First words from a paralyzed guy : justguysbeingdudes

[-] thorbot@lemmy.world 84 points 11 months ago

"Doctor! Doctor! The implant is working! He's got his first word out!"

"Whats the word, Jerry?"

"Never!"

"Amazing, keep monitoring him."

"We've got another word Doctor! It's 'gonna'!"

"Keep me informed Jerry! This is amazing!"

"Doctor, the next word is 'give' !"

"Okay... "

"We got another word Doctor! It's 'you'! "

"Pull the fucking plug Jerry"

[-] RIP_Cheems@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago

Damnit, now I have to make this real.

[-] thorbot@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

Feel free to adapt it however you want, into a web comic or what have you. I'd love to see it

[-] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 3 points 11 months ago

Not reality though

[-] ElBarto@sh.itjust.works 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Pffft you're not my mom.

[-] PugJesus@kbin.social 77 points 11 months ago

On one hand, amusing.

On the other hand, goddamn what an amazing development of medical science.

[-] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago

I mean, yeah, it was an amazing development...

Like 20 years ago when it was developed.

That's why this picture of an article is about the amusing part.

[-] PugJesus@kbin.social 7 points 11 months ago

Hah, wasn't even aware.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

You mean beer? Damn straight the single best medical discovery in history.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 36 points 11 months ago

This reminds me when I remember reading a research article about patients that appeared comatose. Some patients that eventually woke up reported being totally conscious the entire time and able to recount conversations that occurred in the room when they were still comatose as proof. So the researcher knows that at least a percentage of comatose patients aren't actually comatose, but just totally locked in their bodies but fully aware and awake. The researcher does work with brain scan (realtime Functional MRI) which can see brain scans as up to the second they happen. Experimenting with volunteers that were not comatose the researcher figured out that you can come up with two specific radically different things and be able to tell which one of the two the person was concentrating on.

As an example: imagine an apple sitting on a table. Sunlight shining off the red skin of the apple, etc. Now think about the concept of love (however you define it). Those two things use very different parts of your brain. A researcher with a fMRI machine can learn what your specific brain looks like when you're thinking about one thing or the other thing.

With this you would now have a way to communicate two states without being able to move muscle or say a word. You then decide that thinking "love" means "yes" and thinking "apple" means "no". You now have the ability to answer yes or no questions with only your brain...even if you appear comatose but are fully awake.

The researcher then went on to explain that they haven't, and won't try it on any comatose-appearing patients? Why? It came down to the problem if the patient asks to die. The only way to avoid having to face the question...was to never do the thing allowing it to be asked.

[-] snooggums@kbin.social 30 points 11 months ago

The researcher then went on to explain that they haven’t, and won’t try it on any comatose-appearing patients? Why? It came down to the problem if the patient asks to die. The only way to avoid having to face the question…was to never do the thing allowing it to be asked.

That sucks, because if I was comatose with no expectation of ever recovering then dying would be high up there although having the ability to communicate would probably reduce that desire.

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 7 points 11 months ago

I love hearing about research like this. But yeah, that would be an ethical dilemma. Especially determining how much you trust that your system works, and proving that they are of sound enough mind to make such a decision even if they're answering yes/no.

[-] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

I don't remember the article raising questions about determining the patient's mental sanity as to whether an affirmative answer to "asking to die" was enough. That's an aspect I never even considered.

I also appreciate that the researcher, who is clearly very smart to even have gotten this far in understanding the technology and its implications, is also smart enough to understand they themselves don't have the full capacity raise and answer this question ethically to be able to move forward.

[-] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 31 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Paralyzed guy: "I love my cool son"

Cool son: :D

Other son:

[-] Steak@lemmy.ca 5 points 11 months ago

[-] vlad76@lemmy.sdf.org 25 points 11 months ago

Did he get a beer?

[-] jtk@lemmy.sdf.org 43 points 11 months ago

No beer and, according to the fine print, he was then forced to interact with his family. Such a tragic story.

[-] Blamemeta@lemm.ee 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Cruel and unsual punishment, and he didnt even commit a crime.

Tragic.

[-] OctopusKurwa@lemm.ee 19 points 11 months ago

No and they made him listen to Creed instead of Tool

[-] vlad76@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 11 months ago

Bastards!

[-] SuzyQ@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

Asking the real question.

I've been trying to find a definitive answer and so far I haven't found it.

[-] flicker@kbin.social 14 points 11 months ago

I talk a lot about my work with developmentally and mentally disabled adults.

I want yall to know me and (one of the people I care for, a rad as hell old lady) are having a couple cold ones and watching football on Sunday.

(They're non-alcoholic. She doesn't mind. And I wouldn't drink real beer on the job.)

Live your lives, folks.

[-] modifier@lemmy.ca 14 points 11 months ago

"don't...forget...to drink your...Ovaltine?"

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

God damned it they couldn't figure out a grown man wanted his god damned beer without resorting to future tech? Of course he wants a beer! EVERYONE wants a beer! The suffering he must have gone through... poor man.

[-] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 7 points 11 months ago

K....i....l....l......m......e.....

[-] MuhammadJesusGaySex@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

How is it that a man who is completely paralyzed is in a better mood than I. Literally, I wake up every morning and say a few cuss words because I woke up again. I’m fully able, but just don’t want to do this anymore. Against amazing odds I’m still here, and yet I’m very very unenthused with that fact.

On the other hand this man is trapped in what most would consider a fucking nightmare, and he’s cool with it. I wonder how much of that depends on stress and support networks. After all it sounds like his family loves him a lot. Where as when I went to jail, and they asked who to contact in case of emergency or death. I told them no one. Because I literally have no one.

Oh well, that’s enough pity partying. Time to get off the toilet and start a new day.

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 11 points 11 months ago

I hope things pick up for you man.

[-] MuhammadJesusGaySex@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Thanks man! Unfortunately, my life has been a series of shit storms with small moments of rest when the eye passes over almost since I was born. So, I doubt the forecast calls for better weather anytime soon.

I’ve been thinking about starting a community that’s just stories about my life experiences. Everyone I’ve told about my life agrees that it’s pretty entertaining as long as you’re not the one living it. Stuff like the time I accidentally hung out with a murderer a couple of days after he killed and a day or two before he turned himself in and he described in detail the murder to me. There was also the time my dope dealer called me and my wife at the time to try some drugs and make sure they were good. Only, to see a man overdose at a HUGE drug deal and me and my dealer worked feverishly to revive the man lest one of us have to dump the body. Ya know, stuff like that.

Also, there are good things. Like, they hiv positive gay man that was way more patient with me than I deserved. He taught me about empathy, and gave me a safe place to get away from my dad, and all he ever asked in return was my friendship. He probably taught me more about being a man than my dad ever did.

As with everything in life. The truth is more gray than black and white. Also, like it says in the prophet or in that mad season song if you prefer “My pain is self chosen”. I don’t blame anyone but myself for my current predicament. Sure some problems are circumstantial but most are poor decisions. A whole lot of “let’s see where this goes” kind of behavior.

Sorry for the wall of text. I’m bored, but I’m sure you have stuff to do today. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Edit: I mentioned the fact that the man was hiv positive because that happened in the mid-90s. It was a way bigger deal back then.

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@startrek.website 3 points 11 months ago

Old war-stories are always entertaining once you confidently know they're in the past and aren't continuing. I hope that's true for you, or you're on the way to making it true.

[-] yui@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

Link to the article: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/paralysed-man-brain-implant-beer-b2044610.html

[-] FrankTheHealer@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

This story is from a while back. The tech is super exciting and a little scary.

Guy had his priorities right though

[-] guyrocket@kbin.social 3 points 11 months ago

Kudos to this guy, glad he can communicate a bit.

I think I'd want something stronger than a beer, tho. And a lot more than one. Bottle of rye, maybe. Some edibles.

[-] Really_long_toes@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

Metallica one... I fucking love that song

[+] flicker@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

[deleted]

[-] lorez@lemm.ee -3 points 11 months ago

He wanted a blowjob. But they told the press it was a "beer"...

[-] Persen@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago

He is paralized. He couldn't even feel it.

JustGuysBeingDudes