Fun Stuff > CHATTER
ATTN: Americans: Bend over!
jhocking:
--- Quote from: dennis on 19 Sep 2008, 00:49 ---
--- Quote from: Nodaisho on 16 Sep 2008, 00:36 ---Computers use base two like our brains use... I don't know enough neurology to finish the metaphor, someone help me out here? The very basic of how our brains work, I would say our brains use binary, in that either a connection has electricity travelling on it or it doesn't, but for all I know, that is bull.
--- End quote ---
Our brains are not digital. They're analog.
--- End quote ---
My brain transcends such pedestrian distinctions.
Being serious, neither of you is really correct. Surprise, neural biology is more complex than an either/or decision!
imagist42:
Isn't any given neuron either firing or not firing? I mean, in that sense, at least, it's digital--even though any given perceptible action or reaction or thought is the product of lots and lots of neurons firing.
I have no idea what I'm talking about now.
jhocking:
Well I didn't really want to go into details, but no it isn't as simple as whether or not they are firing. How strongly they are firing matters (ie. analog) but most important really is how quickly they are firing. That is to say, your brain is more like FM radio than AM. Or for another analogy, think of how Morse code works.
jhocking:
You know that horse that would tap the ground over and over to answer questions? It's like that.
Nodaisho:
It's looking for food? Actually, that's pretty accurate, for one part of said brain at least.
I'm actually taking a psych 101 class right now, we are doing at least some of it on the various areas of the brain, covered the story of Phineas Gage, people that have had damage to certain areas of the brain (there was one guy named clive who was a brilliant concert pianist, but every 30 seconds, his conscious memory reset itself. He could play piano, but couldn't tell you how he knew, could tell you what season it was, knew the person working with him well enough to kiss her as a greeting, but didn't recognize her at all. Chilling.), that sort of stuff. Interesting, but not what I signed up for.
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