h+ Magazine, Winter 2009

The latest, and apparently last, full issue of h+ Magazine is out in digital form now. After this issue h+ will transition into fully online format with new content released weekly on their website. With that in mind, this is a great issue packed full of interesting stuff with very little fluff. The neuro column this month is on "Cognitive Commodities in the Neuro Marketplace", by me, page 83.

The science of cognitive enhancement is evolving, which means the business of cognitive enhancement is evolving. Supplying cognitive enhancement to the masses can be viewed through the lens of any commodities marketplace. Human experience is already commoditized through drugs that pack mood and performance into portable units -- pills or doses -- that can be easily traded and consumed, and the drug market is one of the biggest on the planet. The same can be said for audio and visual experience. The platforms and hardware for trading audiovisual experience -- Tvs, computers, media players, telecomm, cell phones, software -- are huge markets with influence over every facet of our lives. The media and drug markets are built upon the ideal of commoditizing consumer moods and experiences. The cognitive enhancement industry is now poised to undergo a similar market revolution.

Read in the web format or download the PDF for browsing. It is a nice looking magazine. Should be in print, but print is last century's paradigm, right? The singularity came along and ruined everything!