Year 2050:

Backing up my brain takes a long time.   To do a full brain back-up can take 6 hours and it is hard to get an appointment.   A brain restoration could take 3-5 days … if you can find a body to put it in.

I’m waiting for a body right now … I’m living inside a computer.

Like many cautious executives, I go in for a regular brain back-up — especially when I fly long distances.   I went in for my last back-up a day before an especially hairy trip I was taking to Central Asia.   Luckily I did.   Our jet was shot down by pirates and I "died" in the crash.   Well at least my body died.   That was the second time it happened to me.   The first time was from the bioterror outbreak two years ago.   Last time I "died" I was lucky — was able to find a new body in a few days.   Now I am languishing … I yearn for some exercise.

The weird thing is that since my last brain back-up was about 29 hours before our jet crashed, I don’t remember anything about the crash.   I’ve tried to recreate some of the events as I want to have a fairly full memory.

It is weird being here … bodyless.   My friends can "visit" with me … and we can talk anywhere.   It is easy for me to go to them as I’m just bits right now running on a fault tolerant system with instances in mountain view, capetown, santiago, and moscow.   

One thing I found is how many people are like me … in limbo.   According to the US Congress, you cannot vote when you’re in limbo.   But I’m not sure how anyone will even know.   Most of my correspondence and communication is through my avatar anyway.

I remember not that long ago when death was something to be fear.   Today it is only rebirth …

(author’s note: Bank in 1990 (when i was 16), I wrote a short-story on this phenomena called The Bourgon File)