Mike, I have programmed a variety of patch-wire computers, including:
1. Analog computers like the TR-20. 2. Electromechanical accounting machines, like the IBM-407. With a ~40Hz clock, these were fast enough to do the billings for large utility companies. 3. Hybrid digital computers like the IBM-650, where the I/O formatting was patch wired, while the computing was done with conventional sequential programming (if you consider bi-quinary arithmetic to be "conventional"). Once you get your brain wrapped around doing things in parallel, patch wired systems become MORE intuitive than sequential programming. There are some subtle new problems, e.g. you can't relate two things together unless they arrive to where they are to be related at exactly the SAME time. Continuing... On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 2:10 AM, Mike Tintner <[email protected]>wrote: > Well – as a non-techie – I like the idea of just “changing a few > wires” – could that be what the brain is doing in its processing? > That is my own best guess. > And can you adapt this approach to visual processing – filtering/reducing > the visual signal in successive stages, so it becomes an outline, and > finally abstract? > I don't see why not. The ***BIG*** challenge to making this (and all other things AGI) work is in figuring out how connections are "figured out" and established by individual neurons that can NOT see the whole picture, have no "concept" of "engineering", etc. I suspect that there is some relatively (to what? I don't know) simple algorithm for establishing and adjusting connections. Until this is figured out, all efforts to build an AGI are a complete waste of time, because everything will be discarded once the system can wire itself as needed. Note that "connections" may be rather complex, e.g. involve integration or differentiation and who knows what else. I suspect that once an understanding emerges, that there will be several parameters that come out of this process, e.g. one of which determines the synaptic efficacy, another determines differentiation, etc. Perhaps the reason that it isn't obvious is because it is a group of methods rather than a single method? *Story:* In ~1966 while working on maintaining the Direct Coupled IBM 7094/7040 mainframe system at the University of Washington, we were apparently down to the very LAST bug in the operating system, which was what we now call a "heizenbug" (randomly occurring). I called an extended lunch meeting NOT to discuss the bug, which had already been "discussed to death", but rather to discuss how ANY bug could possibly elude our very expert staff. Over the course of ~2 hours various people advanced possibilities, most of which were quickly shot down by someone else. Eventually a viable "proposal" emerged, where something random like an I/O error could occur in flawed non-resident code, only to have the code discarded and overlaid by the time the entire system crashed, leaving no trace in the memory dump of what went wrong. The bug was then found in ~2 hours, before the end of that day, and was exactly where it was hypothesized to be. *I think it possible that a similar discussion might be fruitful here on the AGI forum. How is it possible that an apparently simple wiring methodology has eluded generations of really smart people? * I'll start the discussion out with my own pet theory: I think that neurons work with the real-time shapes of waveforms, precise temporal relationships, etc., and NOT (much) with the "logic" of things as everyone has previously presumed. This is implicit in my noting that real-world neurons appear to be working with dP/dt signals rather than simple probabilities, and switching to dP/dt representation implements temporal learning with NO additional functionality needed. One thing my glaucoma cure has shown is that everything is driven by utilization. By putting a little masking tape on one lens of my glasses (now replaced with cute little a simulated diamond), I have not only brought neurons in the OTHER eye back to life, but increased the SIZES of the arteries and veins feeding them. Another thing: Vision is not one big homogeneous array. Instead, there is a tiny high-resolution center (the fovea), another area extending ~20 degrees from center that sees larger details, and the rest of the visual field is motion-sensitive peripheral vision. I suspect that there is good reason for chopping things up this way, e.g. really complex vision probably doesn't work near boundaries. Steve ================ > *From:* Steve Richfield <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Monday, October 01, 2012 10:22 PM > *To:* AGI <[email protected]> > *Subject:* [agi] I just bought a GP-6 analog computer... > > Hi all, > > I was about to start work on a signal processing project to transform > sounds that are above the range of hearing into like sounds that are within > the range of hearing. This would serve as a hearing aid, but MUCH better > because ordinary hearing aids CAUSE hearing damage by pelting you with > amplified sound. The final product would be something you wear or keep in > your shirt pocket, that adds to sounds that you hear directly with your > ears. > > So, where could I find a computer that is perfectly adapted to audio > frequency signal processing. OF COURSE, an antique analog computer, where > with a few wires I can change things MUCH faster than you could ever > re-engineer signal processing code. Further, there is no sampling or > quantization noise, or other artifacts of digital implementations. > > This computer is a gorgeous piece of antiquity, highlighted by its very > retro Nixie tube voltmeter display. > > Technology marches on - but backwards. > > Any thoughts? > > Steve > > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/6952829-59a2eca5> | > Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10443978-6f4c28ac> | > Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>Your Subscription > <http://www.listbox.com> > -- Full employment can be had with the stoke of a pen. Simply institute a six hour workday. 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