The problem with digital memory

Digital memory means we can store more than ever before. But isn't it important, sometimes, to forget?Why Total Recall is more than just a bad filmGordon Bell is that most single-minded of creatures – a retired man with a hobby. Except that when the computer scientist got to pensionable age he didn't vandalise an allotment, but embarked on a bizarre project for Microsoft. He began storing his memories on a computer, for safekeeping. Thousands of emails, photos, childhood mementoes and commemorative T-shirts: all are in the Bell archive. And every minute of every waking hour, a little camera around Bell's neck snaps a picture – while an audio recorder stores all conversations."Forgetting is not a feature," the 75-year-old believes. "It's a flaw."Anyone who has ever dried up in an exam or groped around for their car keys would surely agree. When Amazon can remember every book you ever bought, and...

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