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Last night I was watching Ellen (as I am wont to do) and one of her guests was John Travolta. She said something during her monologue, then he said something while she was talking to him...and the two things mated in my brain and did one of those 'resonance field' things, and I found myself having a great idea for a short story...but it sounds just familiar enough that I may have already read something similar or seen a similar story in a movie or episode of some show. Either that, or it's just such a good idea, I can't comprehend how anyone could have not had it before me.
So the premise is below. Your job: Does this sound familiar to you? Yes, I see the obvious relation to the movies "Total Recall" and "Brainstorm," but that's not what's causing the recognition-twinge.
Ellen said (paraphrased): Everyone should do what they're really good at and, eventually, someone will be willing to pay you for it. There are professional dogwalkers who walk your dogs for you if you're too busy to do it yourself....(etc.)
Travolta said (paraphrased): Everyone is so busy these days that you practically have to pay someone to live your life. "Here's $40! Go have fun for me."
So my brain goes *click*! (It was audible, and I actually didn't hear anything they said for several minutes and had to rewind ReplayTV.)
In the future, there is a company who employs people who are very good at having a good time. They party and live it up, go on fabulous vacations, do safe-but-dangerous things, etc. You can hire them to send someone on your vacation if you're too busy or, perhaps, too infirm, to go yourself. Or go to your kid's soccer game while you're at an important meeting with your boss. You can specify how much fun you're willing to have. Like, "I want to get really drunk and have illicit sex with hookers" or "I'd like to skydive out of a blimp" or "I want to scuba with sharks while wearing a raw meat helmet." Whatever. And they find someone and send them out to do whatever it is and then they come back and the experience is downloaded from their brain into yours (or perhaps into a device and then into you) and the subjective "I" of the memories becomes you, and you can even edit the memories so that the hooker is a blonde instead of a redhead, or whatever. You can see many storylines that arc off the basic premise, which is why it's so appealing to me.
I see small connections with, as I said, Total Recall, and also with Brainstorm. Maybe others, as well, but do you remember anything that this is sufficiently identical to that it would constitute plagiarism instead of inspiration? :)
I welcome any and all responses except those saying only "Yeah, it's just like Total Recall/Brainstorm." :)
[Edit: And "The Sixth Day". Just a little. :) ]
So the premise is below. Your job: Does this sound familiar to you? Yes, I see the obvious relation to the movies "Total Recall" and "Brainstorm," but that's not what's causing the recognition-twinge.
Ellen said (paraphrased): Everyone should do what they're really good at and, eventually, someone will be willing to pay you for it. There are professional dogwalkers who walk your dogs for you if you're too busy to do it yourself....(etc.)
Travolta said (paraphrased): Everyone is so busy these days that you practically have to pay someone to live your life. "Here's $40! Go have fun for me."
So my brain goes *click*! (It was audible, and I actually didn't hear anything they said for several minutes and had to rewind ReplayTV.)
In the future, there is a company who employs people who are very good at having a good time. They party and live it up, go on fabulous vacations, do safe-but-dangerous things, etc. You can hire them to send someone on your vacation if you're too busy or, perhaps, too infirm, to go yourself. Or go to your kid's soccer game while you're at an important meeting with your boss. You can specify how much fun you're willing to have. Like, "I want to get really drunk and have illicit sex with hookers" or "I'd like to skydive out of a blimp" or "I want to scuba with sharks while wearing a raw meat helmet." Whatever. And they find someone and send them out to do whatever it is and then they come back and the experience is downloaded from their brain into yours (or perhaps into a device and then into you) and the subjective "I" of the memories becomes you, and you can even edit the memories so that the hooker is a blonde instead of a redhead, or whatever. You can see many storylines that arc off the basic premise, which is why it's so appealing to me.
I see small connections with, as I said, Total Recall, and also with Brainstorm. Maybe others, as well, but do you remember anything that this is sufficiently identical to that it would constitute plagiarism instead of inspiration? :)
I welcome any and all responses except those saying only "Yeah, it's just like Total Recall/Brainstorm." :)
[Edit: And "The Sixth Day". Just a little. :) ]
