Microsoft 'life story' software

It's unusual to see Yahoo Tech run a story on a research project but Microsoft Creating Virtual Brain clearly has the right sort of resonance. As it happens, it isn't about developing a brain but a computer-based memory, MyLifeBits. And it's odd to mention the project without mentioning that Gordon Bell is one of the world's greatest computer scientists. At DEC, he worked on the PDP range of minicomputers, and was responsible for the VAX architecture that drove DEC from a $1bn corportation to a $10bn corporation in the 80s. The MyLifeBits is related to the CyberMuseum project. The Gordon Bell Prizes are given each year to recognise outstanding achievements in supercomputing.