March 22, 2024 by Harvey
In today’s Journal
* Philip K. Dick, Anyone?
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Philip K. Dick, Anyone?
From an article in 1440 Daily Digest:
“Neuralink develops invisible, wireless brain implants designed to restore control and movement to people with limited mobility due to brain-related issues.
“The procedure involves the use of a proprietary robot surgically implanting a coin-sized transponder underneath the skull. The Food and Drug Administration authorized Neuralink to conduct human trials in May.
“The company also plans to offer the implant to healthy people to allow bodily integration with computers.”
So as I titled this post, Philip K. Dick, anyone?
This is today, folks, not in the future.
Story ideas abound in science fiction (pre-Neuralink it would have been science fantasy), political intrigue, crime thriller, and every other genre that is set in the present day or in the future.
Or in any time period, really. Advanced species or a time traveler could deliver this same tech to people living in the past.
A few questions…
How long will it be before the implant is required by government mandate at birth or in humans below a certain age? Or in the military?
In North Korea, say? Or in China? Or in the United States?
Of course, old guys like me don’t have to worry about being implanted. Or even being offered the implant. Or even having to witness the effects of implants. Or of mandated mass implants.
Maybe you won’t either. Or believe you won’t.
Can you imagine how easy it would be to control a population of citizens who are implanted in this way?
And do you “hasten” the demise of those who are deemed to old for the implant (or who refuse it) in order to cleanse society? And if so, how?
Or on a smaller scale, can you imagine how easy it would be to communicate with/control an assassin or team of assassins who are thusly implanted?
Are we as a society already succumbing to AI? I don’t mean by AI “taking” anything from us or levying control over us, but by us becoming machines ourselves?
‘What Ifs’ should be flying all over the place in your head. Grab one, hold on, and write it.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 380
Writing of TJ Blackwell: The Origin Story
Day 1…… 6139 words. To date…… 6139
Day 2…… 1781 words. To date…… 7920
Day 3…… 2692 words. To date…… 10612
Fiction for March…………………….…. 43378
Fiction for 2024…………………………. 207970
Fiction since October 1………………… 511026
Nonfiction for March…………………… 21970
Nonfiction for 2024……………………… 121160
2024 consumable words……………… 329130
2024 Novels to Date……………………… 5
2024 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2024 Short Stories to Date……………… 1
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………… 87
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)…… 239
Short story collections………………… 31
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
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Hey they want to implant a chip in my head to enhance performance I'm all for it...wait...which head?
Harvey, this post-human shit is bone chilling. Between Dick and Bradbury, sci fi has become fact. Makes me wonder if Dick’s “visions” were legitimate.