Human Augmetntaion improving quality of life

[Agent Denton]

Just happened upon this AMAZING video of a baby who was born deaf, had hearing augs installed and this video is his reaction to when they turned them on: Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. It is indeed a beautiful thing, even the naysayers would have to agree:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTzTt...&feature=share

[Shralla]

And if a cooing baby making stupid faces doesn't convince you, here's the same technology implemented in a 29-year-old woman, who is also more or less hearing herself for the first time.

[Goodfeller]

Girl in the 2nd video. Wierd. How can she understand what the doctor is saying if she's never heard anyone speak before ? And she wasn't lip-reading either.

[JCpie]

She received a hearing implant, maybe hearing aids can't reproduce the sound of your voice being passed through your skull?

[Goodfeller]

Originally Posted by JCpie

She received a hearing implant, maybe hearing aids can't reproduce the sound of your voice being passed through your skull?

*headscratch*

You talking about some sort of telepathy gadget ? Someone speaks to you and the words appear magically before your mind's eye ?

[Romeo]

Originally Posted by Goodfeller

*headscratch*

You talking about some sort of telepathy gadget ? Someone speaks to you and the words appear magically before your mind's eye ?

I think he's more referring to the fact the mind processes things differently than what we're used to. You couldn't simply hook an ear up to an amp and get usuable sound out of it, and the same works in the opposite manner. The mind isn't meant to accept the synthesized/digital signals of our creations.

This is a phenominal achievement though, and I hope humanity moves forward from here to help people with blindness, heart issues, kidney failures, type-1 diabetes, amputations and more. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking suspicion that it'll get stone-walled behind red-tape, as most medical advances seem to...

[Agent Denton]

Originally Posted by Romeo

This is a phenominal achievement though, and I hope humanity moves forward from here to help people with blindness, heart issues, kidney failures, type-1 diabetes, amputations and more. Unfortunately, I have a sneaking suspicion that it'll get stone-walled behind red-tape, as most medical advances seem to...

The red tape comes from the interests that develop the 'treatments'. Follow the money. As far as Type 1 Diabetes goes, Brazil, of all places, cured it. Goes to show what can be done if competition is legalized across the boards. This video does demonstrate a step in the right direction with augmentation technology though. Would be good to know if you lose your hearing you have alternatives.

[Romeo]

Originally Posted by Agent Denton

The red tape comes from the interests that develop the 'treatments'. Follow the money. As far as Type 1 Diabetes goes, Brazil, of all places, cured it. Goes to show what can be done if competition is legalized across the boards. This video does demonstrate a step in the right direction with augmentation technology though. Would be good to know if you lose your hearing you have alternatives.

Brazil is one place with a cure, there's been multiple successful attempts at it. The problem being the governments will refuse to move forward until they go through their process, which apparently takes decades, as these cures have been championed by JDRF for years and years now. It gets to the point where I hear about an amazing medical breakthrough and immediately cease to care, as I know it wont be seeing the light of day for quite a while.

Anything even close to transhumanism falls in to this catagory to me, perhaps even more so due to the social stigma associated with it.

[Agent Denton]

Originally Posted by Romeo

Brazil is one place with a cure, there's been multiple successful attempts at it. The problem being the governments will refuse to move forward until they go through their process, which apparently takes decades, as these cures have been championed by JDRF for years and years now. It gets to the point where I hear about an amazing medical breakthrough and immediately cease to care, as I know it wont be seeing the light of day for quite a while.

Anything even close to transhumanism falls in to this catagory to me, perhaps even more so due to the social stigma associated with it.

Exactly the reason the government needs to get the out of the way and let businesses compete. Why is it that some rich bureaucrat who has no knowledge of the product/ service gets to put red tape up?/ and/ or stonewall progress??? Well money is part of it. Lobbyists lobbying politicians to stifle research and prevent competition. If there was a pill available that could help, medically help let's say 6000 people, and improve their quality of life, who is the government to step in and say, "oh but there is a risk that out of these 6000, 10 may die." So becasue of 10 you are going to hold at ransom the other 5990? This is one of many reasons entities like the FDA need to be disbanded. If one were to seek out said pill they should be smart enough to assess if this is a path they want to pursue and assess all the risks, hell with the internet is is easy to do your own research and come to a logical conclusion. No one needs government telling people what and how to live if there are other means that can be pursued. I am sorry but when I think Brazil, I think 3rd world country, yet they are able to cure this disease that ails millions of people in my country????? And when I think of the U.S., granted parts of my country are starting to look 3rd world-ish, but I think 1st world country. Same with Canada. So why is it that Brazil, among others, can make this kind of progress????? The answer is competition. We need more competition in medicine, only then can more progress be achieved on this front.

[Zakka]

Both those videos made my day a lot better

[Zoet]

A friend of mine at uni has implants in both ears, and even so, you need to talk very clearly for her to be able to hear. I've got great admiration for the people who live with such things and the people who make the devices that make it possible for people like her to have a fairly normal life.
I just read this article, which is about the imminent revolution in neuro prosthetics. It mentions the cochlear implant, as well as more DX:HR-style robotic limbs.

[Romeo]

That is a rad article Zoet, thanks. And Agent Denton, I believe it's because left to self-govern, businesses would effectively green light everything, safe or not. Certainly not saying the government's method is any better, stopping everything before it gets a chance to make a difference, but I don't believe capitalism would fare any better.

I think if the mortality rates were known, it should be the public's choice whether to go for them or not (Granted, this brings in the added factor of unknown complications factoring in later on).

[Agent Denton]

Originally Posted by Romeo

That is a rad article Zoet, thanks. And Agent Denton, I believe it's because left to self-govern, businesses would effectively green light everything, safe or not. Certainly not saying the government's method is any better, stopping everything before it gets a chance to make a difference, but I don't believe capitalism would fare any better.

I think if the mortality rates were known, it should be the public's choice whether to go for them or not (Granted, this brings in the added factor of unknown complications factoring in later on).

Romeo, I am not going to argue the Capitalist approach anymore. The fact that a 3rd world country makes progress in places of medicine 1st world countries do not, proves my point that legalizing competition improves the quality of service or good provided, in this case treatment vs cure. If it were left up to self governing, what is to say for sake of example, that the business would disclose the risk and let's say, make you sign a form acknowledging said risks(just an example). Mr. So and so, please be aware that if you are pursuing this avenue of treatment the following risks may apply. If enough people are adversely effected by a good or service then the business fails because people will stop buying their product, or in this case, the treatment or cure. I am not saying the ends justifies the means, I am just saying that people should do their research, and assess the risk associated with said cure or treatment. There is no reason to stifle progress of something that will improve the lives of thousands of people at the expense that maybe, just maybe 10 - 15 may die. It is not fair to those who will willingly take the risk on their own accord. Nothing is ever going to be 100%, but the more options you have, the more business are willing to improve their processes and quality to vie for your money. think about how much R&D these companies put up without even a guarantee that the product will be successful or make it through testing. Taking it 1 step further, I know you have socialized medicine in your neck of the woods, and that's great, Canada has a ton of oil they can sell that it does not adversely affect the economy at least in the short run. That aside, in my neck of the woods U.S., why is it I can shop for any car insurance, any home insurance, but when it comes to medical insurance, the government here stifles competition in favor of BIG PHARMA or the Pharmaceutical Industrial Complex. This is just one of many more reasons the government needs to stay the out of private affairs and let the market regulate, as again, when left unregulated, even 3rd world countries make advances in medicine that even 1st world countries will not, due to greed and/or cronyism. These Liberal bull arguments that I am not smart enough to make my own choices on the goods and services I want to receive, that the government has to decide for me fails, because if the argument is I as an individual am not smart enough to make the right choices, how in the is putting another person or persons(who by the same argument are not smart enough to make choices for themselves) in charge of those decisions going to make it any better?

[Agent Denton]

Originally Posted by Zoet

A friend of mine at uni has implants in both ears, and even so, you need to talk very clearly for her to be able to hear. I've got great admiration for the people who live with such things and the people who make the devices that make it possible for people like her to have a fairly normal life.
I just read this article, which is about the imminent revolution in neuro prosthetics. It mentions the cochlear implant, as well as more DX:HR-style robotic limbs.

This article is impressive. Crazy that we are almost there, technical issues aside. lol