<== loves The Lorax

As usually, Gloria, you hit the neil right on the head! Though Vibrations are a popular way of explaining the phenomenon of mind reading, to be exact the heart of the matter is in receiving the brain waves (vibrations) and intepreting them. (while vibrations can pic up the mood, etc,)

Definition of terms:
-- (R)eceiver - the one who receives the vibrations; (Subject)
-- (T)ransmitter - the source of vibrations. (Object)

Obviously, the closer R is to T, the better the transmission is. The R, at least, has to see the T. I doubt whether its possible to read the mind of any arbitrary T... (although I can often read in between the lines of the messages that I get in here, but that's not the same -- comprehension isn't the same as mind reading)

In my youth, I've known a professional hypnotist who's been capable of performing a fit of mind reading in public:
all he had to do is gaze into eyes of the T for a few seconds to guess the specific thought which the T was thinking about...

As a matter of fact, I can still do something similar:

1, think of the number (1 through 9) -- an X,
2. Add 10 to X, (Sum1)
3. Substruct 6 from the sum1, (result1)
4. add 1 to result1 (sum2)
5. substract X from sum2
************************You have left 5! ! ! * * * * * *

As you can see, mind reading isquite straight forward! (LOL)

Okay its 8 am. Sunday and for some reason Mingle2 has lost their style sheet. The website is messed up.

Since it is a Sunday, and tomorrow is a holiday I wonder if they will get it fixed.

Or is it just my browser that's messed up?

Mind reading is impossible. The notion itself is just a misdiagnosis of accurately reading another's body language, or behavioural pattern recognition of another well known person. Body language reading is only hit and miss, depending upon how well one knows the subject of the 'read'. The reason why one can so often accurately guess the thoughts of a close loved one is simply a matter of familiarity.

Science will never be able to establish convincingly that it is possible to read minds, and here is why I believe this claim to be true. There is no measurable product of thought which accurately defines the content of it. There are an infinite amount of combinations possible to think, and there are only finite amounts of chemical reactions which these thoughts produce. Different thoughts produce similar, if not the exact same chemical cocktails in the brain.

That is where I stand on it anyways...

OK. JB's and Handle's versions are correct, it is mostly to do about vibrations. Electromagnetic waves are produced by the firing of neurochemical transmitters which produce an electrical impulse.
A crude but common way to measure these electrical impulses is with an electroencephalographic device.

The problem now is that each brain cell acts like a tiny transmitter and modern equipment cannot yet record such a vast amount of data in a three dimensional array in real time.

However, modern sensing equipment such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) devices can measure such activity and record it as a three dimensional matrix. Modern technology to record and store data has been progressing at an exponential rate, so the data transmission and storage limits may be achievable soon.

Once the brain waves are fully recordable and storable in three dimensional matrix form in real time, the problem then becomes one of transmission. The possibilities for causing a brain to sense electromagnetic radiation may vary from what is being studied today. The simplest method may be inductance similar to the way a transformer turns 120 volts into 5 or 6 volts to charge your cell phone. A magnetic field similar to what is produced in a NMR device causes the receiving brain cells to "Fire", hopefully without killing the subject.

The brain waves of a dolphin could be recorded and transmitted to a human this way but would probably just result in chaos since the two brains are hardwired differently and matching signals would probably be meaningless. However, since human brains are so similar, inducing a pattern from another human brain could result in a reproducible 'thought" or memory. The human brain is amazingly capable of taking data streams and converting it into a form the brain can process. This fact is allowing artificial eyes and ears to be created from microchips today.

A related but obscure factor is in multidimensional math, all mass and matter is a very short distance apart in one dimension, to allow the effect of gravity to be instantaneous. There is no reason to think that the same dimension which allows gravity to act instantly across the universe, could not also allow the transmission of some portion of the energy of thought patterns across space.

It should be noted that the highest effort in robotics today cannot produce a robotic hand that can transmit the sensitivity of the human hand. The hand is insignificant to the sensitivity of the human brain.

Someday many other methods of transmission may end up working the best and be as simple and the conversion of the electromagnetic brain patterns to sound waves. The waves could produce an interference pattern to stimulate the receiving brain in a gentle but identical three dimensional matrix; not unlike a modern day sound system.

The key word in the original question is 'ever'. In an environment where technology changes the way it has in the last fifty years, this problem may look awfully small two hundred years from now.

And besides, women do it now anyway.

Joe, darling, you seem to get too technical with the simple concept of mind reading -- MR -- (although I do not dispute your words -- as usually, your arguments are very exciting!) Though I rarely happen to read minds of others -- usually I transmit my thoughts (wishes) onto others... For example, while disputing with my boyfriends, I'd often used to send them a mental command:
"STOP ARGUING, AND MAKE LOVE TO ME!" In about 3-4 minutes (most men are a bit slow), they would have forgotten what they were saying -- being consumed with the sudden attack of passion...

You see, the brain does not interpret every single thought, but receives them in a batch of thoughts, and interprets them in a similar manner, as a butch. * * *

As far as controlling the artificial limbs with the power of thoughts, I've seen a documentary where kids amputees (equiped with a mini amplifyer) were capable of bending the fingers of an artificial arm... (the research is stil being conducted...

You are correct in assuming it is just a matter of time until we'd beforced to wear some kind of hats to protect our privacy,,,
I hope, MR would not be adnissible in courtd -- otherwise the courts will be forever tied up with the cases of personal insults: "F. you..."

As far a creative's atgument, "there are only finite amounts of chemical reactions -- but there id an infinite vsryety oh the fegree f imtrnsity,

As fa as Creative,s argunebt -- There is no measurable product of thought which accurately defines the content of it -- electric impuldes prodiced by thoights are wuite mesdurable#

Joe, darling, you seem to get too technical with the simple concept of mind reading -- MR -- (although I do not dispute your words -- as usually, your arguments are very exciting!) Though I rarely happen to read minds of others -- usually I transmit my thoughts (wishes) onto others... For example, while disputing with my boyfriends, I'd often used to send them a mental command:
"STOP ARGUING, AND MAKE LOVE TO ME!" In about 3-4 minutes (most men are a bit slow), they would have forgotten what they were saying -- being consumed with the sudden attack of passion...

You see, the brain does not interpret every single thought, but receives them in a batch of thoughts, and interprets them in a similar manner, as a butch. * * *

As far as controlling the artificial limbs with the power of thoughts, I've seen a documentary where kids amputees (equiped with a mini amplifyer) were capable of bending the fingers of an artificial arm... (the research is stil being conducted...

You are correct in assuming it is just a matter of time until we'd beforced to wear some kind of hats to protect our privacy,,,
I hope, MR would not be adnissible in courtd -- otherwise the courts will be forever tied up with the cases of personal insults: "F. you..."

As far a creative's atgument, "there are only finite amounts of chemical reactions -- but there id an infinite vsryety oh the fegree f imtrnsity,

As fa as Creative,s argunebt -- There is no measurable product of thought which accurately defines the content of it -- electric impuldes prodiced by thoights are wuite mesdurable#

Jane,
As to my answer being "too technical", that was the short version. I was addressing the "mechanical process" of reading and transmitting human thoughts and memories because that is what I thought was asked.

As to the human MR; as you stated, women do it anyway.

I think men cannot transmit and receive thoughts to each other because the part of the male brain that would normally communicate with another male is in sync all the time anyway. When scientists finally get around to recording the male brain patterns it will probably come across more like a chant ....

sex, beer, food
sex, beer, food
sex, beer, food

If surgically separated one brain cannot telepathically communicate between hemispheres, so why would two completely separate ones be able to???

Way too much conjecture...

mind reading is imppossible.

but logical deductions based on observations and past experiances with a person can kinda clue you in on what somebody is thinking.

but to read a total strangers mind? well you would just be guessing based on.....only what you see with your two eyes. and interpreting what you see however YOUR mind wanted to.

IBYP, Joe, but I thought the topig was simply whether MR is possible at all -- not necessarily only from the tecnical point of view... Though, your train of thoughts exhibits a tipical male response -- the feasability of the subject matter -- which is a bit too technical for my taste, but interesting, nevertheless...


Oh, how cute! LOL
But MR has nothing to do with sex of the transmitter:
my brother is (and a few of my past boyfriens have been) also capable of transmitting and receiving thoughts to some degree. Such an ability is very convenient in the intimate situations -- when verbalizing your desires would be a bit awkward... But responding exactly to one's desires (or get your desires fulfilled) without a single word creates a strong bond between the participants!

If a mind want to communicate to another mind, then it must use a series of signs for in order for the other mind to understand the message.

Of course both of the minds have to have the similar upbringing on knowing what the signs are first, before any real communication can be served with a purpose.

Yes. I just quoted myself. Mind's mind doing the talking. lol

I do not know where you keep your brain at night but, clearly, you must've forgotten putting it back in the morning... LOL

That's just stating the obvious!
Just like it is impossible to read the mind of a foreigner... (or that of an animal)

But as long as both -- Receiver and Transmitter -- speak and think the same language, mind communication is quite possible!

Darling, you seem to be stating a point of view which is based upon YOUR personal experience with mind reading. But just because you haven't experienced something yet, doesn't mean everybody else haven't either, or that you never might experience it...

So don't be so cathegorical!
In this universe, many things are possible -- you simply haven't discovered them yet! (i.e. aren't aware of the possibility...)

Unfortunately, some of the people you've dated could possibly possess the ability -- though they will never admite it (to save you the embarrasment)!

Let's say that both speakers speak the same language, trained in the same schools together from early childhood to adulthood, and then say "dog" to each other. One person might say "what specific dog do you have in mind," and the other replies, "golden retriever." So, there you go. Mind communicated by another mind as long as the signs are precisely given so that one will have somewhat the exact picture as the other mind has thought of.

So there can't be mind reading without signs being presented.

smiless,

I just think different degrees and types of 'mind reading' is just a person tapping into the collective unconcious.

Currently, it is possible to correlate mental conditions with MRI patterns to some extent, but the kind of minimally aided, on-the-fly mind-reading we see in science fiction is still, well, science fiction.

Dont think sorrys easily said
Dont try turning tables instead
Youve taken lots of chances before
But Im not gonna give anymore
Dont ask me
Thats how it goes
Cause part of me knows what youre thinkin

Dont say words youre gonna regret
Dont let the fire rush to your head
Ive heard the accusation before
And I aint gonna take any more
Believe me
The sun in your eyes
Made some of the lies worth believing

Chorus:
I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind
I am the maker of rules
Dealing with fools
I can cheat you blind
And I dont need to see any more
To know that
I can read your mind, I can read your mind

Dont leave false illusions behind
Dont cry cause I aint chnaging my mind
So find another fool like before
Cause I aint gonna live anymore believing
Some of the lies while all of the signs are deceiving

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMAGwMAXTpU