From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!nic.umass.edu!dime!connolly Tue Nov 24 10:52:19 EST 1992
Article 7665 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: connolly@piglet.cs.umass.edu (Christopher Ian Connolly)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: grounding and the entity/environment boundary
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Date: 16 Nov 92 22:20:58 GMT
References: <1992Oct28.204758.5078@spss.com> <1992Oct29.165538.137829@Cookie.secapl.com> <1992Oct30.183122.7795@spss.com> <1992Nov10.020502.116627@Cookie.secapl.com>
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In article <1992Nov10.020502.116627@Cookie.secapl.com>, frank@Cookie.secapl.com (Frank Adams) writes:
> There is one way in our technology already greatly outstrips the brain: the
> speed at which signals propogate.  I see no reason to think we cannot at
> least equal its performance in other areas without giving up this advantage.

Are you considering gap junctions as well as chemical synapses?  Gap junctions allow ions 
and small molecules to flow between coupled cells.  They provide a direct electrical 
coupling between neurons, and appear in a number of places in the CNS (see, e.g. Principles
of Neural Science, Kandel, Schwartz & Jessell).  Granted, CMOS is probably "faster" than 
cytoplasm, but I  wouldn't say our technology greatly outstrips this aspect of cellular
communication.

	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Christopher Ian Connolly			connolly@cs.umass.edu
Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics		wa2ifi
University of Massachusetts at Amherst		Amherst, MA 01003
-- 
	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Christopher Ian Connolly			connolly@cs.umass.edu
Laboratory for Perceptual Robotics		wa2ifi
University of Massachusetts at Amherst		Amherst, MA 01003


