From: Brett Paatsch (paatschb@optusnet.com.au)
Date: Thu Jun 26 2003 - 10:18:29 MDT
> > Alex Ramonsky writes:
> > >
> > > We believe
> > > we have a right to interfere with ourselves as we see fit...
> > > we don't intend to make anybody else do it... And guilt
> > > for any reason is banned as unproductive and unhealthy
> > > in these parts. : )
> > > ..anger, fear, guilt...the dark side are they... : )
{me}
> > And besides .... "we've been able to do selective memory
> > wiping for at least a year now..."
(alex)
> ...Yes, of course I see the irony in this...
> But then, if we'd wanted to wipe a desire to mess with
> our minds, why wouldn't we just do that?
I was joking about wiping away any feelings of guilt that might
arise if one could and did wipe away particular memories at
will.
Actually, I have to admit, there is an element in my persona
that flirts with the dark side. I think it's maybe just a sort of
survival instinct. A political sense that makes me ask "what if
this technology (whatever technology) was used against me
or people I care about" (which perhaps as chance would
have it is most people actually -including what Spike terms
proles but to varying degrees).
The political sense also fires up because I know others also
look at new technologies with an element of suspicion and
often with less fascination or less of an eye for the upside
and this can lead to them mobilizing to try and ban it.
> Yes...
> I have been ambiguous for some time about whether
> people should know what was going on, and only recently
> decided to go 'open source', as it were; partly because of
> feedback from various good folks on these lists..
> thankyou all : ) AR
I don't know for sure, but reckon on balance "open" is the
way to go. When what we are up against is essentially fear
of unknown technologies ADDED to worldviews that are
pretty cynical about what people will do to each other, there
has to be a good reason in my view to run the political risk of
being seen to be working conspiratorially.
For me the brain is almost the holy of holies. I am confident
that most of what makes me me is happening in there, but I
regard it still a bit like a critical production system that is
running on op code and I haven't got the source. For obvious
reasons I want to tinker only very carefully.
Research into the workings of brains though I am all for.
Perhaps we can reengineer some of the source from the
op code. I particularly like the idea of being able to add
modules dynamically without having to go for an all or
nothing upload. There is something more appealing about
being able to test the water with one toe and possibly
retract it as opposed to jumping in in one great reckless
plunge.
Regards,
Brett Paatsch
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