What if we manage to hit The Singularity - that oft-receding target by which your brain's contents can be uploaded to a computer system in the event of (or ahead of) your death?

Wouldn't that be cool? Well, maybe. But more importantly, who's going to pay for it all when we're "dead" (and so presumably not able to earn money any more)? Ah, that's it - advertising will fill the sky and "your brand preferences will be aligned with those of our sponsors".

But wait! What about all those books you remember reading? Oh dear.

For a fabulous glimpse of the afterlife, or as they call it, "The Singularity - ruined by lawyers", here's a video from Tom Scott and friends. (Or watch it here.)

Scott says:

If you liked this [and how you could not? -Ed], you may also enjoy two novels that provided inspiration for it: Jim Monroe's Everyone in Silico, where I first found the idea of a corporate-sponsored afterlife; Rudy Rucker's trippy Postsingular, which introduced me to the horrifying idea of consciousness slums.

If you want to read more about the Singularity, here you go. Just bear in mind that your brain processes might one day be scanned by slightly bored lawyers.

And if you think it's too farfetched - just consider this scientific experiment to map the brain's billions of neurons.