The Searchable Life

oni writes "Here's a story on wired about a Pentagon project called LifeLog. It seeks to record every bit of information that can be had, index it by name, or SSN, or even location, and make the database searchable. Furthermore, '[LifeLog adds] physical information (like how we feel) and media data (like what we read) to this transactional data.'" If you think you can build such a system, apply for a grant. There's also a current AP story about Total Information Awareness.

This should be fun

[Anonymous Coward]

Big Brother reference in 3.. 2... 1...

Time for my 2:15 blog entry

[Anonymous Coward]

About how angry having my privacy violated makes me feel... and about how my herpes has flared up again.

hmm..

[RaboKrabekian]

SELECT * FROM tblLife WHERE objName = "Keys"

This might come in handy.

I want

[The Bungi]

If you think you can build such a system, apply for a grant

Hello sir. My name is Mahmoud Albin-Ahmed, and i am from Kentucky. I would like to have applied for grant to developing wonderful system like echel... er, life so i can sear... er... serve my fellowing americans. i am havening wonderful oportunity.

thanks you and regards. plz send money soonest.

Huh?

[FroMan]

Furthermore, '[LifeLog adds] physical information (like how we feel)

Soft and squishy, mainly around the belly area.

But I'm getting thinner slowly.

Re:ambitious, and scary.

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you ever been to the pentagon? Or worked with the people inside the pentagon?

If you had (and I have), you wouldn't be worried.

Re:Why is it

[Tackhead]

> What's "completely evil" about this? I want this thing, and have for years!

And why are so many of us geeks worried?

If the Pentagon wants record peoples' lives, fine. It's not as if I'm gonna appear in the database! How could I? I spend all my time reading Slashdot -- I don't have a life!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

You sir are the lucky winner of post #6000000! Yes, 6 million! And it wouldn't have been possible without you. Thank you for your hard work here on Slashdot!

Now on to 7 million!

Re:Time for guilting.

[The Bungi]

projects such as these are doomed to fail if they can only get subpar workers to create them.

Not true. I have seen managers literally WILL crappy code to work - or at least force everyone to believe that it's working. Kinda like mass hypnotism. Or was it hysteria?. Hmmm.

Excellent

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I will finally be able to type into Google (TM) "Where did I leave my car keys?"

Solution.

[Dachannien]

Step 1. Create universe U. Return U.

The resultant data structure, U, contains all available state information indexed by location of each particle in the universe, hence comprising "every bit of information that can be had" within the scope of U. (Attempting to reference a variable outside of its scope is generally not permitted, and is definitely poor programming practice, so information outside the scope of U is not considered.)

The algorithm for searching this data structure is left as an exercise to the reader. Bonus points will be awarded for devising an algorithm that requires minimum time (sorting the data beforehand is permitted).

Great for interviews...

[anthony_dipierro]

This sure would make job interviews a lot easier.

Re:hmm..

[stanmann]

Your query is a little broad.

SELECT * FROM tblLife WHERE objName="Keys" AND objStatus="Lost";

Re:Time for guilting.

[Anonymous Coward]

So why did you leave Microsoft anyway?

My Solution

[Waab]

Once you get past the amount of storage space something like this would require, the next big hurdle seems to be actually gathering the information. Some of it can be had through traditional spying methods, but that security camera can't tell how I feel. The only real solution is self-reporting.

To that end, I submit my proposal...
Universal Mandatory Blogging

Who would build this ..

[1of0]

Before you say that nobody would ever build something as purely evil as the system in question, think about this: Somebody writes the spamming software.

The first query

[macshune]

This should be one of the first queries:
$sth = $dbh-> prepare({SELECT from tblAll WHERE status="immigrant"});
$sth->execute();
@val = $sth->fetchrow_array();
deport(@val);

Awesome!

[Jeppe Salvesen]

I want access to my own data. No more forgetting faces and names! Wouldn't that totally rock? And go to the bathroom to get a playback of what the chick told you the last time, so that you can fake caring? Yay!

Isn't the Porn Industry Already Doing This?

[yintercept]

I wonder why the government is spending money on a program to document EVERYTHING a person does in their life...I mean, isn't the porn industry already doing this? Why spend taxpayer's money when, if you add a little a backstabbing element and a cash prize the networks would call it a reality show and do it for free?

Mind Reading Technology

[NickFusion]

Step #1: Invent Blog Software

Step #2: Distribute Blog Software for Free

Step #3: People everywhere log their life in excrusciating detail.

Step #4: Google Creates Blog Search Engine.

May I have my grant money now...in tens and twenties please.

Re:ambitious, and scary.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you aren't worried why aren't you logged in??

Or perhaps you aren't worried about the right things.

Re:Mind Reading Technology

[Anonymous Coward]

You forgot steps 5 and 6:

5) ????

6) Profit!

Damn, I'm good.
cliches++

Hire KGB agents to do this

[Anonymous Coward]

The have been collecting citizen information for years. Perfect opportunity to use their skills.

Revelation

[cyranoVR]

Here's a story on wired about a Pentagon project called LifeLog. It seeks to record every bit of information that can be had...

So that's what the iLoo was for!

Gives the concept of "tracking the movements of every American" a whole new meaning...

Could this have saved Firefly?

[HarveyBirdman]

It was the #1 season pass on Tivo, don't ya know.

Re:CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[elmegil]

SODA!

Re:Why is it

[Rick.C]

Well, this is the fucking Pentagon (your department of war on other countries)...

Exactly. War on other countries. They are not authorized to harm Americans. That's why we love them so! They're one of the few government agencies that we have no reason to fear.

Ahhhh! Breathe deeply and let the freedom fill your soul.

Re:Why is it

[e2d2]

So when they fuck up and mis-identify me as a terrorist and declare me an enemy combatant because I used to post to UseNet about drug use, never mind that I haven't touched the stuff in years, and take away my rights to challenge them in court, how exactly am I going to get any kind of "check" or "balance"?

This will never happen. The government doesn't make mistakes.

Google

[HermanZA]

Why don't they just licence the Google code and be done with it? That will save them a lot of trouble and they will have an immediately working system...

Re:hmm..

[KingRamsis]

select * from tblLife where objClass='Slashdot Reader' AND objGirlFriend is NOT NULL;


0 Rows returned.

Re:CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

[DASHSL0T]

If you take out fr1st p0st, In soviet russia and the goatse man, there have only been 12k posts.

If you take out the remaining trolls you realize that Cowboy Neal is responsible for 62.49% of all slashdot traffic.

Seriously though, well done Rob, et. al. 6 million posts is mind boggling.

yep, sounds like my life

[Heisenbug]

Let's see ... fix the cable ... clean the pool ... constantly surrounded by naked women ... yep, sounds like they've been documenting my life all right.

Oops -- that sorority just ordered another pizza. BRB.

Re:I want

[The Bungi]

The Bungi (221687) on Tuesday May 20, @12:20PM (#6000000)

Hey, cool. Maybe I should submit this as a story. Surely the eds won't reject this one?

I'm going to order some t-shirts:

1. I made the 6,000,000th post to Slashdot and all I got was +5, Funny
2. ???
3. Profit!!1!

In a nutshell . . .

[Badgerman]

All Eggs.
One Basket.
Enough said.

How to drive slashdotters NUTS

[mcrbids]

It's very simple - just three easy steps:

1) Build this kind of database. (very very bad!)

2) Built it using MySQL and Linux (very very good!)

3) Watch slashdotters flame each other in a bid for "most posts ever".

Re:Time for my 2:15 blog entry

[Guppy06]

"and about how my herpes has flared up again."

How does a blogger get a sexually transmitted disease?

Use the blogs...

[KaiKaitheKai]

Instead of using all these methods that are blatently obtrusive, they should buy blogspot, livejournal, and the other blogs online.