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Scientists Have Discovered How To 'Delete' Unwanted Memories (telegraph.co.uk)

Posted by BeauHD on from the eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind dept.

A new documentary from PBS reveals how cutting edge science enables us to 'edit' memories and create new ones from scratch. "For much of human history, memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact," say the film's makers. "But now, researchers are discovering that memory is far more malleable, always being written and rewritten, not just by us but by others. We are discovering the precise mechanisms that can explain and even control our memories."

158 comments

  1. Paging Dr. Tyrell by dwywit · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh, and his niece Rachel.

    --
    They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    1. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 3, Funny

      Bzzzzzzt---wrong film. And therefore not even remotely funny.

      You should be paging Dr Edgemar.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    2. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Freshly+Exhumed · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Those quacks?!!! When I have memories that need removal, I page Dr. Mierzwiak!

      --
      I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
    3. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by KGIII · · Score: 2

      If you want to watch the documentary, here it is:
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      It's kind of interesting. It's not one of my favorites but there's the link for those who want to see it. If you've got an hour to burn and want to learn about it, have at it. I like NOVA and this one is fine, still not one of my favorites.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    4. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We Can Remember It for You Wholesale

    5. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by michelcolman · · Score: 2

      Maybe his memory is not what it used to be.

    6. Re: Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can't tell. This is not one of your favorites?

    7. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by AbRASiON · · Score: 1

      I would've thought this fella would be more appropriate.

      https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&btnG=Search&q=Howard+Eternal+Sunshine

    8. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      and I for one, page dr .... oh, what was his name?

    9. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Bzzzzzzt---wrong film. And therefore not even remotely funny.

      You should be paging Dr Edgemar.

      Except no? "Paging Dr. Tyrell" is spot on, unless of course you don't understand the reference.

    10. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Implanting memories in an android != implanting memories in a human.

    11. Re: Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Replicants are not androids but synthetic humans. Flesh and blood, that's why they were "more human than human".

    12. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Deja vu, somehow.

    13. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      In one of these films, memory implantation is mentioned tangentially. In the other, it's central to the plot.

      Can you tell which is which?

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    14. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by MoarSauce123 · · Score: 1

      Yep...best movie ever!

    15. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by doccus · · Score: 1

      Does it actually say we are now actually able to erase and rewrite memories, or that we are only *learnng* how memory really works, . because if they said they can now rewrite memories I don't recall it being mentioned in the show (pun not intended). Of course we have known how to excise memory for a long time even hundreds of years.. if somewhat crudely, via treppanning (!), or more recently via frontal lobotomy (All sing together now "I'd rather have a bottle.....").
      So the only new development would be being able to rewrite memories, since we have known for quite some time the human brain does not work like a "tape recorder".. Actually, I would say it works more like a digital backup system...

    16. Re:Paging Dr. Tyrell by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I only watched it once but it doesn't really say that they can be rewritten as far as I recollect. They can implant, they can delete, and they can sort of see the physiology of a memory being formed, accessed, and things like that. It's not bad, as far as documentaries go, but it's certainly not as detailed as I'd like. All I watch is documentaries - at least for the most part.

      But, we can erase them. It's a bit neat. They're able to invoke the memory (through standard means) and they they drug you. The drug prevents new memories from being written. So, when you access a memory - you rewrite it and it appears that the old one is deleted in the process. (No stateful or incremental backups, defrag, or journaling file systems.) So, the new memory can't be saved and you forget because you can't save it.

      I am not, by any means, a brain surgeon. I do just watch documentaries but it's an entertainment process and not a scholastic pursuit. I do not approach it as an academic struggle but as a way to enjoy myself and, hopefully, learn something. Anything learned and retained is incidental. As such, I encourage you to spend the hours and give it a view - you can even play it in the background which is often how I do it.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  2. Of course this should be possible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My understanding is that when a person remembers something, the record of that memory is destroyed and then rewritten in the brain. However, there is at least one drug that can prevent the creation of memories in the brain. It's always seemed logical that, under the influence of such a drug, accessing a memory should also cause that memory to effectively be erased.

    1. Re:Of course this should be possible by adolf · · Score: 1

      I keep trying that, but it only seems to work on keeping new memories from being stored, and has nothing to do with erasing old ones.

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
    2. Re:Of course this should be possible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Uh, no... did you watch the whole show? Has to do with old memories. The act of remembering a memory re-stores the memory. If you interrupt the re-storing process, the memory...dies.

    3. Re:Of course this should be possible by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh, no... did you watch the whole show? Has to do with old memories. The act of remembering a memory re-stores the memory. If you interrupt the re-storing process, the memory...dies.

      He gets that. What he's saying is that, at least with that particular drug, what you're expecting is not what happens in reality.

    4. Re:Of course this should be possible by hucker75 · · Score: 1

      That cannot be true. For example my neighbour had a stroke and cannot record new memories. He can't remember what I told him half an our ago. But when he remembers something from his past, that memory is not gone for good, so it cannot be erased like you say.

    5. Re:Of course this should be possible by doccus · · Score: 1

      I would think the memory is erased via overwriting.. therefore accessing a memory woulfdn't cause it's erqasure. Were it not so we would be vegetables from birth. Lots of common anxiolytics can prevent the formation of new memories, leading one to suspect that GABA is integral towards the formation of memory. since it is also GABA (Gamma Amino Butyric Acid) that is displaced by these drugs to (presumably) exert their calming action ...
      Of course this is what I learned 35 years ago so maybe they know a whole lot more about this field by now...

  3. Or.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A good mix of Absinthe, Jäger, Ale and Cider, and a good night out.

    1. Re:Or.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think memories are in your stomach.

  4. Political implications for teh GOP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe this Bush guy could be ok?

    1. Re:Political implications for teh GOP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haha not bad

  5. What was the name of that movie again ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't seem to remember... Arnold Schwarznegger

    1. Re:What was the name of that movie again ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or the movie Paycheck.

    2. Re:What was the name of that movie again ? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

      Or the new movie with not Arnold Schwarzenegger.

  6. Mitigation by mentil · · Score: 2

    Time to invest in Ray-Ban.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    1. Re:Mitigation by Barny · · Score: 2

      You mean luxottica?

      Ray Ban has been nothing but a brand name for quite a few years now. In fact, Luxottica owns damn near all sunglasses brands.

      --
      ...
      /me sighs
  7. Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by sehlat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    1: Does it require the subject's cooperation to erase the memories? 2: Can they be retrieved by some means later, if necessary?

    If the answer to these questions is "No." Consider the following scenarios:

    1. An accused criminal gets the key witnesses in the case wiped before the trial.

    2. Cops "forcefully interrogate" a suspect, and when the suspect turns out to be innocent, wipe the victim's memories of their treatment.

    And those are just Abuse 101.

    1. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As far as I can tell, the entire thing is just theory of what they want to do, not that they have the ability or understanding of how to do it.

      The article has about as much science as the Discovery channel.

    2. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are plenty of abusing technology that allows you to alter peoples memory.
      The summary just screams Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

      1. An accused criminal gets the key witnesses in the case wiped before the trial.

      2. Cops "forcefully interrogate" a suspect, and when the suspect turns out to be innocent, wipe the victim's memories of their treatment.

      Well, the current situation is:

      1. Cops "forcefully interrogate" a suspect.

      2. Cops shoot the suspect when it "became violent".

      A memory wipe is fairly benign compared to getting killed.

    3. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      ... 1. An accused criminal gets the key witnesses in the case wiped before the trial.

      A politician or CEO has his own memory of crooked deals, wiped.
      Rape victims or pedophile victims get their memories of their abuse and torture, wiped.

      Leaving aside the amount of technology required, there will be a large black market for this. It may create an industry of deleting every unpleasant memory, leaving only the memories of adulation, success and narcissism. Will that have long-term consequences? Memories were deleted in the movie Frozen (2013) without consequence. In ST: TOS, Kirk claims the pain provided by our memories define a lot of our behaviours. With that pain gone, will a person commit those mistakes again?

    4. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Xest · · Score: 4, Insightful

      More to the point, I'm wondering if there's any actual science here. A Torygraph news article referencing a PBS documentary doesn't exactly scream "science" to me. We're basically hearing it from a tertiary source.

      So does anyone have a link to the actual research and the primary source behind this?

    5. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Zontar the Mindless (SOCKPUPPETAAR THE MAGNIFICENT, lol) must be a politician admitting sockpuppeteering http://science.slashdot.org/co...

    6. Re: Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll take the chance if I can forget alcohol. Proper treatment would be to replace the memories with me declining alcohol.

    7. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think some interrogation techniques are already aimed at creating false memories. Sadly, I don't recall the source... oh wait

    8. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1: Does it require the subject's cooperation to erase the memories? 2: Can they be retrieved by some means later, if necessary?

      If the answer to these questions is "No." Consider the following scenarios:

      1. An accused criminal gets the key witnesses in the case wiped before the trial.

      2. Cops "forcefully interrogate" a suspect, and when the suspect turns out to be innocent, wipe the victim's memories of their treatment.

      And those are just Abuse 101.

      Already happening:

      Scopolamine the victim, ask questions, then shock the victim when they answer in a way you do not want.

      After a few rounds of answering and electrocution, you will forget to remember.

    9. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by DigiShaman · · Score: 4, Informative

      So I watched the documentary...

      1: Does it require the subject's cooperation to erase the memories?

      Yes. Fundamentally, when you recall a memory (including phobias), the act of recalling it leaves the memory in a chemically vulnerable state as it has to be "re-written" when you're done. It's not like computer storage where you can read the same data over and over without fear of tampering with the original content. In the brain, all memories being recalled get modified at some level.

      Basically, the phobia is recalled by the subject. He or she takes a pill that will block the re-writing of the memory process. After several sessions, the phobia is severally diminished if not outright eliminated. I would imagine this technique could condition the perfect soldier to not fear the battlefield. A true "disposable hero".

      2: Can they be retrieved by some means later, if necessary?

      I don't think so. Once the memory has been modified, that's it. I doubt there (but do not know) equivalent of shadow copies of pathways like a hard drive has a shadow copy of data per the filesystem.

      --
      Life is not for the lazy.
    10. Re: Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here's the real question: If nobody remembers, does it matter if it happened? Did it really even happen?

      Our reality is already highly subjective. Smells, tastests, feelings, thoughts are all relative sensory constructs with meaning only to the observer.

      If the observer never had a nose, did the rose ever have a scent for them?

    11. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      As far as creating memories False Memory has been studied heavily in the 1970's, and was noted as far back as Freud (and possibly earlier).

      The famous court case Ramona v. Isabella eventually vindicated Gary Romona, who's daughter, Holly Romona, still believes was raped due to an implanted memories involving therapist Marche Isabella, Dr. Richard Rose, chief of psychiatry at Western Medical Center in Anaheim, and the Anaheim hospital. Basically the therapists / medical staff were so zealous to get to the truth, they assisted in fabricating it. Considering how hard it is to prove an accusor's memory wrong in court, it seems that a conviction against the medical staff is proof Gary was not sexually abusing Holly over years. Unfortunately for Holly, the fabrication is now real (in her eyes), and while Gary is in the right, he has lost his job, his wife and his relationship with his children over the matter.

      Many people remember things slightly wrong, and we use our past experiences to fall back on; but, memories can be crated out of nothing but suggestion to the point of attributing the suggestion's origin for a real one.

    12. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 2, Insightful

      A total memory wipe and replacement is basically the same as killing you. Yes your body is still alive but what makes you "you" is your memories, your life.

    13. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by mrclevesque · · Score: 1

      "The article has about as much science as the Discovery channel"

      Indeed

      Enhance, delete, incept: Manipulating hippocampus-dependent memories : "whether science is able to one day “catch up” to science fiction remains to be seen"

      From: http://www.sciencedirect.com/s...

    14. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by hey! · · Score: 1

      1. An accused criminal gets the key witnesses in the case wiped before the trial.

      More easy and likely for the cops to plant false memories. In fact I'd say trivially easy, and combined with the unwarranted faith people have in human memory as some kind of infallible recording device, very effective I'd say at getting the desired result.

      If you've been following the science of this topic, the idea that memories an somehow be destroyed is not particularly surprising; the only problem I have with is the term "wiped", which implies that memories are faithful recordings to begin with. Memory and imagination are intimately connected; in most cases when we recall a memory, unless it is highly traumatic most of the detail we put into that picture is imagined. While it is clear *something* is stored and retrieved, most of what we experience in a memory is made up on the fly, and that stuff gets incorporated into the pre-existing memory. As one neuroscientist I read put it, the best way to keep a person's memory of an event accurate is to put that person in a coma so he can't recall it. And if you think about it from an evolutionary standpoint this kind of unreliable memory gets the job of imprinting survival promoting behaviors done by connecting two other pre-existing faculties -- vague associative memory and imagination. It doesn't require evolving the entirely novel memory architecture needed to store sensory experience exactly.

      So it's extremely easy to corrupt a memory; in fact memory corruption is a natural process. The difference between corruption and erasure is only a matter of degree.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    15. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by werepants · · Score: 1

      A total memory wipe and replacement is basically the same as killing you. Yes your body is still alive but what makes you "you" is your memories, your life.

      Interesting contention, but I don't know that I agree. Certainly part of our identity is skills, habits, aptitudes, and preferences, all of which are at least in part decoupled from conscious memory. In fact, it might be possible that memory plays a pretty small part of the whole ensemble that is 'self'.

    16. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Shadow+IT+Ninja · · Score: 1

      I watched the PBS documentary mentioned in the article and yes, it could be done without cooperation. The method described in the documentary involves administering a certain drug and then getting the subject to recall the memory which you want to erase. You would do that by showing the person an object, picture or something which would cause them to remember the experience you want to erase. The hypothesis/explanation for the phenomenon is that, each time you recall a memory, it has to be rewritten to be remembered again after that. The drug prevents the memories from being rewritten so all you have to do is remember something while under the influence of the drug and it's gone.

      The method of implanting false memories is more complicated and it involves talking to the person at length and using associations. It actually sounds a lot like neurolinguistic programming. They claimed that it worked on 70% of the subjects before they decided they had to end the experiment because of the ethics rules for human subjects research.

    17. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There's no "conscious" memory if we're talking purely about physics, just memory. And skills, habits, aptitudes and preferences all come from memory too.

    18. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I would imagine this technique could condition the perfect soldier to not fear the battlefield."

      Perhaps not-so-minor nitpick: Bravery is overcoming fear, not lacking it. Only an idiot has no fear. More likely, the mechanism (preventing the writeback) would be more useful to treat the PTSD from when you saw your friends turned into incompetently butchered meat.

      Or if we want to get all In A Mirror Darkly, making sure the assassin teams can't tell anyone about anything as opposed to won't.

    19. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ever watch the movie "Memento"?

    20. Re:Before We Go All "This is Great!"... by Lotharus · · Score: 1

      It's not like computer storage where you can read the same data over and over without fear of tampering with the original content.

      I give you SDRAM, wherein the read operation does indeed damage the stored data, so that the memory controller has to immediately rewrite any row it reads (not to mention the constant general refreshes).

      --
      http://undecidedgames.blogspot.com
  8. Finally! by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please test it on goatse

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Finally! by WallyL · · Score: 1

      Nope, his memory is still intact, unlike his...

    2. Re:Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please test it on goatse

      So that everyone could enjoy the first few seconds of being introduced to it over and over?

    3. Re:Finally! by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      It's like Alzheimers: you don't have to buy a new magazine because you can just read the same one over every day.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  9. Faithfully? by Knuckles · · Score: 5, Informative

    "For much of human history, memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact,"

    Um, no. It has been well known that memory is unreliable.

    --
    "When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
    1. Re:Faithfully? by janimal · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Mod this up. Any lawyer will have had this in their first class on witnesses. Memories are known to be very unreliable.

      Years ago, I taught myself hypnosis, based on reading a book about it. One thing that struck me in that book was the statement that on a subconscious level, our brain cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy. It is only our consciousness (the linear reasoning part) that filters the fantasy bits and supplies appropriate metadata. As any beginner hyptnotist will learn, consciousness is off much more often than we realize.

      From my own experiments, erasing someones memory of something while they are under is one of the best working mechanisms that become available to the hypnotist. When I told folks to forget my name and planted a different name in its place, the information persisted even past the session. I had to show my ID to convince the person that their memory of my name has been manipulated.

      The ethical implications of this mechanism are obvious. In fact, I haven't been able to proceed in my "studies" of the phenomenon precisely because I wasn't able to deal with using the mechanism without the subject's knowledge.

    2. Re:Faithfully? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Funny

      It has been well known that memory is unreliable.

      Unless you're misremembering that.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    3. Re:Faithfully? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The ethical implications of this mechanism are obvious. In fact, I haven't been able to proceed in my "studies" of the phenomenon precisely because I wasn't able to deal with using the mechanism without the subject's knowledge.

      So you can see, of course, why the 1% will race to embrace this.

    4. Re:Faithfully? by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      Yes, but juries haven't been told that.

    5. Re:Faithfully? by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      Yeah, just deprive yourself of sleep for about 3 days and you will start to explore this fine line between fantasy and reality. I have actually experienced waking dreams in this state, where I am interacting with both my own imaginings as well as people in the real world at the same time.

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
    6. Re:Faithfully? by Infiniti2000 · · Score: 1

      Indeed, like in this episode of Brain Games.

    7. Re:Faithfully? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It turns out that drugs or hypnosis are not at all required to create a false memory:

      http://news.ubc.ca/2015/11/18/research-pokes-holes-in-police-tactics-to-obtain-confessions-of-crime/

    8. Re:Faithfully? by Perky_Goth · · Score: 1

      When I'm nearly asleep, I have vivid recollections of past dreams to the point where I truly believe some things have happened in the past. Not only that, but often dreams build themselves on past dreams like a continuous universe.
      As soon as I'm awake I realize that it's all fake, and soon after that I forget all about it unless I really focus on it. It's fascinating, but I don't have much of a clue on how to explore it.

    9. Re: Faithfully? by janimal · · Score: 1

      Worse. There really is no fundamental difference between hypnosis and being 'awake'. Chew on that!

  10. Paywalled by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Got a message demanding that I either pay their subscription or allow them to load adds on my machine. Ironic considering the subject of the article... Even more disheartening is that pbs's own site flat out displays a white page with an add blocker enabled.

    In any case here is a functioning link http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/neuro-hackers-create-delete-memories-160213.htm

    1. Re:Paywalled by Barny · · Score: 1

      Your computer already has adds. It even has multiple types. Your computer is perfectly happy doing both integer and floating point adds, as well you likely have a graphics subsystem that is VERY good at doing a lot of adds at the same time!

      --
      ...
      /me sighs
  11. PBS has been dumbed down... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..like everything else.
    From The Telegraph article, quoting the film makers:
      "For much of human history, memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact," say the film's makers.
    "But now, researchers are discovering that memory is far more malleable, always being written and rewritten, not just by us but by others. We are discovering the precise mechanisms that can explain and even control our memories."
    But now? Memory researchers have know that for at least 20 years. At least.

  12. Amicusnycl gets TOTAL RECALL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: FULL MEMORY RESTORATION by quotes of him "EATING HIS WORDS" (lmao)-> http://science.slashdot.org/co...

    APK

    P.S.=> Oh, the FUN NEVER ENDS & "the hits just keep on comin'", lol... apk

    1. Re:Amicusnycl gets TOTAL RECALL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Untrue!Amicusnycl when asked forgets (or refuses to admit) those words tasted like his FOOT in his MOUTH rammed down his throat to choke on them washed down with the BITTER taste of SELF-defeat apk! After all, he refuses to answer how they tasted when you ask him hahahaha!

    2. Re:Amicusnycl gets TOTAL RECALL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahahahahahaha! Classic (and true).

    3. Re:Amicusnycl gets TOTAL RECALL by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      APK: Now you can spell 'FAIL' with just 3 letters.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    4. Re:Amicusnycl gets TOTAL RECALL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're not fooling anybody, stop replying to yourself and go take your meds.

    5. Re:Amicusnycl gets TOTAL RECALL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amicusnycl did your TOTAL RECALL make you TOTALLY take your own advice eating your meds (and words) http://science.slashdot.org/co... ? Yes, hahahahaha!

  13. Let me guess.... by dohzer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does the method involve alcohol?

    1. Re:Let me guess.... by Freshly+Exhumed · · Score: 1

      Any decent brand of scotch will do that! -- Montgomery Scott

      --
      I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
    2. Re:Let me guess.... by thuyld81 · · Score: 1

      if it happen we can regulate our memories. So we can delete all our sad memories. We can live with fully fun! visit us at: http://www.ngonbore123.vn/

    3. Re:Let me guess.... by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 2

      I thought alcohol got rid of the memories that you wanted to keep and kept the ones that you wish you would go away.

    4. Re:Let me guess.... by zwarte+piet · · Score: 1

      You don't really need to delete sad memories. You just need to realize they are just data in your brain.

  14. Therapy applications? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could this be used for Post Traumatic Stress? Almost anything would be better than dosing our veterans with opiates and narcotics.

    Also... "Get your ass to Mars!"

  15. i know.. by adhdengineer · · Score: 1

    Whiskey. Isn't this it's primary purpose?

  16. Coren22 & Amicusnycl need to change diets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eating their words != good nutrition - both are dying of starvation due to EATING THEIR WORDS hahahahaha http://science.slashdot.org/co...

    1. Re:Coren22 & Amicusnycl need to change diets by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Hi, Alex! Still sounding real good to you in the old echo chamber, I see.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  17. Get your ass to mars! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get your ass to mars!

  18. Who the fuck is BeauHD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apparently BeauHD doesn't want us to know who she is... but definitely acting like a SJW troll.

    Seems to be a miserable failure at inciting relevant comments to a story/

  19. Coren22 & Amicusnycl need to change diets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Eating their words != good nutrition - both are dying of starvation due to EATING THEIR WORDS hahahaha http://science.slashdot.org/co...

  20. Total political control by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We actually have always been at war with Eastasia. I can not remember anything else.

  21. JustAnotherOldGuy developed SENILITY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject & a link where we can get him to restore HIS MEMORY answering why he's running from http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    APK

    P.S.=> Old Bitch got dementia? No, don't think so (I know not - he's cornered for what he is + WHY "HE DOESN'T MIND ALMOSTALLADSBLOCKED" since he's PAID BY ADVERTISERS ON HIS ALLEGED SITES that almostALLadsblocked DOESN'T BLOCK (lol) & is running, lol)... apk

  22. Omnichad FORGOT to answer a question! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Help him RESTORE HIS MEMORY by him answering this instead of RUNNING from it (lmao)-> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... and the BAD MEMORIES it gives him!

    (Due to the BAD TASTE as he "EATS HIS WORDS" and also his FOOT in his MOUTH ramming those words back down his throat washed down by the BITTER taste of SELF-defeat... lol!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Cat got his tongue? No, he's still CHOKING from "EATING HIS WORDS" (lol) - & it's choked off the oxygen from his already PUNY brain so he's forgotten how to speak, lol... not that he dares to! apk

  23. Dave420 REMEMBERS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: That "fine flavor" (lol) of EATING HIS WORDS vs. me (for what must be the 100th time by now) http://tech.slashdot.org/comme...

    Oh yes - that FINE DINING EXPERIENCE Dave420 TRULY enjoys... Sauteed FOOT in his MOUTH, spiced with the BITTER taste of SELF-defeat & of course, washed down by drinking the used DOUCHEBAG he is too!

    (Ah... the "SMOOTH NUTTY FINISH" & "delicious 'earthy' overtones", R O T F L M A O!)

    APK

    P.S.=> Those memories of "fine dining" have left Dave420 unable to respond due to his brain malfunctioning even MORE due to MALNUTRITION... since "eating your words" != GOOD nutrition... lol! apk

    1. Re:Dave420 REMEMBERS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Disappointed you didn't show. Since you aren't exceptionally bright, Ill help you out. White guy. Yellow shirt. Bring your capital letters.

  24. Re:Unwanted Memories. by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Thanks for a new slashdot effect target! It's been a while since we've had a chance to sharpen our claws.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  25. SOCKPUPPETAAR HIMSELF APPEARS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gracing us with his foul presence no less, and LOOK everyone: "It TALKS!" (My God, it REALLY talks)... lol!

    1. Re:SOCKPUPPETAAR HIMSELF APPEARS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahahahahahahahaha !!!

  26. Re:Amicusnycl REMEMBERS "eating his words" lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We represent Slashdotters who are tired of you trying to ram your crapware down our throats and to disrupt the conversation of adults.

  27. Some additional info by n0creativity · · Score: 1

    It's an old one (2007), but incredibly interesting and relevant to TFA... http://www.radiolab.org/story/... . The specifically cover a certain drug that they can give a person to prevent memories from forming as well as 'dulling' existing memories. It's fascinating to me, how so little we know about our own brain.

  28. SOCKPUPPETAAR HIMSELF REAPPEARS! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gracing us AGAIN w/ his foul presence! LOOK everyone: "It TALKS!" (My God, it REALLY talks) - too bad it can't spell (FAIL is spelled Zontar The Mindless) or think, hahahaha!

  29. Re:Coren22's memories quoted #1/2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "use public data"

    = stealing work. Are you giving FULL CREDIT?

    "A seasoned security pro & competent coder reviewed my work as safe & IT'S WHAT HE DOES (unlike you). He can't "play friends": It's his site & reputation."

    The supposed competent coder has already had multiple projects hacked. Useless.

    "I don't give source away W/ GOOD REASON"

    So you'll use other peoples work but won't give your own? YOU ARE A FUCKING THIEF, APK.

    "moving parts complexity"

    Last I checked routers don't have moving fucking parts you retarded lying scumbag piece of shit.

    "More resource consumption"

    Routers can use far less power than any computer at idle running as a DNS server with a HOSTs file. Again, reality bites you in the fucking ass.

    "POWER USE"

    See above. My router doesn't even eat up one watt. You are ignorant of reality and live in your own technologically outdated bubble. A shitty outdated shitty programmer using shitty outdated 20 year old technology as a security measure.

    "Placing users' FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in LOCAL RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY"

    Not when the server is using DHCP and rotates IP addresses for anti-DDoS purposes. FUCKING USELESS

    "No it doesn't (see above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN"

    Except logically speaking, HOSTS ACTS A DNS SERVER. Oops. Going down is what it does alright, since it can't even stop its own OS or other programs from using their own hardcoded entries to bypass it.

    "It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks w/ less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage."

    Nope, because anybody using DHCP makes your hardcoded entries fucking useless. the time required to update the hosts file every fucking time, pus reboot the system to make the changes properly take effect, is a fucking WASTE.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, Alexander P Kowalski, the most ignorant fucker on the goddamned planet.

  30. Don't laugh! It's true on Zontar & sockpuppets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Zontar the Mindless reminisces the "tasty flavor" EATING HIS WORDS admitting he sockpuppets http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    APK

    P.S.=> Oh that 'FINE' flavor, lol... that CRISP ambiance + SMOOTH NUTTY FINISH of "eating your words" & being EXPOSED as a sockpuppeteer! apk

  31. Don't laugh! It's true on Zontar & sockpuppets by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject: Zontar the Mindless reminisces the "tasty flavor" EATING HIS WORDS admitting he sockpuppets http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    APK

    P.S.=> Oh that 'FINE' flavor, lol... that CRISP ambiance + SMOOTH NUTTY FINISH of "eating your words" & being EXPOSED as a sockpuppeteer... & served up BURNT TO A CRISP by his OWN stupidity of course! apk

  32. That's not what amicusnycl saw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject SOCKPUPPETS of /.! On sockpuppetry? See "SOCKPUPPETAAR" admitting it http://science.slashdot.org/co...

    APK

    P.S.=> Transparent little DOUCHES like Amicusnycl, Coren22, Dave420, JustAnotherOldBITCH, & "SOCKPUPPETAAR" himself, Zontar the Mindless (great name for him, very apt & fitting)? Too stupid to live & YOUR FAVORITE COLOR IS TRANSPARENT - we all see RIGHT THRU YOU & your fake account mechanics (even admitted to by Zontar, lol)... apk

    1. Re: That's not what amicusnycl saw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I predict that in the near future that apk and his aliases will be the only one left posting on /.

    2. Re: That's not what amicusnycl saw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      amicusnycl's failed bs campaign sockpuppets galore won't be. I bet he'll leave out of shame having to eat his words.

  33. Oh look... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...something new for the freedom hating British government to exploit.

  34. ROUTERS? LOL, see my ps (225 instances) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I give tons of credit to all my sources - they're great, & GOD bless them. MalwareBytes' HpHosts RECOMMENDS & HOSTS my ware - how about YOU, worm?

    (SILENCE REIGNED IN HEAVEN FOR ABOUT THE SPACE OF FOREVER ON THAT ONE, lol...)

    Well, then LET ME ANSWER IT FOR YOU "ne'er-do-well" do-nothing ZERO - NADA/SQUAT/ZILCHO, lol!

    Lastly (lol) - WTF? "Anti-DDoS"??

    Stupid - Hosts hardcoded addresses are FAR FASTER than REMOTE DNS + more reliable (vs. Kaminsky redirect poisoning OF WHICH 99.999% of ISP DNS SERVERS != PATCHED AGAINST & DNS amp attacks).

    APK

    P.S.=> On ROUTERS? Let me show you HOW MANY TIMES ROUTERS HAVE BEEN BLOWN AWAY WITH TONS OF HOLES & VULNERABLITIES as I did "Ash-Fox" today earlier (225 examples thereof) -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    As you can see folks? YET ANOTHER DOUCHE I just made "EAT HIS WORDS", lol, easily... apk

    1. Re:ROUTERS? LOL, see my ps (225 instances) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I give tons of credit to all my sources - they're great, & GOD bless them. MalwareBytes' HpHosts RECOMMENDS & HOSTS my ware - how about YOU, worm?"

      I'm competent enough to not need other people's work to make a program. You are apparently not.

      "OF WHICH 99.999%"

      Making up statistics with zero backing sources - sounds like a scam artist to me.

      "Lastly (lol) - WTF? "Anti-DDoS"??"

      Too stupid to figure out hos to stop a DdoS by changing your IP? Ladies and gentlemen, the most ignorant security guy on the planet, Alexander P Kowalski.

  35. Apk serves up another NO BALLS ac troll FRIED by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Crisply burnt for us all to enjoy the spectacle of you doing it! Always a pleasure seeing you work instantly scorching trolls with NO BALLS posting by ac so they can downmod you since they have to hide these fails of theirs OR by their delusional FAKE NAMES ONLINE since they have nothing decent to their name and MUST LANGUISH IN MEDIOCRITY THEIR ENTIRE MISERABLE WASTED EXISTENCES due to their DULL brains not being capable of good accomplishments. Only the jealousy of NO BALLS WHIMPS, lol!

    1. Re:Apk serves up another NO BALLS ac troll FRIED by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hahahahahaha SO true! Truer words were NEVER SPOKEN on /. HOME OF THE FAKE ACCOUNT SOCKPUPPETEERS http://science.slashdot.org/co...

  36. I have a few things I'd like to remember by darthsilun · · Score: 1

    ...memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact,...

    My own experience would suggest otherwise.
    And there's plenty of evidence that most people – e.g., crime scene witnesses – do not remember things faithfully.

    Never the less, there are a few things I'd like to forget.

    1. Re:I have a few things I'd like to remember by pr0fessor · · Score: 1

      by tape recording they mean vhs left in the car on a sunny day...

      I'm more interested in implanting information in bulk not the same as convincing someone they committed a crime. Seriously, why would you convince someone they committed a crime? This would be exceedingly dangerous.

  37. Apple has already perfected this technique by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Based on the fact that their reality distortion field is still intact and their fanbois will line up like crack addicts whenever a new i-whatever device is released.

  38. The bosses will love this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "No, of course you agreed to work at half of your former salary...don't you remember"?

  39. Full documentary link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Those that RTFA may be put off from being given only a preview to the PBS documentary. Here's a link to NOVA's website where one can watch the entire episode.

  40. Not About Erasing Memories by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is not about erasing memories. It's about implanting new ones.

    A higher power can make you confess to a crime that you didn't commit.

  41. Big Deal by gregsmac · · Score: 0

    The Republican party has been doing this for years.

  42. Not really by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "are discovering" not "discovered"

    From the article:
    André Fenton, a prominent neuroscientist who is currently working on a technique to erase painful memories. “We understand only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to human memory.”

  43. Remembering It For You Wholesale... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I could have sworn that I had read this article before....

  44. Not just by us but by others by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just come out and say it... "others" is just a nice euphemism for the NSA.

  45. Wooden mallet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is so old it is unpatentable

  46. Nice! by nospam007 · · Score: 2

    Create new memories?

    I need a couple of years Harvard Medical and Law to go, thanks.

    1. Re:Nice! by Zaelath · · Score: 1

      Hrmmm, does that mean we should implant law knowledge or a series of drunken sexual harassment encounters?

  47. Can it be used to treat PTSD? by maple_shaft · · Score: 2

    As someone diagnosed with PTSD from a traumatic event, I have been to different types of therapies and some of them work to an extent. In particular EMDR therapy seeks to address the problem by having the patient recall the traumatic memory while things are done to help diffuse the autonomous reaction from the amygdala part of the brain. The Amygdala is a primitive part of the brain that controls flight or fight. It uses a proto type of memory where stimuli that occur before trauma or an incredibly stressful event are hard wired into the amygdala, think of it like ROM memory. When similar stimuli occur it triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline causing a panic or anxiety attack. This is why CBT therapy is so ineffective for treating PTSD and other anxiety disorders because the problem isn't cognitive in nature. It would be interesting if these methods could be used for other types of memory as well and finally work towards a more effective treatment for PTSD sufferers.

    1. Re:Can it be used to treat PTSD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As someone diagnosed with PTSD from a traumatic event, I have been to different types of therapies and some of them work to an extent. In particular EMDR therapy seeks to address the problem by having the patient recall the traumatic memory while things are done to help diffuse the autonomous reaction from the amygdala part of the brain.

      The Amygdala is a primitive part of the brain that controls flight or fight. It uses a proto type of memory where stimuli that occur before trauma or an incredibly stressful event are hard wired into the amygdala, think of it like ROM memory. When similar stimuli occur it triggers the release of cortisol and adrenaline causing a panic or anxiety attack. This is why CBT therapy is so ineffective for treating PTSD and other anxiety disorders because the problem isn't cognitive in nature.

      It would be interesting if these methods could be used for other types of memory as well and finally work towards a more effective treatment for PTSD sufferers.

      Eat weed.

    2. Re:Can it be used to treat PTSD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Eat weed.

      You're doing it wrong.

  48. It's been done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is nothing new. The CIA MKUltra program has been doing this for decades.

  49. Re:Unwanted Memories. by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 1

    Don't do it, all you're doing is increasing his visitors counter at the bottom. I bet he'll use that to show his boss/client that the website is successful.

  50. Twooooo Weeeeeeeks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ya blabbed, Quaid! Ya blabbed about Mars!

  51. We Can Remember it for You Wholesale by ODBOL · · Score: 1

    This may be the first time I wanted to mod an anonymous coward up. I remember reading about this years ago in a Philip K. Dick short story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... I totally remember that story. What? Mike O'Donnell

    --
    Mike O'Donnell http://people.cs.uchicago.edu/~odonnell/
  52. Welcome to Paradox by BrendaEM · · Score: 1

    Welcome to Paradox had an excellent episode about removing memories: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt07...

    Personally, I don't think it's a good thing because so much of who we are is founded in our memories: good and bad. For many people with a dissociative disorder has this happen anyway. eg: Now, how did I get here.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
  53. Torture? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Electrical torture; repeatedly asking the same question and applying electroshock when the victim answers will remove any "unwanted" memories.... /and apparently this comment was deleted before too.

  54. Re:Unwanted Memories. by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Can't show the boss shit when your website is down and remains down.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  55. Re:Don't laugh! It's true on Zontar & sockpupp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What kind of bizarre shill posting is this? A spam post out of nowhere linking to some nutcase trying to convince ??? that people want to see his spam?

    Sockpuppets?

    Have fun there, crazy guy.

  56. Old News by Udom · · Score: 1

    It's very old news. In the 1890s criminologist Count Franz von Liszt, (cousin of the composer), made a practice of staging disruptions at his lectures involving actors fighting, sometimes firing a gun. Even forewarned, students gave wildly differing accounts of events in summaries they wrote afterwards. Many experiments since have demonstrated the same results. What is stored in memory is the gist of events. Details are supplied on the fly during recall. We still place a high value on eye witness testimony at trials, which has led to the imprisonment and execution of many innocent people.

  57. Sign me up! by jsepeta · · Score: 1

    Very cool, just like in Vanilla Sky and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

    --
    Remember kids, if you're not paying for the service, YOU ARE THE PRODUCT THAT IS BEING SOLD.
  58. Amicusnycl REMEMBERS "eating his words" lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The community says, in a fairly loud voice, that we do not want to see your advertisements. People with mod points use them to deal with your malicious behavior - by amicusNYCL (1538833) on Monday January 25, 2016 @04:01PM (#51368907)

    Real /. users not almostalladsblocked shill/sockpuppets say different LOUDER:

    "his hosts program is actually pretty good" - by xenotransplant (4179011) on Monday August 10, 2015 @03:34PM (#50287195)

    "I like your host file system." - by Karmashock (2415832) on Wednesday September 09, 2015 @03:57PM (#50489401)

    "APK is kinda right. I've given up on JS based adblocking and gone to blackholing in /etc/hosts, just like it was back in the 90s. The computational load has gotten intolerable for any ad-blocking using JS. I've tried his hosts file generating software. It works." - by bmo (77928) on Thursday October 15, 2015 @11:30AM (#50736071)

    "APK is totally right on this count. Adblock Plus on Firefox mobile is a dog on older, or lower end, phones. A hostfile based adblocker makes for a much better experience in this context" - by chihowa (366380) on Saturday May 16, 2015 @11:40AM (#49705641)

    "his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources" by alexgieg (948359) on Friday September 25, 2015 @09:57AM (#50596461)

    "I find your hosts file admirable." - by vel-ex-tech (4337079) on Tuesday November 24, 2015 @10:27PM (#50999097)

    "APK isn't wrong" - by cfalcon (779563) on Sunday October 04, 2015 @05:11PM (#50657891)

    "No complaints from me, I like APK's spam. Reminds me to use a host file. Also, his stuff is free." - by aaaaaaargh! (1150173) on Tuesday November 17, 2015 @09:31AM (#50947415)

    * Want more?

    APK

    P.S.=> Which of these are you representing:

    1.) Advertiser
    2.) Webmaster
    3.) Inferior competitor
    4.) Malware maker/Botnet herder

    (/. users like my program giving 'em more speed/security/reliability & anonymity - enumerated list above doesn't!)

    ... apk

  59. Re:Don't laugh! It's true on Zontar & sockpupp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can't read? Zontar the Mindless literally admitted he created TrollingForHosts to harass apk with that sockpuppet.

  60. Dont mess with Texas by sdinfoserv · · Score: 0

    This is nothing new - Texas has altered memories for decades! Global warming is a liberal conspiracy, fracking does not contribute to earth quakes, the United States was formed as a Christian Nation, evolution is a plot of the devil - just a few of the commonly re-edit "Texan Truths".

  61. Dave420 where are your manners? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dave420 it's not polite to talk with your mouth full as apk made you eat your words AGAIN for the 100th time. Aren't you bored with the taste?

  62. Re:Unwanted Memories. by JazzLad · · Score: 1

    Total Visitor 004902

    Slashdot affect not what it used to be ...

    --
    "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." - Every fascist, ever
  63. Cannot post? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Testing, both previous posts were deleted?

    Repeated Tazering under questioning can delete memories.

  64. Tazer use for "questioning" by Lost+Penguin · · Score: 1

    Just keep tazoring them when they answer what you do not want....

    --
    I am the unwilling control for my Origin.
  65. There's a Hillary Clinton joke in here somewhere.. by Bartles · · Score: 1

    ...what I said in the subject line.

  66. Let's SEE your program (never will) & see ps by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See subject - that's always the outcome with talkers vs. doers like myself & my ABOUT menus credit my sources & so does the READ ME in my program too...

    OPEN MOUTH & INSERT FOOT = true anonymous COWARDS that can't show a thing for themselves, but "talk big" (which ANY fool can do - it's folks like myself that produce things users actually LIKE, & yes YOU KNOW I HAVE BACKING ON THAT TOO, that make the difference and SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS...)

    APK

    P.S.=> Lastly but NOT leastly vs. "big talking/do nothing he can ever show" troll: My program changes IP addresses on hardcoded favorites every single time you use it stupid - you FAIL as usual, lol... apk

  67. What makes me "Me" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A total memory wipe and replacement is basically the same as killing you. Yes your body is still alive but what makes you "you" is your memories, your life.

    False. What makes me "Me" is my physical consciousness. It is that which experiences the patterns of reality delivered to it by my system from moment to moment and it is physically separate from your consciousness and everyone else's. Wipe my memories and it will still be MY consciousness experiencing the patterns given to it, not yours. Without whatever it is that is the physical substrate of my consciousness (Me) I do not exist as I would no longer experience or "feel" anything anymore than an abstract cartoon character can experience itself or anything at all.

    Mind is an abstract process operating upon a physical substrate. Abstraction cannot experience anything as it doesn't really exist, it is merely the movement of that which does actually exist.

  68. Memory safety ??? by yusing · · Score: 1

    It's possible that, as a side effect, memories may be removed that are valuable. Suppose you've 'forgotten' many things ... exactly how can you verify that without trying to access all of them? How would you go about systematically checking them?

    I've never heard of any test or method that can detect lost information ... let alone the quantity, clarity, intensity involved. Clearly some parts of our educations fade naturally, possibly due to limited or no accesses. But we have experience and specific details that are very valuable. There is no quantitive measure of loss.

    --

    "You must try to forget all you have learned. You must begin to dream." -- Sherwood Anderson

  69. We need better science reporting... by notil · · Score: 1

    Holy smokes. This is bad. Memory gets a lot of attention because it's sexy and everyone has them and they are obviously incredibly clinically relevant (PTSD, alzheimers, etc.), but I think when anybody can do a FRACTION of what this is alluding to...we will have heard about it before PBS releases this truly groundbreaking and exciting news in a special called "Memory Hackers"...The Telegraph isn't doing itself any favors with this bullshit either.

  70. No doubt the memories are being rewritten by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The climate record is being rewritten by NASA. The 1930s are now a cold period. The 1945-75 that scientsts actually thought at the time was presaging a new ice age turns out was relatively warm. The MWP and LIA never happened. All our thermostats wrong for decades and decades. It was apparently all a climatological hysteria at the time that seemed to affect everyone. NASA is fixing our memories of all these things to make them consistent with the global warming theory so there is no cognitive dissonance when people look back and get confused. This is truly 1984.

  71. Re:Unwanted Memories. by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Or that server runs from a home connection while linked to the cloud. Live businesses are rather prone to this, cloud or not. If the primary server can't take the live load, it's over.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  72. Re:Unwanted Memories. by JazzLad · · Score: 1

    Yeah, no, I got that - I meant the power of the mighty /. affect was a mere 4902 clicks (assuming 100% of all traffic came from us). [We both have] been around long enough to remember when it was a real thing, 5k clicks ain't it :)

    For giggles, I checked again - 50 more clicks in the past 24 hours. Ah, well, the new owners seem better than DHI, at least.

    --
    "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." - Every fascist, ever
  73. WOW! WOW! Then I can re-play DOS games like new! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Currently I try hard but it is impossible in some cases, I simply keep remembering the experience.

  74. Coren22's memories quoted #1/2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "you are stealing other people's work in your code" - by Coren22 (1625475)

    I don't steal (you project YOU do). I write my own code (you don't) & use public data to protect + speed up users.

    ---

    "You have yet to submit to a code review from anyone but your friend. No, I don't trust that" - by Coren22 (1625475)

    A seasoned security pro & competent coder reviewed my work as safe & IT'S WHAT HE DOES (unlike you). He can't "play friends": It's his site & reputation.

    ---

    "You are terrified someone will steal your software if you publish the source code." - by Coren22 (1625475)

    I don't give source away W/ GOOD REASON (Google's mistake w/ CHROME) -> http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

    ---

    "You have yet to address the issue of name resolution performance of anything not found in your hosts file. This is a serious issue when the hosts file is so large" - by Coren22 (1625475)

    Placing users' FAVORITE SITES where they spend 95++% of their time online @ TOP of hosts files cached in LOCAL RAM gets them to sites FASTER & MORE RELIABLY than a more-than-potentially REDIRECT POISONED DNS SERVER (99.999% of ISP DNS aren't patched vs. the kaminsky flaw, or DNS amp attacks).
    ---

    "DNS outperforms your hosts file solution several fold" - by Coren22 (1625475)

    No it doesn't (see above) - & DNS outperforms hosts in GOING DOWN (does a lot) OR poisoning users via redirect poisonings (DNS amp attacks = another).

    ---

    "so why not just run your own DNS server? Oh, resources eh?" - by Coren22 (1625475)

    More resource consumption + moving parts complexity + POWER USE doesn't = a GOOD solution vs. hosts by using redirect poisoning/DNS amp attack exploitable DNS w/ only a few systems @ home.

    ---

    "But you have no problem running 100k copies of the hosts file in a domain" - by Coren22 (1625475)

    It works easily migrated by central admins via scripts or chronjobs/scheduled tasks w/ less moving parts complexity, room for exploit & breakdown, OR power usage.

    APK

    P.S.=> You FAIL menial... apk

  75. Coren22's memories quoted #2/2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "the secretary at MalwareBytes took a look at his source code and said it looked all good to them" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

    My code went thru verification by Mr. Steven Burn of Malwarebytes' hpHosts

    hpHosts Site Admin Mr. Steven Burn quoted:

    "I've been asked to further clarify so for the record yes I've seen the code, and yes, it is safe."

    FROM http://forum.hosts-file.net/vi...

    (On my latest 9.0++ code engine above & from past versions -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

    A competent coder & BEST security researcher I know of FROM THE BEST ANTIMALWARE THERE IS http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

    NOT a secretary!

    I don't give away work to be stolen OR misused like GOOGLE CHROME http://it.slashdot.org/story/1...

    ---

    "won't demonstrate security of his product be exposing the source" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday November 18, 2015

    Bullshit: 62 reputable sources + /. users say different:

    Safe by 57 antivirus programs in 64-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

    +

    the 32-bit model https://www.virustotal.com/en/...

    &

    Per VirScan (installer too)-> http://f.virscan.org/APKHostsF...

    MalwareBytes' hpHosts Admin (MalwareBytes employee) hosts & recommends it -> http://hosts-file.net/?s=Downl... & MalwareBytes = BEST antivirus per this VERY recent testing of them all http://www.av-test.org/en/news...

    APK

    P.S.=> Eat your words, scumbag:

    Tell us about AD + DNS too while you're @ it & how you said I said not to run DNS when I use it myself & said to NOT use external to network DNS with AD http://slashdot.org/comments.p...

    OR

    About how my program NEEDS admin privelege to update too (& it doesn't http://slashdot.org/comments.p... )

    LOL... fool - 'eat your words' on ALL those accounts chump!

    ... apk