A Breakthrough in "Thinking" Computers

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A great read, right here...
http://www.jaronlanier.com/aichapter.html

Angie Koutrotsios of IL 11:06PM November 18, 2009

Does Moore's Law also apply to human arrogance?
"'We've made tremendous advances in collecting data, but we don't have a collective theory yet for how this complex organ called the brain produces things like Shakespeare's sonnets and Mozart's symphonies,' he said. 'The holy grail for neuroscientists is to map activity from single nerve cells, which they know about, into how billions of nerve cells act in concert.'"
As if this will ever come to fruition in a lab.
Interesting to view to parallels between the mindsets of religious types and scientists, as both seem to believe that some ultimate revelation will finally occur at some later point in time, if both just keep working at it hard enough.
No wonder the two sides (science and religion) are frequently at odds with each other. There's an equal level of arrogance on both sides.

Angie Koutrotsios of ID 11:00PM November 18, 2009

While computer scientists and neuroscientists are busy attempting to create a Frankenhuman, it will just never happen.
"...Olds cautioned that simulating the human brain is 'such a complex problem that we may not be able to get to an answer, even with supercomputing.'"
Humans have free will.
Machines do not.
Isn't it already obvious that total simulation is not even possible? It was a tad puzzling to read it put in the way that it was put, that it "may" not be solved.
Of course not! How can anyone program free will into a supercomputer?
Side note: For anyone interested in the debates over consciousness, free will, and AI (artificial intelligence), do Google one Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist and all around intriguing personality.
Some writings of his can be found at http://www.edge.org, and of his more humorous pieces is called "You Can't Argue With a Zombie." Fascinating stuff for science buffs.

Angie Koutrotsios of IL 10:41PM November 18, 2009