Slashdot Mirror
Backing Up Your Brain
couch_warrior writes "Microsoft is now working on a system that will back up the contents of your brain.
The pilot project lacks a direct brain interface, but "MyLifeBits" will provide a simulacrum of actual memories.
No mention is made as to whether Microsoft will claim to own the digital rights to the content of your life, or what license fees you will have to pay to access your own memories." Honestly this looks like a bunch of hooey to me, but I figured others would be better suited to say.
So instead of going on a tyrranical rant about this and bringing CmdrTaco's mother into it, let's look at how we could avoid this in the future.
I don't know what the administrative interface looks like for Slashdot, hell, I haven't even been given mod points yet despite regular meta moderation. But I'll bet that if you plugged the domain restriction plus the title of the proposed article into your favorite search engine, you could avoid 75% of all dupes. So in Google, this article would be: site:slashdot.org Backing Up Your Brain And here's the link if you're lazy which results in some pretty good hits: Download Your Brain
Putting Your Brain into A Computer So two very relevant articles, maybe they're dupes, maybe they're not.
But what if it was possible for the admin to select keywords/phrases from the submission and have that generate search links to the search engine. Two obvious ones would be Gordon Bell and the de facto dupe finding token MyLifeBits.
And with that last one, we come up with Backup Your Life on a DVD and Recording Your Entire Life. Two very similar articles to the subject at hand (the Gordon Bell search has no dearth of articles either). A few minutes of linking this to Vannevar Bush and you find Your Life On a Hard Drive.
If this is an update piece and you want to update us on the project, at least link to the plethora of articles related to it! My god, how many times must we discuss this man's dreams to do this? Where are the results already? I swear every single time this comes up, it's mere speculation. The editor even says so after the summary!
My work here is dung.
Not a MS basher per say, but I am not sure I want MS messing around with MY registry...
What happens when half of what is recorded is you looking at 'past memories' on your pc? Does this echo logarithmically through the storage system until you are considered dead when there are no new memories being added?
Does the management software manage to do what CmdrTaco cannot? Remove dupes?
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
So how often will I be able to change my mind before I have to reactivate?
* MS Memories Home Basic (TM) - You're told that you have memories, but this version can't restore them.
/. At least there will be once the next upgrade is released.
* MS Memories Home Premium (TM) - You're allowed to restore "up to" 10 memories, with a list of restrictions covering a page in 3 point text, notably that only individual, not shared nor professional memories are permissible.
* MS Memories Business (TM) - Restores any job related memories. As if anyone wants to remember them.
* MS Memories Ultimate (TM) - Any and all memories can be restored, or they would if the driver for your brain was functional. There's even "Extras" that will provide supplemental memories for those with exceedingly boring lives, such as readers of
Perscriptio in manibus tabellariorum est.
We're sorry, but your brain does not appear to be genuine. You will now be placed into limited functionality mode.