Two Papers You Should Read
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Topic(s): me,computers
2007-07-26 02:18:04 PDT
Here's an interesting question: Are You Living In A Computer Simulation?.
We're an inquisitive species. I can't imagine us stop asking questions until there are no questions left to answer. Some of the last few questions we'd ask would likely be the really tough ones to answer. Questions such as, what am I supposed to do with the middle flap on a toilet seat cover? and which tastes better, soft Cheetos or hard Cheetos?
At some point many centuries from now, when we're trying to figure out those sorts of impossible questions, it might be easiest to place all the preconditions in to a powerful simulator and watch the results play out live.
Well, maybe that's what we are. Maybe that's our purpose.
It's disappointing to think my existence is only to answer some scientist's questions, and after that scientist is done with the simulation I'll simply be switched to the OFF position. Nevertheless, the simulation theory is just as valid as any theory which attempts to answer the broader category of philosophical questions that just can't be answered with any degree of certainty.
Even if you believe in an afterlife, and after your life ends you find your after-self in some sort of after-existence, you still can't be sure your after-self isn't part of some simulation. Then you have to wonder if your higher being isn't perhaps unwittingly a cog in the simulation.
Here's another paper you should read: An Automatic CS Paper Generator. For the technically savvy, the generated papers are ridiculously entertaining. For others, I can imagine the generated papers being confusing enough to trick some people into thinking they're legitimate papers.
Pulled eFingers: |
Ngan —That's very interesting!! If I'm just part of a simulation, I think I'm going to quit my job now and enjoy the rest of my time at the beach. |
Amanda —You are all just part of the Holodeck and I am the captain of the Enterprise. Computer... save program. |
Amanda —That second response was from Steve, not Amanda. |
Mom —Having pondered this very scenario for 50 years, I don't believe our existence to be virtual, but do believe that many horror films have attempted depict the life of the dead-not quite so-dead and some have done a good job. My current dead-not-dead studies have led me in the direction of a (real) story about a cat that lives in a nursing home and predicts human death within four hours of its occurrance. Could the cat be a complex computer program that is retrieving bits of programming fabric being shed from the soon to be decedent, in order to recycle that life into yet another, thereby assisting The Creator to skip the task of having to 'start new from scratch' (pun intended) and wind up a few lines of code ahead of virual beginning? Or does the cat simply steal souls and wrap their intelligence around its own, or is that cat simply a very good cat that loves people? Difficult to say... |
Mom —PS, whenever cats are involved, I am always am suspicious... |
Marc —Eric, I figured out the dropped internet connection problem...it was the wireless router. Picked up a new Zyxel X-550 Xtrememimo for ~$70. Very nice, no problems now. I guess you get what you pay for. The linksys was about $20. |
Eric —Marc, that's funny. Both of your routers were bad? That's odd. Oh, well. As long as you're up now. |
Exercise Your eFinger: |
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