Newsgroups: comp.ai,comp.ai.philosophy,alt.consciousness,comp.ai.alife
From: Chris@smithg.demon.co.uk (Chris Gordon-Smith)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!pipex!peernews.demon.co.uk!smithg.demon.co.uk!Chris
Subject: Re: Computers--Next stage in evolution? Hmmmmmm.....
References: <797026575snz@smithg.demon.co.uk> <D6KtDM.FxC@intruder.daytonoh.attgis.com>
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Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 21:53:04 +0000
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In article <D6KtDM.FxC@intruder.daytonoh.attgis.com>
           David.E.Weldon@DaytonOH.ATTGIS.COM "David E. Weldon, Ph.D." writes:
> 
> Ok.  How about this.  The brain processes primarily analog signals.  Digital
> signals are used to get information from the sense organs because a digitized
> signal, properly repeated and amplified over the transmission path, loses very
> little information compared to an analog signal (otherwise AT&T would not have
> spent all that money upgrading the long lines from analog to digital. 
> However, when the digital pulses reach the brain, there is all sorts of analog
> activity including varying level DC, sawtooth signals and various types of
> sinusoids.  If these signals are the stuff of information processing in the
> brain, then it is incombant on AI researchers to show how a two-level logic
> machine can model the analog processes in the brain.

An answer that springs to mind is that computers are only two level logic 
machines if you view them at the lowest single bit level. A thirty-two bit 
word  can act as a pretty good approximation to an analogue value.

In any case, if it were thought that there was something fundamental about the 
analogue nature of life which could not be reproduced digitally, then the 
obvious answer would be for AI / Alife researchers to start building analogue 
computers (remember them?).

I am inclined to think that however closely we manage to reproduce the physical 
processes of life, there will be people who are reluctant to accept that it is 
'real' life. 

Regards

Chris Gordon-Smith
London UK
chris@smithg.demon.co.uk
