Create Your Own Adventure--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

Some people have died in the desert, wishing they had one drop of water. Some people have died on cold snowy nights, wishing they had a little bit of fire. If you could have a controllable, infinite stream of one real thing flow out of each finger on one hand, which 5 things would you chose? This is limited to “things” (concrete nouns other than people) that are created and in the world right now (i.e. world peace or the elder wand can’t come out of your fingers but flying cars can!).

If you had the opportunity to create your own society from scratch, what would you immediately change? What specifically would you avoid/keep from our society (global, personal, or anywhere in-between) keeping in mind the reasons these attributes developed in the first place? What would you add? How would you make sure those ideas stayed prevalent throughout generations? Do you think your society, or any society, could be a utopia?

Some genius somewhere has just invented a way to download your mind into computer storage you, and only you, can access. It is 100% safe to download but you run the risk of releasing all the data in your mind (someone can hack your brain with the right amount of skill). Once you upload it, there will be a device where you can quickly run through and search the deep recesses of your brain where all information you’ve stored is kept. It is constantly updating with the information and actions your brain stores. Would you do it?

Reply to prompt 3:

I created this, and then stumped myself. Since I invented all of the pros and cons, they apply and appeal to me especially. I see two major dangers in this idea, other than the obvious of having a vulnerable mind. The first is the potential limitations it could put on life. While I can say now there is little I would be ashamed of, I can’t say that in the future I won’t make some dumb/awesome decisions that I won’t want getting out EVER. A possible future I see is myself avoiding major life experiences for fear of it uploading and then getting out. The second issue I have would be too much interest in my brain and myself. Since the device would essentially work as an only your smart(s)-tablet that also harbored your best memories and coolest experiences, it might be possible to never want to stop looking. Just like binge watching a really good TV show, searching your brain for long forgotten memories or ideas could make reality less appealing. It could make me a ridiculously self-centered person, uninterested in others and my future.

Still, my answer to the question is yes. So far in my life I’ve experienced/done very little that could be used against me if someone hacked my brain and the advantage of having access to all my memories, thoughts, actions, beliefs, etc would be so worth any trouble I could get in. I also would like to believe that I am a better person or self-actualized enough or something that I could avoid my hesitations above.  It would be incredible to explore forgotten places, ideas, conversations, or anything I’ve ever processed from a personal, scientific, or any-normal-person standpoint. As a spoiled child, I could revisit all the places I’ve been and maybe even relearn German (WHEN I WAS THREE WE WENT TO GERMANY AND I SPOKE GERMAN AND NOW I DON’T AND I’M NOT HAPPY). Not to mention the intelligence it would provide. In my life I constantly learn something interesting then forget all the details in 2 seconds but with this you can pull up exactly what you learned and fully understand it again in the same amount of time. I could re-experience beach visits on cold days and cold days on beach visits. The possibilities are practically endless as long as I don’t go insane and/or my mind turns into an artificial intelligence and takes over the world. But lets face it, even that would be cool.