Ethical Dilemmas - Discussion

[scottydog]

^^ I think Google-Grape would be a big step forward. Presumable, if we're all hybrids connected to the cloud, a hacker could access your consciousness and "become" you. That's almost as scary as anyone becoming "me".

[RJDiogenes]

Google Grape. Good Heavens.

^^ I think Google-Grape would be a big step forward. Presumable, if we're all hybrids connected to the cloud, a hacker could access your consciousness and "become" you. That's almost as scary as anyone becoming "me".

There you go. Talk about identity theft. People don't want their Costco cards hacked, let alone their brains. That's William Gibson territory. Long before anything like that is available, there will be cybernetic enhancements, like memory and recall and learning and so forth. That will be dangerous enough-- if you are able to download fluency in Japanese from a chip, you better hope nobody slipped in any advertisements or ideology.

[scottydog]

... if you are able to download fluency in Japanese from a chip, you better hope nobody slipped in any advertisements or ideology.

Very true!

If our memories are stored on chips or in a cloud, then finally the courts will know if a defendant is lying or not. And my wife might be able to know exactly how much chocolate I've eaten.

[RJDiogenes]

Exactly. People complain about privacy now because they have a GPS in their phone. They're not likely to want two-way communication with the cloud without powerful guarantees. And just this year the personal information of 80 million Americans (that's one in four) was hacked in the Anthem breech and another eleven million in the Premera breech, and now four million in the federal government breech. There are no solid guarantees.

On the other hand, the thing that makes a true cybernetic interface possible may be quantum computing, which could also make possible impenetrable encryption. Maybe. We'll see.

[Jim Gamma]

It may make unbreakable encryption possible, but somehow I doubt the world's intelligence agencies would ever let it happen... Far too risky for them to have conversations going on that they can't bug.

[scottydog]

When it comes to technology, cyber-criminals always seem to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. That scares me inasmuch as technology grows more and more powerful and we become more and more dependent on it.

[RJDiogenes]

I don't really believe in impenetrable encryption. And even if it's possible, I don't think it's a good idea to believe in impenetrable encryption.

[emma glitch]

I don't believe that bearing a child outside of marriage is "unnatural" or immoral, but I can't help but notice that a noted spokeswoman for abstinence only is once again pregnant and not married this time either. How's that abstinence working for you, Bristol?

Upon the announcement, privacy has been requested. Not a chance. This is a learning moment. The more young girls and women know about this, the better informed they will be, and that means a lot to me.

[Lupine]

^I like how they announce it publicly, then want privacy.

I don't believe that bearing a child outside of marriage is "unnatural" or immoral, but I can't help but notice that a noted spokeswoman for abstinence only is once again pregnant and not married this time either. How's that abstinence working for you, Bristol?

Remember: it's only bad when the other person does it.

[RJDiogenes]

Hypocrisy is common among prudes.

So it's 1967 again, with the Supreme Court striking down anti-marriage laws. I'm quite disappointed in the closeness of the vote. This is one of those periods in history when the Supreme Court, which is supposed to be above politics, votes the party line rather than for the Constitution.

[Lupine]

I wasn't surprised by the closeness of the vote. I was rather surprised they went as far as they did. I was expecting them to leave it up to the states- which they have done before on other major rulings.
Reactions out my way have been rather mute so far. Surprising as California east of the coastal barrier range gets really conservative. But we'll see what happens when the Sunday edition of the Daily Press comes out with the letters to the editor section, where people routinely write in to deny evolution, climate change, and common sense.

[RJDiogenes]

It was the headline on this morning's Globe, Boston's Left-Wing paper, and pretty much every other story on the front page was related. The Herald, Boston's Right-Wing tabloid, didn't seem to mention it at all that I noticed. I picked up a copy of the Globe for posterity, as I usually do when something major happens.

[emma glitch]

Reactions out my way have been rather mute so far. Surprising as California east of the coastal barrier range gets really conservative..

The Coachella Valley is a wild mix, so there is celebrating, but not all are partaking. That neighbor who was ranting at me about religion a while back, and who I don't usually see, happened to be walking her dog this morning, came up behind me, and when I gave her a cheery good morning, just glared and grunted.

[Lupine]

Rather amazingly in this morning's edition of the Daily Press there wasn't a single mention of marriage equality in the Opinion page. A few complaints about ACA. Some local stuff. A mention of Clive Bundy. But no melt-downs over same-sex weddings.

[RJDiogenes]

It's quiet. Too quiet.