Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Cognify - A Prison Of The Mind We've Seen Before In SF
The basic idea of Cognify, a concept by Hashem Al-Ghaili, is that it might be more humane to make modifications to a criminal's brain with implanted memories, to convince them that they had spent years in prison and had matured their outlook - after just a few minutes!
The process itself would begin with a high-resolution brain scan that would be used to create a map of the prisoner’s brain, which would tell Cognify where to ‘inject’ the artificial memories and how to tailor them to that brain’s specific structure. These fake memories would be used to influence the prisoner’s future behaviour, which seems intrusive enough, but in the meantime the prisoner would also be handing over their brain data to a “central computer for scientific research” to help “understand the criminal mind” and “determine the best approach” to tackle future crimes.Then, there’s the question of how to reintegrate someone into society with just a few minutes of treatment but years of ‘memories’ to show for it. “Family members of the subject could be provided with a comprehensive report on the new artificial memories,” suggests a Cognify press release...
Science fiction fans are very familiar with this idea; fans of the Outer Limits may recall The Sentence (1996) in which Dr. Jack Henson, an ambitious inventor, comes up with a "virtual prison" government officials are interested in its cost efficiency. Rather than life sentences, criminals would only have to spend hours being subjected to harsh treatment.
Compare to virtual punishment from Complete Sentence (2011) by Joe Haldeman:
"We went over the pluses and minuses before you opted for virtual punishment." "So I serve a hundred years in one day -""Less than a day. Overnight."
... She looked over at Draper, lying on the gurney next to hers. His black helmet was more complicated, a thick cable and lots of small wires...
(Read more about Haldeman's virtual punishment)
See also a 2014 concept called Biotech Prisons - Serve A Thousand Years In a Day . Thanks also to Humble Square (aka Gatomon) for a long ago comment!
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/20/2024)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Culture ")
Chinese Hospital Tries Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' Cosplay
'He wore spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half
blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.' - Kurt Vonnegut, 1961.
A Remarkable Coincidence
'There is a philosophical problem of some difficulty here...' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1953.
Is It Time To Forbid Human Driving?
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.' - Bernard Brown, 1934.
Indonesian Clans Battle
'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.' - Jack Vance (1952)
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
The New Habitable Zones Include Asimov's Ribbon Worlds
'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'
3D Printing A 12-Meter Boat Hull
'It makes drawings in the air...'
China Still Working On Rescue Robot That Eats People
Firefighter Rescue Robot Eats Humans - again!
Lawyer AIs Create Chaos In Our Legal System
'I want my lawyer program.'
Chinese Hospital Tries Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' Cosplay
'He wore spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half
blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides.'
Robot Clerks Become A Reality In China
'The robot clerk in the waiting-room checked her number...'
Can One Robot Do Many Tasks?
'... with the Master-operator all you have to do is push one! A remarkable achievement!'
Atlas Robot Makes Uncomfortable Movements
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'
Boring Company Drills Asimov's Single Vehicle Tunnels
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
Humanoid Robots Tickle The Ivories
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'
A Remarkable Coincidence
'There is a philosophical problem of some difficulty here...'
Cortex 1 - Today A Warehouse, Tomorrow A Calculator Planet
'There were cubic miles of it, and it glistened like a silvery Christmas tree...'
Perching Ambush Drones
'On the chest of drawers something was perched.'
Leader-Follower Autonomous Vehicle Technology
'Jason had been guiding the caravan of cars as usual...'
Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out
"The robot solemnly hit a ball against the wall, picked it up and teed it, hit it again, over and again...'
Boring Company Vegas Loop Like Asimov Said
'There was a wall ahead... It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
