love, intelligence, etc.

Regardless of the legitimacy of it all, I can appreciate the effort that it took to create all the absurdly intriguing graphics featured on the site.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Future Old People

No matter how advanced technology become, I think people of older generations will always feel nostalgia for the culture & tech of their youth.

This comic I saw on fUSION Anomalog captures the idea perfectly, as old people watching kids use brain-interfacing devices reminisce about "simpler times," with e-books, touchscreens, & wi-fi.

It look like the kids are using a device similar to my idea for an Apple-branded brain interface, the "iThink":

Apple iThink: Upgraded

(click to enlarge)

iPhone & the Dematerialization of Tech

It's easy to take for granted how many features are conveniently packed into our ever-present mobile devices.

Miniaturization and consolidation are the future, and one day all these functions may be accessible right inside our head with an iThink neural implant.

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

Apple iThink

I came across this graphic from the CATO Institute, illustrating the many physical gadgets that the iPhone has replaced:

Here's another (slightly more humorous) comparison I saw on fUSION Anomalog that also demonstrates the consolidation of physical technologies:

Visual Brain Implants

Being a graphic designer & visual artist, the sense I value most is my sight. Not being able to see would a nightmarish scenario to me.

Technology now exists for cameras connected to brain implants that create partial vision in blind people, bypassing the eyes & optic nerves.

The Guardian:

Brain implant restores partial vision to blind people 

Not only is the prospect of being able to tap directly into the visual cortex amazing, but it opens up a whole new aspect of cybernetic augmentation which goes beyond the "normal" senses.

What if we could "train" the brain to experience light from connected inputs that could sense the spectrum outside the visible wavelength, or even other forms of energetic emissions like Wi-Fi signals? Is there a limit to how many different "senses the brain can process?

The next step is augmented vision & other senses that I predicted in my iThink concept 10 years ago.

Apple "iThink" - Upgraded

 I think this opens up the whole idea of consciousness into new realms that people really aren't prepared to venture into. Personally, I think it's awesome technology that , and like any other tool or tech, can be used for good, evil, or neutral purposes.
 

 Deep Dream Eye

by Paul Micarelli

Google Glass, Through Drunk Irish Eyes

 
My tech life is dominated by Apple & Google products. I use only Macs & have the greatest invention of the modern age - the iPhone.

Despite the usual complaints of difficulty in upgrading & modifying, I love Apple hardware because it just works & I don't have to tinker with it. For a long time, I resisted getting an iPhone until my old phone totally crapped out, but now it's an integral tool in my daily life.

Google is another company that has created tools that I find indispensable right now. I use Blogger to create The Monkey Buddha blog. I have an online Picasa Photo Album. The navigation program Google Maps is freakin' amazing & has helped immensely with my anxiety when traveling. Google is digitizing works of art & also literature. In fact, they are digitizing the entire planet with Google Earth. One of my most visited pages, Google Search, with options of Images, Shopping, & Video, is absolutely miraculous, to an information sponge like myself. I talk to people all the time about how much it sucked in "the old days," trying to find answers about anything- before the search engine became the powerful resource it is today. The Internet is truly becoming a virtual hive mind, and search engines are the current key to accessing that collective consciousness. Although its power is awesome & could easily have detrimental effects, Google's definitely augmenting the capabilities of the human race in countless ways.

Dicover Magazine:

How Google is Making us Smarter

I don't think there's any question that the digital age is the most radically transformative of any time in known human history. The change & progress we're experiencing only seems to be accelerating, so we have very interesting years ahead.

Although it's been in development for awhile, the interactive eyewear called Google Glass is starting to get some attention. They are basically computerized glasses that can access online content, find directions, take pics & video, etc.

The Google Glass technology is already inspiring spoofs...

 Here's a video imagining how the ubiquitous ad culture will affect the experience:

Just in time for St. Patricks Day, this very funny video came out showing the day's festivities through a user's Google Glass experience:

St. Patrick's Day [through Google Glass] 

Since I don't wear glasses, it would be a big change to have eyewear on constantly. Instead of having to speak commands, there should be a way to look at icons & blink to make choices. Although it is interesting, & the state of technology to make it possible is truly astounding, Google Glass is simply another step in a process. The process seems to be the integration of biological & digital systems, to enable a greatly enhanced consciousness. I can't say if there will ever be an endpoint to this process, other than perhaps the conversion of our singular experience into the dimension of pure light.

After this glasses interface, though, it seems like the only logical progression would be to have a direct mind-machine interface that connects directly into the structure of the brain. This will truly alter the way humans perceive & experience reality...

Apple iThink

 

Neuralink Unveiling

 

Recently, tech entrepreneur, visionary, & hype-man Elon Musk publicly introduced the Neuralink technology - a brain-computer interface that will allow the mind to directly connect to machines.

Right now, the most promising aspect is the potential to help control artificial limbs or give paralyzed individuals a way to access electronic devices. However, Musk envisions direct mind-to-mind communication, or be jacked-in to a digital space in which the possibilities for cognitive enhancement are truly limitless.

 The smartphone & portable digital devices have revolutionized our personal and social experiences, just as the development of computers did before them. This is clearly the next step in human technological evolution, whether everyone is ready for it or not. 

As with any new tool or system, there are unforeseen positive and negative consequences that will arise as a result. In many ways it will advance human consciousness beyond anything we can imagine. We currently have the entire catalog of human knowledge at our fingertips, but perhaps we will be able to access it on multiple streams at the speed of thought. On the flip side, this kind of human augmentation will likely segment society in even more extreme ways than social media and other digital tech is doing today.

This article from Wired presented some good insight into what Neuralink offers now, what is possible in the future, and what difficult issues researchers face in advancing the technology.

WIRED:

Neuralink Is Impressive Tech, Wrapped in Musk Hype

The largest hurdle in fully realizing the potential of this technology is our limited understanding of the brain/mind itself. I am currently reading "The Fractal Brain Theory" by Wai Tsang and it is a technically immersive look into the complexities of the brain's architecture at various scales, and how they intermesh together.

I think the progression of this technology to completely integrated neural circuitry is inevitable. Although it has not fulfilled my vision of an "Apple iThink" implant that I presented over 10 years ago, the road is clearly being paved in that direction.