Living Computers

A normal computer can be unplugged and placed in a closet. A living computer may need nutrients, temperature control, and a system designed to keep its neural hardware alive. That changes more than engineering.📚 Featured Reading for This Deep Dive Want to go beyond the episode? We've put together a short reading list exploring wetware, biological computation, brain plasticity, consciousness, and the limits of comparing brains to computers.Bookshop.org list: https://bookshop.org/lists/living-computers-brain-cells-wetware-the-future-of-computingAmazon list or individual books:Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell — Dennis Brayhttps://amzn.to/4wORbeXBest for: The viewer fascinated by the phrase “living computer.”Keep in mind: This was published before DishBrain, Brainoware, CL1, and today's organoid-intelligence movement. Read it as foundational context—not as documentation of the current wetware industry.Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain — David Eaglemanhttps://amzn.to/4xV33wCBest for: Readers who want to understand why living neural hardware behaves nothing like a conventional processor.Being You: A New Science of Consciousness — Anil Sethhttps://amzn.to/4yi4TbtBest for: Readers who finished the episode still asking, “But could it ever feel something?”The Living Mind Protocol — Sarwat Parvezhttps://amzn.to/3UQ3M3WBest for: Readers who want to explore the Living Computers question through science fiction.This is fiction, not a scientific source for the claims in our Deep Dive, which is exactly why it earns a place here. After exploring what researchers have actually demonstrated, this short thriller gives readers a thought experiment: if biological computing keeps advancing, what could the consequences look like—and where might we decide the line should be?The Idea of the Brain: The Past and Future of Neuroscience — Matthew Cobbhttps://amzn.to/4hVsY2RBest for: The skeptic—or anyone who wants the episode's central metaphor challenged.Website: https://mimindmashups.com/☕ Support the Channel👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/mimindmashups📘 Facebook👉 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571480709001🎥 YouTube👉 https://www.youtube.com/@mmmups🍎 Apple Podcasts👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mi-mind-mashups/id1896791123🎧 Amazon Music👉 https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/5780fe81-1095-417d-9f68-6a207079b7dc/mi-mind-mashups📱 Pocket Casts👉 https://pca.st/qh1d87fe🎶 Spotify👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/6RtCRSQQl89rYGF3DLqLfe?si=3TJIUhHPQoaci33-MiawCg🔊 Audible👉 https://www.audible.com/podcast/Mi-Mind-MashUps/B0DTG1YM52?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp🎵 TikTok👉 https://www.tiktok.com/@mimindmashups🔊 TrueFans👉 https://truefans.fm/mi-mind-mashups