Found a flaw!!!!

posted on August 22nd, 2010, 8:26 pm

Ok...Voyager....Season 3, Episode 23.  I just found a flaw...in all of Star Trek they talk about a trinary system of computing as their computers and in this episode the aliens are walking around voyager out of phase and they scanned the computer and go "as I suspected....simple binary system."  I just found it interesting.

Where is the Problem
Our brain is just a simple binary system in its main structure. And they use gelpacks with cells. So it would be very intresting if it was not binary.
The only difference is, that in the brain sometimes it matters how big the agitation is. So we are using something like a analog binary system.
But we make much out of it. For example how to to develop something our brain can't do.
Or inventing technobabble.

posted on August 22nd, 2010, 8:27 pm

Neurons are much, much slower than transistors  :sweatdrop:

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 7:07 am

Neurons are much, much slower than transistors  :sweatdrop:

Yes.
But a network of neuros is working in an different way then a network of transistors. Just try to build a computer with the capacity the brain of higher mammals has. Have fun

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 7:15 am

I believe that would require extremely accurate equipment to both generate the current, as well as design the transistor to utilize those specific amounts.

2013, the Analog Processor is due to be delivered to DARPA.  They're expecting within 5 years from that to have it on the civilian market as a PCI-e card that handles certain functions, freeing up a great deal of CPU and GPU load...all with a small amount of space and lower power drain.  (Instead of having to set 32+ switches to 'on' in order to say 0.9, instead it just sets one switch to 0.9.)

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 6:03 pm

Yes.
But a network of neuros is working in an different way then a network of transistors. Just try to build a computer with the capacity the brain of higher mammals has. Have fun

'We' are working to that - just requires more and more (you could equate some supercomputers with rats). Transitors can perform many more calculations per second than neurons which makes up for the lesser number of connections, but of course it will take more time to get up to a larger mammalian brain, though it will happen nonetheless. A neuron is only on or off as well - it is just how the connections work that is 'different'.

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 6:13 pm

A neuron can save up to 10 different activities which all interact with other neurons around. Two neurons can save 10^2 activities. Now take the number of neuron you have and wonder.

It is said, that a human brain could be able, to save every atom of this universe - and you still have space.

Now to the processing power: Neurons dont work like transistors. You have active materials, that speed up certain processes and walls, that block some processes. You can combine it, so you are able to raise a single finger instead of all together. Now you combine the parallel workstations there and get a thing, that is able to do incredible things - but over a time cause of training. In short: Your brain could surpass every supercomputer ever build, if trained in a certain way. But you have computers, because you can code a complex thing in no time and let it run.

For static things, the computer is better - for dynamic things the brain is better. There will go some time until we manage to teach a computer something like creativity or problem solving abilities.

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 6:36 pm

I think you best save your conversation for a neuroscientist if you want to get into the nitty-gritty, but your explanation is not quite accurate. There is no way to determine the capacity of a brain accurately to even an order of magnitude. Saying "A neuron can save up to 10 different activities which all interact with other neurons around. Two neurons can save 10^2 activities. Now take the number of neuron you have and wonder" is just stuff that people wish to be accurate, and cannot even be known right now because our understanding of neurons is quite too limited. It is just done by saying "such and such neuron has this activity and since there are probably this many neurons, we will just multiply the two". It's not scientific - just another statement like "silk from one spider can stretch to the moon and back".

Neurons and transistors both are on or off - you can block transistors with "active materials" (whatever you mean by that). The difference lies in the number of connections made between transistors, and the number made by neurons.

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 8:41 pm

I just always loved how the gel packs would always stop working because of a virus or some other crazy thing.

"Yeah, I don't feel like processing any information today .  I'm calling in sick.

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 10:27 pm

well from wat i know a neuron is a small but concentrated amount of information or sensation that gets transmitted to be understood by ur brain,as with all of the world understanding is key,the one thing we all shud search for,

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 10:31 pm

I'm almsot worried about asking, but does this count as on or off topic?

posted on August 23rd, 2010, 11:27 pm

Hehe:
Writers! We all know that organic beats "man made" metal things right?
Right!
So what can we make sound futuristic AND allow us to replace those clunky obviously stupid man-made metal computers in TNG?
I know.... Gel packs! Futuristic, right... right?
Sure!
Wait, organic things get sick right?

Here's to the writers and directors of Voyager not understanding the difference between biological and organic, between virus and bacteria, and between one day and the next 

Guess what guys!? My computer just contracted a virus cuz it's made out of organic materials. Who woulda thunk that plastic could get sick? 

well from wat i know a neuron is a small but concentrated amount of information or sensation that gets transmitted to be understood by ur brain,as with all of the world understanding is key,the one thing we all shud search for,

Time to crack open the biology book then my friend (no offense meant)

posted on August 24th, 2010, 3:36 pm

i do seriosly wonder how they gonna check what a neuron can do ...

posted on August 25th, 2010, 3:34 pm

I'm almsot worried about asking, but does this count as on or off topic?

Off-topic in FO threads? That's seems to happen as much as jaywalking in a city with no crosswalks.

posted on October 5th, 2010, 6:46 am

ok people ....u seem to have missed the point of what i ment ........what i mean is in the far future if you had the tech..... would it not make sence to build a super computer like the ones in startrek and moddle in on the best organic computer and improve upon it .

posted on October 5th, 2010, 7:02 am

We dont even need the very complex topic of organic matter in order to achieve non-binary processors. A quantum computer, for example, works with more then 2 states too. And logical Qubit gates do even exist nowerdays and research goes on (although dont expect quantum processors to become main stream or even industrial standard during your lifetime). The power of digital processing is - quite similar to organic processing - also tied to its software and infrastructure, which would have to be developed again from skretch. And who wants to turn the internet off a year or two