[MURG] Future of MURG (re Joe)

[Yan King Yin]

From: "Joseph J. Strout" <joe at strout.net>

>At 12:40 PM +0100 11/5/03, Eugen Leitl wrote:
>>Starting with a simple target _is_ systematic treatment. Theory doesn't help
>>if you're trying to develop scanning automation. You need engineers, not
>>scientists for that.
>
>For what it's worth, I think Eugene's point here is right on.  The 
>most important development that could occur for uploading this stage 
>is automation of the sectioning & scanning process.  Right now, for 
>example, the sectioning requires hours of labor of a highly skilled 
>ultramicrotomist; then the microscopy must be done by a skilled 
>electron microscopist (though good steps are already being taken to 
>automate that part).

I agree the scanning is of fundamental importance. But you don't
seem to be very interested in working towards whole brain emulation
and the basic neuroscience involved. My point is that the whole
package of functionally equivalent neuroprosthesis would be MUCH
more profitable than all other intermediate subgoals. So maybe we
should try to exploit that potential profit. If you don't do that,
you'll miss out on a potentially faster route.

>An automated sectioner and scanner would have enormous applications 
>throughout biology.  But it's a very difficult job, requiring MEMS 
>(though thankfully not nanotech), and even with all the bio 
>applications, it's a fairly small market.  I doubt you could make 
>much of a profit on it, or at least, it'd be hard to convince 
>investors (or boards of directors) that you could.  So, unless we 
>have a windfall, we'll have to be patient and wait for market forces 
>to get us there step by step.

Exactly, most investors won't invest in scanners, even though
that technology will make a lot of other things possible. Those
other things are remote in the future. So I'm saying we find a
way to give researchers tokens for their work such that, when
those clinical applications becomes feasible, they will be
financially rewarded. The way this will work, we only need to
convince researchers to invest in these tokens first, and then
the professional investors will handle the rest when this thing
grows.

YKY


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