Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News

      Forty Winks

      Written by

      Tom Steinert-Threlkeld
      Published February 26, 2001
      Share
      Facebook
      Twitter
      Linkedin

        eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

        Things you dont think about involve thinking. Take, for example, sleep. It may be akin to “garbage collection,” Marvin Minsky says.

        I cant remember having done an interview where I get to address love, consciousness and sleep at the same time.

        Well, I dont know anything about sleep.

        Well, you made a comment in one of your chapters about the activity of sleeping, which I thought was interesting, to think of sleep as an activity.

        One theory of sleep is that there is general sleep and R.E.M. [rapid-eye movement] sleep, which is the stage where youre dreaming. It looks like that has some connection with long-term memory. If you deprive people of that kind of sleep, then they dont remember much the next day. There are various theories about that. Thats becoming the standard theory now.

        But if sleep is an activity, and the activity is some kind of process that goes on, what is it? What is that process?

        It may be like garbage collection, where you have things in your memory but theyre not connected up to anything. The dream process may be some system that tries to find some meaning to little fragments and piece them together and make them into some kind of story. A lot of whats in the dream are wrong connections that get thrown away then.

        That would be what a dream is, but how — what is the process of actually sleeping? What actually happens when you go to sleep?

        The process comes from the brain stem, and it goes through four or five stages. I havent paid much attention to the details of this, but there is a 50-year-old theory that you go through about four stages of turning stuff off. Virtually all the animals have these mechanisms. They dont have much to do with the mind, so those old theories were more like physiological theories that youre turning things off.

        So there is no good mental theory of how this garbage collection works. There are a few papers and books on it, but the dust hasnt settled.

        Tom Steinert-Threlkeld
        Tom Steinert-Threlkeld
        Tom Steinert-Threlkeld is an award-winning technology journalist and former Editor-in-Chief of Interactive Week, where he led the creation of the Internet industry's first newspaper. With extensive experience covering technology, digital transformation, and industry innovation, he has played a key role in shaping technology reporting. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and Harvard Business School, Tom has provided in-depth analysis and thought leadership on emerging trends in tech and business.

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        Get the Free Newsletter!

        Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

        MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

        Artificial Intelligence

        9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

        Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
        AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
        Read more
        Cloud

        RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

        Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
        RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
        Read more
        Artificial Intelligence

        8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

        Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
        Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
        Read more
        Latest News

        Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

        James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
        I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
        Read more
        Video

        Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

        James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
        I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
        Read more
        Logo

        eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

        Facebook
        Linkedin
        RSS
        Twitter
        Youtube

        Advertisers

        Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

        Advertise with Us

        Menu

        • About eWeek
        • Subscribe to our Newsletter
        • Latest News

        Our Brands

        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms
        • About
        • Contact
        • Advertise
        • Sitemap
        • California – Do Not Sell My Information

        Property of TechnologyAdvice.
        © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

        Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

        ×