It's been shown that birds have metal in their brain acting as a compass. So when the birdy wants to go home he just flys in the direction that feels right thanks to the metal in his brain.

So, what if you could hook electronics up to brain nerves? Or even if you couldn't connect directly to the nerve, you could implant a device that reacts when it receives a certain radio signal. It might give out an electric charge or just move a little bit. So anytime this signal would cross your path you could 'feel' it in your brain. Or it wouldn't even have to be in your brain, it could be in your foot or something.

Then you'd implant a device into your brain that would transmit a certain radio signal when there's activity in that part of the brain. For instance, if we see that there's activity in a certain area of the brain when a person is angry, then we could set up the device to transmit a certain signal when it detects activity there. So the transmitter would transmit the signal when you're angry, and then someone else's reciever would pick up the signal and they'd 'feel' it in their brain.

So technology advances, we minaturize all the electronics, learn more about brain activity, wire the whole brain, run some wires out the ear and change the batteries every couple of months. And there you go, two or more people can know read eacother's thoughts.

Possible?

It might be workable, but be careful you don't get denounced as a nutball.

Resistance is futile.

What an original idea. I'm stunned this has never formed the basis of any sci-fi stories...

If human thoughts were nothing but electrical impulses, then your idea would work. Unfortunately, the human brain works mostly on chemistry.

Your idea is not original, much sci-fi has been written on that subject. Homework assignment: Rent Brainstorm.

Another good resource is Seven Experiments That Could Change The World, especially the termites chapter. Sheldrake is certainly near to the nutcase end of the spectrum, but even if only a tenth of the stuff he talks about (and gives references for) is true, it's still pretty amazing.

Also read the chapter about the variability of fundamental constants: you don' t have to buy the theory that there is genuine underlying variability in order to appreciate the discussion of psychological factors in "hard science" results about those constants (specifically, scientists not daring to differ too much from eminent scientists' previous results).

Peter

I just re-read my post, and I noticed all the typos, including the one in the title. "I idea for telepathy" should be "My idea for telepathy". I was tired.

So where did you steal that idea from?

Calvin

Did anybody see the film "Monkey Shines"?

Yeah, that has like nothing to do with this, but by injecting something into the monkey (?), whose name was... Sally (? again), she was able to have a telepathic bond with this guy in a wheelchair. Originally, the monkey was supposed to help him out with getting things off of shelves, but because of the bond that they formed, Sally was able to carry out the guy's twisted little fantasies on people around them, too. Weird movie. Yeah.

So where did you steal that idea from?

wow, no love for the Yz.

Well, it is his modus operandi, after all.

Calvin

Well, you know that originality is the art of concealing your source.

try telling that to the english department

Read Greg Egan, especially 'Axiomatic' (a short story collection).

sounds like it would gie me a headache

I once saw a guy on the Discovery Channel ® where this guy had hooked up a device to his head and fed alpha-wave readings into a large signal amplifier. Then, after YEARS of trial and error, he was able to steer his boat (left and right only) simply by thinking about it. And it worked. Most of the time. ;8^) Still, a cool concept.

i always used the rudder it works far better