I wanted to explore the possible outcomes of the application of neurotechnology in the future.  Perhaps, in the many years to come, criminals would be treated unfairly and not be given any power by those of greater authority.  Therefore, in my story, I suggest an action humanity might take to get hard core criminals re-integrated into society through a form of neurotechnology that modifies the criminals'' personality to suit society's expectations.  However, there is always a question about how much science should interfere with human nature.

The world around us has evolved into a place where the true meaning of life has been lost.  Derek is a young boy who is determined to make the world a better place and wants to reunite with his parents.  He, and many other Australians,currently live in simulation pods where anything is possible.  Mainly due to the unfavourable world on the outside, large amounts of money are spent on living the idea, blissful life.  Derek finds it hard to differentiate between what is real and what is simulated.  As his mind is no longer bound to the machine, he experiences frightening dreams and horrendous visions.  Derek shuts down his machine and journeys into the world outside his pod, but his adventure is just beginning.

In the year of 2047, a deadly plague sweeps over the world, killing hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people in a day.  A young 13-year-old girl comes down with the unidentified plague, though she, unlike others who are afflicted, doesn’t die immediately. Her father, one of the greatest doctors in the world, comes up with a cure a few months after Hope, his daughter, dies.  Though the aftermath of the plague is horrible, the world honors this young victim whose illness and death guided her father in finding a cure and taught the world how to once again hope

Dear Earth

The future problem that forms the basis of my story is the problem of national security in the future and how it may be threatened by the rapid development of simulation technology.  I explored the area of national security and focused on the aspect of the breaching of border security.  I developed the idea of stealing identification such that simulation technology was used to 'steal' ideates in order to breach border security.  As technology develops rapidly, privacy, security, all come under threat.  This was why I wrote my scenario, as I felt it has relevance to the existing world.

An older man wakes up in a hospital room with a masked doctor.  He is informed that he is dying of a global immune virus and begins to contemplate death and the possibility of  a life after death.  Stunned by the world's condition, and having lost life's wonder, he comes to be at peace with fate, and the direction it leads the world and himself.

Neurotechnology can be tricky.  Unlike other forms of  technology that aid the functions of the human body, neurotechnology can interfere with one's perception and mindsets that define a person's personality.  In "Peace of Mind", this concept is explored when a borderline personality disorder patient, Selena is unable to respond to all other kinds of  treatments and technology leaving a highly controversial treatment, which requires her permission before it can be carried out and is denied by Selena herself. To save her life, her  doctors will need to invade her privacy by accessing her subconscious and seek her consent.  What would one value more in such a situation:  the right to privacy or the right to health?

In 2145, simulation technology has created the Simulenses, goggles which create and propagate simulated landscapes for the user's pleasure.  Inexpensive, and a welcome relief from the now dreary, smog-filled and dark reality of Earth, they offer escapism of the highest form, presenting vistas of utopic fantasy for the viewer's pleasure.  However, is this a one way trip?  The Simulenses create a powerful illusion so that their use gradually moves from entertainment to compulsion, an addiction so repressive that some have even died, starved of vital nutrients while they enjoy the pleasures of a simulated life.  One man, however, questions this.  The creator of the Simulenses himself, and a widower of a victim of the Simulenses' scourge, makes his way back to the very heart of his creation…and there, he offers humanity a choice between reality and simulation - though perhaps, more realistically, it is a choice between life and death.

Citizens of the 21st C are always looking for ways to make their lives easier.  What if a new neurotechnology were to come on the market that allowed the user complete control over their emotions?  The HOPE system was invented to do away with anger and depression and to keep the world cool, calm, and collected, but is the reality of HOPE as beneficial as the idea?