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:
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?
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