Oh, and remind me to never draw stupid neuron branches one by one ever again.

never draw stupid neuron branches one by one ever again

actually, it's far more likely that we will evolve and re-engineer ourselves. we'll no longer be obsolete, but our selves as we know it won't exist. by the time all this stuff phases in, we won't even consider it out of the ordinary. but if we're just a huge mass of neural networks, who would want to rule the world anyway.

But we ARE a huge neural network, called 'brain'. And, no, it's not anywhere more likelly. It's like programming: it's much faster to write your own algorithm than trying to figure what someone else did (and, when last I checked, there were no comments in DNA). Even if we DID know exactly how DNA works, it'd still be a nightmare to reengineer ourselves, as each gene has more than one function... you'd need to re-structure everything... chaos.

Oh, and do I get the prize for scary-fiction-that-may-really-come-to-be-true or what? :)

I don't think we're a "huge" neural network. The brain is actually quite small and fragile, compared to the amount of computing that can be done with massive parrallel computing. There are some actual parrallel processing neural networks right now.

How is it that it's not likely that we'll re-engineer ourselves? We've already developed an artificial heart. We have artificial hips/bones. We have all kinds of transplants. I remember Marcello saying that the first tongue transplant just happened this summer. Anyway, it's a gradual process that i think can eventually turn into re-engineering the human body as we know it. Take the artificial heart for instance. If that thing is more reliable, consistent, and efficient, isn't that re-engineering? We don't have to deconstruct DNA to get there....

Anyway, an interesting read is The Age of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. More of the same stuff.

Oh, THAT kind of re-engineering? That's pretty easy... problem is modifying us so we'll change biologically... that is, become a new species, whose children will already be born modified. It is certainly possible, but very hard.

And our brain has 23 billion neurons (19 for females, whatever)... they all connect chaotically to each other... if that's not a huge neural network, I don't know what it is. And our current supercomputers can get as smart as a worm's brain (according to Universe in a Nutshell, I believe)... so unless you link all computers in the world, I doubt you'll get a human brain-mighty computer. ;)

Now, if we do it with neural networks... ooooh.
Or quantum processors... or both...

[And, yeah, first *successfull* tongue transplant happened this "summer" (for you northerns)]

heehee, I like the snowflake...*cough*

oO and this is why I dun like sci fi...

the first 'successful' tongue transplant happened this "winter" for you southerners...:P archy...but ...ew...someone else's tongue...grody...

"From Chaos is Born Order" Very cool picture, I think the rainbow snowflake effect is really cool! I Have to say though, in "Chaos", the symbol you used for H is actually G. H is two side by side lines, with two diagonal ones in the middle. almost like the Latin H.

oooo.... cool.... i luv da mask.... great colourz... and i luv the shinie red eyez... and symbolz... ^^

Jiah, I'm using Ultima runes; not Tolkien ones. :)
They are a slight variation of Tolkien's... I just never got around totally memorizing Tolkien's ones, and I had to memorize Ultima ones for the game, anyway. But, yeah, that's what they say.

good concept
[there is a semblance between this pic and HSWicon ]

wow this is great :3
good stuff :D *mwahahaa*