Lawrence M. Schoen

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• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  ghItlh DeMarquis: could you "roll back" the simulacrum to an earlier point in the original's life? Those old activation patterns are still in there, somewhere. Could we run them back to early childhood, then simulate different experiences to find out...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  Okay, coming up for a breath before going back to work (yes, even on New Year's Eve, can you believe it?). I just wanted to say, I wish I had you folks to bounce ideas off of when I was...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  ghItlh CatinaDiamond: As a CP [no, chans, not that], do you apply hierarchy to said states? Which "states" are you referring to here? And what system of hierarchy are you looking for? I'll take a stab at an answer (though...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  ghItlh Jay: All the author really had to say was four words: "I see dead people". The readers who are willing to follow the conceit are on board, and the others know enough to stop reading. I don't really see...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  ghItlh Alex: When the nefshons are collected, how is the set from one mind kept separated from anothers, so that only one mind is interacted with, not some sort of composite or multiple mind construct? If the idea of nefshon...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  CatinaDiamond, we clearly have a problem when you say "two questions" and then proceed to ask at least six (amidst lots of other confusing bits). While my math may be terrible (as compared to members of this audience) I do...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  As I was sharing some of the comments here with my wife, she reminded me that the blog post doesn't include mention of a factor that is made very clear in the book (and which might address some of the...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  You'd need a physical system with at least the complexity of a human body to emulate personality. I agree. But then, that's what the network of nefshons is providing, albeit at a much smaller level. Two points to consider (over...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  JamesPadraicR, to further tempt/taunt you, I'll point out that my protagonist has been marked by his people with a bio-luminescent tattoo that just happens to be the shape of an Aleph....
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  . But either way, probably worth a read because hypnotists and aliens, oh my! Hey, Agent 0090, I need to correct you slightly. The line "a stage hypnotist performing for aliens" refers to a different series of short stories and...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  Yes, the "mind", "awareness", "thinking", "consciousness" etc. being emergent properties is the most plausible solution, but that most definitely does not imply any form of continuation after death. You're absolutely right, Elderly Cynic, the one does not lead to the...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  My Hebrew skills are long buried, both by time and the strata of too many other languages, but I'm guessing yours are much better and you've spotted an Easter Egg of sorts. Keep in mind that I started writing Barsk...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  what about the point raised elsewhere that mind appears to arise out of your body, not just out of your brain — someone suffering severe hunger, thirst or withdrawal symptoms may be less rational than a pure brain model...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  Our personality is influenced by stuff outside the brain such as hormones or even the food we eat. Well, yes and no. Everything we know of the external world is bottom-up processing comes to our via our sensorium, which...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  Well, yeah, I do answer this question in the novel. But to be fair, it's one I wrestled with for quite some time, before I had an answer which then shaped events in the book. And thank you. :)...
• Commented on Repurposing Memory
  Alas, I'm not a physicist, so I'm not clear on how you feel I'm cheating thermodynamics (which is not to say that I'm not, just that I don't see it), or by which aspect of nefshons....
• Posted Repurposing Memory to Charlie's Diary
  Once upon a time, Dr. Wilder Penfield happened to cut open a patient's head and poked a part of his brain, which in turn caused the fellow to mutter something about seeing his grandmother (long dead) coming towards him with...
• Commented on Introducing new guest blogger: Lawrence M. Schoen
  We're all wired in basically the same way, and I suspect that there's no shortage of either authors or athletes who are the root of their issues. The good news is, as Erickson argued, each of us possesses the resources...
• Commented on Introducing new guest blogger: Lawrence M. Schoen
  Thanks, DeMarquis. A pleasure to be here....
• Posted Introducing new guest blogger: Lawrence M. Schoen to Charlie's Diary
  ghItlhlu'meH QaQ DaHjaj! Hi there, I'm Lawrence M. Schoen, and yes, the title above is in Klingon. It loosely translates as "Today is a good day to write." I mention this because Charlie has generously invited me to post here...