[extropy-chat] A quick AGI question

[Eugen Leitl]

On Sat, Nov 11, 2006 at 02:08:18AM +1100, Colin Geoffrey Hales wrote:
> A quick post-script....
> 
> 1) The alteration of brain 'hardware' in the form of new
> neurons/astrocytes does occur, but more in the role of repair than in
> learning. It is only relatively recently that the details of

Shape changes and their property changes (minute/hour/day) determine
the short-term (ms/s) processes. In practice there is no sharp
distinction data/program/hardware nor clean layer separation 
as in human-designed systems.

> neural/astrocyte cell genesis/apoptosis have emerged. The picture is not
> complete.

The picture is is very fuzzy, and damn complicated.
 
> 2) The electrical 'state' of the brain is a very complex 3D electrical
> field pattern. It literally is the "mind" in the sense that the

Spatiotemporal patterns of electric gradients are only a facet of
the entire process. There are chemical gradients, machinery modulation,
gene pattern activity changes, and similiar.

> manipulation of it is what the brain is doing. This is the main
> computer/brain distinction. In the computer the electrical field pattern
> is irrelevant.

"The" computer doesn't exist. FPGA defines gate connectivity
by SRAM cell state, and spintronics can define a logic element
by a spin configuration. People will use whatever works best.

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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