The web looks like this

this is a Brain Neuron

I think the Web and the Brian look very similar.

A neuron is the basic brain unit, the Atom of the Brain. Neurons are pretty simple. They have inputs and outputs and they can fire a small electrical charge. They either fire or they don’t. One or Zero. Billions of neurons are connected through links, and electric current flows along these links. That’s how the brain represents information. Using this simple (basically) digital system our brains can represent Love, Hate, Fear, Tacos, and Beer.

The structure of the Internet is very similar. Web pages are like Neurons. Blogs.com and Jay link to my page, so those are the inputs into indi.ca. I in turn link to Matt and Amanda – so those are my outputs. You the reader are the Electricity, you came here from somewhere, and you can leave through a link here. But my page is just a neuron, so what’s the Brain?

I’d say Google.

Google’s Search Algorithm behaves like the electric current that flows through my brain when I try to remember something.

Web searches generally send out these bots called Spiders (packets of Code, like Viruses) what the Code reads like is something like:

goto www.indi.ca (first search is random)

1. Cache that page (store it in Memory)
2. Have a bunch of baby spiders (the Code copies itself)
3. Send a new spider to follow every link on the page

Repeat

Google is the electricity running through a big Web brain.

I remember when Thomas Friedman asked Is Google God? in the Times. That’s kinda what got me thinking. I think I forgot what I was talking about somewhere.

Posted on Sunday, August 24th, 2003 in Tech.