Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,rec.arts.books,sci.bio,sci.philosophy.meta,sci.physics,sci.psychology,sci.skeptic,alt.consciousness
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!miner.usbm.gov!rsg1.er.usgs.gov!stc06.CTD.ORNL.GOV!fnnews.fnal.gov!uwm.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk!cc.ic.ac.uk!ic.ac.uk!zarasj
From: zarasj@ic.ac.uk (Dr S.J. Zara)
Subject: Re: John Mc Carthy's request re: Penrose (mechanisms for consciousness)
Message-ID: <1994Nov9.180226.20752@cc.ic.ac.uk>
Nntp-Posting-Host: chcgk.ch
Organization: Imperial College
References: <1994Oct31.133925@west.cscwc.pima.edu> <397hb5$7hp@ixnews1.ix.netcom.com> <CyxDyx.Ls5@beaux.atwc.teradyne.com>
Date: Wed, 9 Nov 94 18:02:26 GMT
Lines: 33
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.philosophy:21847 sci.bio:22960 sci.philosophy.meta:14616 sci.physics:99603 sci.psychology:29351 sci.skeptic:94732

In article <CyxDyx.Ls5@beaux.atwc.teradyne.com> pnorton@beaux.atwc.teradyne.com (Peter Norton) writes:
>Just to interject some irrelevance:
>
>Heard a lecture by Stuart Hamerhoff (sp?) last month at UCSF Medical College
>(sponsored by Bhaktivedanta Institute) on his microtubule/QM/consciousness
>theory.  I must say that IMHO there is the definite aroma of 'new science'
>percolating up from the old compost heap of suggestive hints and allusions.
>
>One interesting tidbit that struck me is the ballparking of the requisite
>bitrate to simulate consciousness.  Which goes something like (dont quote me):
>
>10^17 bits/sec  - classical estimate based on neurons/dendrites/firing rates.
>
>10^21 bits/sec  - adding the contribution of microtubule activity/structure
>
>10^??? bits/sec - adding the 'quantum parallelism' of the microtubule behavior
>
>Which throws a bit of a monkey ranch into the old projection for the
>feasibility of a Deutsch-o-puter by ca. 2020, maybe?
>
>It seems to say, that what would be simulated with a 10^17 bits/sec processor
>would be equivalent to the autonomic nervous system, i.e. unconscious?
>
>
>Cheers
>
OK - so you have got all those bits - can you imagine trying to *program*
that lot to be concious? :)

Regards

Steve Zara

