Safe optimization

[Stephen J. Friedl]

In article <408 at proxftl.UUCP> bill at proxftl.UUCP (T. William Wells) writes:
< ... computers are discrete devices, the brain is (or at least might
< be) a continuous device.

In article <5368 at sdcrdcf.UUCP>, markb at sdcrdcf.UUCP (Mark Biggar) writes:
< I think that it is easy to demonstrate that the brain IS a discrete
< device.  Nerve impulses are transmitted across the synaptic gaps
< using certain neuro-transmitter molecules.  Since a fraction of a molecule
< is nonsence, the brain is a discrete device.  Given that electric changes
< and even energy are quantized, I am willing to take the position that
< all realizable material devices are discrete.  There are no such things
< as continuous devices (at least in this universe).

An anecdote along these lines:  A friend and I were talking about
hardware design.  I have a very informal background, and as such
am only really comfortable with building-block style digital
design.  My friend, who is an EE and uses analog a lot, says "If
you're good, everything is analog, but if you're *real* good,
everything is digital".

Steve :-) :-) :-) :-) 
-- 
Steve Friedl     V-Systems, Inc. (714) 545-6442     3B2-kind-of-guy
friedl at vsi.com     {backbones}!vsi.com!friedl    attmail!vsi!friedl
--------Nancy Reagan on Professor Chomsky: "Just say Noam" --------