User:Justicia Liga/Little Brother

Little Brother (Masters of Science Fiction)

-	An episode of the Masters of Science Fiction series

“As machines become increasingly capable, will there come a time when we’ll value their judgement more than our own”- Opening statement of Professor Stephen Hawking on the episode.

Cast and crew

Host- Stephen Hawking

Fredon Ibrahim Blythe- Clifton Collins, Jr.

Tilly Vee- Kimberly Elise

Automated Judge- Garwin Sanford

Augustus- Matthew Walker

Directed by Damell Martin

Plot-

Fredon Ibrahim Blythe gets up on his bunk in “Commonground”, clutching on a few old sentimental pictures that might not even be his own. For today is the day he attempts to escape. He meets up with his surrogate mother who tells her how and he proceeds.

He goes to ‘FreedomSlum” seeking Augustus as what he was instructed to do. He meets and convinces him that he is worth saving.

But policemen arrive and shoot both Augustus and Augustus’ female ward (and both die). Fredon is forced to intervene and maims one cop and kills the other. Other policemen arrive and Fredon is forced to flee but is captured and charged for all the deaths and injuries.

In his trial, he is brought before their automaton court (a collection of ten thousand minds of different inviduals after their demise) where a tube is inserted into his brain so the court knows the truth of his testimony. While in trial, he befriends his female guard Tilly Vee.

Knowing that the automaton judge would order his death since his own thoughts would indeed prove that he shot and killed one policeman; he decides to evoke the emotions of the automated jury.

He requests that the brain of the now dead Augustus be accessed and it shows that it was the policemen who were committing wrongdoing. The automated jury starts to think out loud that he is innocent but the automated judge tries to silence them.

But the computer system starts to shutdown and all of a sudden, Tilly watches in horror as the machine kills Fredon by suctioning his brain.

Later on, Tilly visits the courtroom and a holograph of Fredon appears. He tells her that the single minded Judge would still order his execution so the Jury decides to “save” him by incorporating his mind into the automated system. And from there, Fredon and the mind of Augustus will reform the system from within.

''That was the original article as far as I can recall it. Ok. Not much to look at but I did request the chance to edit it. ''

Further editions could be the addition of the following:

'''Some similar devices as the brain tube in Popular Culture '''

DC Comics superheroine Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth- Golden lasso empowered by the Fires of Hestia, the Lasso forces anyone held by it to tell the absolute truth.

H. Beam Piper’s story "Little Fuzzy" contains a veridicator which is a bright conical helmet with electrodes attached to a subject’s body. It shows blue for truth, red for lies, and mixed patterns including violet and mauve for half-truths.

Robert A Heinlein's 1954 novel "The Star Beast" contains a truth meter used in their judicial system that when a subject lies; a needle goes into the red zone, ruby lights flash and a buzzer goes on.

Randall Garrett's short story "The Best Policy" (1957)- Hostile aliens abduct a smart earthling and uses a truth detector on him. He carefully phrases his answers to show that the humans are a more far advanced and superior race than we really are and the aliens send ambassadors instead.

Similar devices and use in real life

Polygraph- instrument that measures and records several physiological responses. Admissible as evidence in certain instances and currently used in game shows like The Moment of truth (U.S.) and Nothing but the Truth (Colombia).

Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature test-developed by Indian neuroscientist Champadi Raman Mukundan. In June 2008, an Indian Court convicted a woman (Aditi Sharma) for the murder of her former fiancé (Udit Bharati) based on the test as the woman supposedly possessed “experiential” knowledge of the murder. The test supposedly can accurately tell whether a person has committed or only witnessed an act.

Preliminary Credibility Assessment Screening System (PCASS)- Handheld lie detectors which will display colors green, red, and yellow based on veracity of answers. Already tested in Iraq and sent for use in Afghanistan by the U.S. Military.

References: Aside from those mentioned in the short story article

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/world/asia/15brainscan.html

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LieDetector

http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=1876

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2007/08/08/lie_detectors_lie_behind_colombia_tv_hit/

http://www.enfotainer.com/2008/09/brain-electrical-oscillations-signature-test-that-finds-guilt/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23926278