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by Jay Ingram with David NewlandRecent podcasts
JITOTM43: Eyes and Mind
09/08/2007
You know that whirring sound your hard drive makes when it's working on a big application? What if REM - rapid eye movement, which normally signifies dreaming - is actually a sign your brain is "chugging" when it's writing to memory? The suggestion is that you might be dreaming all night long; it's just that you can only remember dreams that happen during REM sleep - because any other dreams you might have just don't 'stick'. It's a wacky, unsubstantiated theory from a certain podcaster who admits to knowing nothing about it, but it makes for a good discussion. One that includes winking, blinking, darting, RAM, ROM, dreams, long-term memory, memorizing multiple decks of cards, solving Rubik's cube blindfolded... The usual good stuff, in other words. You'll be blinking along to the conversation in this week's edition of JITOTM, Eyes and Mind.
JITOTM42: Consciousness Questions
28/07/2007
It's one of our favourite things to do, but let's face it, we don't do it enough. The comments and emails from listeners are always often intriguing, sometimes inspiring, and always interesting. We took a few moments on a summer's afternoon to discuss the consciousness of twins, the power of neural marketing, the Pepsi challenge, Jay's multiple trips to the MRI in the cause of science... It's a little random and at times, lofty - fundamental disconnect between human consciousness and nature, anyone? - but it's a whole lot of fun. Whether you're being complimentary, confusing, supportive, or argumentative... we're listening, and we love it. Especially when we get to sing heavy metal riffs to cure your earworms: You have to hear it to believe it... dear listeners, these are your Consciousness Questions. Enjoy!
JITOTM41: Simulated Consciousness
13/06/2007
It's the year 2030, and Moore's Law still holds true: in fact, computers have become so sophisticated that it is now possible to simulate human consciousness perfectly. So perfectly, that it's indistinguishable from the real thing. Thus, it's possible, by inputting really rich data, to simulate a past environment in complete detail, effectively endowing sim-like characters with their own consciousness. That's the sort of scenario envisioned by philosopher Nick Bostrum. Cool stuff, eh? Now... suppose someone simulates, say, the month of June, 2007? Suppose they create a couple of characters called "Jay" and "David." Suppose those two characters have a simulated discussion, using their carefully crafted artificial intelligence to optimum effect... Just how, exactly, will you, the listener, know whether this is the real deal, or not? That's the question in this episode of JITOTM, Simulated Consciousness. Trust us if you dare!
JITOTM40: Earworms and other Oddities
09/04/2007
Remember earworms? Of course you do - that's the problem. Earworms are those little phrases of songs that you just can't get out of your head. There's not a whole lot of research out there on earworms, but some findings suggest that unusual rhythms and odd melodic twists - like lack of resolution - may make them more memorable. That's how it works with audio cues, anyway. We've talked about them before. But what about visual memories? And smells, tastes, and touch sensations? Is there such a thing as an "eyeworm?" We have no clue... But come on in, the speculation's fine in this week's episode of JITOTM, Earworms and Other Oddities.
JITOTM39: Cell Phone Consciousness
25/03/2007
You can walk and chew gum at the same time. You can also sing and play guitar at the same time, or at least some people can. But can you write and watch the hockey game at the same time? "Multi-taskers" would say yes... Jay says, maybe not. But then, Jay's not a big believer in multi-tasking period. Multi-tasking is a challenging subject to talk about. The topic is rife with speculation, much of which is based on data collected from one of the most common attempts at multi-tasking: driving while talking on the cell phone. What's the difference between talking to a friend on the phone, and a talking to a passenger next to you? We don't know, but we're asking good questions in this week's episode of JITOTM, Cell Phone Consciousness. Enjoy.
