# Another "ID this SF story" request **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213 "2010-04-15T14:27:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/1 "2010-04-15T14:27:14Z")
I was thinking this morning about a SF story I had read a few years ago. The basic idea was that at birth everyone had a small recorder implanted in their brain. Then at around the age of eightteen, when your brain was fully grown but before it could start to decay from cell loss, you had your brain removed and replaced by this artifical brain which had all of the recordings played into it. Most people thought this was a good idea because the artifical brains lasted forver without any fears of senility or Alzheimer’s. And they figured that because the artifical brain had all your memories you were exactly the same as you had been before. But there was a small group of people who believed that when you had your real brain removed you died. Afterwards, there would be some artifical construct which had your memories but that wouldn’t be you. Anyone recognize this story and able to tell me the title and author? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/2 "2010-04-15T15:03:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was thinking this morning about a SF story I had read a few years ago. > > The basic idea was that at birth everyone had a small recorder implanted in their brain. Then at around the age of eightteen, when your brain was fully grown but before it could start to decay from cell loss, you had your brain removed and replaced by this artifical brain which had all of the recordings played into it. > > Most people thought this was a good idea because the artifical brains lasted forver without any fears of senility or Alzheimer’s. And they figured that because the artifical brain had all your memories you were exactly the same as you had been before. > > But there was a small group of people who believed that when you had your real brain removed you died. Afterwards, there would be some artifical construct which had your memories but that wouldn’t be you. > > Anyone recognize this story and able to tell me the title and author? This is Greg Egan - “Learning to Be Me” (in the collection “Axiomatic” and other places) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/3 "2010-04-15T15:18:14Z")
Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/4 "2010-04-15T17:05:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But there was a small group of people who believed that when you had your real brain removed you died. Afterwards, there would be some artifical construct which had your memories but that wouldn’t be you. We’ve had this debate around here a _lot_. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/5 "2010-04-15T17:43:51Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > We’ve had this debate around here a _lot_. Dubya functioned for 8 years without a brain… ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/6 "2010-04-15T18:20:15Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > Dubya functioned for 8 years without a brain… He did not! His brain was in the next office replying to George’s email. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vdgg81](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@vdgg81](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vdgg81)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/7 "2010-04-16T06:53:31Z")
I read this one just a few months ago. It’s very, very, very disturbing. I actually had a nightmare about it. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/8 "2010-04-16T08:46:44Z")
Probably not the story you are thinking of, but on similar themes: Cory Doctorow “Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom” and Greg Egan “Diaspora” ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/9 "2010-04-17T01:26:46Z")
> [@vdgg81](#): > > I read this one just a few months ago. It’s very, very, very disturbing. I actually had a nightmare about it. Egan can be very creepy. Have you read “The Safe Deposit Box”? ---
**Author:** ![vdgg81](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@vdgg81](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vdgg81)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/10 "2010-04-17T06:00:47Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Egan can be very creepy. Have you read “The Safe Deposit Box”? I have not. Where can I find it? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/11 "2010-04-17T07:18:08Z")
Orson Scott Card’s short story _Fat Farm_ explores a similar theme. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/12 "2010-04-17T10:16:33Z")
If you want to know where a science fiction, fantasy, or horror short story has appeared, the answer is always to go to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database: [http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi) In this case, you search the database for “Greg Egan”. You scroll down to the list of his short stories. You click on “The Safe-Deposit Box”. That brings you to a webpage which tells you that it appeared in the September 1990 issue of _Asimov’s_ and in his collection _Axiomatic_. ---
**Author:** ![vdgg81](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@vdgg81](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vdgg81)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-id-this-sf-story-request/536213/13 "2010-04-17T22:10:38Z")
Thanks **Wendell**. I’ll try and check it out.