9.13: NEVER FORGET

Twelve years ago today:

Which is extra appropriate as it’s also the Mid Autumn (a.k.a. Moon) Festival here in HK.

Why is the moon gone,

This is dF

THIS IS YR BRAIN ON TV

I get press releases.

Sometimes they’re about Chinese television sets with telepathic remote controls.

Well, okay, they’re never about that. Until now.

Here’s how that (allegedly) works:

NeuroSky’s brainwave technology can detect human brainwave patterns revealing a person’s mental state. The NeuroSky MindReader then translates the monitored brainwaves into digital signals that the television can recognize. The brain-controlled TV applications allow users to develop control over their concentration and relaxation abilities through entertainment applications.

And you thought 3D TV sets were the future.

Feel free to insert paranoid Crichton-style worst-case techno-thriller scenario here (it’s a plot by China to read our minds!).

Does it actually work? Damned if I know. I do know that it’s not quite as flaky as it sounds – plenty of companies have sunk lots of R&D money into developing brain-scanning tech that can translate thoughts into interface controls for computers (as has the Pentagon, incidentally).

But even assuming NeuroSky’s tech works as advertised, as a mass-market concept, I don't see the average consumer being willing to strap a brain-helmet on their head just so they can flip channels by thinking about them, or whatever – at least once the novelty value wears off.

That said, hurrah for the 21st Century, eh?

Don’t think,

This is dF