Media.........Interesting News! Interesting Letters!

[The Commander]

I actually heard this on the news.  A reporter asked a representative from the Arab Leage why reporters and camera men were not allowed to take photos or see the site of the Israeli attack, that is, if it is not a terrorist camp as the Syrians claim.  He answered, and I quote to the best of my memory "There is no reason to go and take photos of something that does not exist!"


Hilarious!

The Commander
DIA

[Demonica, Oracle of Doom]

I actually heard this on the news.  A reporter asked a representative from the Arab Leage why reporters and camera men were not allowed to take photos or see the site of the Israeli attack, that is, if it is not a terrorist camp as the Syrians claim.  He answered, and I quote to the best of my memory "There is no reason to go and take photos of something that does not exist!"


Hilarious!

The Commander
DIA

Hee heee heeee!

That's great logic!

I mean, You'd have to be careful.  Taking unauthorized photo's of something that does not exist could be illegal!

[The Commander]

Check this out!

Science - AP

Monkeys Can Move Robot Arms With Thoughts
Mon Oct 13,12:32 PM ET  Add Science - AP to My Yahoo!


By ALEX DOMINGUEZ, Associated Press Writer

Monkeys with brain implants were trained to move a robot arm with their thoughts, a key advance by researchers who hope one day to allow paralyzed people to perform similar tasks.


A series of electrodes containing tiny wires were implanted about a millimeter deep into the brains of two monkeys. A computer then recorded signals produced by the monkeys' brains as they manipulated a joystick controlling the robotic arm in exchange for a reward ?? sips of juice.


The joystick was later unplugged and the arm, which was in a separate room, was controlled directly by the brain signals coming from the implants. The monkeys eventually stopped using the joystick, as if they knew their brains were controlling the robot arm, Duke University researcher Miguel Nicolelis said.


"Three of us were in the room watching the monkey late at night, and all of sudden the monkey just dropped the joystick and started playing the game ... the monkey just got it that she didn't need to move the joystick," Nicolelis said.


"We couldn't believe it, it was almost like the monkey was telling us, `Believe me, I can do it.' ... She was very happy; she was very enthused about the fact she could do it." The second monkey also stopped using the joystick.


The work was reported Monday in the first edition of the journal PLoS Biology, a free, peer-reviewed scientific journal published online by the Public Library of Science.


The Duke researchers had previously wired the brains of monkeys to allow a robotic arm to mimic motions made by the monkeys when using a joystick or reaching for food.


Humans have already been implanted with a similar device that allows them to control the movement of a cursor on a computer screen through their thoughts. The implant used in the monkey work, however, is smaller and the task accomplished was more complex.

 
The Duke researchers have now moved onto researching similar implants in humans, and Nicolelis said he is more optimistic about the prospects for use in humans.


"It could do a lot of things, wheelchairs, computers, prosthetic arms, perhaps their own arms," Nicolelis said.


Appliances, remote objects in other locations in the house and robots all could be controlled, he said.


"It really opens the possibilities, and it reduces the amount of time. Previously, I had thought it might be five to 10 years before we could apply this to humans. I'm getting more optimistic now, I think in a couple of years we may be doing the real clinical trials."


The implants remained in the Duke monkeys for 2 1/2 years showing they can be used for extended period. Over time, the monkeys' brains adapted to treat the robotic arm as if it was their own limb, Nicolelis said.


___


On the Net:


PLoS Biology: http://www.plosbiology.org

[riff]

[ObSlashdot:] I, for one, welcome our new robot monkey overlords.

[The Commander]

Ook?

The Commander
DIA

[SMFabal]

In his first act as President of the NRA, Charlton Heston swore to legalize hunting of "those damn dirty apes"

[SMFabal]

My friend Scott is an escaped Catholic. Proof:

I'm not sure how, but this must be a sin. We're making fun of someone who doesn't exist behind their back

:P

[Demonica, Oracle of Doom]

WOW!

Bananas all around!

Do I qualify for the monkey experimental program?  Are they taking applications? I want to play tetris with my newly found brain power!

*Reaches for a sip of juice*

*Glares at grey face and watches t.v. remote explode*

[Spoon E. Gee]

I want implants.... I so wanna be cyberpunk.... I'd be first in line...

[riff]

Heh, I wanna be cyberpunk too, but I'll wait till, oh, 100th or so in line.  Make sure they get the bugs worked out first.  

[Demonica, Oracle of Doom]

I'll be first!

Bugs and all

[Rev Thwack]

10:1 odds that this comes out first as a complete computer interface allowing us to get rid of mice and keyboards.

1:1 odds that this computer interface version looks like the computer interface from the matrix, because "it's cool"

1,000,000:1 odds that microsoft will buy whatever company applies this technology to computers in the above way.

10^12:1 odds that 3 months after microsoft releases their MS You technology (see above), some hacker finds a security flaw and manages to send a deadly feedback loop into some poor fools brain.

10^56:1 odds that the same deadly feedback occurs first due to a unpatched bug.

[Spoon E. Gee]

yer no 1337 |-|4x0R!!!!!!11..... if you were... you'd be first in line specifically to get the buggy ones!... so you can work out the bugs yourself.... and maybe even have something special that yer not sposta cuz they took it out in the later versions with the bugs cuz it was too powerful!...... thats the whole fun of it!....

meh...

[Demonica, Oracle of Doom]

ooh, I didn't think of the nasty little worm bugs.....................

Brain worm?  Worm patch?  

Sounds like fun!  Maybe they would come in tutti frutti flavors?

[riff]

yer no 1337 |-|4x0R!!!!!!11..... if you were... you'd be first in line specifically to get the buggy ones!... so you can work out the bugs yourself.... and maybe even have something special that yer not sposta cuz they took it out in the later versions with the bugs cuz it was too powerful!...... thats the whole fun of it!....

meh...

Screwing around with a computer is one thing -- it breaks, you get another one.  Screwing around with your central nervous system, on the other hand... it breaks, you're in the Special Olympics.  Game over.