RE: Logic + universal evolution

From: Lawrence DeBivort (debivort@umd5.umd.edu)
Date: Fri Aug 10 2001 - 21:53:23 BST

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From: "Lawrence DeBivort" <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Subject: RE: Logic + universal evolution
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 16:53:23 -0400
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    > > Obviously. The question is how the birds manage to maintain the right
    > > distance, particularly when the whole flock turns on a dime. Either
    > > the brain is running an incredbly elaborate motion program or the
    > > flock is a morphic field in which the birds are "particles." While
    > > the latter possibility might strike you as being "weird," the former
    > > possibility would require neural computing processes unimaginably more
    > > powerful and rapid than anything humans have ever devised.
    > >
    > No, just rapid reaction time, and the reaction times of birds, like
    > their heartbeats, are a lot faster than ours, crerating the illusion
    > that they are all changing direction at the same time when actually
    > there is a small reaction time involved.

    It may also be that:
    1) the birds communicate their intention before they execute their flock
    behavior
    2) they are each 'reading' the same external stimulus that causes the flock
    behavior, so they execute it together with little computational activity
    required for the coordination of the behavior.

    - Lawrence

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