Mind-Machine Interfaces

Cool article on the progress being made in reading and interpreting neuronal activity via cables plugged directly into your brain. The article centers on a quadriplegic who has learned to control a mouse and other peripherals using only his thoughts. This is a topic close to my heart, as my dad is currently being assessed for a brain implant that will help control his Parkinson's. This dovetails nicely with another recent article that's floating around discussing the success using brain implants that can "cure" depression (in an admittedly small sample group). The age of cybernetics is upon us, it's just that most people haven't noticed yet. My dad's already got an implant that watches his heart and adjusts it's pace as needed, acting as both a pacemaker and defibrillator. The data this thing collects is downloaded wirelessly every so often, and they can see exactly what his heart has been doing since the last download. It's as William Gibson said: the future is here, it's just not evenly distributed.