Looking for a Pattern...

"All the brain does is store and recall patterns. Every sensory input — whether sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell — is translated into a sequence of patterns that is stored in the neocortex. “Through exposure,” Hawkins explained, “it builds a model of the world. If you step off a plane in a new city and walk through the terminal, your brain will compare that terminal to others you’ve been to before and will predict that when your foot hits the carpet it will encounter a firm surface that will support your weight. If your foot slips through the carpet and you fall into a vat of chocolate pudding, you will be surprised. If the carpet sprouts tentacles and grabs your leg, you will be surprised. If anything happens that is not consistent with your past experience of carpets in terminals, you will be surprised."