Augmented

One of my favorite science fiction series is the Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold. Its the style that is usually described as 'space opera', not at all the type that I tend to say that I like when I mention what I read, but there's something about it that has captivated me.

In one novel, a character who has suffered catastrophic failure of a memory chip implanted in his brain, which has up to that point given him eidetic memory capabilities, discovers the usefulness of a portable 'audiofiler', a sort of Personal Digital Assistant that records and files what its given, categorizing and creating keywords automatically. There isn't too much description in the book about that technology, though you can assume that underlying it is a calendar, reminder function, and at least a little bit of artificial intelligence. It sounds like a terrific tool. I've tried on occasion to use tape recorders as a memory aid, but I've never gotten past the point of feeling dopey as I pull it out and talk into it. I rationalize my lack of use by saying oh, its too slow; oh, I hate having to skip items to get to what I was trying to remember, but the real problem is that it isn't an audiofiler, and thats actually what I want. I want to be augmented.

In the television series House, the lead character is a grumpy doctor with incredible diagnostic abilities. Each week he is presented with people who have different complaints, and who almost invariably are suffering from diseases and inflictions that normally only appear in the Center for Disease Control's wilder speculations. From across a hospital room he tells an attending to cease CPR; the patient is clearly simply having a panic attack -- see the delta wave? -- and he suspects the only actual symptom is sweaty palms. The patient's wife, holding his hand as this occurs, nods in mute amazement. He scans a videotape of an exploratory surgery and notes the single spasm of tissue which clearly indicates that nerves are dying in the patients brain. To paraphrase the medical axiom, when he hears hoofbeats, its almost always zebras.

Of course, House has the benefit of teams of writers to research and present his information, just as the Vorkosigan series character has the advantage of marvelously advanced technology. In the real world, most people don't have that kind of augmented mental ability. We make do with scraps of paper or the latest Palm Pilot; we see a problem and try to remember something we might have read about that sort of thing, years ago. We rely on rules of thumb. We simply can't remember everything we want to remember, or know everything we want to do, and we don't have teams to organize and supplement our data. We do the best we can, on our own.

Reading fictional accounts of augmented capabilities, I mull over what it will take to get us to that level of achievement. Whatever it takes, I think we're getting closer. When I read of computer systems that offer differential diagnoses and find relevant data in archived journals, I'm delighted. When I see people using computer-based tools without even thinking about what it takes to make them functional, I'm delighted. I like the idea that I can sign onto the net and look for information about restaurants in Cairo with no more effort than flicking on the overhead light. I don't have to know how it works. I just have to know what I want. I have no compelling vision of information utopia, but this is close. The easy availability of information is a generally good thing.

I'm glad I'm here to experience it.