07-27-2017, 01:07 PM | #11 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Merged Uploads
THS science can perfectly copy a Mona Lisa, but it can't just whip out equal quality works of art as if it were da Vinci.
It also can't merge two of his paintings to make a new equally amazing product.
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07-27-2017, 02:02 PM | #12 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Merged Uploads
It's an analogy. Human brains are more complex than paintings.
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Beware, poor communication skills. No offense intended. If offended, it just means that I failed my writing skill check. |
07-28-2017, 01:33 AM | #13 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Merged Uploads
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07-28-2017, 10:53 AM | #14 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Merged Uploads
It's a lot easier to download a database than to seamlessly merge two databases. Copying a database is pretty much only limited by data transfer speeds, even a fairly large database can probably be copied in under an hour. Merging two databases, assuming the databases do not have identical structure (which is likely the case for brains and brain emulation) requires analyzing both databases to find equivalencies and could easily require programmer-years for even a moderate size database.
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07-28-2017, 01:05 PM | #15 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Merged Uploads
A human mind is probably a lot more than a database. It's probably at least an OS and it might be a unique programming language.
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Fred Brackin |
07-28-2017, 02:10 PM | #16 |
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New England
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Re: Merged Uploads
Thank you all for your responses. I've since found this thread which discusses both sides of the issue. Why it didn't turn up in my earlier searches is beyond me. Anyway, my apologies for hauling out this dead horse for another beating.
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07-28-2017, 05:54 PM | #18 |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Merged Uploads
You have a cite for that?
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Fred Brackin |
07-28-2017, 06:04 PM | #19 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Merged Uploads
We know that it can be copied around, so it's not hardware; it's something interpretable. Other than that, the entire distinction between database and program is artificial (generally programs aren't self-modifying but they can be, and brains almost certainly are), and it can't be a programming language because a language is just the rules used to describe/interpret a program or database.
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07-30-2017, 10:25 AM | #20 | |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: Merged Uploads
Quote:
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Tags |
a.i, digital mind, science fiction, ths, xoxs |
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