• From: terra incognita
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Topic: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

From--

http://www.fathersforlife.org/Hive_Mind.htm#_1_

[i wrote:

The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?[/i] ]

Government agencies in the U.S., in Japan and in Europe are hard at work to create a hive mind and hope to have it working by the end of the 21st century.

With knowledge no longer encapsulated in individuals, the distinction between individuals and the entirety of humanity would blur.  Think Vulcan mind-meld.  We would perhaps become more of a hive mind – an enormous, single, intelligent entity.

– Converging Technologies
for Improving Human Performance [1]

The U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Commerce and their allies in Japan and Europe hope to bring about that ultimate goal, to promote and establish a global hive mind, by the end of the 21st century.   They posit that not only is that goal feasible but also that it is quite likely to be achieved during the course of this century.
   The process they use is to converge efforts in the fields of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, human cognition and social sciences by giving them a common goal, the creation of electronic brain-to-brain and machine-to-brain interfaces, the creation of built-in brain- and body-enhancers. 
   The aim is to create artificial intelligences that will logically and eventually merge into one single super intelligence.  The new intelligence, perhaps a hybrid of human and machine thought, will ostensibly be able to give immortality to humans.   If thoughts and conscience can be transmitted electronically, they can also be stored electronically – theoretically indefinitely.
   The new intelligence or hive mind will live in and by means of the Internet and be tightly and directly interconnected with manufacturing processes for the production of consumer goods and with processes that will monitor, control, improve and optimize its existence and functioning.
   The government- or government-funded agencies collaborating on creating the hive mind as of now chose the abbreviation NBICS (Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno-Socio) to name their combined global efforts.

....

The tool that will be used for the creation of the global hive mind is miniaturization of data processing devices by bringing the size of data storage elements down to the molecular level.  The principle to be used for data storage will be to alter the orientation of the spin of individual electrons, to switch it on and off by altering the orientation, and thereby to make it possible to have electronic data processing devices the size of individual molecules and only a few nanometers or less apart.  Thereby it may be feasible to reduce the size of computers with processing power equal to the human brain to a size that will theoretically be smaller than the human brain. 
   These computers will not only be super-small, their data storage and processing capacity will be vastly greater than that of super computers.  Moreover, these super-small, super-powerful super computers will be super-fast, about a thousand times faster than the human brain.
   The next logical step is to use these super-small computers for the storage of some or all of the knowledge of individual people.  After that it becomes an inevitable progression to electronically link the "minds" so stored, thereby joining them into a hive mind.  Through that the knowledge of individual "minds" becomes accessible to all other stored "minds".  The consequence of that will be that individual "minds" can gain access to any portion or all of the knowledge stored in the hive mind, but why stop there?  Theoretically, the power of the hive mind to use and process data will be unprecedented and of unimaginable proportions, quality and speed.

This above is only part of the interesting article, the author makes some interesting notes about "God's" place in all of this.


From--

http://www.mackwhite.com/tv.html

Mack White wrote:

A recent report co-sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Commerce Department calls for a broad-based research program to find ways to use nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive sciences, to achieve telepathy, machine-to-human communication, amplified sensory experience, enhanced intellectual capacity, and mass participation in a "hive mind." Quoting the report: "With knowledge no longer encapsulated in individuals, the distinction between individuals and the entirety of humanity would blur. Think Vulcan mind-meld. We would perhaps become more of a hive mind--an enormous, single, intelligent entity."

There is no doubt that we have been brought closer to the "hive mind" by the mass media. For, what is the shared experience of television but a type of "Vulcan mind-meld"? (Note the terminology borrowed from Star Trek, no doubt to make the concept more familiar and palatable. If Spock does it, it must be okay.)

This government report would have us believe that the hive mind will be for our good--a wonderful leap in evolution. It is nothing of the kind. For one thing, if the government is behind it, you may rest assured it is not for our good. For another, common sense should tell us that blurring the line "between individuals and the entirety of humanity" means mass conformity, the death of human individuality. Make no mistake about it--if humanity is to become a hive, there will be at the center of that hive a Queen Bee, whom all the lesser "insects" will serve. This is not evolution--this is devolution. Worse, it is the ultimate slavery--the slavery of the mind.

This also is only part of the article, the author has a lot more to say about the hive-mind and the influence of television.

This is the link to the over 400 pg. document they refer to.  I've only looked over the Overview section of the document so far, but that was more than enough for me to recognize a white wash job if I was ever to see one.  Check it out.

http://www.wtec.org/ConvergingTechnolog … cation.pdf

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
------
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
------
If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.

lol

2 Reply by Moralman

  • Moralman
  • Guest

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Dear Auendove
kind regards
I wouldn't trust any implant or advanced implanted technology from any government.
It sounds like a scam and the fact that this revolutionary technology is being offered by the governments.........enough said.
Apparently any changes in our DNA(2 strand to 12 strand DNA) will be within and will be shown in and after 2012.
But of course naturally you know this.........
I wouldn't accept anything from the government-they are there to fleece us end of story.
Interesting story though.
yours thankfully
John

  • From: US
  • Registered: 2004-09-21

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Wonder how much of this technology is already developed?
Kathy

Never Give Up!

freeme's Website

  • From: terra incognita
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

freeme wrote:

Wonder how much of this technology is already developed?

Kathy,

While it may sound trivial given the scope of the document and big gov't., etc. involved with this issue: Michael Crichton wrote the book Prey (pub. 2002) about nanotechnology. There is a bibliography at the end of this piece of "fiction" and this statement is made before the listing of over 40 references--

Crichton wrote:

This novel is entirely fictitious, but the underlying research programs are real. The following references may assist the interested reader to learn more about the growing convergence of genetics, nanotechnology, and distributed intelligence.

Over 40 references? Whatever of it is not yet fully developed, they appear to be hard at work to develope.  BTW--it's a riveting book, I suggest reading it.

Moralman wrote:

I wouldn't accept anything from the government-they are there to fleece us end of story.
Interesting story though.

You may not, I may not, a portion of the population may not, but there are many others, those called "sheeple", who desire immortality, replaceable body organs, fancy DNA....  INSTANT GRATIFICATION, Eden handed to them on a platter of nanoparticles, these being man-made particles of "Creations" energy at it's most elemental form. 

When one brings the flow of Natural Creation into the mix, this level of energetic and social architecting is manipulative, the ethics of this nano-enhanced research is overwhelmingly blatant.  I guess I'd rather die by a natural force rather than to live in a contrived one... one more contrived than we are aware of now.

I'm curious, when you write "Interesting story though" is this a reflection of you thinking this type of research isn't happening and is the stuff urban legends are made of?

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
------
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
------
If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.

lol

5 Reply by Moralman

  • Moralman
  • Guest

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Dear Auendove
kind regards
I am sure that some people will certainly accept this form of government technology.
However its DNA and technology from an outside source-we will receive our 12 strand DNA during the changes.
I think that immortality, perfect DNA, genetics and peace is our soul birth right perhaps as a enlightened wanderer you agree with this?
I said "interesting story" as a figure of speech as to say thank you for taking the time to find the story.
I appreciate everybodys contribution to this forum.
This is the best forum online and we all make it great.
yours thankfully
John

  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Ah, yes, "Prey." A scary novel if ever there was one, because nanotech is rapidly advancing and they are currently doing things most people are not aware of, as they seem impossible. The pics of nano-machines someone here recently posted
(sorry, can't remember who) show this. While we will probably be immune due to our conscious DNA activation, etc, many people believe this stuff is science fiction only. It's a very hush-hush area, still, and people in general need to update themselves on what is happening. I wouldn't want to see anyone get manipulated or attacked by this incredible technology which is like "magic" to most people. The possibilities for abuse are many!

  • From: US
  • Registered: 2004-09-21

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

EEK!  YUK!  Sounds like we are being prepared to *accept* this wonderful new technology then, which means this stuff might be ready for mass distribution.  Didn't the C's say something about computers turning on humanity?  And it would eventually fail.

Never Give Up!

freeme's Website

  • From: US
  • Registered: 2004-09-21

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Found it! From session 941119

"Q: (T) Was the accumulation of this [crystals] power what brought
about their [Atlantis] downfall?
A: Yes.
Q: (T) Did they lose control of this power?
A: It overpowered them the same way your computers will
overpower you.
Q: (V) Is it similar to them gaining a life and intelligence of their
own?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) You mean these crystalline structures came to life, so to
speak?
A: Yes.
Q: (L) And then what did they do?
A: Destroyed Atlantis. "

Never Give Up!

freeme's Website

  • czyx
  • czyx
  • Sparking the gap.
  • Offline
  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2004-09-11

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

When you don't use a muscle, it atrophies. When you don't use your mind, it becomes dull. If we're plugged into such a system, it will weaken our minds significantly. It's already happening in small ways: a person with a PDA no longer needs to remember dates, a person with a cell phone no longer needs to remember phone numbers, and a person with a word processor no longer needs to remember how to spell. Human functions are being taken over by technology, to the detriment of our culture, freedom, and natural faculties. This is what Ned Lud raged against back in the day, because it was apparent even then that the machines did a lousy job, made human beings their slaves, and were themselves controlled by the monied class who wished to re-engineer the workers.

The human mind is becoming less of a "computer" and more of a "mainframe terminal". Our memory functions are being made obsolete. The end result of this system is that the human brain will shrink and die, leaving nothing but a truncated stem and a nervous system. We'll be zombies whose "thinking" is done at a remote location. But that thinking will only think it is thinking, because it will be nothing more than a digital model of thought. On top of that, the digital model will be restrictive and inferior because it will be based upon the incomplete and flawed conventional human understanding of consciousness.

Thanks for the link to that pdf file, Auendove. I'll read through it and post some more thoughts later.

--Justin
  • From: sw tz rl nd
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Well said czyx. This reminds me of the SETI program where people are asked to give their computer power to detect ET messages. Seems like with the advent of the Internet and what goes beyond, the system expects us more and more to give the computing power of our minds to solve their tasks, but doesn't want to use it for creativity. Remote working is of course portrayed as a major evolution of our society.

As such I don't think it's really the mind which atrophies but our individual creative spark, our soul, and the emotions it generates while it tries to decypher the unknown. In fact a major challenge to implement this hive mind is a "rationalisation of emotions" and thus a denial of all that is not part of the the belief-system of the Matrix. And they are working on it. Check this for example. Lots of nice words, but it's all about how to generate productive "happy" robots.

ermolai's Website

11 Reply by Auendove (edited by Auendove 2004-09-28 07:40:49)

  • From: terra incognita
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

Moralman wrote:

I said "interesting story" as a figure of speech as to say thank you for taking the time to find the story.

Thank you for satisfying my curiosity, and thanks otherwise... this document belongs here on NR to be read and addressed.  I contacted an old college prof of mine who teaches Social Problems/Ethics with these links with the hope they may eventually take a portion of their class time discussing this. She said she would, and that she would pass it on to others. Not all college profs are roll-over experts.

SednaSphere wrote:

The pics of nano-machines someone here recently posted (sorry, can't remember who) show this.

Xenopope posted the pictures on morningsun76's "pictures of atoms" page here--

http://montalk.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=676

In fact, this was a cool little sync for me that these pictures had been posted because I had just gotten finished reading what I first posted above, logged onto NR to begin the thread, checked out new posts beforehand, and these pictures were the first thing I looked at!  I wasn't able to post the thread right away because of the hurricane coming, my computer gets kaflooey when hurricanes are approaching... seriously, I think I tried three times that day to post this thread... funny though, I was able to do everything else I wanted on my computer that day. 

Just short of believing I'm going to sound paranoid (this is a pretty open minded crowd), in the past I almost always had a hard time sending emails that had "sensitive" info in them.  I'd get my email fully written, reach up to send it, and just before being able to do as much, BAM!, it's gone (this doesn't happen now because I'm constantly saving everything I'm writing).  Setting aside the influence of the hurricane and my possible paranoia, what does this say?  Self-regulating computers, or overtly regulated computers?  Just a thought, and one hard to prove, at least for me. I think Sedna has mentioned this happening to her also in the past. 

Sheesh!  And if I let my mind wander I have to wonder: if weather patterns mess with computers (at least older ones like mine, and I've had plenty of experience this summer) then what are weather patterns going to do to the hive-mind? Could this be another good reason for the PTB to have the ability to completely control the weather?  Maybe that's just a silly thought out of nowhere, but sometimes assorted musings do add up to truths.

freeme wrote:

Didn't the C's say something about computers turning on humanity?  And it would eventually fail.

C's wrote:

Q: (V) Is it similar to them gaining a life and intelligence of their
own?
A: Yes.

I was at this session, and as I've written before when it was posted elsewhere, what isn't reflected in that portion of the transcript was that this really creeped us all out, kind of like all of us experiencing an inside-out shiver... it momentarily shut our mouths when the C's responded "yes" to the question.

I'm wondering (again) does anybody know if the Atlanteans were also influenced and manipulated by 4D/5D STS forces?  I ask this question because I think, no doubt, there's more behind this during our civilization's time than just ideating researchers and big gov't (somebody's gotta be paying for all of this, right?  Of course the private sector has their checkbooks out too), this being an alien agenda. It could be interesting to compare and contrast if this is so.... or maybe it could just be frustrating, like trying to find a needle in a haystack. 

czyx wrote:

Thanks for the link to that pdf file, Auendove. I'll read through it and post some more thoughts later.

Great!  Yipee!  I was hoping someone else would get into exploring this document besides myself. I'm going to get into the document further today also.  I'm mostly curious about what they have to say about the ethical implications (aka--how they're going to cover up or explain the immorality of their research), and I really, really, really want to know where the funding for this obviously large scaled research is coming from.

-----------------------

A personal note, and admittedly an emotion-based one--

What bothers me more than anything else is, and I'll control myself  throughout the rest of the thread not to write it again: people of all ages are dying of hunger on this planet, alone (only one of our many wellness issues in 3D Land, but one of the most basic). Can't we use these funds and feed them FIRST as a social collective effort? <BLEEP>  I just think, idealistically (I do understand this is ideation and speculation, but I'm going to write it anyway), the collective consciousness growth and learning that would come forth from just our eradicating world hunger (this we supposedly already have the power to do) may raise our consciousnesses to place we can only now imagine, and do so NATURALLY... cause and effect.

I see it this way: wouldn't we feel more of our innate Oneness if we as a global society made sure every person went to bed with a full belly?... huhn, maybe all of us would sleep a little better then because thought forms produced from hunger are surely very powerful ones.  Those people starving to death in this world surely emanate a lot of troubled energy, and this energy doesn't just disappear. I have to wonder how less muttled the "air waves" would be of destitutive thought forms if more people weren't going to sleep aching with hunger, feeling just a little more at ease and peaceful, feeling like somebody actually gives a damn about their life force. This may only be my two-cents worth, but I'll take it to my "spiritual bank" and watch it grow interest. (a personal note to our resident "perfectionist" Moralman: I'm like you, I'd like to see every last person on this planet happy and served also, even if it just comes in the form of a hot meal)

And I'm not letting this one fly through my thoughts (I'm not blinded by wishful thinking) without recognizing out loud that if nobody is dying of hunger then reproduction will need to be regulated (another ethical issue). Nothing about this is easy to think about and mete out, but can't it be approached just as easily naturally as it can unnaturally?  Easy? Hard? What really serves our evolution to it's greatest is not going to be found in "manufacturing" a perfect society (hive-mind), but y'all already know this.

Big IF coming here--

If I was in a position of power (scary thought, eh? big_smile LOL!) I would have little problem with mandated reproduction regulations (I had myself sterilized at the tender age of almost 23 and haven't regretted it one day since), even given the obvious problems that would follow (i.e. China) I would have a bigger problem with a mandated hive-mind... the research would never even be funded.

With that said, I will try very hard not to return to my soap-box again on this thread, it's just difficult because the ethics of this burns a hole in my objectivity. I mean, really, unless somebody can come up with something better the only objective thing that can be said about this research is that it's just plain 'ole wrong.

It's a good thing to know what they're doing when they don't think we're looking.

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
------
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
------
If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.

lol

12 Reply by Auendove (edited by Auendove 2004-09-28 14:19:37)

  • From: terra incognita
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

How interesting... from USA Today--

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/nano/ … ygoo_x.htm

Broadly defined, nanotechnology involves the use of man-made materials so small they are measured on the scale of a nanometer, one-billionth of a meter. At that molecular size, they have unique characteristics and chemical reactions.

In more advanced technology, particles may be engineered to form micromachines. But even in its infancy, nanotechology is part of everyday life, such as materials that are widely used in stain-resistant clothing and in sunscreens to keep out ultraviolet light.

The National Nanotechnology Initiative, which oversees federal efforts to nurture the field, says the technology will contribute $1 trillion to the U.S. economy by 2015.

But worries about burgeoning use of these materials continue, ranging from studies of their effects in fish to their role as the villains in Michael Crichton's 2002 techno-thriller Prey, which 20th Century Fox plans to make into a movie.

The novel tracks the escapades of predatory nanoparticles in the form of microrobots. Humankind is the prey, which also is the concern in real life.

"When Prey comes out (as a movie), the public is going to be educated about nanotechnology, whether we want it or not," says Mark Ratner of Northwestern University.

.....

The moral of Frankenstein is that mankind is more dangerous than its creations. That's still true for Drexler, who says, "The chief danger is not what nanomachines might do by accident. It is instead the consequences, both intended and unintended, of what people choose to do with powerful new technologies in a world dominated by economic and strategic competition.

"That is what we should be discussing and researching today."

Again, the whole article is worth the read.

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
------
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
------
If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.

lol
  • From: NOTHING
  • Registered: 2004-09-03

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

some sci-fi stories have portrayed nano-augmentation of the human organism for the purpose of achieving heightened super-human abilities. the PC games Deus Ex, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and Snowblind being three of them. a mixture of nano-augmentation substance would be added to the bloodstream and live in symbiosis with the human body.

exerpt from Deus Ex - "you've got to have God clearance to . . . to know. The nanites can be programmed for exponential growth . . . "

This capability would effectively initiate a 'kill switch' in the symbiont-human organism causing death in any predetermined ammount of time.

I am as is Void.
  • czyx
  • czyx
  • Sparking the gap.
  • Offline
  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2004-09-11

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

I started going through the document, intending to copy and paste some stuff and then reply to it. The first thing I copied sent me into a rant--and I haven't even read the rest! I'm going to read the whole document before I begin writing again, but here's what I wrote:

The NSF and DOC wrote:

New and more direct pathways towards human goals are envisioned in working habits, in economic activity, and in the humanities.

As human beings oriented in time, we operate within certain frequency ranges. Our rate of breathing, the beating of our hearts, the vibratory range our ears are capable of hearing, the wavelengths our eyes are capable of seeing--all these things indicate a definite "here" and "now" particular to our kind, (or particularly attractive to souls of our kind). We can work to transcend the apparently restrictive temporal reality of human existence within the physical world, but I believe it is foolhardy to do so by artificial means--especially without having learned all of its lessons.

It would be disastrous to use technology to structure a society that artificially divorces us from organically imposed temporal limits, because most of us have not learned any of the lessons that would allow us to do so naturally. This NSF/DOC plan of "direct pathways towards human goals" seeks to do exactly that--simply for the sake of "improving performance". By eliminating or vastly shortening experiential pathways towards human goals, their system will remove many chances for understanding and transcendence. By selecting only certain "human goals" their system will have to filter out others--most likely those which don't serve the needs of the controlling elite. Their system's "direct pathways" threaten to leave us perpetually underdeveloped and ignorant. Their system's "new pathways" will most likely be unnatural and metaphysically useless. (Technology presupposes culture, and the culture bearing today's technology is a hierarchical pyramid which relies upon an oppressed lower class to provide the base for everything it accomplishes. As such, it can only produce more opression. As the bible asks, "Do men gather grapes of thorns?")

The paper mentions "more direct pathways towards human goals" in "working habits". However, there is much to be learned in doing work which proceeds at a speed that is natural to the human organism. The native Americans used to sing songs while they ground corn, they used to observe the animals while they stalked buffalo, they used to to weave intricate patterns into their baskets and fabrics by hand. These are all inefficient uses of time from the viewpoint of a person whose only concern is the physical output of work: the corn meal, the buffalo meat, the baskets, and the blankets. But to the native Americans, the songs were the glue of their culture, the animals taught them about modes of consciousness, and the patterns in their weaving had sacred meanings. Their work was performed according to the natural limits of the individual human body performing within a social framework built of families and extended families. It therefore had the potential to be holistic. It had the potential for value on many levels. Purely efficient work in the era of alienation and specialization has value only on one level: productivity.

The paper also mentions economic activity and the humanities. The reference to the latter reminds me of something Alan Watts said about music. He said the point was not to make it to the end of the song as fast as possible, but to enjoy the journey from from the begining to the end. Music cannot be played more directly, unless the ears are bypassed and the auditory cortex itself is stimulated--in which case the individual would be completely reliant upon the medium of transmission and those who control the medium. Music also cannot be played more efficiently with regard to time. It can be played faster, but eventually it becomes impossible to differentiate the notes. However, if you look at the pleasure it imparts as the "human goal" of music, you can do away with the playing and composing of music. The "direct pathway" of the circulatory system to the brain is more efficient than the pathway of the ears when it comes to activating the dopamine receptors music affects. It would be more "direct" to inject heroin rather than listen to music. It would be more efficient to dole out drug hits than musical hits. This zeroing in on "goals" is downright pornographic. It's all about the money shot, to the exclusion of all else.

--Justin

15 Reply by Auendove (edited by Auendove 2004-09-29 08:08:07)

  • From: terra incognita
  • Registered: 2004-03-25

Re: "The Hive Mind: Rebirth or the End of Humanity?"

This section I've posted here comes from the Overview (pg. 18) in a subsection titled "Future Prospects". 

The NSF and DOC wrote wrote:

Self-Presentation and Fashion

Government-supported academic researchers frequently ignore many economically important industries, in part because those industries traditionally have not involved advanced technology but also perhaps because they were not perceived as "serious" fields. Among these are clothing fashions, jewelry, and cosmetics. Stereotypes aside, these are multibillion dollar industries that could benefit from the new opportunities afforded by convergent technologies. In social life, physical attractiveness is very important. Anything that enhances a person’s beauty or dignity improves that individual’s performance in relations with other people.

Convergence of nanotechnology and biotechnology with cognitive science could produce new kinds of cosmetics that change with the user’s moods, enhancing the person’s emotional expressiveness.
Components of wearable computers could be packaged in scintillating jewelry, automatically communicating thoughts and feelings between people who are metaphorically and electronically "on the same wave length." Biotechnology could produce new materials that would be combined in manufacturing with nanotechnology-based information technology to produce clothing that automatically adjusts to changing temperatures and weather conditions. Perhaps the colors and apparent textures of this "smart clothing" would adjust also to the wearer’s activities and social environment.

"...physical attractiveness is important"?   The expectation of attractiveness is ingrained societal misguidance to misjudgment, and an important issue, but it is not "important" as the authors have outlined above. The social expectation of physical attractiveness is a reflection of societal superficiality and immaturity... and THIS is what is important.

One of my first research papers in college was on the discrimination of so called physically "unattractive people".  One of the studies I noted was research that took two groups of primary school educators with each group of educators given a picture of a young child in the mean spirited act of throwing rocks at a dog and asked to relate what type of consequence should be assigned the child. One group was shown a picture of an attractive child in the act, and the other group an unattractive child in the act. One group of educators had pretty much said the same thing, that the attractive child was probably just having a "bad day" and for all practical purposes the child's actions should be dismissed without stringent consequences. On the other hand, the group of educators viewing the unattractive child throwing rocks at a dog felt the child was socially problematic, that they should be punished stringently, that without doing so the child would be a "real handful" for their parents, educators, and society as a whole as they grew older. WOW, huh?  Are we to believe that the growing consciousness, the native consciousness, of a troubled youth is going to be magically fixed by prettying them up?  And for sure, physical attractiveness, as we already know, does not in any way, shape, or form preclude antisocial behavior.

I am so stunned by the above statement from the document that if I could actually be turned inside-out I would so be revolving on myself I'd be the biggest prize winner of all in a carnival freak side show, forget about just shakin' my head off my shoulders like I usually do.

What they are suggesting is replacing one troubling societal issue of superficiality by superficial means. This is so messed up. I can just hear Buddha chuckling, no, laughing hysterically, at the absurdity of all this business smile... Snicker! Snort!, he's rolling on the Buddhaic Realm floor laughing so hard his big belly is swiftly losing inches for all the exercise (a little comic relief, eh?).

And obviously big business is what it's all about. This is part of what they are outlining as a "Future Prospect"?  And incidentally, this subsection, "Self-Presentation and Fashion" is sandwiched between one titled "Sustainable and Intelligent Environments" and another titled "Transformation of Civilization".... inside-out I go for the discrepancy in the prioritization of goals.

If the old saying "You can't judge a book by it's cover" holds any water, this document is a full glass... a full glass of polluted water. If "Beauty is only skin-deep" this document and all it's precept is shallow. 

What is now really nagging at me deep down inside, what is becoming apparent to me is: presumably these researchers are some of the most "intelligent" humans on the planet, for all practical purposes they present themselves as saviors of the planet and humanity, yet what I see are a group of really influential humans who are giving up on humanity. Forget about playing god, they're simply giving up (despite how my point may be argued by any one of them). This document and the researchers behind it exemplify intellectual arrogance and intolerance to its utmost level of unattractiveness.

I mean really, just how convoluted is this goal as one of only eight "altruistic" future prospects for the "perfect society"--

Government-supported academic researchers frequently ignore many economically important industries, in part because those industries traditionally have not involved advanced technology but also perhaps because they were not perceived as "serious" fields. Among these are clothing fashions, jewelry, and cosmetics. Stereotypes aside, these are multibillion dollar industries that could benefit from the new opportunities afforded by convergent technologies.

Clothing fashions, jewelry, and cosmetics are "serious" fields?  Unreal.

Lemme see... I could stand to lose and inch or two from my waistline, maybe I'll join Buddha on the Buddhaic Realm floor after I submit this post and exercise with him big_smile.

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
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Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here we might as well dance.
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If you spin around on your chair really fast, things around here will make a lot more sense.

lol