Three weeks ago I posted some reflection on distant future considering the possibility to transfer our human experience to a computer where it can be re-lived and re-enhacted. Sort of creating during our life a digital shadow that in specific circumstances or at a specific time can take over behaving like the person that it is shadowing.

Well, I just run onto a blog of the Huffington Post that pointed to the Terasem’s LifeNaut project and I started to wonder whether I was mistaken by setting the date at 2050. It looks like it can really happen much sooner!

You should really take a look at the clip here to get a feeling of what I mean:

[vimeo 21399280]

I am quite at loss in understanding what the implications might be. In the clip you see just part of the person and clearly you cannot be fooled, but what if you are having a conversation via … Skype, or whatever? I t would seem natural to see just the upper part of “me” on your screen and how can you tell it is not me if that image is going to tell you about that time we spent together five years ago… and the emotions we shared?