How the Kinect is like the Brain

For the past two years, I have been obsessively reading through the growing library of general neuroscience books (the ones that don’t cost $80 – those are for people who know science.)   To get a sense of how quickly this field is exploding search Amazon and sort the results by the year published. 

The most recent addition to my bookshelf is Gary Lynch and Richard Granger’s book “Big Brain: The Origins and Future of Human Intelligence” (2008).  “Big Brain” is an easy to understand and often fascinating explanation of the evolution of the brain.  While general neuroscience books are usually written from the perspective of neuroscientists and their lab work, “Big Brain” is structured like a really good university course for non-majors.   One teaching method used by the book is including comparisons, when appropriate, between human brain function and computers.   This technique is refreshing because most neuroscientists seem wary of the approach because it is often misleading.  But this approach effectively reframes these complex ideas into something understandable for the non-science minded.

One misperception about how evolution works is the widely held belief that evolutionary changes in a species are direct responses to preexisting needs.  The reality is that genetic changes are random.  When a change occurs in some creature’s DNA that benefits the survival and also gives it an advantage in the mating game, it has the possibility of becoming permanent addition to the (new?) species.  (OK, there is the new field of epigenetics but I have not found a good book on the subject for under $30, so it’s like it doesn’t exist to me.)  While nature may have rewarded this change because of a specific advantage it provided, nothing stops the new set of instructions from serendipitously enabling other capabilities that may not be realized for tens of thousands of years. 

This leads me to the Kinect.  Microsoft’s new peripheral for the Xbox 360 is a clever amalgamation of relatively simple technical components and innovative software.  The Kinect was designed to sell a whole new set of games for the Xbox using hands free interaction.  Microsoft, typically late to the party, finally realized the importance of including a certain level of flexibility in its design in the age of open source.  I doubt Microsoft envisioned how quickly users would find fascinating ways to adapt the Kinect.  In fact, Microsoft has only blessed an elevated openness to the API in the last few weeks. The next year will undoubtedly unleash a flood of innovative uses for the Kinect platform. 

This leads me to one of those awkward comparisons between the brain and the computer universe.  While specific changes were brought to our DNA by selection, nature has access to its API.  While we may not have the same survival needs of the first Homo Sapiens, the incredible adaptability of our species allows for the emergence of unexpected new capabilities within this platform.  But sadly, our current brain has its limits.  I don’t expect x-ray vision ever to work on our current system.  I guess we will just have to wait for the release of Homo Sapiens Brain version 2.0.  And you think Microsoft is slow with updates…  

(Misrepresentations of the science are not intentional, just acts of ignorance by a science fan.) 

Two of my plays that are influenced by my interest in neuroscience are available on Amazon for the Kindle:
The Lurid Art and Cells