Paul S

Recent Actions

• Commented on What can possibly go wrong?
  We're getting there on the faked speech front....
• Commented on Report on Seat 14C
  Heartbreaking verisimilitude....
• Commented on 2117 revisited
  I think the effect on memory is going to be profound. We have already partly outsourced "knowledge" to the cloud. By 2117 the process will be complete. Stopping entire populations knowing something, even in principle, will simply be a case...
• Commented on The unspeakable truth
  I'm still in shock. As well as being a national tragedy, it is, of course, a deeply personal one for her young family. And her constituents, and those who she championed outside of that. I guess this is like ignoring...
• Commented on Updating a classic
  Hmm, maybe I should update my CV. Uncharitably, I could argue my current place matches: 1, 3, most of 5, 6, 7, most of 8 and most of 10 :( People will put up with a lot of workplace misery...
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  What kind of group mind we form would be up to us. OK, fair enough. I'm going to posit that part of the medical wisdom the Galactic Federation can provide .. But we could ask questions about how to...
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  The question implies that whatever form this new cognitive regime takes, it's able to consistently suppress a particular type of self-destructive behaviour on the part of any node, which I don't think is true for hive/group-minds as you describe them....
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  If we posit a superconsciousness with a reaction time similar to us, we need to be within a 25 milli light seconds, or spacially extended no more than 7500km. Do we get FTL before, after, or as an enabling...
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  How much "you" is left right now, from the perspective of "you" circa age 4 years? True. Subjectively I can confabulate a continuum from age 4 to now: it doesn't feel as disjunctive as transitioning suddenly to a group...
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  I suspect one might have to allow people a choice between generational exile or joining a group mind. Some sort of mind-wipe would need to be done. Presumably, if this contact has been triggered by a certain developmental threshold being...
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  Also, I doubt that the post-borgification entity could meaningfully be described as "human". Absolutely, we would be post-human. But we're only greeted as humans, there's no implication on the part of the federation that we would (or could) remain...
• Commented on A purely theoretical dilemma
  In the scenario as presented, I don't think we have a choice. One thing not mentioned is how we are introduced to the galactic federation -- who contacted who -- but I suspect that's stepping close to a derail. The...