Recording Mental Images

[Phil Wainwright]

Just a quick post, not sure if I am a bit out of date, but I watched a programme last night on criminal profiling.

Two areas struck me as concerning, on is the fact they now believe that they can profile someone to the point they 'know' they will commit a crime. I guess that could end up as people getting arrested for what they are going to do.... I am sure there was a sci-fi film about that a few years ago.... But apparently it is now fact. Computers are being used to pinpoint the date and time of a crime in advance!!!!!

The other one is a project at UC Berkley (hope spelling is right) where they showed a system that can pick up VIDEO from a persons mind. They can record dreams.... They can record images from the mind under questioning. They can show a subject an image and then 'see' that image through brain waves.

Yes the videoing of mental images is not very advanced (or it did not appear that way publicly), but who is to say what is being hidden from view. The experiment was a chap seeing elephants walking, and the recorded brain waves showed images that were 'there', just about. We are not talking HD here, more akin to the images first transmitted on Baird's mechanical television set.....

This is not conjecture, it is fact, and a bloody scary fact at that!

 

[Phil Wainwright]

Here is a picture, I could not find a link to the video shown on the TV, but the clear cross on the left of the laptop screen is being viewed by the chap in the scanner. the negative 'cross-like' image on the right of the laptop screen is what is being recorded from his mind......

 

[Khaos]

I am sure there was a sci-fi film about that a few years ago

Minority Report. About the three precogs who were able to view crimes before they happened, the issue there was, they all saw the crime, but had different interpretations and viewpoints. Which led to people being wrongfully convicted of a crime. Its a nice idea to profile someone, and believe they will commit a crime, but what happens when the profiling is just their normal everyday behavior?

Its like the TSA employing the SPOT program, where they try to recognize those who pose a threat by observing "panic, fear, aggression" in passengers. Problem with that is... anyone could be panicked about flying for the first time, fearful of flying 35,000 feet in the air and aggressive because some silly TSA agent decided to fondle their children.

 

[Phil Wainwright]

Ha, Minority report, yes, I remember it now.....

But it is amazing how many people struggle with profiling. I know when I was at GZ, I had been there for three months and I had to leave for 24 hours so I could renew my visa. I left via JFK and at the time, they had the marines checking every bit of luggage going through. As I was there all day waiting for my flight, I bobbed in and out (with my luggage, as you could not check it in early because of the risk) to have a cigarette here and there. I typically used the same queue so that the marine knew it was me and made life a bit easier. So halfway through the day, I said something like
"Not being rude, but what are you looking for?"
The reply "something suspicious"
"What does something suspicious look like?"
"I don't know, just odd"

So I said "Well, you are looking in the wrong place", you should be looking yes, but each time you move your hand towards a new object, look at me as well to see what the reaction is when you look like you are going to investigate something. My eyes and body language will be far more indicative of if it is suspicious than the item itself.... "

We chatted a bit, and obviously the question was why do you know this? and I explained I was an officer involved in a project during the Cold War (Naval) and we did a course called SMOPS (School of Maritime Operations) which involved all of this type of thing... really nice chap, and by the time of my last cigarette before the flight, he was passing on what we had chatted about.... I like to think I helped make things a little safer and more effective....

But essentially predictive profiling cannot be accurate, as so many variables every second change our immediate perception. And if you dream of murder? does it mean you are going to murder someone, or having a nightmare about being in that situation?...... Cannot be convicted for having a nightmare....