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Showing posts from August, 2008

Is that a desert in earth?

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080129.html That is what I would have concluded, if I was just shown the image without descriptions. I was not intelligent enough to see that the sky is brownish and then decide that it is Mars :-)

Free Will versus the Programmed Brain

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=free-will-vs-programmed-brain&sc=WR_20080826 People are starting to understand that a human being is just a collection of neurons. Things are determined. Humans are behaving as per how the brain works. Brain has 100 billion neurons and the complex connections help in the complex behaviour. Neurons are so big that there is no place for uncertainty principle or principles of quantum mechanics. Or could it be that the dendrites and axons are smaller than neurons that uncertainty principle may apply. I guess that even if that is true, it may not be the reason for the stable complex behaviour and free will. But overall I do believe that a human brain is a determined machine. Quantum uncertainty would not apply. At the same time, I would say that every human being is morally responsible for his own actions. Another way of saying this is that my brain is determined to say that "things are determined but I am morally responsible for my own actio

Neocortex not required for Self awareness :-)

Mirror test shows magpies aren't so bird-brained http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14552-mirror-test-shows-magpies-arent-so-birdbrained.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news4_head_dn14552 "You just need a large brain with a lot of connectivity"

A mere 3.4 billion light-years away

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080823.html

"Genome" by Matt Ridley

It has been an year since I started reading "Genome". Destiny was that I had to enjoy with my family than read the book. Now that my wife and my dear toddler are away in Tamil Nadu, I got a chance to finish reading the book. The book was really good. Matt just discusses one gene from each of the 22 + X + Y chromosomes. And it clearly show what we understand and where we are ignorant. We are just starting and Complexity kills. Liked the "free will" chapter. It all finally comes down to determinism. It has been determined that I read all this junk topics and have fun. :-) Have taken out the book "Freedom evolves"-Daniel Dennett. Just to browse through it again to see if I get something new.