Alexis Madrigal explores the drugs and technologies we are already using to augment our brain power, and the Institute for the Future’s proposal for a “Magna Cortica” to lay out some ethical principles of cognitive enhancement:
Back in 2008, 20 percent of scientists reported using brain-enhancing drugs. And I spoke with dozens of readers who had complex regimens, including, for example, a researcher at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. “We aren’t the teen clubbers popping uppers to get through a hard day running a cash register after binge drinking,” the researcher told me. “We are responsible humans.” Responsible humans trying to get an edge in incredibly competitive and cognitively demanding fields. Then there is transcranial brain stimulation, which is already being practiced by dedicated DIYers because of tantalizing results like this, despite limited clinical evidence about its efficacy.
And part of Google Glass’s divisiveness stems from its prospective ability to enhance one’s social awareness or provide contextual help in conversations; the company Social Radar has already released an app for Glass that shows social network information for people who are in the same location as you are. A regular app called MindMeld listens to conference calls and provides helpful links based on what the software hears you talking about. Both are one more step to integrating digital information directly into how we think as prosthetic knowledge.
The Dish 