Saturday, March 31, 2007
Are Governments Losing Their Grip on Currency?
Governments are already losing their grip on controlling populations by pandering to special interests and cow-towing to global corporations. One of the last vestiges of government supremacy appears to begin eroding. News report today that Chinese officials try to crack down as fake online currency is traded for real money. The QQ coin is an online play money created by marketers to sell such things as virtual flowers for instant-message buddies, cellphone ringtones and magical swords for online games. In March 2007, the QQ coin's real-world value has risen as much as 70%. QQ coins, which retail for one yuan (13 cents), have become populat and accepted by other internet sites for conducting small transactions. Users helped turn the QQ coins back into cash by selling them at a discount that varies based on the laws of supply and demand. That led to traders looking to profit off of currency speculation. Governments are banning the conversion of these online credits into real money. Major sites, such as eBay banned gamers from selling virtual game assets. But the genie is out of the bottle.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Retrocausality, Time Reversal, and The Arrow of Time
In my last posting, I referenced the video called The Yoga of Time Travel, Part 2 by The Theosophical Society.
Besides the focus on Self discussed in that video, there were three other concepts that really jumped out at me:
Now I once read an article speculating about how a baseball player can send information a fraction of a second into the past at the moment he swings and connects to hit a home run. This emotional charge sends a ripple into the immediate past and the batter capable of sensing this, has the image of success and thus adjusts the swing of the bat to hit it exactly where the impression of the future hit will occur. Unfortunately, I no longer have the reference to the article, but the basic premise here is similar. The idea is that we are capable of perceiving things a brief instant before the actually occur.
This concept of retrocausality is also discussed in a Jan 2007 article "Science hopes to change events that have already occurred". The basic idea of the experiment is split a laser beam into two using a crystal and sending each one through a double slit to a photon detector. This gives the experimenter the choice of measuring photons as waves or particles, while also helping to track photon pairs. A photon arriving at one detector should have its twin appear at the other. This is based on the principle that if they are linked by their properties (such as momentum), then they showed the same wave-or-particle behavior as one another. So the way you measure one effectively sends a signal to the other one instantaneously - a highly controversial claim, since it would seem to demonstrate faster-than-light travel. Taking it once step further, instead of just splitting the laser beam, run the photons you choose how to measure through several kilometers of coiled-up fiber-optic cable, thereby delaying them by microseconds. This delay means that the other beam will arrive at its detector before you make your choice. However, since the rules of quantum mechanics are indifferent to the timing of measurements, the state of the other beam should correspond to how you choose to measure the delayed beam. The effect of your choice can be seen, in principle, before you have even made it.
In a 2005 New York Times article "Remembrance of Things Future: The Mystery of Time" by Dennis Overbye, the theory of "quantum gravity" is discussed. He states: "Einstein's theory of relativity is incompatible, mathematically and philosophically, with the quirky rules known as quantum mechanics that describe the microscopic randomness that fills this elegantly curved expanding space-time. According to relativity, nature is continuous, smooth and orderly; in quantum theory the world is jumpy and discontinuous. The sacred laws of physics are correct only on average." Quantum gravity attempts to join this pair. If we could see lengths down to 10 -33 centimeters, even ordinary space and time dissolve into a boiling mess called "space-time foam." At that level of reality, clocks and rulers as we know them cease to exist.
Back in 1992 A. Zee discussed "Time Reversal". The article poses the question: Can you tell the past from the future? Physicists can't - not yet, anyway. Put another way: Can a bunch of physicists determine whether a movie is being played forward or backward?
This all relates to the concept called "the arrow of time". There are several types of arrows
Zee states "The big question is whether, and how, these arrows are related to one another. In particular, we would all like to know how our psychological arrow of time comes about, and then, of course, whether we can reverse this arrow."
Let's compare the concept of time reversal with space reversal.
Every time we look in a mirror we have arranged for space reversal. Correspondingly we can now show a bunch of physicists a movie reflected in a mirror. Way back in 1957 physicists figured out how to tell that they are seeing the movie in a mirror. Let's get even more exciting and show a movie reflected in a mirror running backwards. What this all involves experimentally is back a the subatomic level. In physics terminology this is referred to as an electric dipole moment. The basic concept is that under time reversal, magnetic fields reverse directions, but electric fields do not.
The article "Can This Black Box See Into the Future?" states "It is possible - in theory - that time may not just move forwards but backwards, too. And if time ebbs and flows like the tides in the sea, it might just be possible to foretell major world events. We would, in effect, be 'remembering' things that had taken place in our future." The article goes on to propose that if it's possible for it to happen in physics, then it can happen in our minds, too. There is a tantalizing body of evidence to support this theory that we can see into the future. This led to the Global Consciousness Project, or EGG project. The purpose of this project is to examine subtle correlations that appear to reflect the presence and activity of consciousness in the world.
Besides the focus on Self discussed in that video, there were three other concepts that really jumped out at me:
- Light (a photon) has no concept of time or distance. While traveling at a speed of... well, light, it perceives itself as always in the same place in the eternal now.
- The Color Phi phenomenon which is available as an on-line demontration. This phenomenon has been used to debunk Cartesian materialism, which claims the brain's functions can be completely explained by the laws of physics, without any need for an immaterial mind. In other words, the brain is like a biological computer, rather than an adjunct to a soul.
- We can perceive things before they occur.
Now I once read an article speculating about how a baseball player can send information a fraction of a second into the past at the moment he swings and connects to hit a home run. This emotional charge sends a ripple into the immediate past and the batter capable of sensing this, has the image of success and thus adjusts the swing of the bat to hit it exactly where the impression of the future hit will occur. Unfortunately, I no longer have the reference to the article, but the basic premise here is similar. The idea is that we are capable of perceiving things a brief instant before the actually occur.
This concept of retrocausality is also discussed in a Jan 2007 article "Science hopes to change events that have already occurred". The basic idea of the experiment is split a laser beam into two using a crystal and sending each one through a double slit to a photon detector. This gives the experimenter the choice of measuring photons as waves or particles, while also helping to track photon pairs. A photon arriving at one detector should have its twin appear at the other. This is based on the principle that if they are linked by their properties (such as momentum), then they showed the same wave-or-particle behavior as one another. So the way you measure one effectively sends a signal to the other one instantaneously - a highly controversial claim, since it would seem to demonstrate faster-than-light travel. Taking it once step further, instead of just splitting the laser beam, run the photons you choose how to measure through several kilometers of coiled-up fiber-optic cable, thereby delaying them by microseconds. This delay means that the other beam will arrive at its detector before you make your choice. However, since the rules of quantum mechanics are indifferent to the timing of measurements, the state of the other beam should correspond to how you choose to measure the delayed beam. The effect of your choice can be seen, in principle, before you have even made it.
In a 2005 New York Times article "Remembrance of Things Future: The Mystery of Time" by Dennis Overbye, the theory of "quantum gravity" is discussed. He states: "Einstein's theory of relativity is incompatible, mathematically and philosophically, with the quirky rules known as quantum mechanics that describe the microscopic randomness that fills this elegantly curved expanding space-time. According to relativity, nature is continuous, smooth and orderly; in quantum theory the world is jumpy and discontinuous. The sacred laws of physics are correct only on average." Quantum gravity attempts to join this pair. If we could see lengths down to 10
Back in 1992 A. Zee discussed "Time Reversal". The article poses the question: Can you tell the past from the future? Physicists can't - not yet, anyway. Put another way: Can a bunch of physicists determine whether a movie is being played forward or backward?
This all relates to the concept called "the arrow of time". There are several types of arrows
The psychological arrow of time, a subjective feeling that time flows mercilessly from the past to the future. The thermodynamic arrow of time, that physicists speak of apply to physical systems invariably becoming ever more disordered. The expansion of the universe arrow of time.
Zee states "The big question is whether, and how, these arrows are related to one another. In particular, we would all like to know how our psychological arrow of time comes about, and then, of course, whether we can reverse this arrow."
Let's compare the concept of time reversal with space reversal.
Space reversal is symmetry between left and right. Time reversal is symmetry between past and future.
The article "Can This Black Box See Into the Future?" states "It is possible - in theory - that time may not just move forwards but backwards, too. And if time ebbs and flows like the tides in the sea, it might just be possible to foretell major world events. We would, in effect, be 'remembering' things that had taken place in our future." The article goes on to propose that if it's possible for it to happen in physics, then it can happen in our minds, too. There is a tantalizing body of evidence to support this theory that we can see into the future. This led to the Global Consciousness Project, or EGG project. The purpose of this project is to examine subtle correlations that appear to reflect the presence and activity of consciousness in the world.
How does a Robot Achieve Bliss?
The The Arunachala Ramana website has a post The 1939 Prose Version of 'Who Am I?'. This is a summary and commentary of that piece.
Similar to my last post, this piece starts out by focusing on the negative, In this case by determining what I am not:
I am not this physical body
I am not the five organs of sense-perception
I am not that unconscious state of nescience which retains merely the subtle vasanas.
That which then remains separate and alone by itself - pure Awareness. This Awareness is by its very nature Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
There is no such thing as the physical world apart from and independent of thought.
Every other thought can occur only after the rise of the 'I-thought'. The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. Like the waves of the ocean, the mind is agitated by a succession of objects of sense-gratification. Working backwards, the enquiry 'Who am l?' allows the mind to settle down. Picture a storm, a flooded river, or a painful burn subsiding. Then the 'I-thought', implicit in such an inquiry, having destroyed all other thoughts, gets itself finally destroyed or consumed, like the stick used to stir the burning funeral pyre gets consumed.
During such contemplation or meditation, extraneous thoughts may sprout up. Immediate vigilant inquiry as to whom it has occurred reveals it is 'I'. If then, you inquire 'Who am I?' the mind gets introverted and the rising thought subsides. Through perseverance in the practice of Self inquiry, the mind finally vanishes and pure Consciousness or the Self remains. There is not the slightest trace of the 'I-thought'. The Self alone is the world, the 'I' and God.
The practice of pranayama (restraint and control of breath and vital forces) is one way to get the mind to subside. Breath has its origin in the same place that ego rises. Therefore when the mind subsides, breath and vital forces also subside. Conversely, when breath and vital forces subside, the mind also subsides.
During sleep, the vital forces are still apparent even though the mind does not manifest itself. The mind has sustaining and controlling power over breath and vital forces. Thus, the practice of pranayama is merely helpful in subduing the mind but does not bring about its final extinction.
Other practices, such as meditation, mantras, regulation of diet, also are only aids to control the mind. Through such techniques, the mind becomes one-pointed, steadily holding on to that alone. To illustrate, when a mind is is filled with countless and varying thoughts, each individual thought becomes extremely weak and inefficient. When such thoughts subside until they are finally destroyed, the mind becomes one-pointed, acquiring strength and sustaining power in the quest of Self.
A moderate satvic food diet is most conducive to the development of the satvic qualities of the mind. These, in turn, assist the quest of the Self.
satvic foods: digested easily and closest to the natural form such. Eating raw foods is not considered Satvic. Examples:
If we apply an analogy to the double negative of positive emotions (e.g. the cessation of deliberation is decisiveness), then the cessation of desire is dispassion and the cessation of 'I-thought' constitutes knowledge.
That which is Bliss is verily the Self. Bliss and the Self are not distinct and separate but are one and identical. And That alone is real. Not even in one of the countless objects of the mundane world is there anything that can be called happiness. It is through sheer ignorance and unwisdom we fancy that happiness is obtained from them.
When the mind is externalized, it suffers pain and anguish. Wandering astray forsaking the Self and returning back again to it within, is the interminable and wearisome lot of the mind. To illustrate, imagine a scorching sun on a hot summer day. A person toiling in the sun seeks the cool shade of the tree and is happy under it. Staying there for a while, he moves about, but once again unable to bear the merciless heat of the sun, he seeks the shade again. In this way he moves, going out from the shade into the sun, and coming into the shade from the sun. The wise man never leaves the shade. The mind of the ignorant one, on the other hand, often entering the phenomenal world suffers pain and anguish; and then, turning for a short while towards Self, experiences happiness.
There is no difference between the waking state and the dream state, except that the former is long and the latter is short. While dreaming, all activities of the dream state appear just as real as the activities of the wakeful state seem to be while awake. However, during the dream state the mind assumes another form. Thoughts, name and form occur simultaneously during both the wakeful and dream states.
There are not two minds, only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind that are of two kinds, good and favourable, evil and unfavourable. When the mind is associated with the former, it is called good; and when associated with the latter, it is called evil. However evil-minded other people may appear to you, it is not proper to hate or despise them. Likes and dislikes, love and hatred are equally to be eschewed. It is also not proper to let the mind often rest on objects or affairs of mundane life. As far as possible one should not interfere in the affairs of others. Everything offered to others is really an offering to oneself; and if only this truth is realized, who is there that would refuse anything to others?
Having summarized and commented on all of this, the question remains - how does this all relate to artificial intelligence? How does a Robot achieve Bliss?
Connections: The subject piece was discovered by a reference to a quote by Sri Ramana Maharshi. "The universe is not vast at all but it's the mind that's vast" while watching a video called The Yoga of Time Travel, Part 2 by The Theosophical Society.
Similar to my last post, this piece starts out by focusing on the negative, In this case by determining what I am not:
I am not this physical body
I am not the five organs of sense-perception
- eye (sight)
- ear (hearing)
- nose (smell)
- tongue (taste)
- skin (touch)
- vocal organs that articulate speech and produce sound
- hands and feet that govern the movements of the physical body
- anus that excretes faecal matter
- the genital organ which yields pleasure.
- respiration
- digestion
- assimilation
- blood circulation
- perspiration
- excretion
I am not that unconscious state of nescience which retains merely the subtle vasanas.
- nescience: absence of knowledge or awareness; ignorance
- vasanas: collective imprints that propel us into a certain way of living; A layer of ignorance expressed as the sense of incompleteness, desire, agitation, and eventually, action. The smallest action we do in this world leaves its impression, its fragrence, on our subconscious mind.
That which then remains separate and alone by itself - pure Awareness. This Awareness is by its very nature Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
There is no such thing as the physical world apart from and independent of thought.
- In deep sleep there are no thoughts nor is there the world.
- In the wakeful and dream states thoughts are present, and there is also the world.
- The mind projects the world and absorbs it back into itself.
- When the mind projects, it externalizes and forsakes its true nature of the Self; when the Self is realized, the world ceases to appear as an objective reality.
Every other thought can occur only after the rise of the 'I-thought'. The mind is nothing but a bundle of thoughts. Like the waves of the ocean, the mind is agitated by a succession of objects of sense-gratification. Working backwards, the enquiry 'Who am l?' allows the mind to settle down. Picture a storm, a flooded river, or a painful burn subsiding. Then the 'I-thought', implicit in such an inquiry, having destroyed all other thoughts, gets itself finally destroyed or consumed, like the stick used to stir the burning funeral pyre gets consumed.
During such contemplation or meditation, extraneous thoughts may sprout up. Immediate vigilant inquiry as to whom it has occurred reveals it is 'I'. If then, you inquire 'Who am I?' the mind gets introverted and the rising thought subsides. Through perseverance in the practice of Self inquiry, the mind finally vanishes and pure Consciousness or the Self remains. There is not the slightest trace of the 'I-thought'. The Self alone is the world, the 'I' and God.
The practice of pranayama (restraint and control of breath and vital forces) is one way to get the mind to subside. Breath has its origin in the same place that ego rises. Therefore when the mind subsides, breath and vital forces also subside. Conversely, when breath and vital forces subside, the mind also subsides.
During sleep, the vital forces are still apparent even though the mind does not manifest itself. The mind has sustaining and controlling power over breath and vital forces. Thus, the practice of pranayama is merely helpful in subduing the mind but does not bring about its final extinction.
Other practices, such as meditation, mantras, regulation of diet, also are only aids to control the mind. Through such techniques, the mind becomes one-pointed, steadily holding on to that alone. To illustrate, when a mind is is filled with countless and varying thoughts, each individual thought becomes extremely weak and inefficient. When such thoughts subside until they are finally destroyed, the mind becomes one-pointed, acquiring strength and sustaining power in the quest of Self.
A moderate satvic food diet is most conducive to the development of the satvic qualities of the mind. These, in turn, assist the quest of the Self.
satvic foods: digested easily and closest to the natural form such. Eating raw foods is not considered Satvic. Examples:
- milk
- fruit
- most fresh vegetable
- grain
- natural sweeteners
- vegetable oil
- purity of heart
- self-restraint
- evenness of temper
- tenderness towards all beings
- fortitude
- freedom from desire, hatred and arrogance
If we apply an analogy to the double negative of positive emotions (e.g. the cessation of deliberation is decisiveness), then the cessation of desire is dispassion and the cessation of 'I-thought' constitutes knowledge.
That which is Bliss is verily the Self. Bliss and the Self are not distinct and separate but are one and identical. And That alone is real. Not even in one of the countless objects of the mundane world is there anything that can be called happiness. It is through sheer ignorance and unwisdom we fancy that happiness is obtained from them.
When the mind is externalized, it suffers pain and anguish. Wandering astray forsaking the Self and returning back again to it within, is the interminable and wearisome lot of the mind. To illustrate, imagine a scorching sun on a hot summer day. A person toiling in the sun seeks the cool shade of the tree and is happy under it. Staying there for a while, he moves about, but once again unable to bear the merciless heat of the sun, he seeks the shade again. In this way he moves, going out from the shade into the sun, and coming into the shade from the sun. The wise man never leaves the shade. The mind of the ignorant one, on the other hand, often entering the phenomenal world suffers pain and anguish; and then, turning for a short while towards Self, experiences happiness.
There is no difference between the waking state and the dream state, except that the former is long and the latter is short. While dreaming, all activities of the dream state appear just as real as the activities of the wakeful state seem to be while awake. However, during the dream state the mind assumes another form. Thoughts, name and form occur simultaneously during both the wakeful and dream states.
There are not two minds, only the vasanas or tendencies of the mind that are of two kinds, good and favourable, evil and unfavourable. When the mind is associated with the former, it is called good; and when associated with the latter, it is called evil. However evil-minded other people may appear to you, it is not proper to hate or despise them. Likes and dislikes, love and hatred are equally to be eschewed. It is also not proper to let the mind often rest on objects or affairs of mundane life. As far as possible one should not interfere in the affairs of others. Everything offered to others is really an offering to oneself; and if only this truth is realized, who is there that would refuse anything to others?
Having summarized and commented on all of this, the question remains - how does this all relate to artificial intelligence? How does a Robot achieve Bliss?
Connections: The subject piece was discovered by a reference to a quote by Sri Ramana Maharshi. "The universe is not vast at all but it's the mind that's vast" while watching a video called The Yoga of Time Travel, Part 2 by The Theosophical Society.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Negative Expertise and Robotics
I came across a 1994 paper by Minsky where he discusses the notion of Negative Expertise. This concept runs contrary to "rule-based expert systems" that were the rage in the 1980s. Instead of an "if this, then do that" pattern, humans are more likely driven by "don't do that" patterns. An intelligent entity, human or otherwise, is driven by goals. A primary goal is to survive. An examination of Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, follows a mixture of these two types of rules.
But back to negative expertise. The humans where I live are guided by rules from an early age such as
In robotics, if the goal was to build an autonomous entity, then modeling the absence of behavior is indeed a daunting task. The laws of robotics pose such a challenge.
Combining robots in mix and match fashion to allow a consciousness to emerge raises all kinds of ethical conundrums. Machine consciousness (assuming there will be such a thing) may be a frequently changing notion, like a shifting sand dune. Back to Minsky's part B observing part A proposition, if A does something B considers good, then B will reinforce A's learning system. Conversely, if A appears to be making things worse, B may suppress it in favor of another agency. Furthermore, mind part A may not comprehend whys' it should perform some act or avoid doing some act. This is time to shift to another agency. This agency may result from the enlistment of other robots in the area or even in a metaverse. Perhaps control or behavior change will result from a rule by committee or intervention.
What constitutes consciousness in such a context? If one chooses to perform sexual acts with a future generation iRobot Roomba, would it be rape if the devise did not consent? Can you ask its controlling mind part to detach for your temporary enjoyment? Can you request other robot parts to intervene on your behalf to for an altered consciousness that will acede to you wishes?
Finally Minsky proposes that the B mind part monitoring the A mind part will exhibit something that I find similar to the Buddhist Middle Way path of moderation. Namely, if A is occupied with too much detail, then B forces A to take a higher level view. Conversely, if A is not being specific enough, then B makes A focus on more details.
Connections
Asimov has been attributed as describing Minsky as one of two people he has ever met who were flat out smarter than himself, the other being Carl Sagen, the author of a great book and film Contact. This book has been embraced by the intelligent design movement. For me, this connects back to a fabulous Asimov short story The Last Question that I saw as a multi media presentation back in the 1970s at the Triton College Planetarium in River Grove, Illinois. This experience I have now labeled as a Deep Engagement, based on the MIT Open Courseware seminar. This course is is based on this premise: "Innovation in expression, as realized in media, tangible objects, performance and more, generates new questions and new potentials for human engagement...once we experience deep engagement, it is a state we long for, remember, and want to repeat." The course readings explore underlying principles and innovative methods for development of higher-quality "deep engagement" products. The first reading was Minsky's book The Emotion Machine and its predecessor Society of Mind. That led me to the Minsky acedemic site and thus the refernced paper.
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
But back to negative expertise. The humans where I live are guided by rules from an early age such as
- don't run out into a busy street
- don't stick a fork into an electric socket
- don't drink from the bottles under the kitchen sink
In robotics, if the goal was to build an autonomous entity, then modeling the absence of behavior is indeed a daunting task. The laws of robotics pose such a challenge.
- Don't hurt humans
- Don't just stand there if a human is being hurt
- Hurt a human if humanity is at stake
- Destroy yourself if it can save a human life
Combining robots in mix and match fashion to allow a consciousness to emerge raises all kinds of ethical conundrums. Machine consciousness (assuming there will be such a thing) may be a frequently changing notion, like a shifting sand dune. Back to Minsky's part B observing part A proposition, if A does something B considers good, then B will reinforce A's learning system. Conversely, if A appears to be making things worse, B may suppress it in favor of another agency. Furthermore, mind part A may not comprehend whys' it should perform some act or avoid doing some act. This is time to shift to another agency. This agency may result from the enlistment of other robots in the area or even in a metaverse. Perhaps control or behavior change will result from a rule by committee or intervention.
What constitutes consciousness in such a context? If one chooses to perform sexual acts with a future generation iRobot Roomba, would it be rape if the devise did not consent? Can you ask its controlling mind part to detach for your temporary enjoyment? Can you request other robot parts to intervene on your behalf to for an altered consciousness that will acede to you wishes?
Finally Minsky proposes that the B mind part monitoring the A mind part will exhibit something that I find similar to the Buddhist Middle Way path of moderation. Namely, if A is occupied with too much detail, then B forces A to take a higher level view. Conversely, if A is not being specific enough, then B makes A focus on more details.
Connections
Asimov has been attributed as describing Minsky as one of two people he has ever met who were flat out smarter than himself, the other being Carl Sagen, the author of a great book and film Contact. This book has been embraced by the intelligent design movement. For me, this connects back to a fabulous Asimov short story The Last Question that I saw as a multi media presentation back in the 1970s at the Triton College Planetarium in River Grove, Illinois. This experience I have now labeled as a Deep Engagement, based on the MIT Open Courseware seminar. This course is is based on this premise: "Innovation in expression, as realized in media, tangible objects, performance and more, generates new questions and new potentials for human engagement...once we experience deep engagement, it is a state we long for, remember, and want to repeat." The course readings explore underlying principles and innovative methods for development of higher-quality "deep engagement" products. The first reading was Minsky's book The Emotion Machine and its predecessor Society of Mind. That led me to the Minsky acedemic site and thus the refernced paper.
Labels: expertise, intelligence, robots
