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Re: The Speed of Thought

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djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote in
news:oovqLM.1GH9@kithrup.com: 

> In article <XnsA760AA24A62A5melchizedek@216.166.97.131>,
> Cryptoengineer  <treifamily@gmail.com> wrote:
>>Greg Goss <gossg@gossg.org> wrote in
>>news:em427qF9gktU2@mid.individual.net: 
>>
>>> Sjouke Burry <burrynulnulfour@ppllaanneett.nnll> wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>>>> I think it's fair to say it's a little more than..."80 wpm".
>>>>>
>>>>Nerve conduction velocity - Wikipedia
>>>>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_conduction_velocity
>>>>Nerve impulses are extremely slow compared to the speed of
>>>>electrical impulses which are on the order of 50–99% of the speed of
>>>>light, however, very fast compared to the speed of blood flow, with
>>>>some myelinated neurons conducting at speeds up to 120 m/s (432 km/h
>>>>or 275 mph). 
>>> 
>>> There are some issues with running giraffes.  Apparently the
>>> decision on where to place each foot has to be made some
>>> astonishingly long time before the foot actually goes down.
>>
>>This is an issue for humans too. From the relevant XKCD 'What if':
>>
>>https://what-if.xkcd.com/44/
>>
>>"Throwing is hard. In order to deliver a baseball to a batter, a
>>pitcher has to release the ball at exactly the right point in the
>>throw. A timing error of half a millisecond in either direction is
>>enough to cause the ball to miss the strike zone.[5]
>>
>>To put that in perspective, it takes about five milliseconds for the 
>>fastest nerve impulse to travel the length of the arm.[6] That means
>>that when your arm is still rotating toward the correct position, the
>>signal to release the ball is already at your wrist. In terms of
>>timing, this is like a drummer dropping a drumstick from the 10th
>>story and hitting a drum on the ground on the correct beat."
>>
>>[This is in the context of noting that the human abliity throw things
>>hard and accurately is unparalleled in the animal kingdom.]
> 
> Is it really?  I've heard some wicked things about the throwing
> abilities of some of our primate relatives.  :)

Their aim and power suck. While some animals can spit accurately
(archerfish, some cobras), nothing beside humans can pick up a
rock and throw it to kill or disable a prey animal. 

BTW, Munroe's pitcher description is a slight overstatement; 
the muscles which control the fingers are in the forearm. His
point remains, however.

pt

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The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-22 11:37 -0700
  Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-23 04:35 +0000
    Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-22 22:05 -0700
      Re: The Speed of Thought Sjouke Burry <burrynulnulfour@ppllaanneett.nnll> - 2017-04-23 14:23 +0200
        Re: The Speed of Thought djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2017-04-23 14:17 +0000
          Re: The Speed of Thought "J. Clarke" <j.clarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2017-04-23 11:07 -0400
            Re: The Speed of Thought djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2017-04-23 16:31 +0000
              Re: The Speed of Thought "J. Clarke" <j.clarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2017-04-23 23:11 -0400
        Re: The Speed of Thought Greg Goss <gossg@gossg.org> - 2017-04-23 10:14 -0600
          Re: The Speed of Thought Cryptoengineer <treifamily@gmail.com> - 2017-04-23 11:43 -0500
            Re: The Speed of Thought djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2017-04-23 20:36 +0000
              Re: The Speed of Thought Cryptoengineer <treifamily@gmail.com> - 2017-04-23 19:56 -0500
          Re: The Speed of Thought djheydt@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) - 2017-04-23 16:24 +0000
      Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-23 12:35 +0000
        Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-23 13:00 -0700
          Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-23 23:38 +0000
            Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-23 21:15 -0700
              Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-23 22:38 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-24 06:02 +0000
        Re: The Speed of Thought "reber G=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2017-04-24 13:52 -0700
  Re: The Speed of Thought Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2017-04-24 16:55 +1000
    Re: The Speed of Thought Poutnik <poutnik4nntp@gmail.com> - 2017-04-24 09:09 +0200
      Re: The Speed of Thought Lintervallen Ruther <rt@lweaevte.ri> - 2017-04-24 19:37 +0000
    Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-24 09:42 -0700
      Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-24 10:22 -0700
      Re: The Speed of Thought Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2017-04-25 12:03 +1000
        Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-25 00:16 -0700
          Re: The Speed of Thought Sylvia Else <sylvia@not.at.this.address> - 2017-04-25 17:42 +1000
          Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 11:58 -0700
            Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 02:25 +0000
              Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 20:49 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 12:48 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-28 10:37 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 23:36 +0000
        Re: The Speed of Thought benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-04-25 17:18 -0400
          Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-25 21:53 +0000
            Re: The Speed of Thought benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-04-25 19:39 -0400
              Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-26 04:36 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought john <johnsefton288@gmail.com> - 2017-04-26 06:07 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought john <johnsefton288@gmail.com> - 2017-04-26 12:33 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-04-26 18:05 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought john <johnsefton288@gmail.com> - 2017-04-26 15:42 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-04-26 18:00 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-27 03:13 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought benj <nobody@gmail.com> - 2017-04-27 04:32 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-27 14:46 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought benj <nobody@gmail.com> - 2017-04-27 11:29 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-27 16:32 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought benj <nobody@gmail.com> - 2017-04-27 13:22 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 02:16 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 11:43 -0700
              Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 11:50 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-04-27 17:21 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 23:16 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 12:59 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-28 10:47 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 23:54 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 02:24 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 23:18 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 12:45 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-28 10:38 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 23:40 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-29 10:47 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-05-04 23:42 -0700
            Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 11:41 -0700
              Re: The Speed of Thought benj <benj@nobody.net> - 2017-04-27 17:20 -0400
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-27 23:15 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 12:57 +0000
                Re: The Speed of Thought The Starmaker <starmaker@ix.netcom.com> - 2017-04-28 10:41 -0700
                Re: The Speed of Thought Ned Latham <nedlatham@woden.valhalla.oz> - 2017-04-28 23:45 +0000
  Re: The Speed of Thought SteveGG <casagiannoni@optonline.net> - 2017-04-24 07:48 -0400
    Re: The Speed of Thought Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2017-04-24 20:36 +0200

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