Here's the thing; data storage in the human brain is handled very differently from data storage in hard drives and
other conventional media. The human brain doesn't store data as the data itself, as is the case on hard drives,
but rather it stores certain defining characteristics and atributes. For example, I am a great fan of Tolkien's
works and have read the Silmarillion a number of times and can retell the stories in that novel with great ease and
detail. However, to store all of that knowledge, I do not have the entire book imprinted upon by brain somewhere, but
rather certain key characteristics that I can call upon in a moment's notice.
The same is true for recognizing people and faces; people subconsciously define others as a certain number of
distinguishing characteristics, be it hair, skin, a particular feature, an article of clothing, and use that
distinguishing characteristic to identify a person.
Therefore, the human brain might not really have that large a real storage capacity, but in terms of functional
capability, its efficiency of data storage far exceeds that of conventional hard drives, though it is impossible to
quantify it in general. Besides, it would be different for each individual. Simply stated, given the fundamental
disparity in the means and type of data stored, it's impossible to objectively answer this question.
Edit: I hadn't seen sh1nj1tsu's post before I made mine, but what I
said goes hand in hand with his comments.
s h i n s e n g u m i
Minitokyo Policy, Forum, Review, and Category Maintenance Moderator Emeritus
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