Complete control over Brain Functions...

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
People can already be trained to have extremely good recall, so I would say it's a total pipe dream.

Though, normal people are going to fall on a continuum of recall ability that is normally distributed, people who seem to be "idiot savants" would be at least several standard deviations from the mean ability, out where there is almost no probability.

What I mean is that there is likely a dichotomy between memory ability that makes the type of skilled recall you are talking about of a different sort than the type of recall being discussed in the thread.

I'd have to agree (all be it, with a little hesetation) with omgchos that "rain man" type perceptual/memory/pattern - recognition "abilities" would almost certainly come with a decline in other areas. At the very least, such a memory system would alter the way this individual learns and develops at a neuronal level compared to others, simply because of how far from the norm they are in terms of memory ability. Its the same way someone who had an IQ of 200 would probably also test positive for some other "abnormal" cognitive abilities. (to point out, in some cases, like the man who can calculate calandar days from years and years ago, this would be hundreds, if not thousands of standard deviations from the mean. This would be like someone who had an IQ in the thousands or tens of thousands)

Control your orgasms. There, i said it.

Originally posted by Mairuzu
Control your orgasms. There, i said it.

Anyone who could do that would die; happy, but dead.

Originally posted by inimalist
Though, normal people are going to fall on a continuum of recall ability that is normally distributed, people who seem to be "idiot savants" would be at least several standard deviations from the mean ability, out where there is almost no probability.

What I mean is that there is likely a dichotomy between memory ability that makes the type of skilled recall you are talking about of a different sort than the type of recall being discussed in the thread.

I'd have to agree (all be it, with a little hesetation) with omgchos that "rain man" type perceptual/memory/pattern - recognition "abilities" would almost certainly come with a decline in other areas. At the very least, such a memory system would alter the way this individual learns and develops at a neuronal level compared to others, simply because of how far from the norm they are in terms of memory ability. Its the same way someone who had an IQ of 200 would probably also test positive for some other "abnormal" cognitive abilities. (to point out, in some cases, like the man who can calculate calandar days from years and years ago, this would be hundreds, if not thousands of standard deviations from the mean. This would be like someone who had an IQ in the thousands or tens of thousands)

You can have a better memory than you'll ever need without getting into "Rain Man" levels. Surely you could modify the brain to give you a better memory more easily than to give perfect recall.

Originally posted by Mairuzu
Control your orgasms. There, i said it.

Thus ending civilization entirely.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
You can have a better memory than you'll ever need without getting into "Rain Man" levels. Surely you could modify the brain to give you a better memory more easily than to give perfect recall.

well, that is a matter of need

save carnival tricks, no, you probably never need more memory than even those who have poor memory, and with training, you might get better at certain types of memory, but there would be a plateau. Attention can be trained, but I'm sure it would still be a limit to how good your memory is in practice.

I don't think the gains you would see from that type of training, however, would come close to representing what is meant by "control all brain functions". Being able to remember 10 vs 7 "chunks" doesn't have a whole lot of practical use unless it is a skill you use often (meaning you are probably trained already), and while it might be a statistically significant difference, its not hugely impressive.

I think Juken means controlling the brain, neurologically. AKA, matrix type of stuff, except on a different more realistic level.

Indeed, you could compare it to a perfect illusionist' ability or something like that.

Sym.C. Came the closest, imo, to answering the question: it would require a radical redesign of the brain. Seriously. We'd have to be able to interface with every neuron and it synapses. controlling them, utterly. That's possible with highly advanced nanobots ... but I fail to see how the nanobots would have a dendrite "inhibition" mechanism. How would you prevent the neurons from making new connections/branches? How would you precisely control the dendrites/axons with the nanobots? What happens to "self" in such a controlled environment?

Originally posted by inimalist
photographic memory, as far as it exists scientifically, isn't a huge advantage, and any memory people have of young agess are almost certainly generated from what they believe experiences at that age were like.

While my brain is definitely not photographic, I have problems remembering things because I remember too much. Everything creates a mess and it can sometimes approach "maddening" levels, especially when I go into a "remember everything" mode...with disconnected memories not having logical "connections" to other memories...almost like random recollection by a seemingly irrelevant stimulus.

This pile of "swirling" memories causes me to forget, quite often, current and significant tasks.

The only time I have found this useful is for tests that require remembering lots of information. Other than that, it has been mostly difficult to live with and caused more hindrance, academically, in my early years, than it did to assist.

Originally posted by inimalist
Though, normal people are going to fall on a continuum of recall ability that is normally distributed, people who seem to be "idiot savants" would be at least several standard deviations from the mean ability, out where there is almost no probability.

What I mean is that there is likely a dichotomy between memory ability that makes the type of skilled recall you are talking about of a different sort than the type of recall being discussed in the thread.

I'd have to agree (all be it, with a little hesetation) with omgchos that "rain man" type perceptual/memory/pattern - recognition "abilities" would almost certainly come with a decline in other areas. At the very least, such a memory system would alter the way this individual learns and develops at a neuronal level compared to others, simply because of how far from the norm they are in terms of memory ability. Its the same way someone who had an IQ of 200 would probably also test positive for some other "abnormal" cognitive abilities. (to point out, in some cases, like the man who can calculate calandar days from years and years ago, this would be hundreds, if not thousands of standard deviations from the mean. This would be like someone who had an IQ in the thousands or tens of thousands)

Just saw this post. Spot on. Too far into one area and other areas of "cognative" measure are almost "doomed" to suffer. I put cognative in quotes because I am using that literally and metaphorically. Social problems are an area I wanted to include.

The only time I have found this useful is for tests that require remembering lots of information. Other than that, it has been mostly difficult to live with and caused more hindrance, academically, in my early years, than it did to assist.

Are you suggesting that this bubble of competence could burst?

I've often wondered if recreating a brain exactly--down to the cellular level--would result in an identical personality.

Originally posted by Zampanó
I've often wondered if recreating a brain exactly--down to the cellular level--would result in an identical personality.

Why wouldn't it?

If you make an identical copy of your car you get identical seats inside, by definition.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Thus ending civilization entirely.

Not every child is a byproduct of trying to obtain the "big-O"

Most, but not all.

oxymoron. "control" itself is a brain function.