Comments on: Can Ferrets REALLY Watch The Matrix? http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-10-8-75849-9265.html Scooping up science news and dropping it on your desk Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:03:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Anonymous http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-10-8-75849-9265.html/comment-page-1#comment-4078 Anonymous Tue, 12 Oct 2004 10:26:43 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1635#comment-4078 Did they ever consider that the brain is using that 80% to process the black image when the eyes are closed or in the dark? Perhaps continually expecting to see something at any moment. Remember, the Ferret has no idea when the lights will come back on. It really surprises me the leaps of logic researchers will make when they haven't even come close to the considering all the myriad of possibilities. Did they ever consider that the brain is using that 80% to process the black image when the eyes are closed or in the dark? Perhaps continually expecting to see something at any moment. Remember, the Ferret has no idea when the lights will come back on. It really surprises me the leaps of logic researchers will make when they haven’t even come close to the considering all the myriad of possibilities.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-10-8-75849-9265.html/comment-page-1#comment-3657 Anonymous Sat, 09 Oct 2004 17:55:12 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1635#comment-3657 Unlike cats, ferrets love to watch TV. They even get involved in production. Why else would you think the TV networks are all run by weasels? Unlike cats, ferrets love to watch TV. They even get involved in production. Why else would you think the TV networks are all run by weasels?

]]> By: rusty0101 http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-10-8-75849-9265.html/comment-page-1#comment-3117 rusty0101 Sat, 09 Oct 2004 08:55:17 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1635#comment-3117 ... most people, if they close their eyes can describe the world around them as it appeared just before they closed their eyes. "I have two lcd screens in front of me, a third to the right  somewhat, on this same desk. To the left of my keyboard is a telephone, and to the right is a mouse on a mousepad. My bookbag is over at the right extream of my desk, and there are some 3-ring binders and a couple of books at the left extream of my desk. Interspersed on my desk is today's paper, the variety section pulled out (I like to read the comics first thing) as well as several papers providing a snapshot of various problems I am working on for work. ..." Asside from the various surface textures of desk, paper and equipment, there is nothing auditory or tactile in the description.<p> I stongly suspect that the 80% of our visual portion of our brain that is working when the lights are out, is continuously processing where we are in relation to what we know is around us. Likewise if you have been someplace in the past, you are very likely to use your visual memory to mentally go there and look around, should you have some reason to think about that place again. That may happen at the same time you are taking in visual elements around you, and a significant portion of your visual thinking is probably separating and linking memories of one place with the activity or visual appearance of another place.<p> I seem to recall that there is a significant overlap between visual and auditory processing areas of the brain being reported in the past. It might be interesting to see what effect a Ferret being blind and being presented with the experience of being forced to 'watch' the Matrix has in comparison to one that can see. Is there an overlap into the visual processing area that can be compared between the two?<p> The reason I ask is that the physical characteristics of the world around us do not change significantly related to whether we can see. A blind person still knows that if they exit the front door of their building, and follow the sidewalk two blocks to the left, they will end up at the same location as if you were to do the same from the same starting point. However a sighted person is going to store and process a lot of that information visually. Is the mental mapping of the physical real world a visual activity that blind people do, or is it some other activity that visual people do one way, blind people do another, and they just happen to store or process that information the same way?<p> -Rusty … most people, if they close their eyes can describe the world around them as it appeared just before they closed their eyes. "I have two lcd screens in front of me, a third to the right  somewhat, on this same desk. To the left of my keyboard is a telephone, and to the right is a mouse on a mousepad. My bookbag is over at the right extream of my desk, and there are some 3-ring binders and a couple of books at the left extream of my desk. Interspersed on my desk is today’s paper, the variety section pulled out (I like to read the comics first thing) as well as several papers providing a snapshot of various problems I am working on for work. …" Asside from the various surface textures of desk, paper and equipment, there is nothing auditory or tactile in the description.

I stongly suspect that the 80% of our visual portion of our brain that is working when the lights are out, is continuously processing where we are in relation to what we know is around us. Likewise if you have been someplace in the past, you are very likely to use your visual memory to mentally go there and look around, should you have some reason to think about that place again. That may happen at the same time you are taking in visual elements around you, and a significant portion of your visual thinking is probably separating and linking memories of one place with the activity or visual appearance of another place.

I seem to recall that there is a significant overlap between visual and auditory processing areas of the brain being reported in the past. It might be interesting to see what effect a Ferret being blind and being presented with the experience of being forced to ‘watch’ the Matrix has in comparison to one that can see. Is there an overlap into the visual processing area that can be compared between the two?

The reason I ask is that the physical characteristics of the world around us do not change significantly related to whether we can see. A blind person still knows that if they exit the front door of their building, and follow the sidewalk two blocks to the left, they will end up at the same location as if you were to do the same from the same starting point. However a sighted person is going to store and process a lot of that information visually. Is the mental mapping of the physical real world a visual activity that blind people do, or is it some other activity that visual people do one way, blind people do another, and they just happen to store or process that information the same way?

-Rusty

]]> By: rickyjames http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-10-8-75849-9265.html/comment-page-1#comment-2373 rickyjames Fri, 08 Oct 2004 11:19:37 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1635#comment-2373 "I'm SIIIIIINGING in the RAAAAAAIN..."<p> It's been decades since I've seen this movie but I recall it as a typical Kubrick masterpiece.    I really enjoyed ACO then and now I'll check it out soon to watch again because you're right, that's a hilarious image. “I’m SIIIIIINGING in the RAAAAAAIN…”

It’s been decades since I’ve seen this movie but I recall it as a typical Kubrick masterpiece.    I really enjoyed ACO then and now I’ll check it out soon to watch again because you’re right, that’s a hilarious image.

]]> By: mtigges http://www.sciscoop.com/2004-10-8-75849-9265.html/comment-page-1#comment-1351 mtigges Fri, 08 Oct 2004 09:17:53 +0000 http://localhost/~arielschwartz/wordpress/sciscoop/?p=1635#comment-1351 I have to share this little story.<p>I envisioned my pet cats <i>watching</i> TV. They hardly pay it any attention ever, even when those stupid commercials with the goldfish come on. So I obviously wondered, how do you <b>make</b> a ferret watch TV? Well, I just watched Clockwork Orange last night. So I envisioned strapped down tortured ferrets forced to watch Keanu and I wondered if that might have been more torturous for McDowells character. I have to share this little story.

I envisioned my pet cats watching TV. They hardly pay it any attention ever, even when those stupid commercials with the goldfish come on. So I obviously wondered, how do you make a ferret watch TV? Well, I just watched Clockwork Orange last night. So I envisioned strapped down tortured ferrets forced to watch Keanu and I wondered if that might have been more torturous for McDowells character.

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