If this technology was available, would you use it?

[HEMI6point1]

NOTE: Before I begin, after reading this you might think, "You've been watching too many episodes of Chuck." (And you'd be right, I haven't missed a single one ).

Anyway, let's say a scientist revealed a technology that could upload a skill to your brain. You would never have to learn said skill traditionally, you would just simply know how to do said skill from the moment it's uploaded to your brain.

What would you upload into your brain if this existed? Personally, I'd love to play guitar like the greats (Vai, Satriani etc). I tried to learn many years ago, and like touch typing, I just couldn't "grasp it" and gave up. To this day, I'm amazed by people who are good at it.

My only worry if this technology did exist, is that people who took the time to learn a certain skill traditionally would feel "insulted" by someone who had the skill uploaded to his/her brain.

TBH, I can understand their concern, but what if someone had to learn how to do something and had time constraints? This would be perfect for them. Say you were getting married and forgot to take dance lessons? Have the dance ability uploaded and - boom - dancer!

Sorry if this seems silly, it's just a crazy thought I had....

[Greenday]

My only worry if this technology did exist, is that people who took the time to learn a certain skill traditionally would feel "insulted" by someone who had the skill uploaded to his/her brain.

Boo hoo tbh. Given this technology, there are two ways to learn something: the easy way and the hard way. The easy way makes sure you definitely can't forget it. It'd be kinda stupid to do it the hard way.

Feels like you just watched The Matrix. I actually just rewatched them again recently. First things I'd upload? Advanced physics, biology, and chemistry (since I never took PChem II or Inorganic or Biochem II). After that, car mechanic stuff. Gotta be practical.

[Rapscallion]

Interesting thought.

I'd probably learn some necessary things - car maintenance, wallpapering, etc. However, I'd like to train for things that matter to me - maybe something artistic.

That's where I'd draw the line - what matters and what I can feel satisfied from is what I train properly.

Rapscallion

[powerboy]

I would upload some things like Auto maintenance, Kick Boxing or just Boxing, Guitar.

[gremcint]

is there a limit to how much you can upload? also are actually uploading memories and experience or just an instruction manual because there's a big difference.


But I'd probably use it to fill in the holes in my computer knowledge and also all the rules for the different rpgs I play.

[HYHYBT]

It depends on so many things... so many skills are really of value (both internally and financially) only because not everybody can do them. And there's the value of the learning process to consider: the most obvious application to me would be to make school "unnecessary," but then, the most important thing you learn is *how* to learn. Can THAT be implanted? Because no matter what you preload yourself with, you're bound, sooner or later, to run into something new.

(I have no idea what "Chuck" is.)

[Andara Bledin]

One thing to be aware of with artistic endeavors is that the greatest technician in the world won't be worth shit if they don't have the creativity to begin with. If you want something photo perfect you can get a copy machine. If you want something with warmth and soul, you need an artist.

Also worth noting is that without the full theory behind why you do what you do with any trade skill, you'll never be able to improvise. There's a value to learning things the slow way that you just can't shortcut.

And, last but not least - even if you know how to execute a perfect drop kick, if you haven't trained for it, your body won't be happy if you try it. There's a difference in knowing how to do something and actually being capable of doing so.

That said, I would totally get large chunks of data dropped into my head. My focus would be on things like languages. It would be totally awesome to be able to communicate with anyone in the world. Sure, my accent may be terrible while I train my mouth to move the right ways, but I'd know all the right words and how to string them together without embarrassing myself.

^-.-^

[DrFaroohk]

I'd get disturbing images of things in my head, like that 2 girls 1 cup thing, so my appetite would be severely diminished. I'd probably only eat to keep from starving to death.

[Ginger Tea]

Movies on demand, watch a movie whilst you sleep, been off 4 days (2 AL 2 normal off) and have yet to put on a DVD, yet sleep, I may as well be hybernating.

Languages, thats a good choice.

Artistic trade, well anyone with a brain dump of an art masterclass could, paint like a master, but would they be like a master?

"I know kung fu"
"Show me"
if the dojo scene was in real life and not a matrix based dojo, someone pulling off stunts they just aquired could lead to self injury or putting your back out.
An unhealthy unathletic person with a brain dump would not be as good as a blackbelt in a tournament, white belts could probably out perform just by having the diligence to keep on honing their skills.

RPG rules, again good choice, I don't know about AD&D (any edititon) but if the rules seem convoluted and hard to grasp, then it's the fault of whom ever wrote them out or helped edit them prior to publication.
If the rules are straightforwards then there shouldn't be a need to brain dump them as they should make sence out of the box, I'd just have it as an easier way to get the information than to cart about x amounts of books to cross reference.

As for 2 girls 1 cup, it may surpress your appetite, but I was all meh when I finally saw what all the reaction videos were watching, I knew the gist, but having never seen the clip didnt know how eww it was.
Not my bag but not sick bag enducing either.

[Rageaholic]

Either computer skills or mechanical skills.

If I downloaded computer skills, I could deal with any pesky problem and automatically learn it. Since I spend so much time online, it would be very helpful.

Mechanical skills might be better cause it would be more practical and it would probably take me longer to learn on my own. It would also be extremely marketable and I could make it well on my own.

Chuck is AWESOME BTW. Sad to see it coming to an end.

[Rapscallion]

I'm old. I'm thinking of Joe 90.

Rapscallion

[BlaqueKatt]

Artistic trade, well anyone with a brain dump of an art masterclass could, paint like a master, but would they be like a master?

no and they might actually be lousy, Skill =/= talent, ability and/or experience.

just because someone has taken a class and knows how to take awesome pictures in theory does not translate to every photo is better than Ansel Adams....

I could learn to play guitar like eddie van halen, but damn, my arthritis, my fingers can't do that-but I know how!

Doctors and nurses learn how to perform medical procedures, in theory, but still have to actually practice. Ever get a nurse that can't start an IV? She learned how from a book(knowledge dump/upload), passed an exam proving they had the knowledge, but still can't actually do it.

[Gravekeeper]

Seeing as just the knowledge wouldn't be as much help as you'd think. Let me throw a reversal into this:

If the ability to upload memory as data became available creating the potential for this technology and you were already accomplished/experienced at something....

Would you sell copies of your skills and experience to other people?

[Shangri-laschild]

no and they might actually be lousy, Skill =/= talent, ability and/or experience.

just because someone has taken a class and knows how to take awesome pictures in theory does not translate to every photo is better than Ansel Adams....

Exactly. I know how to pick locks. I know the ins and outs of the whole thing. What to do and how for both main methods with standard picks. Raking where you basically rake or saw the pick back and forth over the pins till you catch them just right and pin by pin where you do each pin individually. Despite all that knowledge, I can't do pin by pin to save my life and I'm only so-so at best when it comes to raking. Knowledge by itself isn't all there is to being good at something. Hell, with all the gun stuff my best friend has been teaching me it's not necessarily even half. I can know exactly how to draw a gun in an emergency type situation. I can even have done it several times exactly right. None of that means much of anything if I haven't practiced like crazy and gotten the muscle memory down. And even if they could give you the muscle memory too, that still doesn't make up for having a knack or talent for something. Being able to paint a picture is pretty awesome but being able to make it a work of art and bring it to life comes down to that kind of difference. And there are some skills that seem to be best grasped by people who's brains are wired correctly for it. I love the math involved in pinning a lock. It is odd and backwards and makes most people look at me like I made their brain reboot when I try to explain how it works. To me it's simple though. Because my brain thinks just fine in that directions. I've even met some locksmiths who have trouble with it and have to use a blank worksheet type form despite doing that kind of thing often. Otherwise they would have to sit there and think about it for a while because their brain just plain doesn't naturally think at that angle. Everyone has stuff like that where their brain either takes naturally to or can only do if they sit there and muddle through it. If you could change that, I can't help but thinking that it would change who the person was quite a bit and while being able to learn certain things quick would be nice (I would be good at languages if I had the memory for it) if it at all meant changing how I understood things and thought, I wouldn't want to.

[kamn]

Id pick languages. Computer, foreign, medical, all of them. Oh, and the anatomical map of the entire human body (cos I gots a test for it this friday)