The Mind of Mike

Who foresaw the marked differences in the way we would begin to interact with one another in general, as the next evolutionary step in the technology of mobile communication was taking place? Did any of us recognize the true quantum leaps, that were: the telegraph to telephone, telephone to cell phone and “pager”, first class air mail to email, PC to laptop, pager to text messaging, cell phone to blackberry, laptop to tablet, blackberry to iphone and android to Google glasses and goggles for all http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/? Naturally, everyone was plenty aware of the obvious upgrades in expediting information with each level that Ma Bell, AT&T, Apple and Google quickly reached. But as our exponentially exploding speeds of communication have manifested so many other unseen revelations and “applications” for making our lives “better, faster, and easier”; how many of us really have ever stepped back and just said my God, we live in the future! When my Grandfather wanted to share his heart’s aching, and quench his soul’s thirst for one word of loving communication with his just married wife, as he endured his new realities of being thrust into “MASH” units on the front lines of the Korean War; he wrote her a letter. That letter was screened by the military and whatever was left, was duly thrown into the pile and eventually made it’s way to my Grandmother; to be the monthly prize of 30 days’ worth of agonizingly lonely trips made empty handed back from the mail box, on her family chicken farm in the middle of what is now St. Louis city. Conversely, while I’m sure the battalions currently stationed in far off hostile lands, face similar situations in sending tangible, handwritten artifacts of true love and longing as my Grandpa did over 60 years ago; they also have the ability to occasionally Skype, Facetime, or Facebook chat with their loved ones in real time. The point is, as each development occurs, it is only in increments as seemingly miniscule as they are expeditious; to the extent that the current generation of children and young adults expects the next advancement before it happens, and thus is less than aware of each jumps’ significance. Can you imagine what the infantry in the Korean War would have said if you told them, without the necessary frame of reference, that it’s time to Skype with their wife and newborn baby daughter?

On to this notion of the future arriving and no one giving a damn…

I suppose my question is this – what constitutes telepathy to you? I quite simply imagine it as a way for me to “read” your mind, without you speaking. That premise is as simple as it is complicated to achieve. Yet, is it really so far fetched an idea for the general public, in say 2020? My daughter would think, while she’s at home and her husband is at work, that he better remember to stop by the school and get the kids, on this day he normally wouldn’t have to. He is able to “know” that she has thought that, and use the helpful reminder to be there with bells on http://9to5google.com/2012/02/06/hud-google-glasses-are-real-and-they-are-coming-soon/. How might my mother accomplished this mid day reminder? She wouldn’t have been able to without certainly interfering with more than just his work time (see: payphones). My wife can currently text me said comment, and when a time occurs that I can reasonably take 13 seconds to glance at my phone, I can read her thought. Where is the big leap in knowing that we are so much closer to seeing my daughter’s generation be able to think their conversations, hands and mouth free?

What would this entail? Wearing whichever lucky few “eye glasses’ compatible computer screens” that are eaten or produced by Google, Apple, or Amazon; one would be able to perform all the functions any computer is capable of, using the two most cutting edge methods, of either specific eye and head movements http://www.technologyreview.com/review/428212/you-will-want-google-goggles/, or the ever evolving use of the brain’s thoughts themselves http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/05/23/mind-control-world-first-3d-printed-object-created-using-brain-waves/. Thus accomplishing the task of my daughter manifesting her inner thoughts into readable text by another human being without the use of sound or her hands. From that point, it’s all over but the crying! Her husband, wearing his all but unnoticeable, and soon to be highly common and fashionable version of Google Glasses, or whatever they’ll be called; will have his message settings on “always allow” for his wife, of course, and will instantly see her thoughts pop into view before his very eye – wherever he may be! Not to shabby for a bunch of Americans kicking it out on the West Coast, just trying to make the newest, coolest tech more available and smaller than the last gen’s.

How can we assume that I’m the only who has made the easy connection between today’s toys becoming tomorrow’s treasures? How is Google’s stock doing http://buzz.money.cnn.com/tag/google-glass/? To infinity and beyond, I presume!

So, did Sky Net realize they were damning all of humankind and Earth itself when it created the first prototype http://alum.mit.edu/pages/sliceofmit/2013/05/30/google-glass-inspired-by-terminator/? Did we realize in high school who would rule the world http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/b/billgatesspeech.htm#.Ua1aIyAo7IU ? Is the internet really still happening like this, organic and free? Where is the backlash of tech-hating savages revolting in a wave of “cooler than you”, hipster-like, youth fueled mob mentality; singing “we don’t need no subjugation”? Why would they, if it’s something they can readily access and afford? More importantly, isn’t telepathy the next evolutionary leap in communication, from hand gestures on through to grunts, painting, speaking, singing, blue tooth phone calls, and texting…..

For all you conspiracy theorists out there…

How hard would it then be, using technology that allows for a scanning of your very thoughts for use in messaging and operating it’s interface; for “THEM” to monitor, or “track for marketing purposes” your every inner dialogue? I know, that’s the kind of crazy talk people used to babble about when cell phones were new. Silly now, to think, we would of ever been worried about our government being able to tap any phone http://www.crf-usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/the-patriot-act.html, use the handy GPS service on your Android to send a drone to do whatever “THEY” want, to any heretofore innocent citizen http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/feb/7/coming-to-a-sky-near-you/……

Would you wear one?