Not terribly much. I guess it can be abused, sort of, but the benefits are simply amazing. I wonder how long it will take to complete the other half of an interface, so that you can, for instance, project your desktop directly into your visual cortex.

Hopefully, hopefully soon (May G-d hear my prayer).

Too, too many suffer and the waste... of resources, people, lives... just brings tears.

[quote

Excision of the olfactory bulb doesn't render a subject completely anosmic -- so long as the brain centers responsible for interpreting odorous input are 1) functional and 2) stimulated at the right frequency respective to the particular odor we are meant to perceive (e.g., proper signal for chicken, peas, tar, etc., each with its own wave pattern).  This can be remotely done.

We are mechanical in every sense of the word, and sensory manipulation/execution is not a new frontier.  But with all things presented as "new" (to the public), remember that anything made available for the public's use (ie, having commercial potential) has already been cleared by the US Military as posing no threat to "National Security" (Israel is powered by the US/Jesuits; hence, they are one in the same).

Much of what we take for granted today has been the result of ongoing weapons/military research.

[quote

Trying to right a wrong with another wrong?  Am I the only one who believes the human civilization has de-volved?

A dollar earned by one person, is a dollar denied someone else.

The mechanism of scarcity is a requirement for the monetary system to function properly.  Hence, poverty is supported simply by engaging in the system.  Too many suffer, indeed.  And with resources becoming more and more restricted (by law) to give the monetary system "value", many more stand to suffer and become "disabled" by other nonphysical means.

Still got tears?

-.-

We are mechanical  - no. Machines work by ΔT - temperature differences. We do not. We work around a fairly constant temperature. Our energy is not derived from 'oxidation' like a gas engine. We use enzymes.

In your version of reality.

No... trying to help disabled people.

Not at all.

Only in one model (diamonds and other "commodities") they do not represent the entire economic system.

The monetary system doesn't depend only on scarcity... some items do, but not all. The economic system didn't stop functioning when we had budget surpluses. But beyond that, you should read "The Future of Money" by Bernard Lietaer - a small quote:

"Your money's value is determined by a global casino of unprecedented proportions: $2 trillion are traded per day in foreign exchange markets, 100 times more than the trading volume of all the stockmarkets of the world combined. Only 2% of these foreign exchange transactions relate to the "real" economy reflecting movements of real goods and services in the world, and 98% are purely speculative"

There isn't just one kind of money, aeligos. There are many as well as alternative currencies...

Uh.... huh.

What gets me about this guy is that he seems to hit on so many important social and political points in passing, but from completely random directions.

Not machines.  But mechanical -- mechanical in the sense of physical forces; explained by physics, essentially, as a car can be explained by using physics.  Both car and human are mechanical, but one is a machine, the other a human.

Let's try to think outside the box; the world is not as black and white as our PhD academe juzu wizards would have us believe.

Oxidation reactions do occur in living organisms, but our (cellular) energy, since you mentioned it, is derived from de/phosphorylation reactions by use of the catalyst (ATP).  What is an enzyme if it isn't a catalyst?  A catalyst widely used by life.  Nanobots are currently being perfected so as to replace/enhance the enzymatic reactions of the human musculoskeletal system, to preserve/enhance the cerebral network for memory preservation, remote viewing and to artificially enhance the intelligence of the host.

Strange ways, here we come.

Ignorance is bliss?

We can help disabled people by preventing disabilities in the first place.  Spinal regeneration, cancer prevention (instead of causation), and limb regeneration, for example, is only unheard of today because the medical industry (and our economy now that I think of it) would suffer dearly.

All those trillions of dollars would go to waste (or better stated, would not be created) because of all the damn healthy people. 

If the authorities stated that legal money can be produced from the harvesting of squirrel kidneys, blended with 1.8grams of pigeon-fertilized black soil, and rolled out to a sheet no higher than 0.02 cm thick, and baked for 13.5 minutes at 125F, would you believe them?

I'm guessing you would, Jman.

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is for a reason, and its influence is global; its authority unwavering.

The City of London does not belong to the Queen of the UK, nor to the people or its parliament.  It belongs to the British Crown, which possesses the financial district of London and exists completely independent of other parliaments and monarchs of the world, which it controls through the means of corporate commercial transaction, debt and inflation.

The City of London is therefore the financial capital of the world, so mention any other world currency, or create your own with squirrel innards, and it will still abide by the Crown's authority.  So make haste and gather your squirrel hunting gear because if you snooze, you will lose.

Time is money -- literally!

-.-

aeligos, where is this perfect universe?

Doc and A...  you both want things to be better for people, even as you both seem to differ on the 'hows' and 'werefors.'   I am glad there are people who are genuninely concerned about our welfare, our future as a people, as a species, and as a biosphere/planet. 

I came across this related PC/tech that might also help people with danaged limbs, etc.

http://www.innovationnewsdaily.com/mit-transform-world-tech-1920/8 

Indeed, Ekana. The gesture ("Minority File") interface already exists MS Surface computing and the Kinect decice promises not only facial recognition by your OS, but movement related "Awakening/booting" of the OS. It could also have a use in home security.

Kinect (won't let me put two different vids in... even though urls are different, same vid displays).