The International Writers Magazine: Comment: Chip for brains

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Computer Brains • James Skinner Many moons ago, some astute XX century futurologist stated that Man would eventually be dominated by machines. He was obviously referring to the computer age. However, another one of these nutcases refuted this statement by using a simple example. Until a computer can ride a bicycle, Man has not yet succumbed to his own ‘brain’ invention. How things have changed! Not only can the beast ride a bike, it can program itself to fly as well as swim let alone freewheel down a country lane. But let’s take a look at how all this circus act started in the first place.

The computer is made up of electronic chips that go flip-flop. Yes, flip-flop! You feed a simple electrical pulse into a simple combination of electronic transistors known as a ‘chip’ and bingo, the so-called state of this ‘chip’, known also as an electronic switch, will remain or change into either an ‘on’ or an ‘off’ state. As time went on, Man has gone from strength to strength in his design of the combination of these ‘chips’ to form other combinations known as microprocessors. These micros in turn were redesigned to form more sophisticated combinations known as computers. Advances were made in speed and size, faster and faster electrical switching pulses and smaller and smaller flip-flops. But what about the intelligence?

Intelligence? What Intelligence? Computers now talk, play music, show pictures; most of this without Man’s interference. How does it happen? Very simple. Man has been clever enough to design his computer in such a way that all these millions and millions of tiny flip-flops or switches can be combined, rearranged, left in certain states, or even returned to certain predetermined states through activation by Man at his command. How? By feeding into his machine what is known as programming, also called software. Man can then manipulate this so-called software through his voice, his touch or any other means of physical contact.
So there you have it, the so called man-made machine we know today as the computer. But why do some of us feel that we are now dominated by this machine? Because the advancements have been so great, and the work and output that this machine can carry out so gigantic and beyond comprehension, that Man has now become dependent on this monster.

But what is happening to Man himself? Because of the apparent dominance of the computer over his being Man is transforming himself into his machine. In other words, he is becoming a computer with the same characteristics and properties of this abstract electronic horror.

A computer – remember the flip-flops – works with two states; 1 or 0, on or off, negative or positive polarity and so on. This procedure in computer language is known as logic. All the rest of the complicated derivations are based entirely on this concept: Logic! Hence, if the computer prints out on one of its peripherals that it is raining, or that Man will live to be one hundred and ten years old, it must be accepted as fact because the logic of the machine says so. Returning to Man as a transformed human computer, his brain is now that of the brain of the machine. It works entirely on logic. To give some examples, this newly developed human brain – known as a computer brain – cannot distinguish between ignorance and stupidity. Using ‘pure’ logic, if a person is ignorant, he is stupid, and the machine cannot tell the difference. Another example is humour. The computer brain cannot accept humour, it is not logical. To tell, or worse to explain a joke just does not exist in the software. And we can go on to other sections of the human brain that have now been eradicated such as love, compassion, even hate. None of these elements in the computer brain exist. What exactly does this mean?

It means that the sector on intuition that has been passed on from generation to generation through history, education, experience and other human factors known as ‘common sense’ has been wiped out! The very element within a normal old fashion brain that has always differentiated Man from machine ever since the Ice age has been his ability to raise himself above his machine through thousands of years of inbuilt common sense. All this has been lost.

The physical aspect of the computer brain, the body, has also changed. We no longer see veins but fibre optic tubes carrying bits and bytes. The head that contains the central processor has a lock and two hinges on each side that can be disengaged to show the mass arrangement of flip-flops and chips. The blob of grey matter that was once the standard specimen no longer exists. If you believe this to be an exaggeration then the advice is to ‘think’ and use, if you still have it, common sense. Follow on!

Take for instance, the modern world of stock markets and translationals. It all depends on how the so called shares perform at these complex supermarkets that are controlled by computer brains wheeling and dealing to their hearts content. Or should I say central processor’s content? Who cares if a company is selling widgets or trading in Mongolian racehorses? It’s all the same to these computer brains. Enter basic logical data from today’s flavour of the day, press a button, read the printout, push another button to sell or buy, and bang goes another company’s shares up or down. But what does it actually do to the translational? Once again, the controlling Orwellian hierarchies of these companies are also computer brains working directly with an optical fixation on the value of their shares dictated to by the previously mentioned stock market computer brains. If the stock market printout says that the cost of toilet paper in a company is at risk, Shazam! The computer printout then says sell, the shares go down, and the translational computer brains get to work to remove all toilet paper from the company’s toilets. Who cares if the company had just discovered a cure for Aids? The computers have not yet been programmed and therefore cannot react!

Let us now go into the ultimate in domination, known as virtual reality. With a simple introduction of a CD, or compact disk, which is nothing more that a piece of mega-storage of information in the form of 1’s and 0’s, into the electronic version of the computer and then by placing over our heads, remember the above description, another gadget in the form of a helmet, that in turn is connect to the computer, we can throw a switch and be transported almost anywhere; a supermarket, top of a mountain, and in whatever form we wish; an aeroplane, a monkey, and begin to play the most incredible of games that this fiend can offer us.

The tragedy is that humanoids today, especially the new generations, are beginning to really believe what they see and do through this new piece of junk. So what! Who cares? What harm is being done anyway?
Computer brains cannot see further that their logical noses, they cannot see that the world is what it is, one huge golf ball that gets hit by duffers and scratch players alike. It gets sent into the rough and into hazards, and sometimes onto fairways, but until now manages, somehow, to come back and finish on the green and into the hole. The tragic day will come when the ball gets hit too strongly and is sent into the out of bounds never to be retrieved again. This can only be avoided when computer brains can be reversed and taught to use common sense and see that ecology, unemployment, equality of humans, human rights and education – the real McCoy – are the real issues of the world today. It cannot be solved through spreadsheets and computer printouts but through harmony and understanding based on true human values devoid of flip flops and chips!
© James Skinner. April 4th 2007.
James Skinner, Honorary British Consul in Galicia.
vigoconsulate at gmail.com

MPs and the Walrus
James Skinner
‘I’ve finally decided to retire as Her Majesty’s governmental representative in this remote part of Europe known as Galicia after nearly 5 years of rescuing Brits from the gallows

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