[Frank_Discussion]

There's a researcher in England who has delved into this stuff quite a bit. He's had two operations to add "capability" to himself. The first experiment was a tracking and echo device that would detail his location in his home and activate the lights when he walked into a room. The second was an attempt to feel the feelings his wife was experiencing. (She had an implant, as well) I don't know how the second experiment turned out.

It's coming fast, 20 years is probably conservative. I imagine 5 years for the first practical implant system.

[goody2shooz]

...to feel the feelings his wife was experiencing...

Oh-oh! No more faking it. Is she ever in deep ka-ka.

[billybudd]

I agree with you on implants and other cyborg-like capabilities. But implants and downloadable consciousness are two very different things. To get to the point where we know enough about neurology, epistemology to be able to simulate the human thought process, the manufacturing techniques to produce nanomachines (self-assembly, etc.), and the extremely fast, pervasive networks we keep being promised, will take a lot of progress. We are nowhere near there, despite the hype. It's not just a matter of technological progress, but economic and infrastructure development.