fishbob
Seasonally Disaffected
Transplants? There are a few posters around that need brain implants.
odorousrex
Scholar
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2002
- Messages
- 90
I like the downloading idea. I can think of a few ideas to run with assuming that someone has had their brain downloaded into a computer.
-What would the cut off of all sensorary inputs do to the person? (Maybe they don't know they are in a computer, only just struck deaf, dumb, and blind) Would they begin to imagine people to interact with? (become schizophrenic basically) What happens if they are uploaded back into their body (or a new one) after some time period?
-How would the computer clone's sense of time change? (Maybe to them in the computer it feels like years have past when in the "real world" a minute has gone by, or vice versa) What affect does that have on their relationships.
-How would a computer clone react to his/her human self? Would they want to kill it, be friends with it, be in love with it? (A lot would depend on the initial personality I guess)
-What if a person downloaded their personality into a "Sims" like environment so as to play with it, but then the computer clone "Sim" becomes aware it is being played with?
I can go on and on.
-What would the cut off of all sensorary inputs do to the person? (Maybe they don't know they are in a computer, only just struck deaf, dumb, and blind) Would they begin to imagine people to interact with? (become schizophrenic basically) What happens if they are uploaded back into their body (or a new one) after some time period?
-How would the computer clone's sense of time change? (Maybe to them in the computer it feels like years have past when in the "real world" a minute has gone by, or vice versa) What affect does that have on their relationships.
-How would a computer clone react to his/her human self? Would they want to kill it, be friends with it, be in love with it? (A lot would depend on the initial personality I guess)
-What if a person downloaded their personality into a "Sims" like environment so as to play with it, but then the computer clone "Sim" becomes aware it is being played with?
I can go on and on.
yes - i was thinking about Greg Egan.
Permutation City was a good read - had a few doubts about the quality of the simulations though. Also notable for introducing the concept of the 'Church of God Who Makes No Difference' (this was PC wasn't it CyCrow?). I'll maybe wheel that out on one of the more religious threads sometime - should rattle a few cages.
'Schilds Ladder' and 'Diaspora' (both novels) also dealt with these ideas, mostly dealing with 'post humans' and software based AI's.
I was really thinking of one of his short stories in which all adults are implanted with an electronic brain thingy that rides in tandem with and eventually replaces the organic brain. Can't remember if it was in 'Luminous' or 'Axiomatic' though - think maybe the first. Check out both anyway - I've lent my copies out on a semi-permanent basis so I can't check right now
Luminous
Permutation City was a good read - had a few doubts about the quality of the simulations though. Also notable for introducing the concept of the 'Church of God Who Makes No Difference' (this was PC wasn't it CyCrow?). I'll maybe wheel that out on one of the more religious threads sometime - should rattle a few cages.
'Schilds Ladder' and 'Diaspora' (both novels) also dealt with these ideas, mostly dealing with 'post humans' and software based AI's.
I was really thinking of one of his short stories in which all adults are implanted with an electronic brain thingy that rides in tandem with and eventually replaces the organic brain. Can't remember if it was in 'Luminous' or 'Axiomatic' though - think maybe the first. Check out both anyway - I've lent my copies out on a semi-permanent basis so I can't check right now
Luminous
Piscivore
Smelling fishy
apollo13 said:
Is that anything like Vonnegut's "Church of God the Utterly Indifferent"?
Thanks, I'll check out Egan this weekend.
Piscivore
Smelling fishy
apollo13 said:
It's from "Sirens of Titan".