X-Message-Number: 7890 Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 09:05:04 -0800 (PST) From: Joseph Strout <> Subject: uploading terminology Let's define "uploading" as "the copying or transfer of a person from the natural biological substrate into a manufactured, artificial substrate." At least, this is what I mean when I use the term. Note that it does NOT specify that the artificial substrate is a digital computer! The difficulties of simulating complex, analog systems with a digital computer are well known. And computer technology proceeds too quickly for any of use today to see the future clearly. Analog VLSI? Optical computers? Quantum? Who knows? The point is, if we can emulate neurons at all (and we can, slowly with digital computers, or real-time through analog hardware), then we can in principle emulate an entire brain. This will be done using whatever clever hardware the engineers of the time have dreamt up; we are certain to be inaccurate in any predictions we make today. Note, too, that I'm not speaking of running myself a million times faster, or excising my emotions, or becoming One with the internet, or any such. I'm just talking about replacing the brain with an artificial one, and going about my normal everyday life. Enhancements will no doubt come, and there will surely be Extropians who perform experiments on themselves, but this is peripheral to the notion of uploading. It may perhaps be helpful to stay focussed on the real goal, i.e., avoiding unwanted death. ,------------------------------------------------------------------. | Joseph J. Strout Department of Neuroscience, UCSD | | http://www-acs.ucsd.edu/~jstrout/ | `------------------------------------------------------------------' Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=7890