Wiardgroup

Hi Grant

--- In wiardgroup@yahoogroups.com, "Grant Richter" <grichter@...> wrote:
> The ear uses a kind of "battery" system 
> to supply the ear, because blood flow would be too noisy. The ear
uses "hairs" to sense 
> both level and frequency information. IF an excited cell uses more
"current" than a non-
> excited one, then the way the ear is structured, the information
entropy is proportional to 
> the "current draw" for the two different "hair" structures. One for
levels (amplifier cells) and 
> one for time spectrum entropy (cochlial cells). Higher information
entropy excites more 
> cells, which draw more "current".
> 

as a lifelong sinus sufferer, my otolaryngologist is practically
family! And his description of the mechanics of audio perception
overlaps yours sufficiently to merit a 'close enough for a prototype'
rating, in my mind!
The point he always stresses is biology's affinity for
phase-discrimination in perception. That is, nature overwhelmingly
favors two sensor structures that differ in either vantage-point or
type and the neural structures they stimulate process the DIFFERENCE
between them to derive complex information. If you think about it,
this is very efficient in that the scheme includes a sort of automatic
baseline measurement thus eliminating the need for a wide calibration
pass before every perceived event to determine relative scale. 
He's even described to me how plants have been shown to use
phase-discriminated sensors to perceive their environment....sans neurons!
(we spend a lot of time together , my otolaryngologist and me.... we
have to talk about SOMETHING while he's peering up my schnozz)
;'>

-doc