Design Monologue 16: Second Life

What will it be like when we all have supercomputers in our brains, connected to the internet through zero-latency, hyper-bandwidth wireless connections?

With but a thought, you immerse yourself in the Matrix.

Whether you prefer the shiny Apple future of virtual reality, or the photo-realism of the Matrix, such computing will probably take some similar form.

For simple information retrieval, you needn't go overboard; if you just want to know what the square root of 65,535 is, you just think your query over to Google, and get an instant response. To send a quick thought-gram to a friend, or receive a similar message, you needn't hand over your entire sensory apparatus.

But delving into the alternate reality of computers is a common pastime for those stuck on long, boring hauls through the bleakness of space. With all the people and their goings-on, it's a veritable second life (patent pending).

This monologue considers the implications of this system.

Or will, when I get the damn time to write it.