This is behind a registration barrier, and I haven't read it, but the gist of similar articles I've read was that, in certain systems (communication between neu

This is behind a registration barrier, and I haven't read it, but the gist of similar articles I've read was that, in certain systems (communication between neurons, for example), adding small amounts of noise can help signals to pass further. Parts of the signal that may not have otherwise been noticed may then get bumped over the threshold. (Or, in mechanical cases, by randomly canceling out inertia.) In other words, if you scramble the surface detail of something slightly, you may notice aspects of it that might not have otherwise seemed significant. There is, of course, a point past which you are looking at too much noise to be useful. Discuss. (See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic_resonance http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic_resonance )