<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Keith I don’t think I ever responded to your comment on latency in Mbrains.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My theoretical model of an MBrain does not have nodes that are analogous to our brain cells. If I understand it correctly (Billw or someone here might know this) a neuron has a bunch of branchy synapses coming in and one axon coming out that either fires or doesn’t fire, so it is kinda one-bit output. But an MBrain node doesn’t put out a single pulse and isn’t analogous to a neuron.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My notion is that the nodes in an MBrain calculate a lot of stuff and have an output signal far more complex than one of our neurons. If so, the latency between MBrain nodes really isn’t that much of a problem, any more than the latency between two or more people doesn’t prevent them from coming up with ideas between them. The MBrain isn’t really analogous to a single human brain, but rather a collection of sub-human brains that work together well. Perhaps we could call it an MSociety or MSpecies or MIntelligence.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Keith does that clear it up at all?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If MBrain nodes do some kind of calculation, they could still be very small and resemble dust. If created by a nanotech enabled species, a dust-sized speck of carbon can be imagined capable of some form of calculation and capable of passing the results of that calculation to its neighbor, which might be a millimeter distant. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If all that, such an MSpecies might appear to be an oddly-shaped dust cloud from the point of view of a star 1500 years away.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>