Put together all the transistors in all the computers in the world and you have roughly 1,000 times as many connections as the human brain has synapses. Could they achieve something like the consciousness that the human brain has? A number of observers, including neuroscientist Christof Koch, argue that there’s no reason why not, “in principle.” Philosopher Massimo Pigliucci points out a great big flaw in that argument..
Author: Matthew Westphal
Danny Boyle On UK Culture Secretary: ‘Outrageous’
“Speaking after an event that brought together the heads of 23 of England’s leading regional theatres, [the acclaimed director] told The Guardian that the lack of attention to the arts shown by the culture secretary, Maria Miller, was ‘outrageous … This is cultural life of our country. She is the minister of fucking culture. I mean, come on’.”
Johannesburg Philharmonic On The Verge Of Collapse
“The Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra is playing its last two concerts of the year this week, and possibly its last ever. Mismanagement, lack of funding and dwindling audiences have laid waste to the company’s finances.”
Van Cliburn Foundation President Quits
“Alann Sampson, interim president and CEO of the Van Cliburn Foundation, abruptly resigned this week, the latest in a string of recent departures from the parent of the prestigious Cliburn International Piano Competition.”
Robert De Niro Thinks Critics Are Necessary
“What I say is, if you didn’t have critics – even though they can annoy you and upset you – if you didn’t have a critic, who would tell you how it is? Because people won’t tell you.”
Yet Another Theory About Why E-Readers Are Inferior To Books
Andrew Piper: “Reading isn’t only a matter of our brains; it’s something that we do with our bodies. … Unlike books, we cannot feel the impressions of the digital. The touch of the page brings us into the world, while the screen keeps us out.”
Hytner And Boyle Lead Directors In Warning That UK Theatres Are In Peril
“Artistic directors from the UK’s leading regional venues have joined with Olympic opening ceremony director Danny Boyle and National Theatre artistic director Nicholas Hytner to warn that Britain’s local theatres are facing a ‘very real’ threat to their futures.”
Ian McKellen Says Britain Can No Longer Produce Great Actors
“Britain will produce no more actors of the calibre of Dame Judi Dench or Sir Derek Jacobi because repertory theatre has died out, according to Sir Ian McKellen. Sir Ian said he would not have the career he has today without a grounding in regional rep … ‘The situation is desperate. There are no [resident] companies in this country’.”
Want People To Get The Message About The Dangers Of Smoking? Pictures Speak Louder Than Words
“That’s because, as new research demonstrates, seeing these images every time a person reaches for a pack is a more effective deterrent than a text-only warning. The research also indicates that the graphic warnings are especially powerful in discouraging low-health literacy populations from smoking- the one group in which smoking rates have remained stubbornly high over the past few decades.”
What Great Dead Choreographer Gave ‘Gangnam Style’ Some Moves?
Agnes de Mille.