3001: Humans as Virtual Spaceships

Sir Arthur Clarke, author of 2001 -A Space Odyssey, often explored the idea of backing up or transferring the human brain on to a computer. In his sequel, 3001: The Final Odyssey, he wrote of future beings: “As soon as their machines were better than their bodies, it was time to move. First their brains, and then their thoughts alone, they transferred into shining new homes of metal and of gemstone. In these they roamed the galaxy. They no longer built spaceships - they were spaceships.”

In 2005, Sir Arthur told the BBC that “When their bodies begin to deteriorate you transfer their thoughts so their personalities would be immortal,” he told the BBC in 2005. “Just save it on a CD-Rom and plug it in - simple!”

The real-life sequel to Clarke’s predictions is being developed by the renowned Microsoft researcher, Gordon Bell, who is is working on a project called MyLifeBits which aims to digitally store “a lifetime’s worth of articles, books, cards, CDs, letters, memos, papers, photos, pictures, presentations, home movies, videotaped lectures, and voice recordings.”

The idea stemmed from the fact that, although vast, our memory can be like a will-o-wisp; examples are seen every day when we cannot remember what were even thinking of a few moments ago, or where we put the keys, or the name of a childhoodfriend.

The latest version of the project also allows him to capture phone calls, instant messenger transcripts, television, and radio to build up a virtual surrogate memory of his life.

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/03/mylifebits–a-v.html