Re: [oc] Beyond Transmeta...

["Jim Dempsey" <tapedisk@ameritech.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lars Segerlund" <lars.segerlund@comsys.se>
To: <cores@opencores.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 13, 2003 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: [oc] Beyond Transmeta...


>
>   However the peanut thingy seems to be correct, I ate two peanuts, and
> my brain continued to work for two more hours ! ( seriously, this info
> is plain wrong ).
>

Errr... What are the chances that your boss is reading this message and now
knows what the bottom of your pay scale is? ;)

> >
> >>, the wrinkels on the human brain are
> >>cooling fins, and the brain has a rather elaborate cooling system, also
> >
> >
> > Thought the wrinkles on the brain was related to the wrinkles in the
> > forhead/face, but more distinct, due to its proximity. Theory;
> >
> > frequency * wavelength = speed in medium,
> >
> > hence if wavelength (standing wave) ~1cm and frequency 100Hz, the speed
in the
> > brain  would be around 1 meter per second, compared to the average
computer
> > at  200-300 million meters per second.
> >
>
>   This is roughly correct, the responce time of a brain is around 0.5 s
> in the best case,

I seem to recall, could be incorrectly, that the signal let's say from your
finger
to your spinal column travels at about 200 miles per hour or about 90m/s.
I don't know what the equivalent of a precharge time is for the axon and
ganglion
are but let's assume they halve the performance.

A baseball batter can hit a 100 miles per hour pitch. Although some
of the calculation for trajectory and swing can begin at wind-up the
critical
portion of the information for trajectory is likely not available until
halfway
to the plate. The batter has to commit
to the swing when the ball is near the halfway point too. I do not know
if actual measurements of brain activity was measured under these
circumstances
but I venture to guess that the final trajectory computations and swing
corrections
occur within 2 meters of flight time at mid point between the pitcher and
batter.
The 2 meters would also be close to the maximum signal path from the eyes
through the brain and down the spinal column. This would indicate that the
signal
cannot bounce around too much in the brain. Enough time for an in-and-out
and no time for any "talk" (thought).

I would guess that the 100Hz statement above is much lower than an actual
measurement.  The ear can hear at 20KHz and the brain can signal process
this
to determine the location of the sound. But your cognitive portion of these
calculations is unaware of the finer details of the calculation.

>   however it is good at hiding it's own fallancies.

At least the brain can imagine that it is hiding it's own fallacies.

Jim Dempsey

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