We (humans) are atomic beings, and indeed we can point to those very atoms that compose each part of ourselves. But where is the location of your consciousness? What is the chemical formula for your essence?
I believe that what we consider to be ourselves is the total of the data stored in electronic impulses in our brains. Our "selves" are not physical, and depend wholly on the life support our bodies offer. Otherwise, when someone died, you could transfer their consciousness by copying the physical dimensions of the brain.
Think of the data in your head as data on a hard drive. It exists, and you can access it on a framework, but you cannot break the drive open and physically extract it. If this is true, then, much like a hard drive, it should be possible to transfer the data of the brain to another device, proper formatting permitted. What cosmic wonder it would be if our minds were formatted in ntfs.
The concept of self transference allows for many extravagent possibilities - new bodies, brain upgrades, even immortality. This all hinges of course on the idea that the self is separate from the body, which I believe is true. One day we may be able to discard these fleshy vehicles altogether for the cleaner and more versitile realms of robotics and cyberspace.
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