In praise of copperminds

[DeadFencer]

I feel like we Mistborn fans don't spend enough time talking about how awesome copperminds are. They're the type of metalmind that have all others the name. (Metalmind=being able to store memories is like having another mind). The keepers used them as their primary tool, prizing them above all other forms of feruchemy. They have a rich history, but also so much untapped (no pun intended) potential  usage. I wanted a thread to come up with all the potential uses of the coppermind. My favorite I came up with was to help those who witnesses tramau. Have memories of horrible events you just can't forget? Dump 'em in a coppermind and chuck the thing in a river. Of course, some would argue that forgetting like that isn't truly facing your problems. However, copperminds have a feature for that too: you don't permanently lose your memories. Having a day where it feels like you just can't deal with the tramau? Write yourself a note saying "don't tap until you feel like you can handle this", then dump all memories but a vauge idea of what happened into the metalmind. And this isn't even getting into what bands of mourning implies copperminds could be used for. 

[Dani]

Extremely useful for exams. No need to study very much. Just go through everything once, dump it all in the copperminds, wear them to the exam hall, and get those Aces in your pocket

[Oudeis]

Store the contents of a Sanderson novel and read it again for the first time.

[EmeraldSlash]

21 hours ago, Oudeis said:

 

Store the contents of a Sanderson novel and read it again for the first time.

 

Smartest thing in the entire history of mankind.

Is it possible for copperminds to be unwillingly used? Might be good for certain secret situations. No need for court martials.

[Landis963]

On 6/18/2016 at 10:00 PM, SafestPear said:

I feel like we Mistborn fans don't spend enough time talking about how awesome copperminds are. They're the type of metalmind that have all others the name. (Metalmind=being able to store memories is like having another mind). The keepers used them as their primary tool, prizing them above all other forms of feruchemy. They have a rich history, but also so much untapped (no pun intended) potential  usage. I wanted a thread to come up with all the potential uses of the coppermind. My favorite I came up with was to help those who witnesses tramau. Have memories of horrible events you just can't forget? Dump 'em in a coppermind and chuck the thing in a river. Of course, some would argue that forgetting like that isn't truly facing your problems. However, copperminds have a feature for that too: you don't permanently lose your memories. Having a day where it feels like you just can't deal with the tramau? Write yourself a note saying "don't tap until you feel like you can handle this", then dump all memories but a vauge idea of what happened into the metalmind. And this isn't even getting into what bands of mourning implies copperminds could be used for. 

I think the feruchemist would know what's in his copperminds by default (Sazed had one he habitually used for religions, in addition to the others for other types of knowledge). So strictly speaking, the note wouldn't be necessary.  However, the trauma idea in general is an trauma psychologist's dream.  Have a troubling case of PTSD?  Hand him an unkeyed coppermind and tell him to "store it all away."  If the triggers go off, the visions they would normally play would have a big sign blocking them labeled "this memory stored in coppermind."  

[Espella]

I've always wondered if when we get to more modern Scadrial there will be some kind of very primitive internet involving a very large coppermind, where people could store documents and other people would be able to pull them up and read them, then put them back, sort of like putting a web page on the internet (though obviously it would require everyone to actually physically go to wherever the coppermind was being kept and it would be really easy for the "websites" to get corrupted or lost if people don't transfer the whole thing back or keep it for themselves).

[Yata]

36 minutes ago, Espella said:

I've always wondered if when we get to more modern Scadrial there will be some kind of very primitive internet involving a very large coppermind, where people could store documents and other people would be able to pull them up and read them, then put them back, sort of like putting a web page on the internet (though obviously it would require everyone to actually physically go to wherever the coppermind was being kept and it would be really easy for the "websites" to get corrupted or lost if people don't transfer the whole thing back or keep it for themselves).

Possible, but also if this works perfetcly (some trick to avoid all the problems you found), an Internet like our is cheaper and more flexible.

Just because they may use Magic to do something, this doesn't mean that magic works better than mundane tech ;-)

[Espella]

1 minute ago, Yata said:

Possible, but also if this works perfetcly (some trick to avoid all the problems you found), an Internet like our is cheaper and more flexible.

Just because they may use Magic to do something, this doesn't mean that magic works better than mundane tech ;-)

Yeah, I was thinking more of it being what they would have before the non-magic technology hits the point where they can pull off the internet.

Alternatively, I suppose it could be used on a smaller scale as a sort of "private server" by a group that doesn't want to have their stuff on the actual internet.

[Lazarus52980]

This could also be useful for the therapist to be able to tap those memories and actually see/feel/know what the patient is feeling.

 

Come to think of it, I could see this used for police work and legal court proceedings too!  Imagine a witness that could give the memory of what happens into a coppermind?  Now you don't have to worry about if they can make it to court or not, you HAVE the legal evidence (assuming no one figures out what ruins trick was to "edit" existing coppermind memories).

[DeadFencer]

13 hours ago, Landis963 said:

I think the feruchemist would know what's in his copperminds by default (Sazed had one he habitually used for religions, in addition to the others for other types of knowledge). So strictly speaking, the note wouldn't be necessary.  

That's a conundrum. Does Sazed instinctively know what's in the copperminds, or did he not put the memeories of storing itself into the coppermind?

[Windrunner]

Well, there's probably some of that, but he also has index copperminds that allow him to find where he stored specific information.