Mind's Eye Read Online Free Page B

Hall was somehow able to “hear” Nireberg’s presentation, indicating the system was also capable of sending signals to the hearing centers of his brain.
    He searched for Nick Hall, but the attempt to find himself was sheer folly. A quick search revealed that Nicholas throughout the nineties had been one of the top ten most popular baby names, and according to the US Census, over half a million people had the last name of Hall.
    His access of the Internet was almost instantaneous. Web pages flashed up with no discernible loading times. He knew that the 6G WiFi technology that had only recently come to blanket the country was orders of magnitude faster, and with a far more penetrating signal than any previous WiFi generation, but having web pages appear on a desktop or tablet when conjured by a mouse or a finger was one thing; having them pop up with the speed of thought was quite another.
    The software was spectacular. More than spectacular. Whatever search and presentation algorithm was being used was stunningly advanced. And it seemed to be capable of learning. Even after the few searches he had done, the system became more and more seamless. More intuitive. Even from the start it had somehow known when he wanted to access external information, and when he was just thinking or speaking a question, with no intent to invoke the system. It had only erred when he had spoken a question to the car’s GPS, having incorrectly interpreted this as being a direct query to the system, and responding accordingly—and nearly getting him killed in a car crash in the process.
    But now, after only ten minutes of working with him, the system had already evolved, improved, and any content of interest to him appeared magically almost before he was fully aware that he wanted it. And the algorithm read his interest with uncanny accuracy, rivaling even the most recent iteration of Google.
    Hall also found himself becoming more and more facile with viewing and digesting information while maintaining his vision. He became more adept at ignoring and manipulating the second, internal stream of data going to the visual centers of his brain, seamlessly shifting his glance to see through the top half or bottom half of his metaphorical bifocals.
    He wondered just how complex the surgery on his brain had been, and his internal Internet provided the answer before he had finished the thought. An article from the Wall Street Journal, from June of 2012, hung in the air before him.
     
    Neural implants, also called brain implants, are medical devices designed to be placed under the skull, on the surface of the brain. Often as small as an aspirin, implants use thin metal electrodes to "listen" to brain activity and in some cases to stimulate activity in the brain. Attuned to the activity between neurons, a neural implant can essentially "listen" to your brain activity and then "talk" directly to your brain.
    If that prospect makes you queasy, you may be surprised to learn that the installation of a neural implant is relatively simple and fast. Under anesthesia, an incision is made in the scalp, a hole is drilled in the skull, and the device is placed on the surface of the brain. Diagnostic communication with the device can take place wirelessly. While it is not an outpatient procedure, patients typically require only an overnight stay at the hospital.
     
    Hall examined his skull with the tips of two fingers, feeling a number of small imperfections that might have been scars, but he had recently undergone trauma so he couldn’t be sure.
    He had been sitting in the small lot of the mini-mart now for twenty-five minutes. Pangs of hunger from his empty stomach now competed for his attention with the random thoughts of hundreds of minds. This small store would not have been his first choice for dining, but since he was here, he could get some food and be on his way to La Jolla in minutes.
    He entered the store and walked through several aisles, eying candy