[tt] WP: Your Comments On...Michael Chorost: Confessions of a Bionic Man

Thu Apr 17 13:24:06 UTC 2008

I'm the third commentator. No direct replies and no requests to get my 
diary. I was somewhat surprised by this, but it seems that the community 
of those who respond to articles in even such a big paper as the 
Washington Post is not all that large.

Your Comments On...Michael Chorost
Confessions of a Bionic Man
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/11/AR2008041103260_Comments.html

sevenstones1000 wrote:
Thank goodness, an article about cochlear implants without any idiotic 
drivel about "deaf culture". Thank you!
4/13/2008 10:13:27 AM
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Jay2Day wrote:
I had never heard of cochlear implants until reading this article. The 
author makes some interesting points and I agree that there are some 
positives to be gained by all of humanity with such technology. However, I 
believe the potential for these technologies to be used the wrong way may 
be greater than what could be gained.
4/13/2008 10:34:40 AM
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checker1 wrote:
I, too, am a cochlear cyborg and have been since 2007 February 7 when my 
Advanced Bionics Clarion Platinum processor was turned on at 10:17 A.M., 
but unlike Mike Chorost, I still hear music only poorly. The implant was 
designed for speech, not only because music is much more complex but also 
because it has been determined that gossip, rumble-bumble in meetings, and 
posturing politicians are more important than the imperishable truths of 
Beethoven. I continue to spend at least an hour a day doing various 
training exercises, but the fact remains that I hear notes on the scale 
out of order, often sounding like chords. This is especially 
disappointing, since I've been a life-long collector of 78 r.p.m. 
recordings of classical instrumental music.

If anything, I am an even more enthusiastic advocate of using technology 
to upgrade the human condition than Mike is. This advocacy is called 
transhumanism. Visit the World Transhumanist Association, 
http://www.transhumanism.org, or read the Wikipedia article at 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism.

I have been keeping a running diary of my progress and lack thereof, which 
is now longer than Mike's fine 2005 book, _Rebuilt: How Becoming Part 
Computer Made Me More Human_. I'll be happy to share my diary, which goes 
into reflections on all manner of topics, with anyone who is interested. 
Just send an e-mail to "Premise Checker," checker at panix.com.

Frank Forman
4/13/2008 11:17:18 AM
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wordsmyth1 wrote:
"In 2005, I got new software that made music sound brighter and clearer. 
The software's improved frequency resolution enabled me to distinguish 
between tones that had sounded identical before."

Notice that the implant's signals to the brain are electromagnetic, as are 
those of retinal implants. This seemingly simple fact leads us to another: 
"[All] chemical binding is electromagnetic in origin, and so are all 
phenomena of nerve impulses." (Abdus Salam)

If, as would seem altogether plausible, conscious processes are "phenomena 
of nerve impulses," then it seems to follow as a ready consequence that 
they are "electromagnetic in origin."

What else follows?

http://www.wordassociation1.net/qcmenu.html
4/13/2008 12:31:58
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Mugwamp wrote:
A lot of power in a little 16 bit machine. Just imagine when they start 
packing more transistors and sensors into the implant. The 'micro wire' 
and 'frequency isolation' concepts will launch this into something big. 
Agents could do frequency monitoring just by walking by a transmitter. Are 
non-invasive brain frequency interfaces next? What about a oil or polymer 
based 'conductor' in the blood stream, transmitting body conditions to 
small body area receivers?
4/13/2008 1:14:34
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RedRat wrote:
A very welcome article indeed. It gets a little tiresome to hear from all 
the naysayers that technology will doom us all, these are the Chicken 
Little equivalents in our society that the sky is falling. Technology, of 
and by itself, is neither good or bad, it is the human being, wielding the 
technology that makes it good or bad. But we as humans like to blame 
everyone and everything other than ourselves for the wrongs of the world.

I was very glad to see such a positive article for a change, welcome 
indeed!
4/13/2008 3:03:18
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rahaha wrote:
While interesting, nanotech will have a much bigger impact over every 
aspect of life.
4/13/2008 3:06:58
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tharriso wrote:
Your statement that the human body has not changed in millions of years is 
grossly incorrect. The very first humans of any kind first apeared 6 
million years ago. We evolved through a number of genus and species during 
those 6 million years. Humans like us, Homo sapiens sapiens, have existed 
for only 70,000 years.

Technology may become part of our evolutionary future. Borg cubes shall 
arrive soon. Resistance is futile!!
4/13/2008 4:12:02
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gary4books wrote:
I could use a better graphics card - with some significant memory.
4/13/2008 9:45:31
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gary4books wrote:
"However, I believe the potential for these technologies to be used the 
wrong way may be greater than what could be gained."

We always have fear to contend with.

Probably because it is an important consideration.

But not the only one.
4/13/2008 9:49:18
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LHO39 wrote:
Michael
I love the phrase "The Accidental Futurist."

Thanks.

4/14/2008 9:39:45 AM
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baltman1 wrote:
I need to take issue with Mr. Chorsot and his use of the terminology "more 
than human". Human is human, one is either human or not human. Humaness 
brings with it a whole range of abilities or lack thereof, but no one is 
'more' or'less'human. Many of the issues in the world today reflect this 
insistance that one group is better than or worse than the other. This is 
particularly true in the area of disability where for hundreds of years 
the attitudes have been that persons with disabilities are 'less' than 
human. Congress in the 1850's referred to persons who were deaf, blind, 
insane or idiotic (their terms) as 'unfortunates' thus reflecting the 
ideas of the nation. We are all human, with varying levels of abilities 
and what we do with those abilities reflect on our humanity, but do not 
indicate our level of humaness. Prostheses influence an individual's 
quality of life and improve their ability to contribute to society and to 
take part in society, whether a cochlear implant, a hip replacement, a 
prosthetic foot, leg or hand - they don't make a person 'more human'.

Barbara M. Altman
Disability Statistics Consultant
4/14/2008 12:26:15
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bribarker wrote:
Your comment about Esperanto gives the impression that Esperanto is not a 
living language!

Can I ask you to check http://www.Esperanto.net
4/14/2008 1:21:04
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cgranaldic3m27g39 wrote:
I'm a cochlear implantee since 5/01 with the AB Platinum CII. I've 
followed Mr.Chorost's writings for a number of years, and agree with his 
perspectives. In my case, I'd not heard birdsong in over 55 years, and my 
CI now allows me to be connected again to the sounds of nature. Pre-CI, I 
didn't feel as though I was part of the "outside" world, not being able to 
understand spoken English -- it all sounded like a foreign language to me, 
but now with the CI, I can understand speech so much better. With a CI, 
the gains far, far outnumber the disadvantages of needing to use 
electronic equipment, batteries, jacks, et. MY hearing equipment is my 
"wheelchair" for my hearing. I'm so thrilled yet, even after 7 yrs. to be 
able to partake of what "human" sounds can be heard -- people speaking or 
humming a tune or whistling. When I remove my equipment, It's like being 
plunged into a pool of water -- dead silence and disconnect with the world 
of sound. I feel less than human when I am deaf, and more attuned to 
humanity when I can hear its sounds. This CI thing -- it's gonna catch on. 
cgranaldi, NJ
4/14/2008 2:06:34
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Grandblvd03 wrote:
I'm happy for the author yet disturbed by the potential for the 
technology. I don't want to be a cyborg.
4/14/2008 3:44:47
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