Making fun of the topic doesn't help promote an intelligent discussion. With all the tech developments, discussions like these are legitimate.

I'm just a bit turned off by the negativity in most of the replies about technology like this. Why assume the worst about it? It probably would be used in some unethical ways, but it's potential to me seems pretty limitless. A lot like the internet. It's used for some pretty disgusting things and it's even abused by Governments but look how much it changed our lives for the better as well.

This is old news to me. I saw a documentary once on technology similar to this. A handicapped lady was able to steer the mouse on a computer by thought alone. Another guy used it for writing (thinking the letters, much like described here). They were not in an MRI scanner while doing so. Their brain activity was measured in other ways.

I'm not worried about misuse of such technology, but I'm not scared of the government either. No government ever hurt me and I can't see any obvious reason why one should. This technology can really help a lot of people, though, such as allowing handicapped people to control computers or robots with their minds to do work for them .. For example to talk for someone who's lost the ability to do so.

ex :

Here's something more related to what I saw :



It's not creating images on the screen, but yeah - related. :)

This is the kind of discussion I wanted...not just people commenting on how stupid someone who thinks negatively about it is.

I agree, there are some amazing things that could come out of this. In particular, the potential to record and more closely analyze your dreams. That sounds amazing to me. I just think we need to be careful.

Even if this technology existed (which we have no proof of right now) the very worse it could do is to show what image is in a person's mind at the time. It wouldn't be able to read a persons thoughts because thought's aren't images or sentences or words, thoughts are abstract and instantaneous. The technology would have no way of rendering that thought and the person behind it wouldn't be able to interpret any of it.

If they want to see what's on my mind they don't need to invent some hokey machine to tell them. All they have to do is go to a local newsagent & pick up a copy of Razzle.

It would be a lot more accurate too.

I never imagined your thoughts as tame as Razzel, Urban :p:

THE DREAM POLICE, THEY LIVE INSIDE OF MY HEAD!!!

INSIDE OF MY HEAD!!!

THE DREAM POLICE, THEY COME TO ME IN MY BED!!!

COME TO ME IN MY BED!!!

Sorry about that.

I saw them doing this on "House" :P LOL

Yeah, interesting stuff. Scary **** though. I'm actually reading 1984 for the third time now, first time in years but I found it when clearing out my room and started getting into it again.

Not really. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that when you recall a memory you see it as a still image.