This brings about an interesting ethical problem. Should we get to the point where we can simulate life and consciousness to a level that is indistinguishable from the original thing (as perceived by the simulator), do our standards with regard to, say, human rights apply within, or does the ability to reboot or restore the simulation from a backup make is exempt from any ethical issues?

Either way, I reckon this will one day be used to generate an infinite amount of behaviourally customized cat videos for our simulators' facebook feeds.