Consciousness as a brain function

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

* A huge amount of unconscious processing of information occurs in our brains without becoming conscious.
* Information can register and stay in an unconscious buffer temporarily, but can be erased by distractions.

Both true and not true. Much problem-solving happens while consciousness is focused on something entirely different. Unconscious processing occurs, and once the conscious mind turns back to the issue, the answer is sitting inside your stack-pointer.

Erased? I'm not sure. I've had a few songs where I wrote two parts, knew it needed another, couldn't come up with a third part, and then one day several years later the solution popped up. Perhaps I was more open-minded that day? Perhaps I imported another little sniglet? Or perhaps, as in a couple of cases, my brain said "fuck it, go for broke" and I surprised myself.

I think human neural processing is largely unconscious, until our forebrains, you know, get around to sweeping up the shop and emptying the dustbins. Suddenly there's this understanding that pops to light, but we just haven't bothered to get back to it until now.

This happens with me on the reg. If I find myself stuck over a problem with a build and getting frustrated, I'll lay it aside before I reach the tool-throwing stage and work on something else. After a few hours (sometimes days), my brain will send me a message like, 'Rotate that part thirty degrees' or 'Try a longer bolt' and all is sweetness and light.

Boru