First Episode of The Dispatch Book Club Out Today

Dear members,  It’s here. The first episode of The Dispatch Book Club is hitting your ...

By
35

Dear members, 

It’s here. The first episode of The Dispatch Book Club is hitting your (private) podcast feeds today and I could not be more excited about it. For the June episode, I talked to David Eagleman about why the human brain is different and how he built a wristband that can help the deaf hear.

There are instructions below for how to add the private podcast to your feed.

This month’s discussion page for July’s book, The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain

by Annie Murphy Paul, can be found here. We’ll release July’s podcast at the end of the month.

Start a Free Trial
Get unlimited access to our 10 daily and weekly newsletters, Dispatch Live broadcasts, article comments and community events. Get Started ALREADY A PAID SUBSCRIBER? SIGN IN
35
By
Comments (35)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  1. Avatar photo
    IUMaryLou

    Loved this book and the interview. While we’re thinking of brains, might I suggest Other Minds by Peter Godfrey-Smith? Sarah, I assume you’ve read it already since you share my fascination with octopus.

    Collapse
  2. Avatar photo
    Anne W (Raw5254)

    Thanks Sarah! Great first book, and I sure enjoyed your discussion with David Eagleman. One of my biggest concerns about growing older is memory. My mom had Alzheimer’s, and even though she remained mostly happy, it was hard seeing her lose herself. Towards the end, we hardly were able to talk, something I always enjoyed (she did, too). I think a lot of us have gone or are going through this.

    But I found myself smiling often as I read the book. Surprisingly, it gave me hope. I like people a lot, but I’m somewhat of an introvert, and I need time to myself. I also love learning new things (even at 70), which is one of many reasons I like TD, and am so happy you started this book club.

    I guess everyone is different, but I am busier than ever. There isn’t enough time in the day for everything I want to do or explore. I hope I can keep doing that until the end (and who knows, maybe there’s more to explore after that).

    Collapse
  3. Christine White

    I loved the book Livewired and the podcast, thank you so much. Would you mind doing a shout-out perhaps in the Morning Dispatch at the beginning of each month for the upcoming monthly book and before the podcast is released the following month? That would be a great reminder to get the book, read it and be prepared for the podcast.

    Collapse
    1. Avatar photostaff-badge-circle
      Ryan Brown staff-badge Staff

      Great idea. I'll ask the TMD team to do this next month. Thank you!

      Collapse
  4. DocHeartless

    This was a fascinating book and a great follow-up podcast. I loved all of the examples of cutting edge research into connections between peripheral sensors and the brain (the compass belt, eye glasses, etc...). And his futuristic optimism is charming.

    I would love to know more about non-sensory knowledge of the brain, e.g. memory and consciousness. Are we any closer to understanding how memories are actually encoded in the brain, meaning that we could look at an area and start to understand what is "written" in the way that the neurons are arranged? That is probably very futurist but hasn't there been work on rats and looking at how the patterns change when they learn new skills?

    Also, do we have an estimate on the amount of data a brain can hold? People with the aberration in which they cannot cull useless info (remembering random details about every day) seem cursed, I agree. But do they run out of "storage" in their minds for all that data? I am continually depressed by how much I have forgotten over my life. Memories of childhood, or my kids' childhoods are real patchy. But my understanding is that this the norm for most people. Is my brain only 50% filled of its theoretical space? Or is it largely filled with stuff it has decided is more relevant than birthday parties from 15 years ago?

    Collapse
  5. Avatar photo
    Anne W (Raw5254)

    People are talking about dreams, and I’ve always wondered how they can make so much sense sometimes, and then start becoming illogical.

    Collapse
  6. Avatar photo
    W James Anderson

    Hello. I’m new to this platform. I’m NOT a tech guy and have only had a smart phone for 3+ years. I’m fumbling through my new subscription and hope to utilize this resource. I love The Dispatch podcast and listen to Good Faith, Glop, The Holy Post etc... many other podcasts. Thank you all for this refreshing voice in the times we live in. Peace. 💀’s and🌈’s

    Collapse
  7. Avatar photo
    J. Eric

    OMG! That was better than I had hoped. Great podcast. Great concept!
    Thanks

    Collapse
  8. DocHeartless

    This book took me forever to get through -- not because it was difficult to read, but because it was just so damn interesting. Every page or so I would find myself daydreaming about the implications of all these findings. I have so many questions, but I haven't listened to the podcast yet, so I should probably limit myself a bit until I make sure it's not already covered. But here's one to start maybe someone knows.

    I'm intrigued by the complexity of the human mind, but how complex is it exactly? 86 billion neurons in the brain seems large, but we've got that amount on a single computer chip these days. It seems that it is in the connections between the neurons where things really explode into wonderous complexity. But therein lies my question. How fine is an individual neuron in measuring that complexity? What "states" can the brain recognize a neuron as being in?

    For example, imagine if we are dealing with only 3 neurons, and we label them A, B, and C. If a neuron can be on or off, much like a transistor, then we've got a possible nine combinations of off/on complexity. I doubt the brain works in that way, though. But can a neuron be in a partial state of off/on? Can the brain register and utilize a weak firing of a neuron versus a strong firing of a neuron?
    Also, can a neuron tell when it is being activated from a daisy chain effect from another neuron? This is where all the quadrillions of connections come into play I imagine. Can neuron A tell if it is being activated by neuron B or C. Can you have an A(b) and A(c) state that it can recognize?

    Once you start down this rabbit hole, you can easily work up to near infinite different states to encode and process information, and yet it's also clear from the book that there are pretty hard limits in how your memory fights with other memories. So, yeah, I'm uncertain how realistically complex the brain is. When will we design computers that will attain this similar level of complexity (total complexity, not just a few discreet tasks like mathematical calculations), or have we attained this already?

    Collapse
  9. DORIS ERDMAN

    Members who have compromised hearing cannot availe themselves of a podcast. Book great . Please make text available.

    Collapse
  10. CrowdA

    This was such a great conversation. Thanks for leading the book club, Sarah! Also, side note - I would love to hear more about the work you did with David Eagleman.

    Collapse
Load More