16 JUL 2013 by ideonexus
Sleepwalking into the Surveillance State
The historians say that we sleepwalked into a surveillance
state. They meant that the technology for widespread
surveillance progressed and was implemented
in a gradual manner, though quick considering the
actual time scales, and with little in the way of open
discussion about the ramifications, so that before
anyone thought to object it was already ingrained
into society. When the tables turned and the same
technology was used to watch the watchers, there
was a bit more resistance, but by th...Exerpt from a futurist vision.
26 JAN 2012 by ideonexus
Games that Turn Humans into Rats in a Skinner Box
The box also taught us two fundamental lessons, one of which had ramifications that extended far beyond Skinner's experiments. Humans are hardwired to respond to primary reinforcers, just like any other animals. And while primary reinforcers have a diminishing effect once we're satiated, secondary reinforcers, like money or social status, exist outside our biological needs, and these never hit a satiation point. In other words, we are hardwired to seek approval from our peers, and we can neve...Games like Farmville and Angry Birds tap into the reward mechanisms in our brains, administering doses of dopamine to us for repetitive tasks.