Last night, while up late post-nap (one must nap post-roast butternut squash soup with walnut chantilly; sage-crusted filet of beer with honey-glazed carrots and bleu cheese potato gratin [with a merlot reduction, of course]; one slice each of chocolate truffle torte and lemon macadamia cheesecake; one glass each of pinot grigio and pinor noir; several glasses of water; and four glasses of port [the last at bin1700, the bulk at 15 ria {and no, I didn't base my choices of venues on whether the establishments were e.e. cummings-like in their names}]), I read a fascinating article in Fast Company about a Microsoft bigwig (Gordon Bell) who, for the past seven years, has been electronically documenting every iota of his being, thus creating, for all intents and purposes, a "perfect memory" over that time span. In fact, he's even gone so far as to scan in documents, pictures, etc., as far back as a photo of his mother shortly after her birth in 1900. In other words, the MyLifeBits project is fairly comprehensive in mapping Bell's entire life (i.e., from birth through this, his 73rd year on this spinning orb).This article raises many questions about what memory is, how it works, its importance, etc. Being a person who is known for having a somewhat vast capacity for storing useless bits of trivia within those three pounds of whatever it is that lies within my cranium), the idea of a "perfect memory" is very alluring, but I suggest you take a look at the article to make up your own mind (pun only partially intended).
To learn more about the painting above, click here.
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