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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!hocda!houxm!hound!rfg
From: rfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: A Quick Answer to a Quick Question
Message-ID: <523@hound.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 11-Jun-84 17:27:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: hound.523
Posted: Mon Jun 11 17:27:18 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Jun-84 01:13:08 EDT
References: <186@isrnix.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 20

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I don't really know if someone has estimated it or not. However,
if they have, it must be an awfully large number. Consider: How
many bits would it take to represent an average visual field?
There is some evidence that we never really forget anything we
have once observed. Neglecting other sensual input and reasoning
(if any), just considering the brain as a storage device for visual
observations over a lifetime is pretty large. Perhaps I exaggerate,
but if I assume a visual field as 10**3 bits high by 10**4 bits wide
by 10 bits for color and shading of each element, we have 10**8 bits
per visual field. Suppose a life time of 72 years and 16 hours a day of 
observing (neglecting "visual dreams" which may also be remembered),
with a new observation every 10 seconds. I multiply it all out to
about 1.5 x 10**16 bits. (187,500 billion bytes?)
Adding audio, tactile, olfactory, taste to that ought to easily run the
total over 200 gigabytes. That's just for remembering observations
(eidetically, which is a faculty some do have). 
Who wants to run this up for the results of mental data processing -
logic, rationalization, and all that?
hound!rfg