Journal #8

In class on Tuesday Professor Perrone presented about the concept of memory and the connection between human memory and computer memory. During the discussion, there was a mentioning of a new device being constructed by Elon Musk. Musk has been a figure at the forefront of scientific discovery, exploration, and innovation for years, and his newest development may very well be one of his most controversial.

It is safe to say that forgetfulness can conditionally be a beneficial characteristic. For instance, it can be very beneficial for athletes to forget the moment they were injured, or devastating losses, or maybe even mistakes they made earlier in a game. When athletes or other professionals are able to forget information or memory from their short term or long term memory, they production and efficiency can benefit greatly. Elon Musk has created a device which will enhance memory and provide space for external memory to be held outside of the relatively minimal  capacity the human brain has.

This device would be implanted into the body of humans and allow for human memory to be “logged” on the hard drive. After class, i thought deeper about the potential that this device could have on the livelihoods of many people. The most beneficial impact I could conceive of was the potential to aid those with Alzheimers Disease. As Alzheimers attacks the memory of the human brain, the presence of this device could enhance memory and allow for more retention and less degradation of memory. On the other hand, this device could have negative impacts on the ability for athletes and professionals to take advantage of their ability to selectively forget certain memories.