Were I to be on the design team for humanity version 2, there are a couple of new features I would add to the human brain: Standby Mode and Hibernation.
Standby mode would allow us to disengage huge portions of out intellect for a pre-determined portion of time, minutes or hours at a time. Here are but a few of the applications of this technology.
Waiting in the DMV
Airport terminals
The Gym
Slow workdays
Family get-togethers
Sickness
Elementary school band concerts
Corporate wide meetings
Surgical waiting rooms
Chuck E. Cheese
Church
In standby mode, your IQ would be roughly 50. You could carry out very basic functions, but you would have no awareness of time and minimal awareness of your surroundings. All memory functions would be disabled. You could be led around and nod, but your will would be totally suppressed.
Hibernation is standby on turbo. It is complete blackout. Deep dreamless sleep. Again, it would be for pre-determined periods of time, but could go on for days and weeks…up to a month. Upon waking, you would need to eat and poop. If things are still not going well, you just repeat. You would perhaps need to be awake for a week out of a year. Possible applications include:
Unemployment during a recession
Bad weather
Extreme weight loss
February
July
Waiting for Payday
Election years
December
War
Leading this design effort would be a monumental task. But I would gladly step up, so long as I can go into hibernation right after the kickoff meeting.
I’d substitute August for July, and add movie previews to the first list.