When I first acquired my iPhone, I had two jokes I liked to tell. The first was that I loved my phone more than some people I knew. The second was that the phone had actually become an extension of my brain. Like all good jokes, these little asides were humorous because they contained a seed of the truth. Just how big a seed didn't become shockingly clear until recently.
First, there was the story about Stephen Furber, who is building a synthetic brain -- dubbed "Spinnaker" -- out of thousands of smartphone chips. He's estimated that he will need about 50,000 chips to simulate 1 billion neurons, which should be enough to control a robotic arm. He has already built a small 50-neuron version of his proposed brain, which can control a Pac-Man style video game. If a version this small can do what many beer-fueled college students did for four years during the late 80's, imagine what the 1 billion neuron version will be able to do. Solve global warming (or, for the conservatives among us, prove that it exists)? Keep Wall Street bankers from manipulating the economy? Send a man to Mars? Send a man to the grocery store and have him return with the right item?
The goal, of course, is to build something that can be planted in a humanoid body. If you read the comments in the linked article, they immediately begin referencing Skynet, Isaac Asimov and, for some reason, duct tape. (Oddly, no Cylons.) When faced with the prospect of synthetic people, most humans think only of violence and murder -- "us" against "them." I prefer to posit a more warm and accepting future: what if, finally, my iPhone (or 50,000 iPhones) actually became my companion? Then I wouldn't have to feel guilty about liking it more than some humans I know.
The second story is the theory that human brains actually function like smartphones: Apparently, we have multiple "apps" that control different activities, and the act of running two apps at once is likely to produce inconsistent behavior. (In my case, that behavior would be continuing to eat Ben & Jerry's Phish Food despite an active case of lactose intolerance.) Unfortunately, our wetware apps don't come with exit buttons. But there are some groovy behavior-modification apps for the iPhone (and probably Android phones) that can help you out there, resulting in a situation where interaction with your smartphone is clearly modifying your brain.
For now, I remain happy in my loving relationship with my iPhone, safe in the knowledge that, even in the wilds of New York City, that little extra set of brains in my blue jeans will help me find a subway stop, order movie tickets, take a message, or even let me play some Pac-Man. If, later in its lifespan, a larger version emerges that can do all that while folding my laundry and making dinner resies, well, bring it on.
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