Braintaping

[Shrale]

according to the the books, even a recently deceased person's brain might be salvageable. is this based on anything hard-sci/bio-tech ?

[Anaraxes]

Assuming braintaping works, and assuming the explanation is more or less hard sci -- that it, we're not talking about impressing souls onto mystic crystals -- then presumably braintaping has something to do with record neural structure. The connections between neurons don't change just because you died. Until the physical structure starts to decay, perhaps you can still record it.

Or, if it suits your planned campaign better, you could argue that braintaping records patterns of activity, not structure, and so it only works on living people.

It's a bit less plausible to me to explain how you can reprogram a different brain given the first explanation. How do you rewire all those connections? Nanotech, maybe; sufficiently advanced nanotech is indistinguishable from magic.

The technology doesn't really exist, so you can tweak the technobabble to suit your desired results.

[Shrale]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

The technology doesn't really exist, so you can tweak the technobabble to suit your desired results.

I think that's obvious. In another game system it's possible to psychically (telepathically? doesn't really say) link with people and gain certain of their skills. There's a question of whether the body still retains the memories/skills.

I just want to make sure I must:

1) Go ahead and kill the pilot/guard of the VTOL craft I'm about to surprise
or
2) Just tap him enough to keep him alive, so I can brain leech the MO-FO

:)

[Anaraxes]

Oh. I thought you meant "braintaping" as in a method of recording memories, personality, etc, so that they can be later restored to a clone body, effectively resurrecting a character as it was at the time of the taping session. This was popular in the old Car Wars world.

If you mean "tapping", leeching their skills, the question's much the same. But if we're talking psychic powers as the basis, then I wouldn't worry about the structure of the brain. I'd say have to keep a link with the spirit after you kill the pilot (assuming the game world has such things). Then you get interesting questions like whether or not spirits remember their skills from life. And if they do... for how long? (Just long enough for you to get that chopper 1000 feet into the air, before the spirit moves on to a better place?)

[Shrale]

no I meant Braintaping; just that a recently dead person's memories are preserved (obviously) but I'm running into people that say once dead -- bye bye to memories/skills -- immediately.

if GURPS' Braintaping is based on some sort of RL science (in some form however fleeting that may be) I can get a little more out of the power. usually GURPS doesn't just pull stuff out of the...fire...so to speak. there's often logic behind some of the more unusual technology. I was over on the Wiki doing a quick peek on memory engrams and it seems not to support a "physical storage" scenario but, my knowledge/understanding is very rudimentary at best.

just looking towards GURPS for some ammo...and Braintaping with it's ability to work after death, was the only thing I could think of. Besides, dead people can't save... LOL! :)

[Flyndaran]

Within minutes after cessation of blood flow the brain cells die. But that doesn't erase the information stored in neuronal position and structure. We aren't flash memory. More like a perpetually rewriting record that degrades only when the tissue starts to rot after a few hours or so depending upon the specific environment.

[laserdog]

Originally Posted by Shrale

no I meant Braintaping; just that a recently dead person's memories are preserved (obviously) but I'm running into people that say once dead -- bye bye to memories/skills -- immediately.

This depends on your definition of "dead".

Technically, once you "flatline" it just means your blood isn't flowing anymore.

After 4 to 7 minutes of no blood flow stuff is going to start going seriously wrong. It's at this stage when actual brain death occurs.

But some TL10 EMTs could easily carry around a "preserving" agent they inject you with, or maybe even a a mini-brain life support system which they hook into your carotid to stave off that death for a bit.

[Shrale]

well, both of those are nice opinions but nothing solid. while you put forth theories, they aren't based on "the research conducted at _________" , etc.

perhaps I'm looking for something that doesn't exist.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by Shrale

perhaps I'm looking for something that doesn't exist.

I think that's very much the case here.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Shrale

according to the the books, even a recently deceased person's brain might be salvageable. is this based on anything hard-sci/bio-tech ?

Braintaping is pretty uncertain science to start with. As a general rule, the brain can go about five minutes without oxygen before major irreversible brain damage hits, so within that time it's plausible (it's also plausible to simply revive them within that time). Beyond that time, neurons start to die in substantial numbers, and we don't know enough about how neurons store data to guess how easy it is to get information from dead neurons.

Note that, realistically, most lethal injuries in a high tech setting should involve brain injuries.