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You know what the coolest thing about the internet is? It really is the “nobody knows you're a dog” theory. I don't mean that in the “hidden” sense, but more in the “irrelevant” sense. If a dog is smart enough to use the internet, then they're not hiding that they're a dog — they're making irrelevant the fact that they're a dog.
One of the things that makes me really happy about IAM is seeing people talk across generations… Seeing an advanced science or politics (or whatever) topic being debated between a fourteen year old and a forty year old, with the younger debater having sometimes a stronger grasp and a sharper mind for the subject is really inspiring. Open access to knowledge and discussion is probably the internet's greatest side-effect — because it allows people to progress at their own maximum potential if they have the drive, rather than the potential of their parents and teachers.
One of the reasons that I like the Internet, and blogging especially, is for memory. It's extremely difficult for me to insert most things into my long term memory, and I don't remember most of my day to day life (although what I do remember I remember fairly clearly, although I usually can't place it in time). One of the ways I remember is by repetition (so software is easy to remember), and I find that by writing down my thoughts it reinforces them and helps record them.
At some point I'd like to build a memory augmentation device that's integrated into IAM… So I could download my IAM page and using a hiptop computer and eye-interface it would do the following:
- Analyze what I'm saying (speech recognition) and scan my diary (and other databases) for related information.
- Try and figure out who I'm talking to (face recognition, etc.) and scan for related information.
- Analyze what I'm saying and display relevant google and google news information.
And so on. It's not a very difficult project, it's just a matter of someone taking the time to do it. Variations on it have been proposed endlessly…
Let me tell you the worst thing about repetition being the trigger to memorization: If I'm out, and something beautiful and unique happens to me, if I'm not recording it with a camera or other device, it's absolutely heartbreaking to know that a few hours later that moment will be lost. And what's even more heartbreaking is that because I've had that experience over and over (the sadness in the realization that the experience is transient), I can remember thinking how sad I am to forget with crystal clarity.
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