[MURG] Re: MURG digest, Vol 1 #151 - 2 msgs

[Ed Minchau]

 --- king-yin yan <y.k.y at lycos.com> wrote: 
<snikt>
> 
> The worm project is good for learning. But it's not
> a good experiment
> since it doesn't aim at revealing something
> mysterious. It's more like an
> exercise where you already know the answer
> beforehand...
> Maybe there're some better alternatives.
> 
> YKY
> 
> 

Wtih the c. elegans project, we want to see if we can
reproduce the behaviour of the worm with an artificial
neural net.  The degree to which the artificial brain
reproduces the behaviour of the original tells us
exactly how much we know about uploading, and what
sorts of things we have to learn.

It's fine to talk about uploading Sparky the
Wonderdog, but until it gets done with simpler
animals, we will not know what the results would be
beforehand.  There may be some crucial piece of
information about the way the brain works that we are
missing with our pet uploads, and Sparky could become
Cujo.

The c. elegans experiment should be done because it
provides a benchmark and a direction for future
experiments.  After c. elegans, go with more and more
complex creatures: insects, amphibians, reptiles,
birds, and then mammals.  Work from mice to rats to
larger animals (this is where Sparky comes in), then
primates and ultimately humans.

:) ed

______________________________________________________________________ 
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca