News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on A single memory is stored across many connected brain regions. Parent comment

Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by IIAOPSW on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @07:56PM (#31255184)
This is quantum woo fueled neo cartesian dualist bullocks. Sorry not sorry. For starters, if events in space and any point in time are accessible as "memories", the laws of physics that enable that shouldn't constrain the only application to memory. The same physical mechanism would have to enable telepathy and even time travel. Secondly, it violates the whole "no hidden variables" results from recent Bell inequality QM experiments. Third of all, it requires long term stable room temperature entanglement basically everywhere (HAHAHA LOL NO). Fourth, it flies in the face of what we do know about how neurons compute things vis a vis signal spikes and activation potentials. Fifth, it fails to account for the numerous, reproducible experiments demonstrating the creation of erroneous memories made from whole cloth. Need I go on?

I can't believe this comment isn't buried. Its one thing to engage in a bit of rank speculation outside your specialty, but this is straight-up crackpot science.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by eyelidlessness on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @09:20PM (#31255721)
This would be a much more valuable and informative comment if it wasn’t so wrapped in self-aware rude delivery. Saying so as someone who is prone to make that mistake.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by IIAOPSW on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @10:32PM (#31256101)
Its one thing to make an honest mistake, its another thing to make half-baked conjectures about entire swaths of research fields where people have made careers and wrote full-baked PhD thesis's. Its frankly disrespectful to everyone's time when someone who hasn't even tried to be reasonably informed makes up some random explanation for everything and presents it as if their "insight" is worth anything whatsoever. My rudeness is on par and in response to rudeness. Failing to make bullshit feel unwelcome in the most uncertain terms is nothing more than an invitation for more bullshit.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by eyelidlessness on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @11:01PM (#31256270)
My entire point was that you’ll make more bullshit unwelcome, if you know better, by kindly inviting more well meaning bullshitters to reconsider their bullshit than by clobbering them. It’s not quite win flies with honey but it’s a narrower application of the same principle.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by wrycoder on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @11:19PM (#31256378)
I see no need to tolerate literally ignorant rambling at the expense of informed commentary.

If a site keeps doing that, competent people go elsewhere. Why is that post the top comment on an interesting paper from MIT?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by eyelidlessness on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @12:46AM (#31256866)
I see no need to tolerate ignorant non sequiturs but I’ll be kind in the spirit of my point and ask that you re-read my prior comments and hopefully understand that’s not what I’m suggesting.

Being inflexibly and uniformly critical of all ignorance also drives people off. And the direct subject to a reply isn’t always the most important audience. Sometimes you’re persuading people who are passively reading along. If that sounds absurd in this scenario, consider the number of times a gentler rebuttal in a discussion has given you pause to reconsider some foolish idea you hadn’t expressed. If you can’t think of one, you’re either an outlier genius or maybe overconfident and overcompensating.

Either way, most people aren’t dissuaded of their ignorance by being chastised for it. Speaking as someone who’s lost important friends learning that the hard way.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by wrycoder on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @12:12PM (#31262445)
You must be young.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by eyelidlessness on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @08:20PM (#31267728)
Okay I’m genuinely curious. Younger than…?
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by taosx on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @10:31PM (#31256099)
The value and information of @IIAOPSW comment is just gold when you compare it to the primary one. The delivery brings additional value corresponding to the absurdity of the post.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by mxmilkiib on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @07:57AM (#31259264)
Some times expressing left-field/weird artistic/speculative/magical thoughts acts like having a tattoo on your face, i.e., it makes condescending anti-social people more likely out theirselves, which can be both informative and entertaining.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by wrycoder on Tuesday May 03, 2022 @11:08PM (#31256313)
It’s hard to believe that fluff is the top rated comment.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:A single memory is stored across many connected brain reg... by SketchySeaBeast on Wednesday May 04, 2022 @10:14AM (#31260735)
Wait, it wasn't a tongue in cheek joke? Are people taking it seriously??? I thought HackerNews was enjoying a rare sense of humor.
[ Parent | on HN ]