In his April column, Jack Woodall suggested that we bring the "don't be evil" technology of Google to the rapidly advancing field of brain-computer interfacing. It'd be dandy, he argued, to order the information in our brains in hierarchical fashion. In short, he wants to Google the brain.

But the more compelling argument, to me, is that a search engine-style filter would do for the brain what it does for academic research - find the good stuff fast. It's a beautiful dream and it will probably come true within my lifetime. And as long as my brain doesn't gain banner ads, spyware, or pop-up windows, I'd probably sign up for the Woodall Experiment.

Remembering is everything in the New World. Everything you have ever written can be stored: every E-mail, grant, paper, Power Point presentation, syllabus, recommendation letter, list of plans, and perhaps even your bad poetry and divorce...

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