tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30377050201835879612024-03-13T10:04:58.990-07:00Rom's RantsThis blog is a way to express my ideas and thinking. Eventually these articles will be updated and changed as either new information becomes available, and or I come to a better understanding of the material.Kail Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252495744025047790noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037705020183587961.post-33552655586265183332013-02-09T15:37:00.003-08:002013-02-09T17:00:07.514-08:00The Importance of Supporting Equality of Opportunity
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We are not equal, and we
never will be. In his speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on
August 28<sup>th</sup> 1963, Martin Luther King said “I have a dream that one
day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not self-evident and we were not born
equal, or even <i>created</i> equally by our circumstances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will never be equal to me, and I will certainly
never be equal to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now before
someone yells ‘Get a rope!’ let me explain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There is a mistaken idea in
this country that what we need is equality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It cannot be achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prince
will never play basketball as well as Michael Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Although I have read that he is a good
basketball player)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, Michael Jordan
will never be the musician that Prince is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The children of Bill Gates will have financial and educational
opportunities that most people will never even get close to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, a child born to a single parent on
welfare, living in an inner city slum, will have to struggle just to
survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is important to understand
this because you and I, and everyone else in this country should have the
opportunity to follow our dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
should be judged by our merit, not limited by our resources, be they physical
or financial. In that same speech Martin Luther King also said “I have a dream
that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will be
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their
character.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was speaking about
equality of opportunity. If there is ever to be any progress, we need to start
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we fall down on our own—fine,
but we should not be held back by something such as our birth, or lack of
finances to get an education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
Vallentyne states this concept in his article in the magazine Ethics April 2002
issue. “Equality of initial opportunities for advantage calls for equality in
the value of the initial decision trees that each agent confronts.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There is a hard thing I need
to discuss now, and it’s going to upset a lot of people. Almost every group, or
individual, has been persecuted at one time or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is time to get over it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I can safely say that every living
person today is the descendant of; a murderer, someone murdered, a slave owner,
a slave, a criminal, and a victim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
sure you have heard this quote from the Bible, “</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father
bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous
will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon
himself." (Ezekiel 18:20)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) have even made it
their second Article of Faith. “</span><span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1googqs-tidbit-hilite"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s
transgression.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not my intention
to have a religious discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just
quote truth where I find it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only want
to show the logical train of thought, that we should let go the wrongs of the
past, and move on to the wrongs that are happening to us as a people here and
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are plenty of things to
champion and correct now, we do not need to go looking behind us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we find discrimination here and now, we
should shine the light of truth on it, and cut it out of our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1googqs-tidbit-hilite"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I have
one last bone to pick here, and I hope you will endulge me a bit</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">, I think that the whole use
of, Asian-American, African-American, etc. is counterproductive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through modern research of mitochondrial DNA,
it has been found that all homosapiens have descended from one woman in central
</span><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Africa</span></st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a very real sense, we Americans are all
African Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have to use a
designation of your immediate heritage use, “of descent,” for example, my
father was born and raised in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Denmark</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">; I would then say I am an
American of Danish descent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you
for your indulgence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now to continue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The first concept we need to
understand is, why we are not equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next, how we came to this mistaken idea and how it is hurting us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, what we can do to achieve
equality of opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We are born unequal, and the
gap only widens from there. There are two basic ways we are unequal, physically
and mentally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the obvious of
someone being physically stronger and larger than someone else, there are other
differences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People of African heritage
are more likely to develop Sickle Cell Anemia, an inherited blood disorder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People of Jewish heritage are more likely to
develop Tay-Sacks disease, a deterioration of the central nervous system. The
list goes on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are just too
many to mention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute pamphlet, Facts about Sickle Cell
Anemia, “In this country, (Sickle Cell Anemia) affects approximately 72,000
people, most of whose ancestors come from </span><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Africa</span></st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The disease occurs in approximately </span><st1:metricconverter productid="1 in"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1 in</span></st1:metricconverter><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> every 500 African-American
births and </span><st1:metricconverter productid="1 in"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1 in</span></st1:metricconverter><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> every 1,000-1,400
Hispanic-American births. Approximately 2 million Americans, or </span><st1:metricconverter productid="1 in"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1 in</span></st1:metricconverter><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> 12 African Americans, carry
the sickle cell trait.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the
Saint Barnabas Health Care System website on </span><st1:date day="5" month="11" year="2003"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">November
5th 2003</span></st1:date><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>http://www.sbhcs.com/genetics/index.html, “Approximately </span><st1:metricconverter productid="1 in"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1 in</span></st1:metricconverter><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> 25 Ashkenazi Jews are
carriers. Tay-Sachs is caused by an enzyme deficiency.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We are also unequal in our
mental abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again let’s go beyond
the obvious of mental disorders and I.Q. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Males and females have long been known to have
different abilities in math and science, and although the evidence now shows
that the social environment may have more to do with it than previously
thought, biology still seems to play a part, in the form of predisposition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, the difference is there and just
grows larger as time goes on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According
to the National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter May 1996,
“Until recently, it was believed that all male-female differences in math and
science were caused by biology. In other words, girls' and boys' brains are
different, so they are better suited for different things. Evidence shows that
boys do excel in math, and girls appear to do better in verbal-related skills.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also from the above article, “More recently,
researchers have focused on the influence of the social environment on
children's math and science achievement. Very early on, boys are given the
chance to tinker with toys or objects (for example, building blocks, Legos,
racing cars, and simple machines) that involve many of the principles inherent
in math and science. Girls often lack these experiences, so they enter math and
science classrooms feeling insecure about their abilities.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The founding fathers did us
a disservice in how they chose to speak of equality. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was this simple but powerful statement that
set us on a course of misunderstanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Declaration of Independence read in congress </span><st1:date day="4" month="7" year="1776"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">July 4<sup>th</sup> 1776</span></st1:date><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> said, “We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Liberty</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> and the pursuit of
Happiness.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be fair, from all I’ve
read, the founding fathers meant equality of opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that if they had known the trouble
their statement has made, they would have changed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, the error is there, and the damage is
done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What it should have said is that
all people are endowed with the right of equality of opportunity. The reason
that this mistaken idea of equality is so damaging is that it cannot be
achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is impossible for us to
become equal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will always be
inequality in life, but we can strive for equality of opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a Quote from John F. Kennedy (from
Brainy Quotes Website 3 November 2003, no date could be found for the quote. <a href="http://www.brainyquote.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.brainyquote.com/</span></a>) puts this
into perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“There is always
inequity in life. Some men are killed in war and some men are wounded, and some
men are stationed in the Antarctic and some are stationed in </span><st1:city><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">San Francisco</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. It's very hard in military
or personal life to assure complete equality. Life is unfair.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Equality of opportunity is possible and can be achieved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That </span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">equality of opportunity</span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> can be achieved is the most
important argument for supporting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just by understanding the problem often brings forth the solution. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Irving Kristol said in his book, On the
Democratic Idea in </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> (December 1993), “Democracy
does not guarantee equality of</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> conditions - it only guarantees
equality of opportunity.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because race,
religion, ethnic origin etc. are by definition the causes of inequality, they
should be taken out of any requirement for receiving help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NAACP (National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People) seems to be moving in that direction already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the NAACP News November 2003, “The NAACP
is a constant and effective advocate for issues of immediate concern to all
Americans. We are the conscience of </span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">America</span></st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. We take a proactive stance
to increase the public's awareness of restraints of freedom, assaults upon
civil rights, and barriers to equality.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I applaud many of the good
things the NAACP, and similar groups have done, in my ideal world, I would like
to see them all merge and change their name to the NAADP, (The National
Association for the Advancement of Disadvantaged People.) and move to encompass
all disadvantaged people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One benefit of doing this is it will greatly
increase the number, and type, of people who would contribute to this
cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I realize this probably will not
happen, but I can dream too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately,
it would be great to see the IAADP, (The International Association for the
Advancement of Disadvantaged People.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
like to dream big.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Recent research has given us
a better understanding of our abilities and the abilities of those individuals
we have come to call “Genius.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems
that you and I have far more potential than we had previously thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may have heard recently that it takes ten
thousand hours of practice to become an expert in most anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I have been able to discern from what I
have read, and then contemplated is there are people among us that have a
predisposition, for one ability or another, to one degree or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That predisposition accounts for a far
smaller percentage of our ability than was once previously thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through application of a process called deliberate
practice, </span><span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-0googqs-tidbit-hilite"><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">a slow
process, and involves repetition of small and detailed</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> parts
of a skill instead of just playing through.</span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can make up
for our lack of a predisposition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
it comes down to is, if we want an ability enough to put in the practice, we
can most likely have it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we have to
do is be willing to sacrifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I would like to make a small
digression here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sacrifice is not a
dirty world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my way of thinking, sacrifice
means giving up something now, for something you want more, later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our instant gratification society, we have
lost the meaning of this great word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sacrifice also gives you a sense of satisfaction when you finally obtain
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you work hard for something, it
means much more to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1googqs-tidbit-hilite"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">One
last thing on this point; I realize that equality of opportunity cannot be achieved
for everyone all of the time, but we cannot refuse to do nothing, just because
we cannot do everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perfection is
more of an ideal to strive for, than an expected resolt of our </span></span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">endeavors</span><span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1googqs-tidbit-hilite"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should do what we can and praise ourselves
for the progress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span class="googqs-tidbitgoogqs-tidbit-1googqs-tidbit-hilite"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If you
gain nothing else from this essay, </span></span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I would like you to remember these three things; we
are not equal, that this mistaken idea is part of the problem that is holding
us back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And finally, equality of
opportunity will allow all of us the chance to achieve our dreams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The beauty of life comes,
not from what we get out of life, but from what we put into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to leave you with these words, “I
saw a vision of life so wonderful, through dreams realized, journeys
accomplished, and potentials fulfilled.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Kail Andersen</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Kail Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252495744025047790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037705020183587961.post-74471156185513471482011-03-03T10:41:00.000-08:002011-03-03T16:23:42.861-08:00The OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) Revolution is Here!<span style="font-size:130%;color:#003300;">Click on picture to get full info</span><a href="http://www.abtelectronics.com/product/32517.html"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172828818816267618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNYZio4l36IHjjjZJAV4oixv_u3AIJVG6EezHwNJZXSe3jB2ljblsidir-mAxIbLhwWg0PrGfOEqPNvJpxmW380fYU9ERXaJYZ2Vdg5Xl9aIaJpX4HpZpOuFxMt2Qi9Tf8tM7yeGosxsQ/s320/additional_xel1.jpg" /></a><br />Sony’s Industry First OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) HDTV. You might be tempted to say so what, who cares about a new TV? The reason is that this TV signals the beginning of a "Screen" revolution, <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_light-emitting_diode">Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)</a>.<br /><br />How would you like to change the color of your walls, floors, and ceilings instantly, any time you choose? How would you like to turn any surface into a display for your TV or Computer? Quoted from <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol263/issue5151/index.dtl">March 1994 Science Magazine</a>, “Imagine, for instance, a 10-foot-wide flat plastic panel on the wall that turns into a TV screen at the touch of a button.” All of these things and more are either here now or on their way.<br />Everyone needs to understand the amazing technology of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). The emerging field of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) is important because it is going to replace all TVs, monitors, and all other items that require a display. OLEDs will quickly become so inexpensive, they will also pop up in places we did not expect, and on objects that will surprise us.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB3pj3neLgUfa8adLSq90r4k8pwwZLfwNP2DSIbQlFIXoSRkpg2I7TvZVlozNUuAPSwxmFxV3d0IPm8CEIntqMU4f-Q0VYs1CafCCPg9LFcxnD1Gh6y8OOOFzibKJGHpS9MkzGTfTf_18/s1600-h/oled-1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172919816288368066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgB3pj3neLgUfa8adLSq90r4k8pwwZLfwNP2DSIbQlFIXoSRkpg2I7TvZVlozNUuAPSwxmFxV3d0IPm8CEIntqMU4f-Q0VYs1CafCCPg9LFcxnD1Gh6y8OOOFzibKJGHpS9MkzGTfTf_18/s320/oled-1.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBCkRxuI5bxTkGsoFF22u2KrYDD4e82BcD8ynY6a8_ll2fpAUIIN-OOLM0HCd3-KSltfHwAXg5DNG2-m_KZb3Bxg52oNzBb6x0DkgwnPveRiY3rswxpjwLcTKihp4KNp-_aBokxum7u9a/s1600-h/oled-3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172920314504574418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBCkRxuI5bxTkGsoFF22u2KrYDD4e82BcD8ynY6a8_ll2fpAUIIN-OOLM0HCd3-KSltfHwAXg5DNG2-m_KZb3Bxg52oNzBb6x0DkgwnPveRiY3rswxpjwLcTKihp4KNp-_aBokxum7u9a/s320/oled-3.jpg" width="180" height="135" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />They are also being looked at to replace <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.research.philips.com/technologies/intsol/oled/index.html">light sources</a> as well as <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/242/">photovoltaic (solar) cells</a>. If you did not know before, today you will be learning about what OLEDs are, and how <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Friend">Richard Friend</a> discovered them. What we can do with OLEDs now. And finally, where this technology will take us in the future.<br /><br />The first thing you’re might be wondering is, what exactly are Organic Light Emitting Diodes, and where did they come from?<br />There is a simple answer to what an OLED is, a piece of plastic that puts out light. Exactly how they work can be explained fairly easily too. Power or energy comes in one side of the OLED causing a photon of light to be released on the other. A thin film of Organic Light Emitting Polymer put between two electrodes will glow. A polymer needs to show florescence and to conduct electricity to be a Light Emitting Polymer.<br />In 1989 at <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge University</a> in England, Professor Richard Friend discovered that a piece of plastic could produce light. It all happened quite by mistake. Taken from the October 1990 <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.nature.com/index.html">Nature Magazine</a>, “We wanted to sandwich (the polymer) between two electrodes and use it as an insulator in these field-effect transistors. We were seeing how much voltage we could put across it and we saw a light emerging through this structure, actually through one of the electrodes, which was thin enough to be partially transparent. That was in February 1989, and that was the beginning of the polymer light-emitting diode.”<br /><span style="color:#003300;">Click on picture below to get video<br /></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/3_eDq4uMV8k"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 318px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 129px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172927607359043042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8C6-lCeUXDjPG1WfK8jkLclyKYMWBr7upuSNYysNDqmb1-rPudEF1NJF4GqUAWH7zmSmD5OOF9BeBKqPU5q8dwU3pUpo0QygRYWQzvwWU0JIzmogjF_GNSi7v84o-LGl6xU0J9x83e_t/s320/optimus-maximus.jpg" width="229" height="129" /></a>OLEDS are already being used to make displays of all shapes and sizes.<br />There are even <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/demo/">OLED keyboards</a>. They are easier to make than LCD Screens because rather than use photolithography; they can be made using printers. A display can literally be printed where you want the screen to be.<br />Also taken from October 1990 Nature Magazine, “What we’ve demonstrated is that we can actually formulate polymer semiconductors as though they were the inks in an ink jet printer. We can then print them in the three colors—red, blue, and green—into the correct position on a screen. That notion of printing rather than using photolithography is very powerful. It is hugely attractive if it turns to be scalable in a manufacturing way. There are huge cost reductions in manufacturing these devices. <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/03/12/oleds-now-can-be-printed-newspaper-style/">Printed OLEDs</a>.<br /><a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2006/03/epson_successfully_developed_oled_print_head.html">Epson</a> is even using OLEDs as print heads.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSopsGTwbzwihnDpfdsUXTWIRuWi4wYxBYPb1ti-p0-99Dd-gWDegEx6wqPqDx-SsfxB-Xvvwuub7A5S2w3ISlr0i0VIY3xcHWKEMGVJi2QWXEPUQnIVgclkiZ7GfXs7r24agHgvjpKyGE/s1600-h/060314_m.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: right; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172867370442716530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSopsGTwbzwihnDpfdsUXTWIRuWi4wYxBYPb1ti-p0-99Dd-gWDegEx6wqPqDx-SsfxB-Xvvwuub7A5S2w3ISlr0i0VIY3xcHWKEMGVJi2QWXEPUQnIVgclkiZ7GfXs7r24agHgvjpKyGE/s320/060314_m.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />They say that it is as good as a laser printer.<br />Light Emitting Polymers are not limited to a certain size as LCD screens. Also from March 1994 Science Magazine, “They could also replace traditional liquid crystal displays, which are limited to a small size.”<br />OLEDs are lighter, brighter and more durable than any screen out today. Many companies already have products on the market, <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="https://share.philips.com/QuickPlace/flexidis/Main.nsf/h_Toc/8c01b07342cd2fe7c12571d90052f8a4/?OpenDocument">Phillips</a>, <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://gizmodo.com/341431/pioneer-9mm+thin-concept-plasma-ogled-from-all-angles">Pioneer</a>. Even <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=1473&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=14299">Kodak</a> has put OLEDs in its displays, <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&identifier=S_BrandShowcase_OLED&SR=sensory:shop:oled:ss">Sony</a> has made bendable screens. Click on video below to see the new screen.<br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NcAm3KihFho&hl=en&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NcAm3KihFho&hl=en&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br />If you’re like me, just thinking about what we can do now gets me anticipating what will happen in the future.<br />The future of OLEDS is an exciting area. OLEDs could replace the ink in <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.biggandyy.com/2007/10/01/prediction-oled-tattoos/">tattoos</a>. This would allow your tattoo to not only be changed at will and become animated, but with a small interface become a PDA or even a computer screen. If you put the tattoo on your knuckles, your hand could become a flashlight.<br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#003300;"><span style="font-size:100%;">OLED Laser</span></span> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAr8VEl-3QaO2cVwg-A1jJo_e5NzLyLzljWmLTP1ZbKH8B0oI1rDPFNuwbk-2efKCmR7ktYukALlJ2k96dCXgNMiyvLReq_MCN1huoTnVZbzgC7e_lcNcRxglaW7In91zNvQm6W1gXU0H/s1600-h/plasticlaser.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; FLOAT: left; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172917737524196770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAr8VEl-3QaO2cVwg-A1jJo_e5NzLyLzljWmLTP1ZbKH8B0oI1rDPFNuwbk-2efKCmR7ktYukALlJ2k96dCXgNMiyvLReq_MCN1huoTnVZbzgC7e_lcNcRxglaW7In91zNvQm6W1gXU0H/s320/plasticlaser.jpg" /></a>If you continue to the next logical step OLEDs, just like LEDs today, could produce <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.science.utah.edu/vardeny.html">OLED lasers</a> coming out of those same knuckles. As reported in <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.popsci.com/">Popular Science</a> October 2003 A PDA that Really gets Under Your Skin, “A thin sensor transponder bonded to your skin detects bioelectrical signals and customizes your tattoo accordingly.”<br />The future of OLEDs will also be in solar cells. Because OLEDS will be able to be painted onto any surface, the outside of your house could become a solar panel. The roads, cars, electric trains, even the tarp you take camping with you could provide power.<br />From <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://ohgizmo.com/2006/09/18/oled-solar-cells/">Oh Gizmo September 2006</a>, “Imagine a cell phone with a bright but energy-efficient screen that also recharges itself when not in use. Or windows that collect energy during the day and function as lights at night."<br />Stated in the <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/ci/00/apr/0650wallace.html">April 2000 Chemical Innovation</a>, “Polymers are being developed that use dyes to increase light collection efficiency. Polymerization methods are being developed that increase the structural order, producing more efficient charge transport properties. Perhaps one day, you can convert the outside of your house into one big solar collector using photovoltaic polymer paint.”<br />It is not hard to imagine <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050329140351.htm">OLED paint</a> on the packaging of every item out there. Animated (with sound) cereal boxes, soda cans, chip bags, clothing tags, etc. Every item could carry its own commercial. Companies could also change the displays over the internet. It’s fun to think about the wonderful future of Organic Light Emitting Diodes.<br />As you see them pop up as the display of your TV, computer, PDA, cell phone, etc. you can turn to your friend and say, “If you think this is cool, wait until you hear what is on the way.” As you tell them about animated tattoos, walls that change color or become giant screens, animated packaging, and solar panels on virtually any surface. You may find your voice getting a little higher, and the pace of your speech quickening. The future is almost here. If we take one more look into it we will see OLED tattoos providing power for the powerful <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanorobotics">nanites</a> and <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2001/11/48278">nano-computers</a> in our bodies that have become our most personal computers systems yet!<br /><br />—Kail AndersenKail Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252495744025047790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3037705020183587961.post-49499191496405934222011-03-03T08:35:00.000-08:002011-03-24T09:01:11.512-07:00Intimate Computers“The Interface between Mind and Machine”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.personal.psu.edu/igl5000/blogs/irina_g_levin_eportfolio/2009/04/writing-assignment-2-get-ready-for-the-real-bionic-man.html"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579941862570277250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvvHTnkyU77LQOEiXkNu42ua9LI7JKF2lu9swDqryBelWuPAeicBFG8pYOCb-5yQVlm-SA52izBBICXR9cpw_OCq-oweOlORYlDWCGipw2TnJF5ywx1SKHf9MWGYij2fvv3nR8TDnJQNyJ/s320/bionicman.jpg" /></a>Most people think that the time of having the melding of man and machine is a long way off; that the bionic man is not even science fiction, but fantasy. It is simply something that we do not need to be worried about.<br />This pervasive thinking is not only wrong, but grossly distorted. Far before the moment the first pacemaker was put in the first patient, the melding of man and machine had already begun. From that time on there has been a steady pace toward a more complete connection of computers and people. Even now we are so completely dependent on computers that our modern societies cannot function without them. In other words, there is no going back. Inventor <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil">Ray Kurzweil</a> has been talking about a technological singularity for quite some time now. In short it is a fast approaching time when computers reach a point of surpassing human intelligence through <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-law-of-accelerating-returns">The Law of Accelerating Returns</a>. "A technological singularity is a hypothetical event occurring when technological progress becomes so rapid that it makes the future after the singularity qualitatively different and harder to predict." (Wikipedia)<br /><object width="420" height="245" id="msnbc691d8" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=41856470&width=420&height=245" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbc691d8" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="420" height="245" FlashVars="launch=41856470&width=420&height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">news about the economy</a></p><br />The consequence of a continued denial of the true state of the mind/computer interface will be, not only a less effective joining of the two, but a lot more fear and apprehension about it. The costs of not understanding that we are only taking the next step in a process started long ago, is a delay of the inevitable comprehensive union of mind and computer. There is also the unfounded fear of becoming a “Borg.” If we will only approach the bright future of what I like to call intimate computers, with understanding and our eyes wide open, the melding will be almost seamless.<br />As you will see, the melding of people and computers is already here. The only thing left to decide is how much, and how fast. Humans are always trying to be more efficient, so the progression is going to happen—whether people want it to or not. In fact, it is happening right now, and will only increase as we become more advanced in our ability to create intimate computers.<br />Man has always been using tools to improve his life, be it a stick to get termites or ants out of a mound, or a rock to smash open a crab. Humans have been following this pattern for hundreds of thousands of years. Man wants to accomplish a task; he makes a tool to solve the problem. Man then uses tools to make a machine to accomplish the task more easily. Man then makes a computer to tell the machine what to do so he can get more done. Man then makes remote devices to communicate with his computers more easily. If we follow the progression into the future, man will make extensive neural links, to communicate with his computers so he can be more efficient. <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.kevinwarwick.com/">Kevin Warwick Professor of Cybernetics at University of Reading</a>, England is in the process of doing exactly that. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiFzbSmY6m8g6FolyAma8Zi4GFu1ojgcbaLz3yJSITXpOLKrUPLxbGwaSCg_1qKQic-IncxCVwWhz4bIF6o37x0oyM0U_HMdZnnjLmHtmAIpsrYqcR5vAycfImJfwzcIAqTmDRGTxTQwp/s1600/warwick_2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 237px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579986281720524786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiFzbSmY6m8g6FolyAma8Zi4GFu1ojgcbaLz3yJSITXpOLKrUPLxbGwaSCg_1qKQic-IncxCVwWhz4bIF6o37x0oyM0U_HMdZnnjLmHtmAIpsrYqcR5vAycfImJfwzcIAqTmDRGTxTQwp/s320/warwick_2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>You can see this next progression beginning to happen now, as <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.wmagazine.com/artdesign/2011/01/kevin_warwick_cyborg_scientist">scientists experiment with connections</a>. “This micrograph of an array, in which nanowires connect with a rat cortical neuron, show the potential for creating functional interfaces between nanodevices and live cells or other biological systems.” (Lieber)<br />The introduction of mind/computer interfaces are not a horror movie waiting to happen, but only the next step in our quest to be more efficient. We can even see people being helped by computer-powered artificial limbs right now. “…this ‘Revolutionizing Prosthetics’ program builds on DSO’s <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.dekaresearch.com/index.shtml">Human Assisted Neural Devices Program</a>, which has recently decoded the brain’s motor signals with such fidelity that <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.neurotechreports.com/pages/darpaprosthetics.html">motor movements of a robotic arm</a> can be achieved entirely by direct brain control.” (Ling)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6Vcc6dgXBkRheqXfxzWlg7V79d7ohQRs68v_r-_lzTBXebCry0mFZvbY4c2F1cfLBSaYYbxCZDXWbiUlb5m2uc8v9UTNxRMgrtJcEK1rL5AnZb-lMKrTeE9d0KQBqeOknfe6v2krngMZ/s1600/deka_arm.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 189px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579992944400546130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6Vcc6dgXBkRheqXfxzWlg7V79d7ohQRs68v_r-_lzTBXebCry0mFZvbY4c2F1cfLBSaYYbxCZDXWbiUlb5m2uc8v9UTNxRMgrtJcEK1rL5AnZb-lMKrTeE9d0KQBqeOknfe6v2krngMZ/s320/deka_arm.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br />Now a person would have to be very naive not to see that there is a potential for great abuse when it comes to any technological advance. Science fiction stories are rife with doomsday scenarios about runaway technology. One of my favorites is from a short story Evaporation from the book <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.amazon.com/Nanodreams-Elton-Elliott/dp/0671876805/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299193981&sr=1-1-spell">Nanodreams</a>. “This was the bitterest part of his ordeal: Death was no escape. His nanodocs had not been entirely deactivated. Stripping him of his right to immortality was beyond McCandless’s authority.” (Smeds) In the above scenario a positive use of nanotechnology was healing someone, and conveying immortality. This constructive attribute of the technology was turned into a means of torture. This duality of technology is nothing new. Almost without fail, anything beneficial can also be used to bring harm. A very good example is nuclear power. It can be used to provide great quantities of electricity, but it can also destroy entire cities when used as a bomb. As this quote from Edmond Danken Sailer states, “Technology is only as good or bad as the person using it.” If we tried to use only technologies that did not have the capacity to cause harm, we would still be living in caves.<br />The future of intimate computers is a bright one that will include the greatly increased efficiency of everyone, and a universal increase in the standard of living of humanity. This is already evidenced by increased efficiency that mobile computing has provided. There are numerous television programs and documentaries that show that intimate computers are beginning to be experimented with. The most impressive, and revealing program was on a quadriplegic man Matt Nagle who had a <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/mar/31/health.society">chip in his head</a>. <iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TJJPbpHoPWo?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe><br />Not only did his mind accept the interface, but it treated the input just as it would input from any of his other senses. His mind accepted it as another “sense.” The potential of this discovery is immense. People with artificial limbs now, will be able to have a sense of heat and touch in the future. “The goal of synthetic skin is to eventually allow environmental information such as heat and touch to be conveyed through the limb to the wearer. The synthetic skin currently under development is known as polyimide, and is constructed by incorporating carbon nanotubes into a rubbery polymer.” (Keenihan)<a href="http://www.nano.org.uk/news/sep2008/latest1594.htm"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 270px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 158px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580000181804566034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihDge3lT8efax75NipYoB0rhQCcBuVmYFV4jYvrHOcdP7uuwTLE2UiDPYTDaekD0A7t2BndT9AYlmPAIz3wr7roiugZ746Cl9cAi4X8j4hNGmM7yA55F5BCF8DsljhyphenhyphendJv0o1Fm94-Oc3A/s320/1594a.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br />I find the coming intimate computers exciting. Not just for the serious aspects such as bionics, and restoration of sensation to paraplegic and quadriplegic people,<object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/EythorBender_2011-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/EythorBender-2011.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=1104&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=eythor_bender_demos_human_exoskeletons;year=2011;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=what_s_next_in_tech;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=tales_of_invention;theme=a_taste_of_ted2011;event=TED2011;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/EythorBender_2011-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/EythorBender-2011.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=1104&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=eythor_bender_demos_human_exoskeletons;year=2011;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=what_s_next_in_tech;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;theme=tales_of_invention;theme=a_taste_of_ted2011;event=TED2011;"></embed></object>but I am also looking forward to the more frivolous aspects. There is a day coming in our lifetimes when we all will be able to have wireless interfaces with any computing device from our brains. <a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/business/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206903532">Voiceless cell phones</a>, PDAs, even a laptop or desktop computer will be accessible from our intimate computer interface.<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xyN4ViZ21N0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <br />This thinking might frighten some people, but if one looks at the reality of the doomsday scenarios that could come true, very few have ever come to pass. This is not to say that they are not worthy of exploration because they certainly are. Looking into the negative potentials of the mind/computer interfaces allows us to foresee the possible disasters that we need to avoid. All in all, it seems clear that mankind is just continuing on a path already chosen, becoming more and more efficient, and eventually (and some would say inevitably) fulfilling any potential humanity might have.<br /><br />—Kail Andersen<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Works Cited<br /><br />Keenihan, Sarah. “Nano-enabled prosthetic skin on ‘bionic’ limbs.” Australian<br />Prospectives on Nanotechnology, January 15th, 2008<br />Lieber, Charles M. “The Incredible Shrinking Circuit.” Scientific American Reports,<br />Special Edition on Nanotechnology. Dec. 2007: 65-71.<br />Ling, COL Geoffrey, M.D., Ph.D. “Revolutionizing Prosthetics.” Defense Sciences<br />Office Website,<br />http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrusts/bio/restbio_tech/revprost/index.htm.<br />Smeds, Dave. Nanodreams, “Evaporation.” 207-226 New York: Simon & Schuster<br />Publishing, 1995.<br />Wikipedia, Technological Singularity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity<br /><a onclick="(new Image()).src = '/ajax/ct.php?app_id=2417711041&action_type=3&post_form_id=16ed19bc1485610a5142976196735aa0&position=3&' + Math.random();return true" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/mar/31/health.society"></a></div></div></div>Kail Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17252495744025047790noreply@blogger.com0