Late Night Conversations™: memory fingerprints

me: I mean one day there will be technology that can hook up to your brain, and algorithms that can translate feelings
maybe
it would be cool
D: Theoretically, once we sufficiently understand the workings of the brain, thoughts and feelings and such should be able to be depicted as a set of neural impulses.
Probably unique to each individual, but still, predictable.
Each brain forming independently, developing unique pathways, and all that.
me: imagine that instead of an iris scan, we had people think of a certain memory, and the reading of that would be their fingerprint
crazy! and also impossible to fake
since no one experiences the same thing the same way
D: Indeed. You couldn't even fake it by memorizing an identical memory, even if that were possible, because the pathways would be different, too.
me: yep
D: Double-secure.
It's an interesting thought. I hadn't considered that possibility, though I should have. It's remarkably simple.
me: the only setback is that you'd have to account for the settling of the memory within the mind
settling like a house settles
D: Yeah, brains have a way of getting fuzzy over time.
me: they make things stark
archetypes
idealization
D: Sometimes that. Sometimes the "peaks" emerge as the whole thing recedes.
me: well if a memory becomes like a fingerprint you would be bringing it back to mind a lot
which means that eventually you would come up with a polished memory
D: Indeed, and it should hold more true.
me: something like a stone you can take out of your pocket
or a favorite story