[Reader-list] What after MNIC? The MIND, the final frontier.

[Vivek Narayanan]

Dear Kshemendra,

Phew!  Thank goodness.  Now do editorialise and judge a bit and tell me 
what you actually think of the "News Report".  Don't be shy now.  Utter 
poppycock, I hope?

As for Applied Psycholinguistics and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (doesn't 
the sci-fi sound of the latter term get you hot and bothered?)-- yes, 
brain mapping is used extensively and people are learning a lot more 
than they knew before-- but none of the "applications" are of any help 
with terrorism!  I'm afraid that neuroscience has even fewer insights 
into the nature of terrorism than you do.

Thanks for the clarification!  I wouldn't want to think less of you just 
because you posted such an ill-informed article without comment.

Vivek

Kshmendra Kaul wrote:
> Dear Vivek
>  
> Apart from your frothing, there isnt much sense in what you have written.
>  
> It was a News Report being reproduced. I did not editorialise it with 
> my judgements. So you have no way of knowing what I think of the 
> report. Your presumptions about my thoughts on the basis of which you 
> have asked me questions, are therefore foolish. 
>  
> As an analogy, if you were to post a News Report about some 
> development or claimed development (not neccessarily one connected 
> with science only) it would not mean that you Vivek automatically 
> subscribe to or agree with the contents of that News Report. Does that 
> sound logical? If it is then you will recognise your own foolishness 
> in what you have written to me.
>  
> Incidentally, the News Report has mention of the fascinating topic of 
> Language, Linguistics and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Applied 
> Psycholinguistics). You will enjoy reading up on it. I am sure.
>  
> Kshmendra
>  
>
> --- On *Thu, 4/9/09, Vivek Narayanan /<vivek at sarai.net>/* wrote:
>
>     From: Vivek Narayanan <vivek at sarai.net>
>     Subject: Re: [Reader-list] What after MNIC? The MIND, the final
>     frontier.
>     To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com
>     Cc: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>, 2tahamehmood at googlemail.com
>     Date: Thursday, April 9, 2009, 7:16 PM
>
>     Dear Kshemendra,
>
>     You talk of Sunita Narain being ill-informed and having a superficial
>     intellect, and then this--which suggests, to me, how easy it is to pull a fast
>     one on you! 
>     Do you believe this project, in the way it's being promoted in this
>     article, has any concrete scientific basis at all?  How close do you think our
>     brave scientists are to developing a mind-reading technology?  And how exactly
>     would they go about telling a non-terrorist brain from a terrorist one? 
>     Perhaps you think that in a couple of years time, Indian scientists will be
>     able to plug a couple of electrodes into a suspected terrorist and have the
>     story of his life play for them on a screen, like a hollywood movie?
>
>     Go and investigate what and how much qualified neuroscientists today actually
>     understand about the brain and get back to me on this one. 
>     And I do hope, when they've cracked it, that they don't look into your
>     brain and find-- despite your protests-- that you have a little terrorist hiding
>     inside.
>
>     Thanks
>     vivek
>
>     Kshmendra Kaul wrote:
>     >  
>     > India developing technology to read terrorist's mind
>     > Agencies Posted: Apr 07, 2009 at 1255 hrs
>     >  Bangalore In what could help building better strategy for anti-terror
>     mechanism in the country, the Department of Science and Technology is
>     facilitating a group of bright scientists to develop a complex human cognitive
>     technology which would allow reading the mind of a terrorist.  At the same time,
>     scientists are also developing sensors that would detect hidden devices. As many
>     as 30 groups are involved in the initiative, part of homeland security, said
>     Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, T Ramasami.  The idea is
>     to integrate the technology and sensors to nail down terrorists, he said. The
>     Department is funding the programme, which has been taken up on a consortium
>     model, Ramasami said, adding, he is requesting Indian Institute of Science,
>     Bangalore, to lead the teams.  "People who understand language, linguistics
>     and people who look at nuclear magnetic resonance...they have come together to
>     really understand the human cognition associated with the linguistic language
>     processes in the mind," he said.  "This would really involve people
>     from highly different disciplines including social sciences and humanities to
>     people who understand physics in this mechanism." 
>     http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/India-developing-technology-to-read-terrorists-mind/444166/
>     >  
>     > 
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