The Arachneuron

Letter to Cathy/Ralph:

I've coined a new term: the Arachneuron, which is a computer model of the human cerebral cortex (the thinking part of the brain). It consists of a dozen, or maybe a hundred, rack-mounted computers all networked together, and one of them is connected to the Internet. Each one has say 4 GB of RAM and 250 GB of disk space. If one computer costs $500, than the Arachneuron would cost $50,000, assuming it contains 100 computers.

The Arachneuron is initially not connected to the Internet in its training phase. It has to be educated, just like a human child. When ready, it's turned loose on the Internet. It then has access to every HTML page and every graphic file on the Internet. One or more of its component computers would specialize in visual processing, so it can analyze graphics and recognize objects contained in those graphics. It doesn't really need the ability to hear sounds, since you would communicate with it using a keyboard and mouse. So forget music and speech for now, in order to simplify things.

A book I read (more than once) about the brain, called On Intelligence, gave me a very rough outline of how the cerebral cortex works. My goal is to build on that foundation, in order to design the software which drives the Arachneuron.

In other developments, Arvin has given me the go-ahead to purchase a laptop (with my own money). This would enable me to work at home on Fridays, and only go in to the office on Mondays and Wednesdays. In the summer I will donate my car to http://www.teenchallenge.ca/ (assuming they will pick it up, which is what they said they do in their TV commercial). I will take public transportation to work from then on. Tomorrow I might buy a new couch, and have it delivered on Friday. Hypomania lives again! On the weekend I will work on JZoneGamer and/or the Arachneuron. Sound Times is going well: I was afraid that my regular customer, Abdul, had quit on me, but he showed up last week. So that job does not appear to be in imminent jeopardy. Happy Easter Monday, good will toward all men and women, and now for something completely and abruptly ended/concluded. Bye bye.

MH