The Limitations of Humans (Humans)

by xeno6696 , Sonoran Desert, Wednesday, December 07, 2011, 12:45 (4734 days ago) @ David Turell

David presents us all the time with optimistic appraisals of the power of the human brain.

Here's a counterpoint:

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/27379/?p1=blogs

This is the biggest pile of crap I've read recently:

'Gros and co put it like this: "The neuropsychological capacity of the human brain to process and record information may constitute the dominant limiting factor for the overall growth of globally stored information, with real-world economic constraints having only a negligible influence."' This is like the garbage Tony objects to.

They have no idea of the capacity of the human brain to absorb data and collate it. No one really knows. An IQ of 180 can absorb at an amazing rate, and the leadership of humanity is lead by folks like that. I have no idea what Einstein's IQ was or Richard Feynman for that matter. It doesn't take many savants to lead the world. Computer storage in infinite, but the human mind can collate and develop concepts that the comuter will never achieve, because computers will NEVER think like we do. They are not plastic enough.

You're forgetting an article I think you shared. It takes an equation of 1.5M terms to model a single cell.

What individual human has the capacity to be "plastic" enough to understand an equation with 1.5M variables? in data circles, they talk all the time about "data deluge." This is one example. How about social webs like facebook. the avg user has 200 friends. Can you fathom what that whole network of (1Bn users) looks like? I know I can't. And I study networks.

--
\"Why is it, Master, that ascetics fight with ascetics?\"

\"It is, brahmin, because of attachment to views, adherence to views, fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics.\"