Let it be noted, first, that real-world analog computing hardware today has pretty severe limitations due to practical aspects of the components.... These could be overcome thru sufficient R&D expenditure, I'm sure, but they're severe at present. Also, there are theoretical limits, due to quantum theory, on how powerful an analog computer can get before becoming a quantum computer...
The analog computers actually built and experimented with have been fairly low-precision due to practical factors, and I suspect could be simulated easily using today's digital computers. In theory, if there were no quantum effects and we lived in a classical-physics universe, an analog computer could do chaotic computations beyond the power of digital computers; but that's not our reality.... It seems possible that hybrid digital-analog computing could have some life to it -- maybe someone will launch an APU (Analog Processing Unit) card, similar to GPU cards today. That would be really cool for some applications, and could help with some AI algorithms. But, it's foolish to think analog computing would lead to some profound increase in intelligent capability beyond what we can get with digital computers... Quantum computing is a trickier story -- potentially that adds something really different. Femtoscale quantum gravity computing may add even more. However, I remain skeptical that such things are needed for human-level AGI... certainly current neuroscience does not support such notions. ben On Fri, Jun 29, 2012 at 4:58 AM, Mike Tintner <[email protected]>wrote: > ** > Abram:In what practical situations does it help to have an analog > computer?) > > All physical real world activities - all forms of **configuring** a body > to the objects of the world - handling objects, putting feet on terrains, > positioning bodies, embracing objects, lying on objects. All forms of > understanding other bodies' **configurations** - mirroring objects, animals > and humans. > > All physical real world perception - understanding and comparing the > irregular configurations of real world objects. > > All mental real world reasoning - all forms of thinking about real world > objects - science, technology, arts, history, business. etc - and > understanding the irregular configurations of real objects' activities. > > All forms of artificial world reasoning - geometry, maths, logic - all > symbols are figures and have first to be understood as figures/analogs/maps > - all abstract figures are ditto figures etc > > Basically all reasoning period. That's why current computer programs can't > reason about, and have no connection with the real world, period. They're > just electronic pulse pushers - they can't fit the pulses/symbols to the > real world - have no sense of "the shape of things" present or to come.. > > Apart from all this, it's true,, analog computers wouldn't be that useful. > > > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/212726-11ac2389> | > Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > -- Ben Goertzel, PhD http://goertzel.org "My humanity is a constant self-overcoming" -- Friedrich Nietzsche ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-c97d2393 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-2484a968 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
