A ādecisionā is highly complex emergent behaviour. Looking for it in a single neuron is like asking if thereās a single air molecule where a gale started. We almost certainly will never identify single neurons corresponding to single mental ideas. A āgo to the cinemaā neuron versus āgo to the parkā likely donāt exist. What is more likely is that large āflowsā of neutral activity correspond to these things or to what we call ādecisionsā. However when we think of more and more specific mechanical things (like lifting a finger) then itās more likely this corresponds to very small areas of neurons that controlled their activation and it makes a bit more sense to talk about that being a switch to ādecideā to move a finger. But the decision itself is actually the vast cloud of neutral activity leading into it not a single thing.
Interesting! This is what I was getting at. Iām trying to figure out at what level decisions are made and how are they made. From what I can tell so far, it seems like neurons act as nodes that either fire or not based on the information they receive from previous neurons. The information they receive from previous neurons either encourage or discourage activation, each at a different strength. Once a neuron receives enough encouragement to fire from the previous neurons, it fires and sends its signal to the neurons it is connected to, which they take as encouragement or discouragement. In a sense, decision-making is a series of very long logistic regression models. Each previous neuron serves as a predictive factor with itās own polarity (encouragement or discouragement) and coefficient (magnitude of signal). Learning is changing the values of coefficients so that predictive factors have different impacts on the outcome variable. With this in mind, then at least 2 neurons are needed to make a decision. The more neurons, the more variables can be included in the decision making process. Does that make sense?
Thatās how neurons work, yes. But you canāt reduce a ādecisionā down to a single neuron. It depends what you mean by decision really. Do you mean āthe smallest thing that can affect something elseā, in which case, yes, neurons are the smallest unit (it seems) of brain function. But not consciously so.
Or do you mean the collective input that goes into the brain generating an output? In which case, the brain appears to function more with swarms of neurons firing together. You wonāt find any examples of a single neuron affecting, say, the choice of going to the cinema. We donāt know the brain in enough detail for that, nor does it seem possible for it to work that way (neurons die and are replaced but our behaviour and decisions seems far more stable).
Or do you mean the conscious experience of making a decision (free choice)? Which is a different thing again. The mechanics of the brain operating input and output and the conscious experience of it are not the same thing. They may be generated by distinct but overlapping parts of the brain. Often in step but not always. Conscious choice canāt have elements of it reduced to single neurons, brain experiments seem to frustrated any attempt to turn up evidence for that.
Whatever it is we colloquially mean by making a conscious decision about something doesnāt exist on the neuron level. It exists on the millions of neurons acting simultaneously level.
By decision, I meant anything that was more than mere chemical or mechanical reaction. Another way of separating it is the point where we can say there is a purpose or difference between dead molecules and being alive. In this case, going to the cinema is wayyy too advanced a decision to help define. More like a cell or group of cells that recognizes its environment and has the opportunity to decide to go towards one direction over another rather than respond merely because a chemical in their environment reacted with their body in a way that gave them an impulse.
But in the larger picture, it seems like there are many decisions that occur for us to commit a behavior. For example, we have to decide what we perceive, decide what our emotional state is, decide what our memories are, decide our personal taste for movies, decide our current motivational state, decide if we have enough time, etc, be fore we decide to go to the movies. All those have to happen prior to deciding on the cinema, and the majority of them occur simultaneously with a central network organizing them into a coherent process, correct? Omg, is this central network what people call executive functioningā½
Iām afraid you are not going to find anything in the brain except ādead moleculesā. There isnāt anything in there except the laws of physics and chemistry acting out like clockwork.
But in terms of the scale of how ādecisionsā work. Then, yes, far simpler decisions (perhaps better to say āreactionsā) happen with relatively few neurons. The complete brains of small insects have been mapped by researchers, maybe several million neurons. They can detect movement reactions happening in response to stimuli.
This though is a very different thing to what people mean when referring to their conscious decision to do something.
I donāt know if itās still the case, but in my experience (years ago) PGP messed with the proper rendering of HTTP email bodies.
From a security standpoint also, the signature confirming that the email is from your is a double edged sword: Yes, your contacts get to verify that itās you, but youāre also losing plausible deniability (privacy).
Depends on usage. If I have 2 hands available Firefox, u lock Origin is a must on a modern web. But if I need one hand free forā¦ letās say holding an umbrella, then cromite, based on the chrome fork based off of bromite. As much as I donāt like chrome, on Android itās the only browser that has gestures, which makes one handed usage perfect. Cromite, just has adblockers built int and lacks many of the tracking stuff too.
from the site: āDiscover a world of immersive and customizable soundscapes that can enhance focus, relaxation, and sleep. Choose from noise generators, nature sounds and ambient music to create your perfect audio environment.ā
Soul browser because itās the most complete and most customizable. Just a little bug currently made me switch to firefox, but as soon as it gets patched Iāll go back.
I played it years ago and decided to replay it again a few months back. My initial playthrough was limited to Hanakoās route (got a bad ending which Iām kind of baffled by after the replay) so this time I wanted to try out the other ones as well. Rinās story ended up being a surprise highlight of the whole process in a way I wasnāt really prepared for (had some very familiar thoughts showing up there). Her whole story just clicked with me and wouldnāt let go until some time after finishing it.
All the other routes were great as well (havenāt touched Shizune/Misha one) and Iām glad I decided to give it another shot for an expanded experience. It was worth it and made me wish for more games with disabled protagonist/characters (without using it as their main characteristic obviously).
In my opinion that is the strength of Katawa Shoujo: You go into it expecting a light hearted RomCom from the visuals and the āmade by 4chanā, but rather get a deeper view into the psyche of 5 teenagers, which helps you better understand yourself or others.
Shizuneās route was my least favorite one, but only because the way you have to act to be liked by Shizune is the exact opposite of my own character and thatās not the writers fault
A lot of comments Iāve seen about Shizuneās route suggested it probably wouldnāt be something Iāll enjoy, thatās why I decided to skip it for now. I might give it a shot some day but for now Iām just happy with all the other great stuff in the VN.
I wouldnāt say I didnāt enjoy the route, it was still interesting to me to learn more about Shizune and Misha. It wasnāt that I found the characters annoying or the story bad.
If you liked the other routes I encourage you to try it someday.
Oh, I didnāt try to imply you did. Itās just Iāve seen a lot of talk about this route being moreā¦ rough (on a story rather than quality level), so to speak? If thatās the case Iām just not in a headspace for something like that and would rather play it when Iām in a position to better appreciate whatās there. Maybe I just misunderstood peopleās thoughts about it, thatās also a possibility.
Either way I do want to go back to it eventually, if only to spend some more time with both characters (I do find them fun whenever they show up in other routes).
kbin.life
Newest