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Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?

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Kaiser-Machead
12/05/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
It's entirely possible that unlocking full capacity of our brains' potential could ruin us completely. Imagine, just over-thinking and overanalyzing everything. It'll probably frustrate the hell out of us, and make us sad.
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GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
12/05/08

@Kaiser-Machead: Agreed. There are times when I will be in a good mood then a mem of something stupid I did decides to wander in ruins it. Then I can't help but think about that situation more, in a stupid attempt to NOT think about it. I think it would be great for psychologists.
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frigg
12/05/08

@Kaiser-Machead: "Imagine, just over-thinking and overanalyzing everything. It'll probably frustrate the hell out of us, and make us sad."

By "overthinking and overanalyzing" were you intentionally creating some sort of dichotomy between the two activities, suggesting that pure cognition exists outside of generating meaning beyond visceral thought, or does the latter simply advance a concept initiated by the former, part recursion, part trope? Damn, just thinking about it is frustrating the hell out of me, and making me sad. :(
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Griffehpoo
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
On average, humans only use, what, 20% of their brains? (That statistic always seems to be changing) If I could remember everything and use the full 100%, I'd be set. I could care less about picking and choosing. Since you remember, you can apply recent memories to bad memories, changing how you feel about them. You never forget particularly traumatic stuff, anyway. I don't see any need to get rid of it.
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Griffehpoo
12/04/08

@Griffehpoo: Looks like Accellerata already worded what I wanted to say better than I had. D'oh!
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Hamsfork
12/05/08

@Griffehpoo: This is an urban legend that should just die. We use 100% of our brain, just not all at the same time. [www.snopes.com]
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frigg
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
Assisted memory is inevitable, as humans become progressively synthetic.
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GitEmSteveDave_HatesFriday
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
I would like something like a floating HUD. Using my brain, I could navigate a interface that could "sense" what I was looking for, and when it finds it, presents an image in my field of vision. So if I want to remember what color roses my current girl likes, a picture of the correct roses shows up. I am guessing that if you can interface with the optic nerve to display the HUD, you can use it in reverse to also record an image. A system with a "fuzzy" logic could learn to anticipate what you want to find like you can train your phone to recognize your voice. A simple program could take the visuals and apply tags to them, making finding things easier. Just picture trying to remember a article you read, and being able to pull up a picture or text file of that article. This is something I can see happening in my lifetime, even if it isn't hardwired to the optic nerve, but simply a pair of glasses connected wirelessly to a brain interface which works with something like bio feedback or something.
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Platypus Man
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
Getting too much control just seems wrong to me. We have a built-in mechanism for forgetting. We can forget things, whether we want to or not. And for good or bad, that's part of the human experience. On one hand, no, a person shouldn't have to live through his wife's death at the drop of a hat (I've never seen Memento), but you shouldn't just be able to forget whatever you want at a whim either. We have to get through the hard stuff and get stronger because of it. Imagine if the chip or whatever malfunctioned either way. If you've been using it to help you remember for years, you wouldn't be able to remember almost anything. It would be kinda like any of us trying to remember a friend's phone number. We have problems because most of us just store it on our phones. On the other hand, if you were using it to erase unwanted memories, if you actually had to deal with anything difficult, it would probably be ridiculously hard, like when a child has to deal with something big for the first time.

The human brain is (as of yet) the most advanced computer known to man. I say that, with the possible exception of disabled persons, let's just keep inferior computers out of there.
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Kaiser-Machead
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
Despite this process you remain irrevocably human, therefore some of this shit you will understand, and some you will not. Concurrently while the first comment is the most pertinent, you may or may not realize it is the most irrelevant.
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Jing_ta
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
I would love to have not only a personal memory cache but a LAN communal wiki would be great. Simply being able to query the general consciousness to find out if the printer was still spazing out would be a boon to productivity, especially in the front end of a retail environment.
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Platypus Man
12/04/08

@Jing_ta: Umm, resistance is futile? That sounds an awful lot like the Borg. I mean, I guess it worked for them, but I'd rather not go that far.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
brainzzzz, BRAINZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
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ripfire
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
When I think of Computer Assisted Memory, I imagine more about having better control of your memory: ie recall, remember, erase, etc. at will.
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Reil: Save Stars, Save Peach
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
I would like the ability to remember facts, sights, if I could actually store that with conscious effort. I never remember emotions attached to events, though, so maybe I'm weird.
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ripfire
12/04/08

@Reil: "I never remember emotions attached to events"

Really? So how would you know if the movie you watched last week was good or bad?
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I'm a PC
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
wouldn't need school anymore, just download the necessary files. but then this could be used by the government in bad ways, they could "change" history and take advantage of us by altering our memories
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Gann
12/05/08

@I'm a PC: Not like now, when we have unfettered access to the pristine truth.
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Cankles
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
As somebody that watched two Grandparents and an Aunt go down from Altimeters, bring it on. Just hurry, I'm not getting younger.
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Cankles
12/04/08

@Incognito: DAMN IT, firefox spell check SUCKS.... Alzheimers..
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Woden501
12/04/08

@Incognito: You forgot the apostrophe. Alzheimer's. :)
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Cankles
12/04/08

@Woden501: Ah FCK it, there's a reason they stick me in a cubical in the corner away from everyone else and tell me to keep my emails to a minimum... I'm a jerk and people hate me, and I write like a 10 year old boy.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
12/04/08

@Incognito: Well Altimeters was appropriate since they were losing their mental altitudes...

Isn't there a Jimmy Buffet song along those lines..?
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
12/04/08

@Incognito: As long as your not built like one it's ok... ;)
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Cankles
12/04/08

@Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude disguised as another dude: Does that mean I have to tell you my bra size? Cause I'm pretty sure I come closer to ten year old girl in that department.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
12/04/08

@Incognito: Don't worry, anything more than a handful is too much...
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Shai
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
I know kung fu!
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s0crates82
12/04/08

@Shai: Wetware interface to a greater computer network is one thing, installing a spare harddrive is another. Besides, it's entirely possible that this is limited to be a recorder of memories analagous to a camcorder, where you'd be able to see in your mind someone doing kung-fu moves over and over again, but there's no implication of any kind of kinaesthetic connection.

Just because you can see someone do a backflip fifty times in your head at command doesn't mean you know how to hold your balance, pull the right muscles, and throw your body through the maneuver.
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ripfire
12/04/08

@s0crates82: Why not? It's called muscle memory. I would think that if someone were to copy someone else's muscle memory into your own, the experience would be like you've done it before yourself.
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Fractal the Meek
12/04/08

@ripfire: But what if: Subject A has wired synaptic output 1 to a well-placed upper cut. Subject B has wired synaptic output 1 to punching himself in the chin. Subject B downloads Subject A's muscle memory for fighting. Subject B gets in a brawl at the bar and punches himself in the face. Was he drunk or were the memory wires crossed?
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ripfire
12/04/08

@Fractal the Meek: I thought about that before, but it would be more like a memory that you punched someone before (ie. how they swung their arm and how it felt like) It would still be up to the person to execute the move.

It's like back then, I didn't know how to do a hockey stop. At one time, I had a dream I could that I could do it and even felt like I've done it before. Of course after that, I still couldn't do it right away, but I learned how to do it faster than I could have expected.
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Andham
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
"...having only barely having the necessary equipment..."

Department of redundancy department.
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Jason Chen
12/04/08

@Andham: Proves my point!
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
12/04/08

In reply to Computer Assisted Memory: Brilliant or Horrific?
So our brains have defrag built-in? Cool!
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