2014 — 6 January: Monday
Hello, pension! About time, too.1
Breakfast...
... would be a good idea, if it wasn't quite so early. Still, at least I'm as wide-awake as I get, these days.
As I remarked in an email (in an ongoing series of exchanges that, in some senses, now dates back 39 years or so) to my ex-ICL brain-the-size-of-a-planet chum Ian over near Alton:
Doesn't stop the AI types predicting robot brains "real soon now" every 10 to 20 years. Oddly (or, perhaps, not — you be the judge) some of my thoughts were triggered by decisions and
choices revolving around my intended upgrade to my Blu-ray player later today. One option being whether or not to go with an additional layer of video signal processing supposedly modeled on
"years of research" into the human visual system...
White paper (PDF file)
What amazes me is the volume of neural processing (of which we're generally oblivious, of course) entailed in turning an incident image on the retina into a meaningful object within what I laughingly think of as my conscious brain.
This morning's planned excitement is a little expotition (featuring an elderly trio of retired gents) in search of that next lump of video technology, as mentioned yesterday. Let's hope the rain isn't too heavy. Driving in driving rain on a motorway isn't my favourite type of driving.
Considering that...
... I recently read (and shamelessly enjoyed) the book mentioned here that handily assigned several of the characters from "Pride and Prejudice" to what the (clinician and Janeite) author felt was their appropriate position on the autistic spectrum I had to wince (as well as grin — try it!) when I read this. Source and snippet:
It may be entertaining to note of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, that the former personifies Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahnman's "slow thinking" and the latter his "fast thinking." But you can actually find English professors giving priority of discovery of these two modes of cognition to Jane Austen. All too often what humanists really show when they do this is how little they understand the science.
Ouch!
How come I've missed this? (Link.)
Somewhat (much!) later...
The trio of adventurers has returned, one of them (me) clutching the new toy. It is installed, and behaving impeccably. In fact, it actually does away with the need for the dinky little Western Digital media streamer, which is another remote control gone :-)
Were Christa ever to...
... find out that the letter waiting for me from my bank today explained I had put too much money into my newest savings account... she might well die laughing.
We haven't deducted the interest you've earned on these funds while they've been in your Loyalty Saver account as you may have requested this transfer of funds by mistake.
No sh1t, Sherlock. I must have failed to read the small print (as usual).