Epiphanalia

I keep having minor revelations concerning my personal esoteria - i.e. the work that I'm meant to be doing on player modelling for adaptive artificial intelligence in computer games, and the shadow-clad conceptually philosophic highwaymen that waylay my productivity, forcing me to Think on the questions that really serve no end to Think upon, at least in the short term.

Like recently I discovered a possible answer to a riddle that had long puzzled me: is there an afterlife, and if not, why does the human race have such a strong intimation that there is?

Now when I say answer, what I'm talking about is a pointer to a possible explanation, a pointer whose validity satisfies my cursory curiosity about the subject. Nothing comprehensive, nothing rigorously reasoned. Just enough to allow me to file the subject away, satisfied that I now have an opinion on it that I can trot out if faced with a fully formed opinion from someone whose beliefs source in a different faith (more on this later).

Awhile ago, a friend and I started to wonder if there was a link between conciousness, the active energy in our physical form, and the electromagnetic field of the earth. Could electromagnetism in a powerful localised field, such as that the earth generates, provide a substrate to support an abstract pattern that would represent an individual conciousness? Firstly, I think this could only work if the proponents of strong A.I. are correct that conciousness is algorithmic, and thus can exist in any phyiscal form as long as the complexity of the algorithm is supported. Secondly, it all seems rather simplistic. We have been studying the electromagnetic field (for a time as seperate fields) for well over a century, and there is no sign that anything special happens to it when a person (or hundreds of thousands of people) die. There's no evidence for transference, and thats what we need. Besides which, what about capacity and entropy issues?

No, its a poor explanation, and I was never happy with it (even on the rather tenebrous level on which I reason about existensial matters). But recently, I've been thinking a bit more about conciousness, and I came up with this:

Basically, it says that the self is related to, and embodied in, it's physical surroundings. Now this brings up the question of the nature of our surroundings, but I don't really think I need to address that here. What I'm talking about is the difference between the view of each consciousness as an independent entity, and the view that each consciousness is merely a facet of a much broader, context-dependent entity that must include what we call our physical body, our environment, other conscious entities and the subconscious ghost in the shell. Quite analagous to the Zen philosopihies. Although I don't believe to the same degree in the illusion of the self - individuation is not what we as individuals intuitively believe it to be, but I don't think that means that it's non-existent, after all individuation is what drives the universe (energy to do work, law of entropy, etc).

So, to be embodied is a prerequisite for conciousness. And embodiment could be an 11, or 6, dimensional state, if you listen to the string theorists. What aspect of conciousness, then, is tied to extra dimensional embodiment? What if there is a mental aspect tied into these extra dimensions that is related to our waking concious mind in the same way that extra dimensional physicality is related to our familiar four dimensions of spacetime?

Could a sentient entity be an energistic phenomenon stretched over these many dimensions, like a rubber band stretched around 11 fingers? And what happens if you withdraw four of those fingers? The band snaps back, to stretch between the remaining fingers. Could that process give us a pointer to the reality of a soul?

Hint of truth, or ramblings of an over-abundant imagination!?

Paragon of animals!

To plunder another's wit is the greatest of compliments - oh, apart from sleeping with them...

But we'll not go there. To paraphrase Shakespeare!

"I have of late, I know not where, lost all my mirth...What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty, in apprehension how like a God! And yet to me what is this quintesscence of dust! Man delights not me, no, nor women neither..." Nor women neither

And, not at all inspired by Koster, here's a poem that means nothing to the masses. Oh, the human urge to publish! Twill undo us all!

Anything I'm doing,
the state of being,
I can feel you there
most times faintly
sometimes clearly.

My head becoming grey,
frame would wont lay,
You won't shake off
but its not your hand
tis not your command.

Sits in my speech,
words cleave to each
well met stranger
tell them "fuck off
you are not enough".

I'm standing alone,
not kneeling nor prone.
Its life, it is life
in one joy's bequeath,
another's funeral wreath.

Breakout!

My contribution to the Only a Game Play Specification Symposium.

For the symposium entry, and an explanation on what play specification is, see here. To understand why there is such a thing as play specification, play some low-rating games (maybe an X-men licence), then ask yourself - did the game designer really know what was going on between his game and its players? Or was he just throwing game tropes at the wall and hoping they'd end up a Picasso?

This is probably a controversial entry, from the point of view of being acceptable under the defined genre for entries - shooters. However, I loved this game, and even though it is not strictly shooting, the Constituative rules could be easily fit to a pure shooting game, with an Operative makeover.

Breakout! (who published the original? when? I'll never know, I first played a PC port circa 2000)
Specified by Ben

Verbs

Move (L/R arrow keys)
Bounce

Nouns

Bat (avatar)
Ball (or sphere, polyhedron, polygon, cube, etc depending on your philosophical outlook. I'm a glass half full person (I prefer to ask the more pertinent question - who stole the top half?) so I say its a ball)
Blocks
Power-ups
Extra Lives
Life Counter
Score

Adjectives

Length (of Bat)
Speed (of Ball)
Consistency (of Blocks)
Effect on Verb (of Power-up)



This is a little hasty in formulation. Possibly copy/paste and cut out the smart comment for clarity :D.
There are fine details that I'd consider important, but couldn't see how to express within this definition structure. Perhaps they just aren't the kind of details this structure deals with. I remember some of the power-ups as being radical enough to alter the whole gameplay, such as the sticky bat, which allowed you to choose when to release the bounce. It was the same bounce, but once you caught the ball you had all the time in the world to position your bat before release. That took all the time pressure off, and when that ball is zipping about at high speed, time pressure is a big gameplay element. But, I suppose the play specification is talking Constituatively, and time pressure is perhaps an Operative consideration (like clocks in chess).

When every game designer is using some kind if formal play specification, its gonna be soooo much easier to implement interesting things with some nice real-time machine learning of player types...but I'll say no more for now ;)

Identity and the Acceleration

Electronic Identity. Its more than just a 128-bit key, RSA encrypted, digital signature. There are growing, even very now, whole worlds of data on the vital statistics, habits, interests, correspondences and dirty secrets of each and every person with digital presence. What do I mean by digital presence? I mean everything that is recorded. Whether the primary source is electronically based or paper and pen, it all gets transcribed and stored in a database somewhere. Census data, loyalty and clubcard data, bank and credit card transactions, phone calls, motorway CCTV recordings, and of course, every key press of every second spent online.
This information repository is vast. It covers many facets of your life, and if collated and analysed, can reveal through statistical heurisitcs very deep and meaningful information about you as a person.

The question is, does anybody care? Nobody is tending the light at the end of the tunnel, nobody is keeping track of us. Not all at once, not in complete detail as outlined above. I hope.

But its getting closer. And those who will be tending the light? I call its name: Google.
Ha ha. No but seriously all those who have gmail - look at the targeted ads, on the top of the inbox. Compose and send a mail (to whomever) about some product, place or item: let's say Finland. Within a few hours, you'll have ads for "Fodor's Travel Wire - Rock Bottom R/T Fares to Finland on Air France! - 4 days ago". Note that's Google sending you a link to 4 day old ad, not Fodor's. Why'd it be 4 days old if Fodor's sent it? They see, they record, they analyse and react. They do all this relatively benignly, but only change the nature of the adverbs and that last sentence could sound a lot more unpleasant.

Now I'm not advocating Luddism. You can't reject the future, even if you can't actually prove that it exists, or talk about it logically (but that's another post).
No, the great thing is to embrace the symptoms of the future, that you will be metamorphosised into a native of the future whether you are active in the process or not. What I'm worried about is that we are being denied access to large portions of our own future identities. Similarly to large corporations trying to trademark individual genes, or even genomes.


Its about the digital signifier population that makes up your electronic identity being accessible to you, controllable by you, and gated by you.
Hmm, I think that sentence warrants another post, with time permitting...

Pure Paidea indeed

Calvinball; Isn't it funny how this piece of comic-book comical genius is in fact a perfect synopsis on the work of the real namesake of the secondary eponymous character?
Hobbes' Leviathan concerns the necessity of the social contract to ward against anarchy, the war of all against all. The basic logic is simple enough and can be found explained in modern terms in many places, including game theory. The highest expression of the social contract probably occured in Victorian Britain, an order for and on society that pre-disposes ordinary people to obey the rule of law and the spirit of justice. Even if one is lawful, in today's litigous society there's few enough who believe in justice. But why should they? The idea that the justice system can be played like a harp from hell is well out of the bag, and as for justice in world politics!
It is the lesson of Leviathan that the cassus belli omnium contra omnes is the idea that your neighbour thinks he can attack you without fear of repercussion from some higher power. You therefore have to assume that he will, in which case the only reasonable course of action is pre-emptive strike. But being like you, your neighbour has been thinking the same thing, and will arrive at the same conclusion. Neither of you even have to want to attack the other, just be unrestrained in that option...and then you have M.A.D.

Calvinball. All you know is that your opponent can make any rule, forfeit or contingency for you that she can imagine...and you can do the same to her. All you can expect is pain, strain and embarrasment. What is the point of playing? Its fun!

WTF is Kosh?

What tremendous fellow is Kosh? I'm KOSH! I have no idea who Kosh is having never watched Babylon 5, but thats me, I took the test, I can't deny my fate. Try it. It's meaningless, probably (psychologically) harmful fun.

A reclusive seer shrouded in riddles, you reveal very little and only what is deemed congruent with your plans.

Understanding is a three edged sword. Your side, their side, and the truth.

Kosh is a character in the Babylon 5 universe. You can read a few tidbits about his race at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5.

First blog

This is a test of the blog.