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[Soadreqm]

Perhaps that's the number of operations it would take to emulate a similar behavior on a computer?

Seeing that we CAN'T emulate similar behavior on a computer, I don't think the comparison would really be valid.

Measuring how well humans emulate the behaviour of computers isn't any more fair, but at least it's possible. You know, so that you have an actual measurement rather than a number someone pulled out of his ass.

[Jelle]

So wait, that means we can configure a human brain to be awesome at math and be a machine?

I'm not sure what you mean by being a machine, but you've already got people with exceptional minds who are mind blowingly fast at calculations. Those individuals are more of an oddity though.

No. An impulse is different based on his voltage, and a wide array of different things. There's reasons we can't reconnect nerves, other than the sheer size.
Not even talking about hormones, and the actual life cycle of cells.
Unlike data, which is a state in computing, memory is a connection in the brain.

Yeah I agree although admittedly I don't know nearly enough of neurology to contribute to the point. Comparing a bit to a neuron seems a bit of a simplification. afaik a neuron does not store information on its own, rather through one or more connections with other neurons.

[alway]

A single neuron has something on the order of thousands of connections; trillions of these synapses in all, billions of neurons. Neurons are effectively state machines; stuff adds up until a threshold is met, then it fires. The neurons are pretty much continually firing with the rate of firing being important; but with the rate of firing being only part of what they are doing. There's also the chemical portion, involving several chemicals whose job is to temporarily increase or decrease sensitivity of synapses and such. And then there's the slow change in connection strength of synapses.

Information/memories are stored in just about every part of the system; which is why memories have vastly different properties. Very short term memories are effectively feedback loops; a web of interconnected neurons repeating a pattern of activity or similar. Long term memories are a bit more interesting; they are mostly stored in the patterns of the brain's connections and their strengths. As such, there is no particular place you can point at and say 'memory X is stored there,' as 'memory X' consists of a variety of pieces scattered throughout a variety of regions of your brain, all or most of which overlap with 'memory Y' or 'memory Z,' such that you can only say 'that neuron right there is kinda sorta related to memories X, Y, Z, A, G, and P.'

Neuron relationship status: It's complicated.

[penguinofhonor]

I told my friends about the magnet thing. I don't think any of them are nearly as fascinated about it as I am. Shame. When I'm feeling electromagnetic fields they'll all sit alone crying, wondering what their senses could be.

[Lagslayer]

I told my friends about the magnet thing. I don't think any of them are nearly as fascinated about it as I am. Shame. When I'm feeling electromagnetic fields they'll all sit alone crying, wondering what their senses could be.

We do have small lodestones in our brains, but they are much smaller compared to many other species. For the uninitiated, a lodestone is a sort of natural magnetic mineral, specifically magnetite.

*The more you know*

[Thecard]

Defrag, security sweeps, updates and general maintenance are required every so often or the thing starts slowing down, occasional errors pop up, etc.

Obviously a Windows user.

I have seen the future... IT IS LINUX!

OHGODPLEASELETMEDIENOW

[Lectorog]

I feel this is relevant here.
http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/16/ray-kurzweil-teams-up-with-google-to-tackle-artificial-intelligence/

[Levi]

I feel this is relevant here.
http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/16/ray-kurzweil-teams-up-with-google-to-tackle-artificial-intelligence/

Oh yeah, I heard about that, haha.  Now the singularity will kill us all for sure.   

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I don't care much for Kurzweil. He gives scientific transhumanists a bad name with his singularity woo.

[fqllve]

I watched the Transcendent Man documentary on him recently and came away with the impression that he kinda doesn't know what he's talking about and he's so obsessed with longevity that he's treating the singularity as scientific afterlife.

[Caz]

Hell yes, give me the robot body.

[Scoops Novel]

Perhaps Eldar spirit stones aren't too far off.