Ask HN: Is anyone working on “downloading” knowledge to the brain?

Not a word about the security implications?

The easiest reply would be "They are called books", or whatever container and format for information - and already there issues and risks are more than just possible, mitigated by filters one is trained to develop. The more acquisition of information takes the aspect of an "injection", a whole world of issues open.

From "I read War and Peace in one hour: it was about Russia", to all kind of mental poison (from "bad" notions to concretions of intellectual inadequacies): information has to be digested - processed and integrated.

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So, on the point of view of feasibility: if knowledge implies diffused transformations (as opposed e.g. to installing an independent informatic file, non-integrated with its peers), that idea of injecting knowledge is absurd - it does not work that way. When you come to know that Paris is in that location, in that position on the map, you modify a number of notions: some directly related to Paris, others of all related entities - of the idea of France and its layout, of Montparnasse, of the Second World War, of the treaties there signed etc. Information needs to be digested to be productive.

Infohazard comes to mind...

As compelling as that tech would be, the risks are crazy!

What do you mean, forget? The whole point of the OP was that they are aware of how much time learning takes in real life, otherwise it wouldn't be a problem to solve.

Many Japanese comics, stories, etc. showcase and celebrate the hero's trip from 0 to 1 on a scale of 100. I believe this is an Asian cultural thing, were struggle _matters_ and even little steps - sometimes invisible to others - are celebrated.

Most US based comics, movies, books, short-stories celebrate the hero's accomplishment _after_ the training period. The hero is already the _the best one around_ in whatever art/skill/etc. Sometimes it's a random event (spiderman, captain america, ironman) or the backstory is quickly brushed off (e.g. jack reacher, even Hiro Protagonist in Cryptonomicon to mention something more involved) in the past.

I believe this approach, gives instant gratification but creates that narrative that _things come for free_ and/or by _design_ (God, nature, randomness, whatever you wanna call it). Not saying one is necessarily better than the other, but IMO there's beauty in widely considered small wins as well, especially when they become consistent.

ps. A counter-example western Hero I can think is Harry Potter. There's too much shine there as well, but Harry ultimately acquires his skillset through struggle. Harry is not as proficient as others, but dealing with dangerous situations through the series grows into a formidable dueller.

Cybernetic implants into the mind are in their infant stage. We have electrical and magnetic stimulation treatments being tried all around our healthcare system, but these are to modulate the brain and help it normalize for dementia, depression, etc.

The best practical way to achieve your end? Reform education. We are forced to learn so much useless, outdated, opinionated information in the 20 years of mental training we call education. Let people begin apprenticeships very early on, let them try actual jobs and tasks, not just tests.

A low tech noninvasive way? Phones. If our phones downloaded all the data they needed, theoretically they could make our decisions for us. We'd never need to know things as long as the phone can communicate precisely what to do, without the costly why.

Obviously, I wouldn't sign up for the latter unless it became necessary to stay relevant. I don't like the privacy and freedom implications of a device with all the "right answers".