Ah Nick, because they finely tune the carrier wave (that which you perceive as neural noise) in such a way that my quantum signal, being the delicate creature it is, can survive multiple synaptic shocks as it moves from neuron to neuron — the way you would want a well padded barrel when going over Niagara Falls.
davew (I assume you are wearing your hip boots as standard gear in the MIB.) On Mon, Jun 24, 2019, at 4:10 PM, Nick Thompson wrote: > David, > > I will see your "bushwash" and raise you a hornswaggle. > > Why, my feathered friend, if quantum accuracy is so important, do you > wear your retina backwards? Why do you see through your ganglion > cells. > > Nick > > Nicholas S. Thompson > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology > Clark University > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Friam [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Prof David West > Sent: Monday, June 24, 2019 4:24 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] sensitive, aren't we? > > Nick said: > "I was taught this fascinating trope in graduate school... yes, THAT > long ago. There is a second shoe, however. Yes the retina (cochlea, > etc.) is that sensitive BUT the neural noise is much louder than that. > > So ... I think this is the right language ... even though the elements > are sensitive to the smallest stimuli possible, the whole system > cannot resolve stimuli that small ... anywhere near." > > Not to impugn your professors, but bushwah! > > To make an analogy: the "neural noise" is akin to "junk DNA" just > because they had not figured out what signals existed within the noise > and how they were transmitted and received does not mean lost signal. > > While "the system" seldom makes the effort to resolve at quanta scale > does not mean that it cannot. (Why it seldom does is whole 'nuther > thread.) > > But, assuming your professors were correct, would it be permissible to > ask why the organism evolved the sensitivity only to evolve the > blockade? Or, having evolved the blockade why then evolve the > sensitivity? Where is the competitive advantage in having either the > sensitivity or the blockade? Or, do such questions tend not to > edification? > > I have seen the angels dancing on the head of the pin, so I know it can > be done. Have also consorted with others, directly or intermediated by > words, who can say, and demonstrate, the same. > > davew > > > On Fri, Jun 21, 2019, at 4:32 PM, Nick Thompson wrote: > > David, > > > > Can somebody forward this on to Mike Daly, whose email I can NEVER recover? > > > > I was taught this fascinating trope in graduate school... yes, THAT > > long ago. There is a second shoe, however. Yes the retina (cochlea, > > etc.) is that sensitive BUT the neural noise is much louder than that. > > So ... I think this is the right language ... even though the elements > > are sensitive to the smallest stimuli possible, the whole system cannot > > resolve stimuli that small ... anywhere near. To do what it does, it > > needs to weed out its own noise. So accuracy in vision is not a > > question of accuracy of the elements, but of the ingenuity of > > construction. Note, for instance that we wear our retinas "backwards": > > we actually see THOUGH the many layers of the retina because the light > > sensitive elements ... the rods and cones ... are at the back of the > > retina. So all that sensitivity of light sensing elements is rudely > > cast away in the organization of the retina. It's like we are a > > football players who wear our jerseys inside out but boast about the > > precision, detail, and color of our logos. > > > > > > Hope you are well. Where are you well? > > > > All my Peirce books were lost in the mail coming here, so I have been > > focusing on my garden. Mild, calm June. May be the best garden ever. > > But my mind? Not so sure about that. > > > > Nick > > > > Nicholas S. Thompson > > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University > > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Friam [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Prof David > > West > > Sent: Friday, June 21, 2019 4:15 AM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [FRIAM] sensitive, aren't we? > > > > Doing some reading on quantum consciousness and embodied mind and came > > across these items: > > > > > > https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-human-eye-could-help-te > > st-quantum-mechanics/ > > > > https://www.nature.com/news/people-can-sense-single-photons-1.20282 > > > > (A Rebecca Holmes from Los Alamos Natl. Labs is part of the Scientific > > American reported research.) > > > > not only can the human eye perceive individual photons (and perhaps > > quanta level phenomena) "The healthy human cochlea is so sensitive > > that it can detect vibration with amplitude less than the diameter of > > an atom, and it can resolve time intervals down to 10µs [i.e., > > microseconds, or millionths of a second]. It has been calculated that > > the human ear detects energy levels 10- fold lower than the energy of > > a single photon in the green wavelength…” Regarding human tactile and > > related senses (haptic, proprioceptive), it has recently been > > determined that “human tactile discrimination extends to the nanoscale > > [ie, within billionths of a meter],” this research having been > > published in the journal, Scientific Reports (Skedung et al 2013)" > > > > interesting stuff > > dave west > > > > > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe > > at St. John's College to unsubscribe > > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove > > > > > > ============================================================ > > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe > > at St. John's College to unsubscribe > > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > > archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove > > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe > http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com archives back to 2003: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
