Ted Talks #3 – A Vision of Crimes in the Future
Daniel Murphy
Biology 1090-003
Salt Lake Community College
The concept of hacking computers is nothing new to me. Since a very young age I have been engaged in the knowledge and understanding of the use, abuse, and application of computer systems. Originally, the idea of hacking a human being seems absurd, like something out of a Hollywood movie. However, when you consider the suggestion that sixty-thousand individuals are connected to the Internet via their pacemakers, this concept becomes all too real. This allows for a single individual, with the technical knowledge, skill, and willingness to do so, can, at the press of a button, send those sixty-thousand individuals into a terminal cardiac shock.
One of the more striking aspects of this Ted Talks was Marc Goodman’s allusion that humans are rapidly becoming cyborgs themselves. While this holds great promise and significance for human beings, it also highlights the tremendous risk associated with this. The Internet empowers billions of individuals to connect with each other and share knowledge communally. This also allows individuals who, despite residing thousands of miles away, to interact and negatively affect another. The phrase: “a search engine can determine who shall live and who shall die”, despite sounding outlandish, becomes all too real in that scenario.
Beyond this, the true hacking of DNA has already begun. Whether used to produce seedless watermelon, synthesize a more effective anti-biotic, grow more productive crops, or to weaponize an already existing pathogen, the alteration of DNA will likely be humankind’s most significant achievement in mastering and modulating the world around them. Whether it is utilized for the good of mankind, or to further advance an agenda of the few at the expense of the many, only time will tell.
Works cited:
· "Marc Goodman: A Vision of Crimes in the Future." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Aug. 2013.
Daniel Murphy
Biology 1090-003
Salt Lake Community College
The concept of hacking computers is nothing new to me. Since a very young age I have been engaged in the knowledge and understanding of the use, abuse, and application of computer systems. Originally, the idea of hacking a human being seems absurd, like something out of a Hollywood movie. However, when you consider the suggestion that sixty-thousand individuals are connected to the Internet via their pacemakers, this concept becomes all too real. This allows for a single individual, with the technical knowledge, skill, and willingness to do so, can, at the press of a button, send those sixty-thousand individuals into a terminal cardiac shock.
One of the more striking aspects of this Ted Talks was Marc Goodman’s allusion that humans are rapidly becoming cyborgs themselves. While this holds great promise and significance for human beings, it also highlights the tremendous risk associated with this. The Internet empowers billions of individuals to connect with each other and share knowledge communally. This also allows individuals who, despite residing thousands of miles away, to interact and negatively affect another. The phrase: “a search engine can determine who shall live and who shall die”, despite sounding outlandish, becomes all too real in that scenario.
Beyond this, the true hacking of DNA has already begun. Whether used to produce seedless watermelon, synthesize a more effective anti-biotic, grow more productive crops, or to weaponize an already existing pathogen, the alteration of DNA will likely be humankind’s most significant achievement in mastering and modulating the world around them. Whether it is utilized for the good of mankind, or to further advance an agenda of the few at the expense of the many, only time will tell.
Works cited:
· "Marc Goodman: A Vision of Crimes in the Future." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Aug. 2013.
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