Dreams of neural implants...

I'm not excited by all technological developments, but I am excited by the development of neural implants that could solve the problem of inputting alphanumeric chartacters into increasingly tiny devices. This particular development has yet to occur (as far as I know), but I see it as inevitable, since I can't think of any other way to solve the incredible inconvenience of using a tiny qwerty keyboard on a phone.

The inconveniences caused by such keyboards exemplify the communication bottleneck in human social activity. The development of culture has left human beings with a rich heritage in which to grow and develop means of expressing ourselves. Yet, in doing so, we are not limited so much by our brainpower, but by our physical appendages.

To continue with the first example, the alphanumeric system is poorly suited to the kinds of devices that we (increasingly) use to communicate, and as a result, our ability to express ourselves through written words on these devices is constricted. With neural implants, we would not have to externalize a clumsy 40+ key keyboard (on the machine input side) or the complex hand movements required to use such a keyboard (on the human output side).

Technologies like a neurally implanted alphanumeric command system would only be the tip of the iceberg. In addition to learning to mentally conjure up letters and numbers, we could learn to externalize the imagery of our minds, painting rich pictures of our imagination for others, and eventually even creating 3d virtual environments in which to interact with others. Presumably, children brought up using such devices could acquire incredible dexterity with them...

The richness of human culture has created within each of us a profoundly rich experience, which while unique is certainly not devoid of any potential for sharing with others. As much as it's interesting to speculate how technological developments might offer the possibility removing "communication bottlenecks" and allowing for an increased sharing of experience, used inappropriately, such devices could jeopardize privacy, and allow for terrible violations of private experience.