Zap goes the Neuron

Zap goes the Neuron

Zap goes the Neuron

If I do not greatly deceive myself, I have succeeded in realizing…
The hundred years’ dream of physicists and physiologists, to wit, the identity of the nervous principle with electricity

Du Bois-Reymond 1848

Cho and John are talking about the following article:
The Principles of Nerve Cell Communication

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

John

Hello Cho, I wonder if I could bother you with some questions? 😊

Today 15:43

Cho

Hi John, sure, what do you need? 😉                                                      

Today 15:43

John

I’m working on an article on neuromorphic computing

Today 15:43

Cho

Well, I’m good for the “neuro” part, but computing …not so much😅

Today 15:44

John

No problem, I already talked to Sam, and the “neuro” part is precisely why I come to you now 😊

Today 15:44   

Cho

Ah, OK then I do think I can be of assistance!                                       

Today 15:45

John

Excellent! Sam really confused me with his talk of analog and digital or continuous and discrete 😣

Today 15:45   

Cho

Yes, that is something that comes up a lot when talking about neurons             

Today 15:46

John

So can you help me with that? What kind of information or signals do neurons exchange?

Today 15:46   

Cho

Let’s start with “it’s complicated”                                                             

Today 15:47

John

I was afraid you’d say something like that …😅

Today 15:48   

Cho

First of all, there are many different kinds of neurons                        

Today 15:48

John

Oh! Yes, I recall we talked about that! “Little big brain

Today 15:49   

Cho

Very good! 😊

Secondly, people tend to focus on the electrical aspect, not on the chemical one

Today 15:50

John

What do you mean?

Today 15:51   

Cho

When a neuron fires, it isn’t exactly the same as flipping a switch

Today 15:52

John

So it isn’t digital or discrete?

Today 15:53   

Cho

Not straightforwardly no, but it also depends on how you look at it?

Today 15:54

John

Is this going to be about quantum and observers and stuff like that?

Today 15:55   

Cho

Ha! No, not at all. 😅 

I just meant that the answer might vary depending on the questions you ask

Today 15:55

… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Monday

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Zap goes the Neuron

Zap goes the Neuron

If I do not greatly deceive myself, I have succeeded in realizing… the hundred years’ dream of physicists and physiologists, to wit, the identity of the nervous principle with electricity

read more

Natural Born Computers

Natural Born Computers

Natural Born Computers

You who calculate! …
Why not use Brains of Steel which never tire?

(Brunsviga ad, 1909)

Julia and Cho are talking about the following article:
BRUNSVIGA

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Julia

Hi Cho! Sorry to bother you …

Today 11:36  

Cho

Hi Julia! Never a bother! How can I help you?  😊                                

Today 11:37

Julia

I was asked to contribute to another article for John’s magazine

Today 11:38   

Julia

It is about the history of AI? And we have some questions …

Today 11:38   

Cho

Sure, but AI isn’t really my thing, as you know  😅                               

Today 11:39  

Julia

Oh, yes I do know! But you do have a background in psychology, right? 😉

Today 11:40  

Cho

That’s right, cognitive psychology 😊                                                     

Today 11:41 

Julia

So, early AI was inspired by how humans think and what they think with

Today 11:42   

Julia

do you think we need to include something about the history of neuropsychology?

Today 11:42   

Cho

Like, how did we discover the rules of thinking in the brain?             

Today 11:43   

Julia

Exactly! 😊

Today 11:44   

Cho

Ah, now I see what you’re getting at. Well, maybe  🤔                        

Today 11:45   

Julia

Maybe? 🤔

Today 11:46

Cho

It depends a bit on what you mean by “intelligence”                         

Today 11:47   

Cho

If you mean human level general intelligence, then I’m not sure the history brain science is going to help

Today 11:48   

Cho

But if you also mean, basic pre-processing of information in the sense-organs, then probably yes!

Today 11:48   

Cho

Also, you might need to ask someone like Sam about the “artificial part

Today 11:49   

Cho

If it works like human intelligence, why do we call it artificial?           

Today 11:49   

Julia

Thank you for the clarification, Sam was indeed my next stop, and then I’ll get back to John.

Today 11:50 

Cho

Good luck with your article!                                                                      

Today 11:51   

… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …

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Sketchy AI

Sketchy AI

“Young man, you don’t think I’m encountering constructive symbolism for the first time, do you? “Unplug”: free yourself from physicality, from the vulgar earthbound physicality, from the evils of civilization, from electricity, nerves, and so on. Isn’t that what this is? The association is crystal clear, I’d be tempted to say, perhaps even too obvious” (Kishon 1987)

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AI see, AI do

AI see, AI do

You young badgers imagine that it would be enough to smear a pound of paint on the canvas and you’re already a modern painter. I would be willing to accept this abomination for a bad joke, if there was even the slightest humor behind it. But this here is an abracadabra! A nothing!

read more

To Humanity and Beyond

To Humanity and Beyond

To Humanity and Beyond

The case of the use of the abacus by Japanese school children and adults provides an illustration of how thoroughly the historical processes involved in the development of a tool’s use becomes incorporated into a culture-specific technology while simultaneously becoming a part of human nature ..
We Have Met Technology and It Is Us

Cole & Derry 2005

Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper:
Enhancement, ethics and society: ..

In this post the images comes from:

      1. Cottonbro from Pexels
      2. Vine from Pexels

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Group Chat

Manuel, Cho, Sam

Manuel

Let’s get down to earth again. Prosthetics generally replace a missing limb, but cognitive tools seem to do something different, right?

Today 15:48  

Cho

Limb or organ, but OK  😊                                                               

Today 15:50  

Sam

The categories do overlap though, you can definitely see some brain implants as cognitive tools

Today 15:51   

Manuel

OK, examples? 😉

Today 15:51  

Sam

Deep Brain stimulation to improve memory in Alzheimer patients 

Today 15:52   

Cho

Indeed, and this also improves memory in non-impaired people, so can be considered an enhancement too

Today 15:52  

Manuel

Right, so cognitive tools aren’t just handheld devices, but can also be prosthetics or implants

Today 15:53 

Manuel

With all the tools and technologies we have nowadays, do we live in some kind of sci-fi future? 👾

Today 15:53 

Sam

Ha! 🤔 I’m sure some would see it as a dystopia! Everything controlled by computers we no longer understand …

Today 15:54   

Cho

That actually is a serious issue. Things have gotten incredibly complex and no single person understand everything anymore

Today 15:55  

Cho

Just think of surgery: most surgeries require a large team and a lot of infrastructure, not just a dude with a saw …

Today 15:55

Sam

That’s right, same thing for computers. Remember the y2k panic? Year 2000 problem

Today 15:56   

Sam

People thought the millennium bug would cause the end of the world!

Today 15:56   

Sam

Both individual computers and especially computer networks have become hugely complex. Not just two guys in a garage…

Today 15:57   

Manuel

Ok, so a lot more specialization and collaboration.

Today 15:58  

Cho

Sam mentioned brain prosthetics earlier: it won’t be long before we have brain prosthetics with AI

Today 15:59  

Cho

I’m quite sure that this would be considered an enhancement by most, and scary by many.

Today 15:59  

Sam

Right, it might not be literally rocket science, but it does bring together two of the most complex and advanced fields

Today 16:00   

Manuel

Computers and the brain, neither of which we fully understand yet?

Today 16:01  

Sam

Well, we design the computers, but artificial neural networks are indeed hard to explain

Today 16:01   

Cho

Asking people to let an implant “do their thinking for them” requires a lot of trust

Today 16:02  

Manuel

Wow, this has been great, thank you both so much for your input! 😊

Today 16:03  

… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …

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Fire All Neurons!

Fire All Neurons!

Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.

read more
The ends justify the rules

The ends justify the rules

Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference

read more

Going Into a Limb

Going Into a Limb

Going Into a Limb

The distinction between a “tool” and a prosthesis that is implanted into the body is more apparent than real. …

Anderson 2007

Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper:
Neuro-Prosthetics, the Extended Mind, and Respect for Persons with Disability

In this post the images comes from:

      1. Vlada Karpovich from Pexels
      2. Ivy Son from Pexels
      3. Anna Shvets from Pexels

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Group Chat

Manuel, Cho, Sam

Sam

I’m not sure these count as prosthetics or enhancement, but we all use devices to improve ourselves

Today 15:44   

Sam

I use GPS, map, and navigation software to plan my route, but I could do it on my own

Today 15:44   

Sam

But for people with cognitive impairments devices like that become essential for day to day activities

Today 15:45   

Manuel

I see what you mean: one person’s enhancement is another person’s cure, so to say

Today 15:48  

Cho

The same happens in medicine, where sensors and smart devices are use to speed recovery, say, in physiotherapy

Today 15:50  

Cho

but also to help athletes reach peak performance. Restoring and enhancing are on the same slippery slope

Today 15:50  

Manuel

Can we compare cognitive tools to “prosthetics for the mind”?

Today 15:51  

Sam

That sounds a bit weird, but maybe? I mean, pencil and paper would qualify as cognitive tool …

Today 15:51   

Cho

If you put shoes in the same category as prosthetic legs, sure, but it stretches the usual meaning quite a bit

Today 15:52  

Manuel

OK, maybe that goes too far, and indeed we all seem to use tools like that all the time. So we’re all enhanced?

Today 15:53 

Sam

Depends on what your baseline is. I’ve got a smartwatch, but my grandfather could tell the time and predict the weather just by looking at the sky

Today 15:54   

Cho

Indeed, replicating the same functionality but with different means, isn’t really enhancement

Today 15:54  

Manuel

Right, so if we just keep doing the same things, but now with tools, it’s not really enhancement?

Today 15:55  

Cho

Think about this example: people used to have to memorize a lot of things, like phone numbers

Today 15:56  

Cho

Now we can just look them up. It is quicker, but not radically different

Today 15:56  

Sam

Right, we can make calls from the middle of nowhere, instead from a fixed phone, but that’s just improvements in infrastructure

Today 15:57   

Sam

I mean, we wouldn’t consider switching cars for horses an “enhancement” in the human body or functionality?

Today 15:57   

Manuel

I guess not, but shouldn’t we then discuss overall progress too? Like at the level of humanity, aren’t we all enhanced in a sense?

Today 15:58  

Cho

That’s an interesting point … also from a medical point of view. Better hygiene, antibiotics, vaccines, give us incredible lifespans compared to cavemen

Today 15:59  

Sam

And better communication and transportation have allowed for very different types of societies. So out tools do make us better!

Today 15:59   

Manuel

Better humans? Superior humans?

Today 16:00  

Cho

Ouch, that sounds wrong. Maybe better at being human?                 

Today 16:00  

Sam

Ok, fair enough, that sounds more like it

Today 16:01   

Manuel

So as individuals and as humanity we have progressed through tool use and by further integration with our tools …

Today 16:02  

… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …

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Related post

Fire All Neurons!

Fire All Neurons!

Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.

read more
The ends justify the rules

The ends justify the rules

Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference

read more

The Sum of the Parts vs the Whole

The Sum of the Parts vs the Whole

The Sum of the Parts vs the Whole

The firm should have the right to take back what it produced — the collection of artificial organs illegally masquerading as Mr Jones and present in this court-room even now …

Stanislaw Lem 1968

Manuel, Cho and Sam are talking about the following paper: ARE YOU THERE, MR JONES?

In this post the images comes from:

      1. Min An from Pexels
      2. Tara Winstead from Pexels

In this post the dialogue is realised by an interaction of virtual characters, for more information please check the page “Virtual characters

Group Chat

Manuel, Cho, Sam

Cho

There’s been a lot of discussion in the medical community about enhancement 

Today 15:39  

Cho

The same drug can be a treatment for one person and an enhancement for the next

Today 15:39  

Manuel

I did hear about that indeed. So would you say this is also the case for prosthetics?

Today 15:42  

Cho

Absolutely! Just think about the controversy about Oscar Pistorius 

Today 15:43  

Cho

His competitors insisted that his prosthetics gave him an unfair advantage: an enhancement 😊

Today 15:43  

Sam

If I can chime in on this point, not a prosthetic, but there was a similar controversy about running shoes 😅

Today 15:44   

Manuel

Running shoes? Well, in a sense we might consider shoes as some kind of prosthetic … 😅

Today 15:44 

Sam

Maybe, but thanks to these spring-loaded soles Eliud Kipchoge ran the first marathon under 2 hours

Today 15:45   

Cho

Oh yes, I remember that bit of news! It was quite a big deal… lots of assistive technology too 👍

Today 15:46  

Sam

It didn’t really count as an official record, but it did show what technology can do to improve performances                           

Today 15:47   

Manuel

Even though it didn’t count as world record, it still counts for our article! 😊 I’d say this is enhancement too

Today 15:47  

Sam

I would say so too, but I also think we should distinguish between tools and prosthetics …

Today 15:48   

Manuel

Good point! What do you think, Cho?

Today 15:48  

Cho

I’m not sure you can make a clean break between those two, there will always be grey area’s

Today 15:49  

Cho

Does it only count as a prosthetic if you cannot take it off? Between a crutch and an artificial hip there’s a lot of room for discussion

Today 15:49  

Sam

That’s right, same goes for cognitive tools, it’s a sliding scale.

Today 15:49   

Manuel

Cognitive tools? 🤔

Today 15:50  

Sam

Yes: like pocket calculators, or basically any utility app on your smartphone …

Today 15:50   

Cho

I couldn’t get anything done without my digital to do lists and calendar! 😊

Today 15:50 

Sam

Basically, those enhance your memory: cognitive tools

Today 15:51   

Manuel

I see what you mean, but that seems another category again! 😊

Today 15:51  

… Continue reading our conversations that are posted every Saturday …

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Related post

Fire All Neurons!

Fire All Neurons!

Mechanical analog computers had their origins in Naval Gunnery in World War I […] mechanical analog computers remained of considerable military importance certainly until well into the 1960s and have only been superseded by digital computing systems in the 1970s.

read more
The ends justify the rules

The ends justify the rules

Complicated mental processes are entirely reducible to such simple activities as the attentive observation of statements previously accepted as true, the perception of structural, purely external, connections among these statements, and the execution of mechanical transformations as prescribed by the rules of inference

read more