Re: TI-H: mind vs. computer

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Re: TI-H: mind vs. computer


I just realized that I completely restated what David said in the
message that I accidentally quoted. Just ignore me :)

-Gabe

Gabe wrote:
> 
> David Knaack wrote:
> >
> > >Okay here's a question to ponder... If you were to convert the storage
> > >space of the human mind to GB how much do you believe it would be?
> 
> It may be vast, but remember that not everything that gets filed away up
> there necessarily stays intact. About 85% of everything is either
> forgotten over time or is partially corrupted. It'd be like using a hard
> drive with bad sectors. I'd rather have a real hermetically sealed piece
> of magnetic medium than have a huge drive that loses 85% of what I store
> on it :))
> 
> -Gabe
> 
> > Vast, no doubt.  I am sure that it varies by individual.  People
> > with 'photographic' memory no doubt store huge amounts of info.
> > Some can pick up a book, scan the pages (without reading), then
> > later recall each page and read it from the memory image. It is
> > intresting to note that people with this 'total recall' ability
> > are usually notably lacking in spatial abilities, and vice versa.
> > Apparently the same area of the brain is used for these abilites,
> > and cannot handle both at extreme levels.  Most of us fall somewhere
> > inbetween.
> >
> > In the case of scanning a page of text, which can be recalled
> > and read at a later time, the individual has in some way stored
> > at least 50k of information, perhaps as much as 300k.  I'd be
> > suprised if it was not stored in such a way that the repetive
> > information was not compressed in some fasion.  Perhaps studies
> > of the way the brain stores information will improve our video
> > and image compression routines.
> >
> > I'd put the total storage of the average brain easily above a
> > terabyte.  However the reliability of the storage is quite different.
> > Image information stored near, say, the entire encyclopdia Britanica
> > would probably be difficult to recall as easily as before the
> > encyclopida was there (unless it was a frequently used image,
> > in which case portions of the encyclopida would likely be fuzzy).
> >
> > DK
> >
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