Do you have a facebook?

[Twoist]

Between this thing and smart contact lenses I can't decide if we're on the cusp of a glorious sci-fi future come true, or if we're just fucked, Black Mirror-style.

Please hold, caller.

*thinks*

Yeah we're fucked.

[Mexicola]

The second 'they' can read your mind, the last freedom dies.
And I'm no conspiracy theorist either.

[Negamuse]

Eh, I mean you have to wear it, I'm not sure you can turn that into something that works at a distance. But then there's already tech that can reconstruct audio from a silent video of a room based on micro vibrations in objects that the eye can't see so who knows.

Once again, is no-one inventing this stuff thinking "what are the negatives as well as the positives" or is it more just invent it anyway and let society sort it out?

[mechanismj]

Not strictly 'on topic' but this takes things to another level of 'Holy shit, 1984 was tame'. Facebook doesn't scare. But this does...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ?CMP=fb_gu

That's pretty freaky. I certainly do not think this will be the end of the line in terms of technology like this.

I have no desire to modify or augment my person with technology like this. No glasses, contact lenses, or mind reading devices for me, thank you!

[Mexicola]

I know I'm going to the nth degree, playing Devil's advocate, but who's to say it will be something you can opt out of? If governments have the ability to use this stuff, suddenly waterboarding becomes unnecessary. Minority Report anyone?

[mechanismj]

I know I'm going to the nth degree, playing Devil's advocate, but who's to say it will be something you can opt out of? If governments have the ability to use this stuff, suddenly waterboarding becomes unnecessary. Minority Report anyone?

Silent weapons for a quiet war.

[Negamuse]

It's funny... reading sci fi and being a geek always made me broadly enthusiastic about transhumanism and upgrading the body's capabilities via technology, and as I've got older I've got less and less comfortable with it (for myself, everyone else it's still "you do you"). And it's mainly to do with the companies involved... Really says something about the state of today's tech giants I trust them less than some of the companies in cyberpunk fiction.

[Cupz]

That's cool and scary. Can it record dream chatter? Saves me a couple minutes in the morning writing my dream journal.

Edit: After reading more into it, it's not that scary actually. It has to train on a very specific set of words, and the internal speaking is not just thinking the words It's not reading minds, sadly. the FAQ from MIT

[Torn n Frayed]

It's funny... reading sci fi and being a geek always made me broadly enthusiastic about transhumanism and upgrading the body's capabilities via technology, and as I've got older I've got less and less comfortable with it (for myself, everyone else it's still "you do you"). And it's mainly to do with the companies involved... Really says something about the state of today's tech giants I trust them less than some of the companies in cyberpunk fiction.

Yeah me too but now after going down so many YT rabbit holes I'm full of future shock, not looking forward to the internet of everything, 5G microwaving us to extreme levels, being chipped and tracked and manipulated by intense satellite pulses and everyone connect to 'a cloud'. F-all that...

[Mexicola]

That's cool and scary. Can it record dream chatter? Saves me a couple minutes in the morning writing my dream journal.

Edit: After reading more into it, it's not that scary actually. It has to train on a very specific set of words, and the internal speaking is not just thinking the words It's not reading minds, sadly. the FAQ from MIT

This isn't scary in itself. What scares me is where it's leading. Much more than Facebook selling my likes.

[Gazebo4]

Not strictly 'on topic' but this takes things to another level of 'Holy shit, 1984 was tame'. Facebook doesn't scare. But this does...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... ?CMP=fb_gu

I have no desire to modify or augment my person with technology like this. No glasses, contact lenses, or mind reading devices for me, thank you!

Makes me think of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

[Gazebo4]

I know I'm going to the nth degree, playing Devil's advocate, but who's to say it will be something you can opt out of? If governments have the ability to use this stuff, suddenly waterboarding becomes unnecessary. Minority Report anyone?

Silent weapons for a quiet war.

Offtopic but, that would really make a nice album title!

[Mexicola]

Zuckerberg testifies live on BBCNews now.

EDIT: anyone else think he's getting an easy ride so far? I've seen select committee sessions here in the UK and they feel more testing than this?

[Twoist]

I'm watching the Bloomberg News feed with the accompanying stock price ticker. FB's shareholders would appear to agree with that sentiment.

[Cupz]

Total sham of a hearing. Not surprised in the slightest. Just a couple of farts trying to get one of richest men in the world behind new legislation.

That said, this Zuckerberg person is not the problem.

[Mexicola]

Got to say, whatever you think of Facebook, Zuckerberg, politicians...that 'grilling' was embarrassingly lightweight and superficial.

[Twoist]

Same again today. Any congressperson showing teeth while trying to impress the viewing public also displays an alarming lack of nous about FB's basic operating model.

Meanwhile the more I read into SCL (Cambridge Analytica's parent company), the more I'm convinced Adam Curtis' next documentary is writing itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCL_Group

[float face]

Of course, Fuckerberg donated to several of the members of Congress who were questioning him.

[Cupz]

And I'll rest my case here. You know what to do. The solution is in the hand of the user.

[mechanismj]

Got to say, whatever you think of Facebook, Zuckerberg, politicians...that 'grilling' was embarrassingly lightweight and superficial.

That's the kind of grilling you get when the one's doing the grilling are old and out of step with the digital age.

Also, Gazebo4, I nipped that line from a rather relevant Killing Joke song.