4 ms·

I had assumed from the title it was about AI rather than a proxy brain, but as someone with a damaged meat bag and miserable QOL as a result, I long for a trans

I had assumed from the title it was about AI rather than a proxy brain, but as someone with a damaged meat bag and miserable QOL as a result, I long for a transfer into an artificial body/brain where once can repair/replace parts and be as good as new. I don't imagine its possible at all really, let alone in the short time I have left, but one can dream.

mark_l_watson 7y ago
I hope I am not being rude asking about this, apologies in advance: because I have two friends with MS I have wondered if consumer VR gear (Oculus Quest, etc.) could improve quality of life as they get reduced mobility. Have you used VR to augment your life experiences? I have tried a few VR experiences that are very good and it seems likely that really high quality VR with haptics could both help people with physical problems and in the future, provide fun experiences if we get downloaded to an artificial body/brain. Do you have any opinions on this?
- hestipod 7y ago
  Not rude at all and happy to give input, however my circumstances are different than those with MS/ALS etc so not sure how relevant it will be. I can still "technically" walk, move, appear fairly normal outwardly, I am just in severe pain all the time, have ongoing damage to joints and nerves from surgery that caused this, and my endurance and mental state has gone with it. It's a slowly creeping degeneration after a massive initial decrease, and isn't at all like those mentioned neurodegenerative issues where brain function is failing rapidly. I have some other physical issues as well that compound this. From a philosophical point of view for ME personally, VR/AR/the internet/gaming etc isn't an adequate substitute for "real life" and I personally don't derive enough from substitutes to feel my quality of life is good, it's more just clinging to SOME interaction as I do here on HN. However I am sure for some people it is enough to make a significant impact and I find it a worthy avenue to pursue. From a physical point of view, my circumstances make even the above things worse as I have some visual issues that cause headaches/eyestrain etc severely with most modern display types for some yet undetermined reason. It's none of the obvious once like PWM/blue light etc. So I am in a really corner case spot with tech and clinging to a super old device or two that aren't long for the world. I also have monovision and severe amblyopia so VR headsets don't work even if I could stand the display tech. I can stand a few min here and there to post a comment. But I cannot spend hours online or on screen anymore. A perfect ironic hit since that was about the only earning potential left and its already cost me the one real shot I have had in years. So often people are facing multiple disabilities from multiple angles. I hope its helpful although I doubt I said much of substance.
  - mark_l_watson 7y ago
    That was useful, thanks for your response!

mark_l_watson 7y ago

I hope I am not being rude asking about this, apologies in advance: because I have two friends with MS I have wondered if consumer VR gear (Oculus Quest, etc.) could improve quality of life as they get reduced mobility. Have you used VR to augment your life experiences? I have tried a few VR experiences that are very good and it seems likely that really high quality VR with haptics could both help people with physical problems and in the future, provide fun experiences if we get downloaded to an artificial body/brain. Do you have any opinions on this?

hestipod 7y ago
Not rude at all and happy to give input, however my circumstances are different than those with MS/ALS etc so not sure how relevant it will be. I can still "technically" walk, move, appear fairly normal outwardly, I am just in severe pain all the time, have ongoing damage to joints and nerves from surgery that caused this, and my endurance and mental state has gone with it. It's a slowly creeping degeneration after a massive initial decrease, and isn't at all like those mentioned neurodegenerative issues where brain function is failing rapidly. I have some other physical issues as well that compound this. From a philosophical point of view for ME personally, VR/AR/the internet/gaming etc isn't an adequate substitute for "real life" and I personally don't derive enough from substitutes to feel my quality of life is good, it's more just clinging to SOME interaction as I do here on HN. However I am sure for some people it is enough to make a significant impact and I find it a worthy avenue to pursue. From a physical point of view, my circumstances make even the above things worse as I have some visual issues that cause headaches/eyestrain etc severely with most modern display types for some yet undetermined reason. It's none of the obvious once like PWM/blue light etc. So I am in a really corner case spot with tech and clinging to a super old device or two that aren't long for the world. I also have monovision and severe amblyopia so VR headsets don't work even if I could stand the display tech. I can stand a few min here and there to post a comment. But I cannot spend hours online or on screen anymore. A perfect ironic hit since that was about the only earning potential left and its already cost me the one real shot I have had in years. So often people are facing multiple disabilities from multiple angles. I hope its helpful although I doubt I said much of substance.
- mark_l_watson 7y ago
  That was useful, thanks for your response!