Posted: Jan 31, 2013 12:00 am
Well, potentially something could exist but be practically useless - too prone to disruption outside the most calm environments, too local to be of value, or otherwise pointless, and not [yet] be amenable to any kind of artificial augmentation.
If, for example, someone with a fully-developed 'telepathic' skill could walk onto a stage having been kept in perfect isolation, and telepathically pick up the odd simple thought as a result of an audience of 1000 people concentrating on it in unison, that'd be fascinating, but apparently practically useless since it would be far easier just to ask a member of the audience what the thought was.
It wouldn't even be an obviously useful skill for someone who was entirely deaf and blind, unless they had the resources to employ a cast of thousands to follow them around as thought transmitters.
If, for example, someone with a fully-developed 'telepathic' skill could walk onto a stage having been kept in perfect isolation, and telepathically pick up the odd simple thought as a result of an audience of 1000 people concentrating on it in unison, that'd be fascinating, but apparently practically useless since it would be far easier just to ask a member of the audience what the thought was.
It wouldn't even be an obviously useful skill for someone who was entirely deaf and blind, unless they had the resources to employ a cast of thousands to follow them around as thought transmitters.