Issue 553 The Memory Chip March 23, 2015

In the future we may get something called a memory chip which will record everything that happens in our daily lives.  Sounds crazy, but it may actually come true.  So let us discuss.

The Chip:  Basically the chip is implanted in your body (brain) to record everything you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.  Literally all that you are is recorded.  This concept was explored in a Robin Williams movie "The Final Cut" which literally was about a man looking at peoples past lives through their implanted microchips.  But in the movie, the other senses save sight and hearing were not included.  However, it gives you a general idea of what the chip can potentially do.  But those who don't want to watch what can only be considered a dystopian sci fi film, read the next section.

Its Impact:  So this chip can allow us to relive past moments of our lives.  The idea is that we can actually mentally access this chip to relieve moments of our own past.  So you will never forget where you placed your car keys.  But you can also relive the most special moments of your marriage. Though there is fear that people may just get stuck in this playback of the best moments of their lives (sex, a drug trip, a birthday etc.) and thus cease to function normally in an everyday life.  In short, it can become addicting.

Another impact is security.  At the airport, the security staff would simply have to download everything you did in the last 48 hours.  You will never have to have your bags checked again as they can literally watch you put all your stuff into your bags.  But this also leads to the possibility of hacking someone’s chip to see everything they see.  Espionage becomes easy as you hack a chip in say a foreign embassy to see every paper run across a secretary's desk.  Heck, it can potentially record your thoughts and feelings too, not just sensations allowing for spies to find potential collaborators.  There is even a possibility, that with all the information our bodies take in, they can use people as mobile listening devices to listen in on conversations happening nearby.  Very scary, and cool at the same time.

Conclusion:  I would never want a chip in my head if I can help it, but others may see the advantages of it.  So it is up to you to choose to get this tech, assuming it is ever fully developed and placed into mass production.