The Apple iMind OS – Direct Mind Interface Operating System

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Controlling a computer with your mind is probably one of the next great leaps forward for humanity. Imagine having a pair of glasses that house a miniature computer that learns to translate your brainwaves into commands on a computer screen visible through those glasses.

Sergey Brin wears Google Glass

You might be able to write paragraphs of text as quickly as you think them. Imagine a complete catalog of the running commentary in your mind. You might be able to access programs and give commands without having to see fully open windows on your screen. Imagine disarming the security system on your house to let your kids get in, while giving the command to pre heat the oven, turn up the AC, and turn on the sprinkler with a few thoughts. Imagine running a factory or city-wide utility system. What if it were possible to build something as complex as an aircraft carrier using robotic factories patched in to the minds of a few engineers. Rather than “overseeing” every single task, the engineers might give certain pre determined commands and only have to be aware of a limited amount of items at a time.

The technology to scan your brain and control objects in the real world is maturing rapidly. There are toys that allow you to control flying vehicles with your thoughts.

Controlling a Drone with Your Mind

Using the mind to control a mouse on the computer screen is also possible. The technology will become increasingly sensitive to the electrical signals in the brain. Computer learning will make it possible to more accurately interpret the patterns of those signals. In turn, humans will get better at interacting with the devices. The result will be an eventual synergy between computer and human that is far more efficient than it is today.

It’s entirely possible a company like Apple could pioneer this type of interface/operating system. Their recent venture into wearables that give bio feedback could be an indicator of things to come. Though Apple has seemed to drop the “i” from their recent products, I think the “iMind” would be a great name for the OS.

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Elephants Look in A Mirror But Humans do so Through a Looking Glass

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Only a hand full of species can recognize themselves in a mirror. Humans and elephants are a part of this exclusive club. The video below is fascinating.

It’s always interesting to see how we clever humans test the mental capacity of other animals. Recognizing ones self in the mirror is a complex process in the brain. It requires skills such as self awareness and deductive reasoning to name a few. Showing an animal it’s reflection in the mirror is an excellent way to test it for these skills of intelligence.

How might a superior intelligence test humans? Alternate universes and realities are a common theme in the musings of human kind via fiction. Physicists theorize that alternate universes and realities can and do exist. This is known as the Many-Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. What if advanced beings are able to tap in to this phenomenon?

Reality as Reflection of the Mind

Instead of holding a mirror in front of us, they might “hold a reality” in front of us. And instead of testing individuals for a few minutes, they test our entire species over the course of our evolution.

At it’s heart, this is not a radical or new concept. The idea of Karma is loosely related: “causality where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual.” – Wikipedia. In this case, the phenomenon of Karma, would be an artificial law of nature put in place just for us…an ongoing, interactive puzzle we need to solve and master.

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A Database of Dreams

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Everyone, at one time or another, has wondered where dreams come from. What do they mean? Why do we have them? Recent studies suggest that our brains use the time during sleep to hardwire memories and learn. But sometimes dreams have emotional components that leave the dreamer feeling as if something truly significant has taken place. Nightmares may come to mind, but there are also powerfully positive dreams.

I remember the old science fiction movie, Dreamscape. As a child, the movie fascinated me. The concept that there is a separate dream reality where other humans can interact with one another was powerful. In the scene below, two individuals interact in a shared dream reality.

Interacting in Dreams

Having a shared dream reality may seem a little far fetched. But remember, dreams, brain waves and thoughts are comprised of or caused by electrical signals passing between neurons in the brain. Out entire planet is bathed in a magnetic field. Could information be transmitted through this medium by our brains?

A database of dreams could help us answer that question. We might be able to find correlations between the dreams of billions of people on any given night. With the help of search engines like Google and Baidu, this could be possible. These entities have the reach and ability to collect this data with a few key strokes. Imagine if a billion people were asked a single, daily question about their dream the past night. A question like, “Was the dream a good one or a bad one?” Over time, what kinds of trends and correlations could we find?

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What Are You Looking At?

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Some day computers and apps will be able to monitor what you are looking at by watching your eyes. This eye tracking technology is in it’s infancy at the time I am writing this blog. It has not yet permeated our society.

Eye Tracking Technology

At the moment, much of the focus has been on tracking the eyes of one person at a time. Eventually, it may be possible to track the eye movements of a room full of people simultaneously. They would not all need to be facing the same direction or wearing special glasses. Omni directional cameras could be strategically placed to see all eyes everywhere.

Omni Directional Camera

This could help architects and designers better understand how people perceive their environments. It could also help advertisers know when their ads have been seen. In a venue like a sporting event, it would be extremely valuable to know if the the most valued ad realestate lived up to it’s price.

“Did you see my ad and for how long did you look? Did you just look or did your eyes read the text?” Advertisers want to know the answer.

When dealing with one person, It might be possible to project an image in such a way that no matter where that person looks, they see the projection. Eye tracking technology could determine where you are looking, and a moveable projector could create the display.

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A Li-Fi Universe

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I recently watched a Ted Talk by Harald Hass. He demonstrated the technology of Li-Fi (Light Fidelity). In short, it is the use of the visible light part of the electromagnetic spectrum to transmit data. Technology such as Wi-Fi uses the radio wave part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Li-Fi has a far, far greater data capacity than Wi-Fi.

In a way, astronomy utilizes a type of “Light Communication” already. Stars communicate their composition by emitting a certain spectrum of light. Astronomers then decode the light to determine what elements are present.

Some theorize that light travels at different speeds when in different mediums and perhaps in interstellar space. What if the speed of light moves a great deal faster between star systems?

Stars could communicate, or be a part of a communication network, in Li-Fi. Not to mention that stars also emit radio waves (Wi-Fi), ultraviolet waves etc. Quite a large spectrum.

Billions of stars buzzing with electromagnetic emissions.

And to go further out on a limb; what if stars are the equivalent of neurons or have the capacity for thought themselves? If the thoughts of these thinking beings move slower, at a different time rate than ours…. the time spans that it takes to receive information from star to star, may not seem long.

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