From: Robert Owen (rowen@technologist.com)
Date: Thu Dec 16 1999 - 19:33:39 MST
Damien Broderick wrote:
> At 09:28 PM 15/12/99 -0800, spike quoted and wrote:
>
> >> 'What is your name?' 'Kate Riley.' 'Do you deny having written the
> >> >following?':
>
> >This reply line is far cooler than "it doesnt matter what your name is".
> >Still edgy, but not irritating.
>
> Cooler if you think impersonating the secret police is cool.
>
> Not irritating if you think blurting out the same joke again and again in a
> public place is hilarious.
This discussion is a bit indelicate, don't you think? I didn't want to say
anything but list members should understand the problem here is a mild
limbic disorder generally proceeding from an immaturity of the hypocampus.
Rather euphemistically one speaks of "Factitious Psychogenic Amnesia" --
actually a bit more serious that that; I would judge we are looking at a
very benign form of Korsakoff's Syndrome. I know the "My name is..."
"What is your name?" sequence is tiresome, and the following confabulatory
line, whatever form it may take, is annoying but entirely characteristic of
the disorder, whatever the degree of severity. I would like to encourage you
to focus on the good news: based on the stability of the symptomatology,
I consider it highly unlikely to the ineluctably progressive, and you can rule
out so-called "Galloping Korsakoff's". The prospect of a gradual descent into
full psychosis can be ignored at this time. Basically, this is a medical plea
for patience.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Owen
Director
The Orion Institute
57 W. Morgan Street
Brevard, NC 28712-3659 USA
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