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Author Topic: Mind Control  (Read 9498 times)
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Phoenix
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« on: 2007-10-06, 04:07 »

Not in the Orwellian sense, but rather, using your mind, or more accurately your brain, to control video games is now very much possible.  No idea on the input latency:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299456,00.html

For those concerned, no the bird won't be using anything like this once it hits for PC's.  I looks like it would mess up my feathers, and I doubt it would work on my bird brain anyway.  I will continue to frag the old way.
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Kajet
 

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« Reply #1 on: 2007-10-06, 05:55 »

Well... that's one way to make people quit blaming the controller for their spork-ups... assuming it works right...

I wonder if that could have more artistic applications as well, I can't draw a lump of shit for shit but I can see things in my mind I'd love to have expressed...
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Rubilacxe
 
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« Reply #2 on: 2007-10-10, 14:12 »

Scenario:

Your pinned down by the enemy, forcing you to retreat to a small room with no exit.  The monsters have surrounded the door you just entered, not allowing your escape.  One things for sure, theres no way your going to leave this place.  Your safe in here.  For now.

In comes your roomate, who acts like an a**hole, and you think "god I wish he'd just leave!", thus commanding your character to open the door and leave the room....
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-JL
scalliano
 

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« Reply #3 on: 2007-10-10, 22:39 »

Yeah, I can see distractions being an issue. Right now I can hold a conversation while gaming, but if I was using tjis control method I can see my character coming to a grizzly end very quickly.
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Kajet
 

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« Reply #4 on: 2007-10-10, 23:13 »

It's kinda hard to say exactly how this thing would work, I assume it'd work on the same level as moving your fingers only without actually moving them... if that makes sense. But i guess there would be some more problems to that than a normal controller, like what if not everyone's brain waves are similar enough for the device to work for more than one person?
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Phoenix
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« Reply #5 on: 2007-10-10, 23:44 »

I'm sure there would be a calibration routine involved in setting up the controller, along with a "trainer" program.  As for brain waves being similar... I imagine there would be some exceptions, but the bio-machinery needed to to move an arm or a leg pretty much functions the same way for most humans, and the control mechanisms lie in the same regions of the brain and generate pretty much the same impulses.  How well someone can control those impulses is what varies from person to person.  A ninja or a ballet dancer or a juggler will have better motor control for some actions.  A detail artist, sculptor, painter, or watch maker will have better motor control for other actions.  Someone who sits around watching Survivor and talking on the phone all day probably will have very poor motor control compared to the ninja or juggler.  Of course, someone with a damaged cerebellum will have terrible motor control.

Some of this is dependent on the person's muscles and motor nerves as well - it's not all brain.  You could have someone with a brain capable of being a precision knife thrower, but have nerve damage in the spinal column and not be able to use their arms.  That person might be able to send the right impulses to move machinery or play a game, but not use their own limbs.  Consider this.  If this works for playing games, even at a very base level, then the logical next step is to adapt it for prosthesis for disabled persons - or to weaponize it for military applications.  One step closer to Stroggification either way.
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Kajet
 

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« Reply #6 on: 2007-10-11, 01:01 »

Hmm... good point, I know that mechanical prosthetics are a way off, and I'm sure someone's gonna bitch about them when they're in the media but, I think it'll be a good thing, cripples walking, people who have never been able to move without the help of someone or a motorized wheelchair will have independence.

And random people who are completely healthy who decide they need metal limbs, like I said some people will bitch but for once they might have a good reason...
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scalliano
 

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« Reply #7 on: 2007-10-11, 01:32 »

Please pardon my atrocious spelling of the word "this" in my last post.

Thing is, I remember not so long ago seeing an early prototype of this on the news where a guy who was paralysed from the waist down had a chip inserted into his skull and was able use it to check his emails and surf the net. It was by no means finished - apparently there were frequent connection dropouts - but it worked.

The cyborg cometh, eh? Slipgate - Ninja
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Kajet
 

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« Reply #8 on: 2007-10-11, 02:33 »

Well really what's the worst that could happen?

Quote
"I am locutus of borg"


Oh... well ya something of that nature could happen after a while, though given how little people know how their brains work it'd take a long time...
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Phoenix
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« Reply #9 on: 2007-10-11, 03:07 »


"John's the boss!"
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Kajet
 

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« Reply #10 on: 2007-10-11, 04:41 »

Yeah, I got a feeling in a Strogg vs Borg fight the Strogg would win...
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Lopson
 

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« Reply #11 on: 2007-10-11, 15:40 »

Dunno. Probably. I mean, Stroggs have rockets on their shoulders!

This is a great advancement. Like Pho said, if they can make this work with videogames, then they might be able to adapt that technology in many other fields. Ofcourse, I still think the military should focus more on building giant robots.
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Phoenix
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« Reply #12 on: 2007-10-11, 17:51 »

I think in a head-to-head conflict, the Borg would easily assimilate the Strogg.  Consider that the Borg have adaptive personal shielding that can stop 24th century beam weapons and matter-antimatter torpedoes, and have an entire transwarp conduit network established on the other side of the galaxy.  For context, a standard-issue Starfleet type II hand phaser is capable of explosively displacing 650 cubic meters of solid rock on level 16 (its maximum setting).  Yet, Borg drones can generate personal deflector screens that block these weapons, and Borg cubes can cut through 24th century shielding and ship hulls like they were made out of paper.  The Strogg have nothing on that level of advancement, so they'd end up joining the collective.

I look at the Strogg more as how the Borg could have been earlier on in their race.  Consider the similarities between the two races.  Consider for this that I completely discount the Quake 4 baddies as true Strogg.  This is pure Quake 2 here.

Both augment biological forms with technology (or technological forms with biology, whichever you prefer).
Both use these augmentations to improve upon their functioning.
Both are expansionist.
Both developed from a human-like biology and are capable of assimilating humans into their race.
Assimilated individuals are incapable of individualistic actions.  Resistance is futile.

Hypothetical development:  As the Strogg technology advances, their control over matter and energy reaches a point that heavy mechanical physical augmentation becomes superfluous.  A more standardize, regimented, universal biomechanical form becomes more logical as a design.  Interfaces are standardized and all "drones" are thus capable of performing all tasks equally.  Emphasis on efficiency becomes almost fanatical within the collective Strogg mind, and this drive toward efficiency eventually evolves into a drive toward perfection.  While wholly unattainable, a perfect singular union of flesh, machine, and mind becomes the ultimate goal.  Simultaneously, assimilation of other races is perceived less as a source of raw physical material and resource, and more a mechanism to combat stagnation and to increase the permutations of biological and technological integration, as well as informational integration.  The militaristic drive for conquest for resources evolves into a drive to assimilate anything and everything deemed useful for augmentation and bringing the race closer to perfection.  The controlling aspect of the Makron evolves from military overlord to controlling director, personifying the collective will of the entire race.

Throughout this societal advance, technological emphasis shifts from weaponry and materials processing toward energy control, propulsion, informational processing and micronization.  Less industrial, more tech.  Self-regenerating machinery utilizing nanotechnology eliminates the reliance on heavy equipment, and with advanced energy manipulation and molecular synthesis, almost anything becomes possible.  Advanced propulsion systems allow the Strogg to explore and assimilate whatever they wish.  The collective integration of the Strogg into a hive mind makes individual drones easily replaceable.  Statistical calculations weigh the cost of drone loss through conflict against Strogg at their existing level of technology.  This ratio is described as a "resistance quotient" and is assigned to any species encountered.  Benefits of assimilation of a given race's biology and/or technology is known as the "assimilation worthiness" quotient.  The two ratios often being - but not always - somewhat proportional.  Species with an exceptionally high resistance quotient will be reserved until Strogg advancements can limit drone cost.  Similarly, species not advanced enough to be of any benefit to the Strogg would be considered unworthy of assimilation.  Thus, the Strogg would become selective as to which species to assimilate and when, waiting until a species develpes the best balance of technology, biology, and information to be of greatest benefit.  This standard criteria of assimilation weight would be applied to all new species encountered.  First contact would invariably result in an assessment of worthiness and resistance potential.  Subsequent encounters would be determined based on information processed from successful (or unsuccessful) assimilation of the first contacts.

Thus a race like the Strogg could potentially evolve into something like the Borg following that path.  Alternatively, the Strogg could go the other way - continuing to be industrial, militaristic, and simply advancing their technology and strategies.  Now if you were to pit a 24th century version of those Strogg against Star Trek's Borg... I think those Strogg would wipe the floor with them considering how advanced the Strogg already are with their cybernetics in Quake 2.  I think they would be able to adapt their technology faster than the Borg, and their weapons would be so far past the Borg's defenses that Borg cubes would have little chance of stopping the raw firepower the Strogg warships would bring to the fight.  If 24th century humans using 24th century human tech can repeatedly foil the Borg, then a 24th century version of the Strogg would have little trouble conquering them I think.  With the Strogg as they are in Quake 2... well if a lone grunt can do so much damage, they're going to be pushovers.
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scalliano
 

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« Reply #13 on: 2007-10-11, 20:48 »

I like your thinking, Pho. The Borg also seem to be more effective at assimilation as a whole, whereas the Strogg are happy enough to eat the leftovers of whatever they can't use.

BTW to avoid confusion, I meant to say "from the neck down". I'm really not on the ball at the moment Slipgate - Asleep
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