From:	Scot Hayworth scoth@*********.com
Subject:	Visionary, or crazy?
Date:	Tue, 20 Jun 2000 11:39:43 -0600

-----Original Message-----
From: Allen Versfeld [mailto:moe@*******.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 1:19 AM
To: shadowrn@*********.com
Subject: Re: Visionary, or crazy?


Simon and Fiona wrote:
>
>
> My vote is for crazy. I can't see sonar really working on a human, we lack
> the brain functions to interpret the signals in any usable way. But hey,
> more power to him (prbably 12 volts), he's in the papers again. It is good
> to know that with all the quadroplegics, epileptics, diabetics, cancer
> victims, and so on, that this professor is still able to spend time,
> resources and equipment on this.

You sound as if you disapprove, and rightly so. It's disgraceful the
way people spend time and money on pure research, putting probes out in
space, and experimenting with implants, when there are so much more
important things to learn. I suggest that our british batman rather try
and learn how the nervous system works, so that we can build better
prostheses for amputees. Something that could be controlled in a
natural manner, as if it was a real arm. Something that will interface
with the nervous system. Rather than wasting his time on silly projects
that... attempt... to... interface... with.. the... oh.

Sarcasm aside, my point is that while this particular project does sound
farfetched, it's not a waste of time and resources. He's been doing
similar experiments on himself for a long time, controlling machinery
with his nervous impulses. Perhaps he'll never be able to see through
his new sonar eyes, but he is gathering valuable experimental data on
how the human nervous system can be integrated with, or altered by
electronics. And this *does* have value.
--

also what if a sonar implant was placed in a blind person... coupled with
the transponder that tells someone where he is... that technology can be
integrated with a gps system and with some more advances could actually make
great leaps in helping the blind... I try not to discount pure science
research as frivolous because there are some really smart folks (definately
smarter than me) out there that end up taking random pure science findings
and creating very viable resources for the rest of us....