Friday, January 16, 2009
Our Father, who art in Google ...
How Google is Making Us Smarter -- from Discover magazine.
I think this has fascinating ramifications for those of us for whom mind is as important to faith as heart. Busy day, though. Y'all start.
--ER
I think this has fascinating ramifications for those of us for whom mind is as important to faith as heart. Busy day, though. Y'all start.
--ER
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This is a great topic...but I don't know where to start in a group of people who probably have not read nearly as much cyber-punk as I have. :-)
With the possible exception of Alan, of course. :-)
With the possible exception of Alan, of course. :-)
# posted by 
: 5:15 PM
: 5:15 PM
The ideas of enhanced and/or ditributed conciousness is dealt with in a number of very cool ways in cyberpunk literature.
Classics include:
_When Gravity Fails_ George Alec Effinger
_Neuromancer_ William Gibson
_Johnny Mnemonic_ William Gibson
_The Diamon Age_ Neal Stephenson
Classics include:
_When Gravity Fails_ George Alec Effinger
_Neuromancer_ William Gibson
_Johnny Mnemonic_ William Gibson
_The Diamon Age_ Neal Stephenson
# posted by : 5:21 PM
: 5:21 PM
Humans can use almost any tool to allow their brains to become more or less interactive.
Many of the great leaps in human history have occurred due to a synthesis of technologies: Electricity with mechanics, quantum mathematics with nuclear technology, etc. I often wonder what the fully realized synthesis of genetics and medicine will look like. Likewise, the synthesis of neurology and digital information certainly has many fascinating, and perhaps frightening, possibilities.
Teresa, thanks for book recommendations--my cyberpunk is usually in the movies. Neuromancer and Johnny Mnemonic were good ones, Lawnmower Man and The Matrix series come to mind as ones that also delve a bit into the idea of digital consciousness.
If digital intelligence and neurological intelligence are going to eventually synthesize, I wonder who is going to move toward whom?
Many of the great leaps in human history have occurred due to a synthesis of technologies: Electricity with mechanics, quantum mathematics with nuclear technology, etc. I often wonder what the fully realized synthesis of genetics and medicine will look like. Likewise, the synthesis of neurology and digital information certainly has many fascinating, and perhaps frightening, possibilities.
Teresa, thanks for book recommendations--my cyberpunk is usually in the movies. Neuromancer and Johnny Mnemonic were good ones, Lawnmower Man and The Matrix series come to mind as ones that also delve a bit into the idea of digital consciousness.
If digital intelligence and neurological intelligence are going to eventually synthesize, I wonder who is going to move toward whom?
I've found anyone willing to learn can do so in any capacity they see fit.
In the past seven weeks, I've learned so much by typing in the word "google."
When Channing had a strange-looking left nipple, I researched it on google and found that we had nothing to worry about. Lo-and-behold, the Web folks got it right. Two days later, the nipple was normal. Five resources. It's like doing a research paper on speed.
I'm thankful. I don't know what new, inexperienced parents would've done without it.
NOTE: I didn't read the link ER provided. Screw reading.
In the past seven weeks, I've learned so much by typing in the word "google."
When Channing had a strange-looking left nipple, I researched it on google and found that we had nothing to worry about. Lo-and-behold, the Web folks got it right. Two days later, the nipple was normal. Five resources. It's like doing a research paper on speed.
I'm thankful. I don't know what new, inexperienced parents would've done without it.
NOTE: I didn't read the link ER provided. Screw reading.
On the faith side ...
If, where two or three are gathered in His name, He is present -- well, what else can it means but that those two or three minds, in agreement, conjure the Holy Presence?
If it takes imagination to live faithfully -- and it does -- what is that but the mind at work?
What I'm saying is the notion that "mind" is one thing and "heart" is another, or even that "faith" is one thing and "knowledge" is another -- it's all the same thing: consciousness.
And, barring magic, just what *is* the Body of Christ, the great cloud of witnesses? Shared consciousness among people over time.
I woke up on the panentheistic side of the bed this morning.
I wish the Discover article had delved a bit into mind-mind interaction and synergy.
If, where two or three are gathered in His name, He is present -- well, what else can it means but that those two or three minds, in agreement, conjure the Holy Presence?
If it takes imagination to live faithfully -- and it does -- what is that but the mind at work?
What I'm saying is the notion that "mind" is one thing and "heart" is another, or even that "faith" is one thing and "knowledge" is another -- it's all the same thing: consciousness.
And, barring magic, just what *is* the Body of Christ, the great cloud of witnesses? Shared consciousness among people over time.
I woke up on the panentheistic side of the bed this morning.
I wish the Discover article had delved a bit into mind-mind interaction and synergy.
No doubt you've read here before my concept that the technologies, neutral in and of themselves, are mainly valuable for their compression of time and space.
For example a person with the mind and bend of an Augustine today would have a 100,000 times the information resources available to them in a day that Augustine had in his lifetime. How do you think would that have impacted Augustine's thoughts.
Technology is not only a compression of time and space but because of these it provides an exponentially additive effect to any activity. If for example you take a basic theological position handed down by one of our post-Nicene-fathers and research it in all of its ramifications in the "google world" you are unlikely to come to the same conclusion that the original source did. Unlikely, that is, unless you donned one of the straight jackets so readily provided by many of the Theological Seminaries and then traveled their private maze to a conclusion.
A religion's veracity and validity relies in a large part on its uniqueness, where as the "google world" is the antithesis of unique.
For example a person with the mind and bend of an Augustine today would have a 100,000 times the information resources available to them in a day that Augustine had in his lifetime. How do you think would that have impacted Augustine's thoughts.
Technology is not only a compression of time and space but because of these it provides an exponentially additive effect to any activity. If for example you take a basic theological position handed down by one of our post-Nicene-fathers and research it in all of its ramifications in the "google world" you are unlikely to come to the same conclusion that the original source did. Unlikely, that is, unless you donned one of the straight jackets so readily provided by many of the Theological Seminaries and then traveled their private maze to a conclusion.
A religion's veracity and validity relies in a large part on its uniqueness, where as the "google world" is the antithesis of unique.
Teresa, I'll give that a read.
Everytime I hear the phrase cyberpunk I smile. Being an Asimov convert since childhood AI thinik it is hard for others to make the leaps as far as he did.
Speaking of Asimov when I first logged on to an online search engine (Alta Vista, I think), the name that came immediately to mind was Hari Seldon. I knew instantly that Hari Seldon lived.
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Everytime I hear the phrase cyberpunk I smile. Being an Asimov convert since childhood AI thinik it is hard for others to make the leaps as far as he did.
Speaking of Asimov when I first logged on to an online search engine (Alta Vista, I think), the name that came immediately to mind was Hari Seldon. I knew instantly that Hari Seldon lived.
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