“If the human brain is data being passed from neuron to neuron at its basic level and we can simulate that in a computer, shouldn’t a conscious mind start to emerge?” Not really: “The difference between simulated thinking and conscious thinking can be illustrated by thinking about the difference between a computer-simulated boat and a real one.”
Tag: 11.19.09
Artificial Feline Intelligence: IBM Simulates A Cat’s Brain
“IBM announced this week that it has a computer system that can simulate the thinking power of a cat’s brain with 1 billion neurons and 10 trillion synapses. At just 4.5 percent of a human brain, the computer can sense, perceive, act, interact and process ideas without consuming a lot [of] energy.”
Art Basel Miami Faces Chanes
Some “60 exhibitors from last year’s Art Basel Miami Beach are not returning, including Berlin’s Arndt & Partner, London galleries Waddington and Maureen Paley, and New York’s Per Skarstedt. Fair organiser have added 65 new exhibitors, including some who had previously been turned away. The 2009 edition now boasts 266 dealers from 33 countries. Another big change is the fair’s physical appearance…”
Hollywood’s Ten Most Overpaid Actors
Forbes has made a list based on studios’ return on investment.
Anti-Trust Concerns Delay Ambassador-Live Nation Merger
“Ambassador Theatre Group’s £90 million purchase of Live Nation’s UK theatres is being investigated by the [government’s] Office of Fair Trading, in a move that will prevent the two businesses being fully integrated until early 2010.”
Tchaikovsky’s Operatic Counterpart To Nutcracker
Director Francesca Zambello recounts the story (in both senses) of Cherevichki (a/k/a “The Tsarina’s Slippers”), Tchaikovsky’s only comic opera, which is based on a madcap Christmas Eve story by Nikolai Gogol. (Zambello is directing a new staging of the work at Covent Garden.)
How Will Religion Evolve? Maybe Into ‘The Church Of Green’
John Tierney: “Does religion have a future? Who looks more like an evolutionary dead end: the religious American or the agnostic European? Or will both give way to some sort of compromise? … One possibility that occurs to me is a version of environmentalism, but with better music and with rituals that are more elegant than sorting garbage.”
How Michael Moore’s Oscar Snub Makes People Happy
Patrick Goldstein: “Let’s be honest. Is there really anyone who is up in arms over Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story being left off the Academy’s 15-title short list for the best feature documentary? In fact, I would argue that when it comes to a snub of a much-ballyhooed film, the Academy has never managed to make more people happier.”
Better-Looking Athletes More Likely To Win
“Elite athletes distinguish themselves through hard work, grit and, most importantly, raw talent. However new research, along with a study conducted by New Scientist, points to another trait of the most accomplished jocks: a handsome face.” It seems that “the same genetic variations could influence both traits.”
Oprah To End Her Talk Show In 2011
“Oprah Winfrey plans to … retire the Chicago-based syndicated talk show that made her rich, famous and, if not a kingmaker, a maker of a media empire, several bestselling authors and perhaps even a U.S. President.” When her syndication contract ends in 2011, she will devote her energies to her new cable TV network.