The Mind Control Project

According to this article by the Time magazine, the US Army has commissioned a $4 million contract to a coalition of scientists from the University of California at Irvine, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland to begin developing “thought helmets” that would harness silent brain waves for secure communication among troops. Ultimately, the Army hopes the project will “lead to direct mental control of military systems by thought alone.”

The idea is not that far-fetched as a commercial video game that uses brain-wave technology will be on shelves by the summer of 2009. The US Army’s requirements, however, are much more sophisticated and may take decades to develop.

The ethical question of reading people’s minds is squashed by the scientists who claim that the technology requires willing consent as well as cooperation to train the helmet to recognise the unique brain-waves of each participant.

If some day, such technology is available, it would find numerous other applications!

Science Made Easy – Videos

I came across an informative and simply explained series on Youtube today. It covers a set of topics dealing with the universe and evolution in a logical order. Finding good videos on Youtube is not difficult, but getting such a set is!

The videos do not ramble about scientific hypotheses but instead sum up a string of complicated scientific discoveries that form the basis of our understanding of the universe and ourselves. Though I do not know much about the narrator/producer of these videos, I did find that the videos aim to counter outrageous, if not hilarious, religious beliefs and thereby add a bit of humour.

Each video is about 9 to 10 minutes long. Have fun!

List of Videos:

1. History of the Universe Made Easy (Part 1)
2. History of the Universe Made Easy (Part 2)
3. The Origin of Life made easy
4. The Story of the Earth Made Easy
5. The Age of Our World Made Easy
6. Natural Selection Made Easy
7. The Theory of Evolution Made Easy
8. Human Evolution Made Easy
9. Human Ancestry Made Easy
10. The Scientific Method Made Easy
11. Creation ‘Science’ Made Easy
12. God and DNA made easy