Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
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Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
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Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#2There is a subreddit for this if you feel like reading more http://www.reddit.com/r/tDCS/
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#3"Scientists call for more regulation (ie more grant $) before the devices is sold to the public, film at 11."
The only problem is the DIY crowd. A 9V battery is not exactly under regulation. What people do with their body is their problem.
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#4"Scientists call for more regulation (ie more grant $) before the devices is sold to the public, film at 11." The only problem is the DIY crowd. A 9V battery is not exactly under regulation. What people do with their body is their problem.
I'd agree with you, but as you know we have universal health care in Canada which is funded by the government. Therefore, what people do with their body is actually the taxpayers' problem, if anything goes wrong.
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#5There is a subreddit for this if you feel like reading more http://www.reddit.com/r/tDCS/
With the warning on the subreddit: Caution: you can be killed by a 9V battery
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#6If something can make your body better without adverse effects, it is already there. You are not smarter than 3.5 billions of life evolution, period.
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#7I am convinced that at some point some smart sod will figure out how to create a 'high' by using something along the lines of this. Put on a headband, flick the switch, and blam! high as a kite. Turn the switch off, and back to being sober.
When that happens, the world will change in a very unpredictable way. Billions, perhaps trillions of dollars that are part of the drug trade will suddenly have no where to go. All the social aspects of shared inebriation will still be in place but most if not all of the economic aspects will be killed.
I expect my kids will get to witness this change.
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#8I may run into a lot of experts (from multiple fields) here on HN with strong opinions to the contrary, but here are my two cents.
If I could double my cognitive ability for 5 years, then die from an unknown complication with this type of therapy, I would do it without blinking an eye.
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#9I am convinced that at some point some smart sod will figure out how to create a 'high' by using something along the lines of this. Put on a headband, flick the switch, and blam! high as a kite. Turn the switch off, and back to being sober. When that happens, the world will change in a very unpredictable way. Billions, perhaps trillions of dollars that are part of the drug trade will suddenly have no where to go. All…
I think what you've just described is Larry Niven's "wirehead."
In Larry Niven's Known Space stories, a wirehead is someone who has been fitted with an electronic brain implant (called a "droud" in the stories) to stimulate the pleasure centres of their brain. In the Known Space universe, wireheading is the most addictive habit known (Louis Wu is the only given example of a recovered addict), and wireheads usually die from neglecting themselves in favour of the ceaseless pleasure. Wireheading is so powerful and easy that it becomes an evolutionary pressure, selecting against that portion of Known Space humanity without self-control. Wireheading need not use an actual brain implant; the pleasure centre can be remotely activated by a small device called a "tasp" (important in the Ringworld novels).
Re: Do It Yourself Brain Stimulation has Scientists Worried
#10If something can make your body better without adverse effects, it is already there. You are not smarter than 3.5 billions of life evolution, period.
This reads like a form of faith. I don't share it. Is there literally no potential for artificial selection to outpace natural selection?
I know this thinking can be dangerous and contains serious ethical problems, but the factual side of your statement I just can't agree with. Not without more to convince me.