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Yes, it's hypothetical, but if you give €0.5 Bln for research on building a "software brain" you're going to have to start thinking on how you're going to treat it if it does, in fact, achieve conciousness (by all intents and purposes). I don't think it would qualify as "life", but I do believe...

Never saw that movie. Here again, though, you're treating "stream of conciousness" like it's something not inherent to the brain. I'd better not go on a tangent on why the concept of "soul" is bullshit, but let's just say that's probably a matter of opinion. Still, aside from the concept...

IIRC, the later ones were about American subs and for some reason I only really want to play German ones. I have no idea why.

Is that Silent Hunter IV? Never played the later ones.

As divinity made human, I'm at the very least partly human. How would you figure it's not "your" consciousness? Consciousness isn't some abstract power separate from your body, it's the sum of the functions of your brain. Apparently, the 'center' for your consciousness is situated somewhere...

That's not a valid point. If the virtual brain experiences a state that for all intents and purposes, and by any measure we use, is identical to our "consciousness", there's no reason to discriminate against it despite our lack of knowledge on the essence of consciousness.

So Henry Markham got half a billion euros funding from Europe for his ambitious project to build a cyber-brain, i.e. create a complete 'virtual' brain: a computer program that works exactly like the human brain does, with the same processes, limitations and capabilities. He aims to complete it...

As I noted before, schooling rates and life expectancy are pretty much comparable in Colombia. The specific social reforms don't matter - and there's no way in hell I'm going to keep a tally of the social reforms inplemented in random Latin American countries over the last 15 years. No matter...

Apparently, you can't read economic data and draw conclusions well (shocker!). Of course Venezuelan GDP per capita is higher, they have all those oil exports. HOWEVER, with a lower GDP per capita, Colombia manages to do nearly as well in practically every field. SO, with at least 20% less...

You're cute. Really. You're so incredibly naive when it comes to backing up your point, you just charge in without checking any sources. You remind me of myself when I was 15-16... So young and impressionable, and sure that the fire of my conviction would render any disproving evidence mere...

The same thing has happened in all neighbouring countries, including Colombia and the like (their numbers are at least equal and often even better), while this hasn't. Explain that. C'mon. Explain it. Also, hah!

:roll:

Oh great, here comes the "every NGO in the world and all transnational organisations are in a massive conspiracy against Chavez/Assad/North Korea/...". I haven't heard that one before. If you know better than all of them, then please show me some proof. Any objectively verifiable proof that...

The highest figure I found is $2 billion, and I didn't find independent sources to back that so I didn't include this claim. Yet, Transparency International is about as independent as they get, and if they rank Venezuela to be one of the most corrupt societies in the world that's more than...

HAH! Everything I say is based on figures from Transparency International, the IMF, the World Bank, the UN, etc. etc. If you think that hard data that proves that everything Chavez' propaganda claimed is a bold-face lie are "random vague blanket statements" then your head is obviously so far up...

Well, Tagz, to be fair, a scenario like that is unlikely unless the US ever goes to war versus a militarily unified EU, the China-in-50-years (if it doesn't collapse before then), or does an invasion of Russia. It would be pointless to plan and equip for an eventuality like that when the US...

Mini nukes?

Still Venezuela is at least or more corrupt now than it was even before Chavez. You can't explain that. He was a brilliant orator in his own way, I'll give you that. Still, the figures and statistics seems to contradict all his statements and promises. Venezuela did no better and often worse...

There's a difference between giving to students, starting artist or entrepeneurs, etc. and to established companies with a CEO who's probably worth as much as 75% or more of this board combined. But hey, if you guys want to see Fargo as some kind of symphatetic normal slob that's up to you guys...

Then again, the entire concept of main battle tanks is an entire generation behind what modern warfare is.