Auxiliary Memory

Are We Witnessing a New Age of Computing?

by James Wallace Harris, 6/2/26 When I first took computer classes in 1971, the school’s main computer was an IBM 360.

How Many Photographs Do You Need to Remember Your Life?

by James Wallace Harris, 5/13/26 The average human lives around 40 million minutes, but it’s doubtful they can recall more than a few thousand. Some people try to record as much of their life as possible – they call it lifelogging. Some lifeloggers wear cameras on their chest that snap a pic every 15 minutes. That would mean over 2,666,666 photos for the average American lifespan.

Is Your AI Getting Smarter?

by James Wallace Harris, 5/10/26 I’m surprised when some of my friends mention they use AI. Especially when they aren’t techies or fans of science fiction.

Prepping for Power Outages?

by James Wallace Harris, 4/28/26 Over the last decade, we’ve had three power outages during ice storms that lasted 3-5 days. Back in the 1990s, this house experienced a 10-day power outage during an ice storm.

Where Do “I” Come From?

by James Wallace Harris, 4/11/26 Current research into the human brain, sentience, and artificial intelligence reveals that we are not who we think we are. How our conscious self-aware minds emerge from biology, chemistry, and physics still baffles scientists. After working with AIs, part of me believes that Large Language Models (LLMs) mimic parts of my own mind, the parts that generate language and thoughts.