[ExI] Looking for a word

[Ross Evans]

On Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 11:31 PM, Keith Henson <hkeithhenson at gmail.com>wrote:

> On Thu, Jun 24, 2010 at 1:45 PM,  Emlyn <emlynoregan at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I'm trying to crystallize a concept, and I need a word to help to do it.
> >
> > The online world is now full of APIs, which let code literate people
> > talk to online services (all the standard webby protocols, google's
> > many apis, amazons compute cloud ++, twitter APIs, facebook APIs, etc
> > etc etc). There are myriad ways of interacting with these things, from
> > having code on your own machines reach out to them, to hosting code
> > "out there" in online services.
> >
> > I'm conceptualizing this as a multidimensional space through which
> > code literate people can move, interact, create, in a very real sense
> > in which we partially can already live. What would you call this
> > space? It's a bit like a noosphere, but that term would be a bit trite
> > and not do the concept justice. And don't say cyberspace. Any ideas?
>
> I don't know what to call it (people have made good suggestions) but
> the long range effect is going to be like extended memory.
>
> It's been developing for a long time, since writing at least, where
> more and more of our memory is outside our skulls.  Time will come
> when you get a neural implant and your mind will treat information in
> it as an extension of your memory.
>
> Considered as a computer, human brains tend to be long in processing
> power and short on memory.
>
> Keith
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This isn't really true, and it demonstrates how using a digital computer as
an analogus framework for the human brain, can lead to erroneous
conclusions. The human brain both processes and stores vast amounts of
information. The reason why the brain is not so wired that the average
person can recite pi to a few thousands digits, is simply the lack of the
necessary evolutionary pressure. To proffer a computing analogy that is
germane, the hardware of the brain is very poorly utilised by its software.

Ross
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