It's being reported* that scientists at UC Berkeley have found a way to capture thoughts from our brain activity and convert the data into video clips. I fluctuate between thinking this is one of the coolest things or one of the creepiest things I've come across in a long time. Take a look at this video showing images that were being watched by viewers along with the reconstructed images captured and reconstructed from the their brains.

Imagine the possibility of putting on some sort of dream cap before you go to bed, and then playing back your dreams the next morning. Or live streaming what you're seeing to someone across the globe. And when they link the audio with the visual... well, this is how sci-fi becomes reality.

This reminds me of when I was a kid listening to a preacher warn that on the judgement day my entire life, including my every thought, would be revealed in full detail on some sort of giant cosmic monitor. Even as a relatively innocent child, I possessed a few thoughts for which I desired no audience. No, thank you. I'd like to skip that showing, please.

I don't know if we'll ever get to a place where monitors can be plugged into our brains, but the possibility has led me to consider a few things...

1. If I knew my thoughts were in plain view, how would my thinking change? I'm quite sure I couldn't control everything that comes to mind, but maybe some thoughts would be reduced to quick blips on the screen instead of turning into well developed scenes. I would be more deliberate in the considering what I let play out in my mind. And I certainly would give more attention to the consistency between what I say to people around me and what I'm actually thinking. My guess is that I'd be more honest, more authentic, and that would probably make me a healthier person.

2. But I would still be safe as long as I was alone, right? Nobody else to watch my monitor; complete freedom to let my mind wander wherever it wants. Oh, but wait, there's this: You have searched me, Lord, and you know me... you perceive my thoughts from afar. (Psalm 139:1-20) Ooooo.

The science is still rather new. There's no way you'll be able to watch my thoughts anytime soon, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I lived as though you could.

Tim Tedder
*Read more about the research in this Gizmodo article.