Is Brain-Machine Manipulation Control A New Category of Intelligence?

The other day, I was reviewing Howard Gardner's theory on Multiple Intelligences. I've always been intrigued by it all, but have also been critical of it. You see, when academics start categorizing stuff and defining things, they often forget components, perhaps they never thought of. Whenever someone comes up with something else, they try to then force it into another category, usually where it doesn't belong, but if they do it anyway as to save face or not have to re-write their signature piece of research.

Now then, I see a new type of intelligence, which I believe cannot just be stuck into Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory. Let me enlighten you along with Howard if I might.

Now then, perhaps you've heard of all the research we've done with Chimpanzees where they are hooked to apparatuses and able to think about moving something perhaps a prosthesis or something on a computer screen. Well, now we have such things for humans to help them overcome brain injury or allowing them to control wireless systems to move a prosthesis where the nerve endings do not exist. The ability to do this, based on how these systems work requires a new type of use of the brain, a new type of intelligence if you will, one which Howard Gardner had not conceived and does not fit into his model.

Okay so, someone who studies physiology, psychology, and neurology might attempt to place this new type of intelligence into the "Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence" category, but I am not buying it, and that line of reasoning does not meet Gardner's definition. Thus, either he must add to definition and re-write his theory, or add a category. If he adds a new category which I do believe this new type of brain function and intelligence deserves, then he's proven my comments correct above about how academics so often attempt to place absolutes into their list of criteria, categories, and definitions. If one attempts to force this new intelligence into an old category, then still they prove my comments correct because they are forcing continued adoption of a linear and limited number and types of intelligences.

How many more intelligences in the human organic brain capable of as we reach into transhumanism in the future? And know I don't have a perfectly defined theory to address that, although lots of ideas on the concept, you see I just don't want to fall into the same trap. Further, I see the multiple intelligences paradigm as far too limited for the future of mankind and far too small for an organic mind organ which is so vastly superior in performance considering its small energy needs. Please consider all this and think on it.

Collaborative Learning - A New Era in Education

In a day and age when technology has taken over our lives to the extent that we are surrounded by it all around us, it's little wonder then that this field has made remarkable contributions in the education sector as well, be it in school education or higher education. Gone are the days when teaching meant entering a classroom and talking non-stop for an hour to a group of disinterested and drowsy students. Instead, with the rapid changes that have been implemented in various schools and institutes, teachers and students are both being encouraged to be more interactive in their approach towards learning.

There are many tools available when it comes to collaborative learning. It is common knowledge that information and education that is learnt with the help of audio-visual aids is usually better retained. Thus, there are many tools available including e-learning and e-classroom sessions. With the boom of the Internet, many e-learning portals sprung up and started providing information on various topics. Some of them were integrated so that this information ended up being relevant study material.

There are many portals available today that can help you with gaining information that you need. In fact, many schools employ the method of integrating their teaching methods and e-learning tools so as to effectively teach any lesson in class. Various schools are supportive of this and have not only equipped their campus with high speed internet but also encourage students to use this medium as much as possible. This not only increases their horizons but also aids them in getting acquainted with doing research so as to be thorough with any topic.

The well known adage 'Two heads are better than one' has never been truer. In today's times, merely rote learning from textbooks will not get anyone anywhere in life. With the high level of competition in every field, it is best to use tools like collaborative learning so that you not only become thorough in your field but also develop an edge over your counterparts. There are various well known collaborative learning portals wherein people can even interact in real time and gain and exchange information and study material. With such extensive options available at the mere click of a button, anyone not making use of it is surely missing out on an excellent opportunity to gain and exchange information that will broaden his knowledge in every sense of the word.

The Web Bot Project and Its Prophesies

The Web Bot Project is a computer program that was created by Clif High and George Ure in the 1990's.

Clif High originally began developing software in an attempt to stay ahead of movements in the financial markets. But Web Bot has gained fame for something else-- an alleged ability to foresee future events!

How is this possible? Clif High claims that the software operates based on the psychic abilities in every human being. As the program scours the internet, it picks up on certain words and notes the shifts in their contexts.

By doing this, information can supposedly be gathered that may inform us about things that are going to happen in the future.

This information can often be vague but is sometimes eerily specific.

Unsurprisingly, Clif High and George Ure have a large amount of critics. Considering that the entire Web Bot Project is based in the assumption that all humans have predictive psychic abilities-- well, that's hardly shocking.

However, they also have a truly enthusiastic following as well! From YouTube videos to radio broadcasts to newsletters and blogging, Clif High, George Ure and the Web Bot Project are constantly disseminating news about their models and predictions that is easily locatable.

They claim to have had previous knowledge of many events in the past, albeit somewhat vague. Giving incredibly specific warnings and notifications about a future event has never been its focus. So while the evidence seems to show some validity to the Project and the information it provides, that information isn't necessarily the most helpful in providing instructions or advice to avert undesirable situations.

But what have they predicted for 2012?

Could the Web Bot Project have the ability to forewarn us about the potential threats of a 2012 Apocalypse?

Well so far, the information has been limited. Literally.

As explained earlier, the program works by searching the internet looking for shifts in the use language. This data is gathered and then analyzed.

But here's the issue with data surrounding December 21, 2012: there isn't much data.

For some unknown reason, there appears to be a large void of data available in the immediate months following December 2012. The volume of data then mysteriously resumes mid-way through 2013.

Will Future Trans-Humans Keep Their Skeletons In the Closet or Show Them Off As a Display?

In the future, there may be a time where humans actually end up "dying by robot" that is to say as their parts wear out they end up getting manufactured replacements. It's already starting to happen with all the prosthesis devices from our returning soldiers, or all the titanium hips, artificial knees, hearing aids, and other equipment that we are installing onto humans to work within their bio system. Do you see that point? Okay so let's talk shall we because I'd like to introduce a new potential eventuality for future periods.

There is a funny saying amongst politicians that everyone has "skeletons in their closet," but in the future as humans mature and their human parts and frailty wear out, they may have their brains uploaded to a robotic android so they can live forever. If they do this will they wish to keep their skeletons on display in their living rooms? Will they tell their friends when they come to visit that; "this is my old skeleton that I had back in 2043 before I got this new upgraded technologically advanced version."

Am I saying this might be a nice centerpiece for their living room? It might sound morbid, but over time you become rather attached to your body, and you would probably like to keep those skeleton bones, and whatever else is salvageable as a keepsake. Just as many people mount the heads of the big game they have hunted, perhaps they will keep their own head and mount it on the wall, using the latest current technologies in taxonomy? Yes, I imagine this article is getting a little crazy, but it is worth pondering the question because this could be a new industry for a very smart entrepreneur.

You might say that you would never do that personally, but how do you know? You may say that you would never wish to outlive your own body, but if everyone else was doing the same thing, wouldn't you wish to live amongst your own family rather than perish when your body got tired and ran out of steam? If you had the chance to live forever, perhaps in an exoskeleton robotic humanoid form, keeping all of your memories and mind - I bet you would opt for that, that is if you could afford it, and if it was available to you.

It is true that the future of trans-humanism is a rather mentally challenging philosophical topic to discuss, but I would submit to you that this potential eventuality and future is nearly upon us. Therefore I ask that you please consider all this and think on it.

Are Small Cells the Future?

Internet mobility is almost a given with anyone who owns a phone today, but with increasing users the wireless system can become overburdened. The wireless system used by mobile service providers consists of a network of Macrocells. These cells are the primary source for much of the nation's 3G (and now growing LTE) coverage. If you've seen a tower or the top of a building equipped with radio antennas, you are viewing a cell site. These cells generally have a range of a mile or two so they must be strategically placed throughout a city to provide consistent coverage. Today, cities, mobile phone and internet providers are turning to small cells to fill in the gaps in coverage to act as a data off-loading element to help manage the spectrum of wireless connectivity more efficiently.

Small cells, compared to macrocells, are lower-powered radio access nodes that have a range of 30 to 650 feet. Network operators see this technology has a way to alleviate the massive data demands put on macrocells. Cities, like Chicago, view this technology as an opportunity to provide widespread wireless internet connectivity to its residents and the technology is being attached to a very familiar component to every city has - the street lamp.

Street lamps provide an existing structure that is located frequently throughout city streets but they require additional power to supply the necessary voltage to microcells. All the microcell needs are three things: somewhere to hang, power and fiber connection to backhaul data. Utilizing streetlamps seems to be the least unobtrusive option.

In Chicago, Mayor Daley had a vision of supplying the entire city with an alternative broadband service that would not only provide the city's residents a cost effective internet solution but also provide the city with much needed revenue. But due to rising costs and increased competition from other providers, the widespread plan was killed and the mayor instead implemented a less ambitious plan to infuse impoverished neighborhoods with internet connectivity to demonstrate the "transformative power" of the Internet.

Today, Chicago's new mayor, Rahm Emanuel, is reviving the former mayor's plan by establishing high-speed internet access to under-served neighborhoods, industrial corridors and public spaces. Emanuel's goal is to bring "free or heavily discounted, multi-megabit Internet service over a wired or wireless network" to 15 zones and public plazas and parks.

Millennium Park already has free Wi-Fi provided by a Chicago-based communications provider and other providers are seeing a big opportunity. Since the city is replacing hundreds of miles of water pipe, sewer lines and hundreds of thousands of catch basins, city streets are being dug up to accomplish the task. It seems that the opportunity to lay broad-band and the dark fiber throughout the city while these other infrastructure upgrades are taking place is one that shouldn't be missed.

Train Acoustic Gravity Interference Solution - TAGIS

Well, sometimes the creative mind and creative geniuses allow themselves to engage in hyper creativity and imagination, at least I've been accused of this at our think tank. Therefore, the crazy idea I'm about to ask you to ponder will require that you suspend your belief system, and everything you think you know about physics in our physical world. Now then, let's begin because there may be a potential solution for a gravity interference scheme for high-speed rail and cargo trains. Let's talk.

When you see a train from a frontal view, you see the track and the wheels and a space underneath. No, I don't recommend that you get underneath the train lay on the track in the center to prove my point. Nevertheless, this creates a cavity with intense vibrational energy and sound. And therefore I ask; is it possible to use that energy to interfere with gravity waves. Whereas, it is true that we don't know much about gravity, at least we do believe it is a wave. If we disrupt that wave, we will limit the amount of gravity pulling down on the train.

Thus, it might be possible to do this underneath a train as it rolls down the track, we would be able to capture that vibrational energy, modify the frequency, and use it to disrupt gravity. By doing this the train would be lighter on the track, causing less friction. Less friction means less energy is needed to propel the train and therefore we can save fuel and economy, or use that power to generate more speed. Now then, what would keep the train from derailing? Perhaps a catch hook roller on the bottom of the track, which might mean we need to redesign the track ever so slightly, but it would be well worth the investment due to the amount of energy we would save.

One problem with this would be that by interfering with the gravity there would be less friction on the track, therefore less noise and vibration, thus, less energy to use to modify the frequency and power settings to counteract the gravity. Nevertheless we might be able to figure out on a graph exactly where the best and most efficient possible place might be between gravity and friction, coefficients of drag and weight of the train to dial in the best ratios.

Now then, I ask; what else might we use such a system for, and where else might we harness that level of energy to serve our needs in disrupting gravity? Such a system once perfected would seemingly have unlimited applications, not to mention it would help alleviate vibrational noise which is often an annoyance. Please consider all this and think on it.

What If We Put a Jet Pack On a Dolphin?

Have you seen the extreme daredevil sporting pilot who straps a jet pack on his back, one with a delta wing, and flies around? I'd say that's pretty cool isn't it? He jumps out of a perfectly good airplane, lights the rockets, and flies away. He steers the jet pack by moving his body side to side, and goes up and down by putting his head up and down. When he puts his head up the relative wind gets underneath his body and changes his angle of attack. Apparently, the human body seems to work good for this. Still, I have a better idea, and I'd like to explain it to you, if you have a few minutes.

What if we put a jet pack on a dolphin? You might think that my comment would be suggesting cruelty to animals. However, can you imagine the adrenaline rush, and excitement that a dolphin could experience if they could fly - especially if they could go 300 miles an hour. Dolphins already live in a 3-D environment in the ocean, and they can already go up and down and sideways by moving their body. In fact, they are much more suited to flying a jet pack than a human. They already have fins and a tail, and as you know, they are quite streamlined.

Indeed, one could argue that it is a better body style for flying because dolphins are already more aerodynamic. They are also much better at maneuvering their bodies to manipulate their environment. Therefore, I bet they'd be much better pilots. Oh, so now I have pique your curiosity and got your attention. In fact, if you put humans in jet packs and dolphins in jet packs and you wanted to have aerial dogfights, the dolphins would have the advantage. Their minds are already set up for spatial 3-D thinking, they are more maneuverable, and they are smart enough to beat us at aerial dogfighting.

Would it be very hard to design a jet pack for a dolphin? Not any harder than designing one for a human and we've already done that. In fact, it might actually be easier. Would a dolphin have trouble learning to fly it? Doubtful, they are already flying around underwater in many regards. So, it would probably come very natural for them. You might think this is a waste of time even considering. I completely disagree.

Sometimes it seems to me that humans are quite species centric, and they think they're better than everyone else. I wonder? The dolphins seem to be masters of their own environment through the evolutionary process. Humans seem to need to modify their environment, and we are hardly masters yet.