Re: An Idea for new Mindstorms - event potential?

Justin wrote:

> A fly can land on the ceiling not
> because it is smart (it isn't), but because it's body is built such that the
> laws of physics themselves automate a process that would be prohibitively
> complex to compute, etc etc). 

Don't be too hard on the fly's brain.  A housefly has about a third of a
million neurons.

If you think of a neuron as being about the power of a transistor - then
there is a computer that's more complex than a 386 - but less complex than
a 486.

If you think of a neuron as being an entire logic gate (which is probably closer
to the truth), then the raw part count is about as powerful as an early Pentium.

Neurons are slower than computer logic gates - but that's more than compensated
for by the enormous degree of connectivity and parallelism in an animal brain.

Overall, a common housefly probably has more available compute power than
a modern desktop PC.

---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
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