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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: December 18th, 2023

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  • a prefrontal cortex, the administrative center of the brain and generally host to human consciousness.

    That’s an interesting take. The prefrontal cortex in humans is proportionately larger than in other mammals. Is it implied that animals are not conscious on account of this difference?

    If so, what about people who never develop an identifiable prefrontal cortex? I guess, we could assume that a sufficient cortex is still there, though not identifiable. But what about people who suffer extensive damage to that part of the brain. Can one lose consciousness without, as it were, losing consciousness (ie becoming comatose in some way)?

    a dedicated module for consciousness would bridge the gap

    What functions would such a module need to perform? What tests would verify that the module works correctly and actually provides consciousness to the system?







  • Maniac: [Maniac has just been shunned by a woman in the bar] I guess women out here on the edge of nowhere can’t appreciate a civilised man.

    Blair: Sure they do. When they meet one.

    Maniac: Good to see you too, Colonel, or should I say Farmer Blair? Glad you could fit me into your busy schedule.

    Blair: It’s a peaceful life.

    Maniac: I’ve always said you’re either an earthworm or an eagle.

    Wait… Wing commander did it first? It’s originally a Mark Hamill meme?


















  • It looks like an emperor’s new clothes scenario to me. People agree with each other that the US should manufacture more because they have picked up that that’s the respectable answer; not because they see any actual sense in it.

    Or maybe it’s some sort of nostalgia. I guess people used to say that more people should work in agriculture, because that was somehow their idea of a proper, wholesome country.

    People who play medievalist games somehow never pretend to be serfs or farm-hands.

    There are a few areas where you would want manufacturing in the country. Defense, some medical supplies, … Just in case things go bad, you’d want some capacity, some expertise in the country to be less dependent. You’d spend extra resources just in case, just to be safe. But it’s never a rational end in itself.



  • …as a drunken man uses lamp posts — for support rather than illumination.

    The question makes me remember Daryl Bem, a celebrated social psychologist. He published a much cited article called “Writing the Empirical Journal Article”. About 15 years ago, he used this advice to prove that humans can see into the future. His advice is probably still used to teach. That’s probably the worst thing you can do.