3 ms·

I think his point at the end was that computation is substrate-independent; i.e. there is nothing special or magical about silicon and electricity. In a sense,

by tbabb 9y ago

I think his point at the end was that computation is substrate-independent; i.e. there is nothing special or magical about silicon and electricity. In a sense, the universe itself can be said to be acting like a computer.

shagie 9y ago
Long ago (I'm thinking early 80s) in Scientific American, I recall a story about the implementation of a computer(?) in a giant train switching yard. That one, I can't find. Though the story of Apraphul ( http://robert.surton.net/cs160/apraphulian.pdf http://robert.surton.net/cs160/apraphulian.pdf ) also points to the "nothing magical about silicon and electricity". There are lots of ways to do computation. DNA for example. http://www.nature.com/news/2000/000113/full/news000113-10.html http://www.nature.com/news/2000/000113/full/news000113-10.ht... Its just that going from the accidentally Turing complete and physical implementations of logic gates to the simulation hypothesis was a sudden shift in the narrative I was making for myself while reading the slides.
- abecedarius 9y ago
  The Sci Am article was a Computer Recreations column, probably by A.K. Dewdney.
  - shagie 9y ago
    After some digging, it is "Mathematical Recreations: A Subway Named Turing", Scientific American (September): 104,106-107 by Ian Steward which can be read at http://dev.whydomath.org/Reading_Room_Material/ian_stewart/CommutersandComputers.pdf http://dev.whydomath.org/Reading_Room_Material/ian_stewart/C... (the key memory points that confirms it is the conversational mode and the passage "And I swear there's a sign just along the tunnel that reads 'flip-flop 7743A/91.'" Though A.K. Dewdney did write on a similar topic - Dewdney, A. K. 1987. Algopuzzles: wherein trains of thought follow algorithmic tracks to solutions. Scientific American 256(6):128–130. and http://bit-player.org/wp-content/extras/bph-publications/AmSci-2007-03-Hayes-trains.pdf http://bit-player.org/wp-content/extras/bph-publications/AmS... is a some other interesting puzzles on the subject.

by tbabb 9y ago

shagie 9y ago

Long ago (I'm thinking early 80s) in Scientific American, I recall a story about the implementation of a computer(?) in a giant train switching yard. That one, I can't find. Though the story of Apraphul ( http://robert.surton.net/cs160/apraphulian.pdf http://robert.surton.net/cs160/apraphulian.pdf ) also points to the "nothing magical about silicon and electricity". There are lots of ways to do computation. DNA for example. http://www.nature.com/news/2000/000113/full/news000113-10.html http://www.nature.com/news/2000/000113/full/news000113-10.ht... Its just that going from the accidentally Turing complete and physical implementations of logic gates to the simulation hypothesis was a sudden shift in the narrative I was making for myself while reading the slides.

abecedarius 9y ago
The Sci Am article was a Computer Recreations column, probably by A.K. Dewdney.
- shagie 9y ago
  After some digging, it is "Mathematical Recreations: A Subway Named Turing", Scientific American (September): 104,106-107 by Ian Steward which can be read at http://dev.whydomath.org/Reading_Room_Material/ian_stewart/CommutersandComputers.pdf http://dev.whydomath.org/Reading_Room_Material/ian_stewart/C... (the key memory points that confirms it is the conversational mode and the passage "And I swear there's a sign just along the tunnel that reads 'flip-flop 7743A/91.'" Though A.K. Dewdney did write on a similar topic - Dewdney, A. K. 1987. Algopuzzles: wherein trains of thought follow algorithmic tracks to solutions. Scientific American 256(6):128–130. and http://bit-player.org/wp-content/extras/bph-publications/AmSci-2007-03-Hayes-trains.pdf http://bit-player.org/wp-content/extras/bph-publications/AmS... is a some other interesting puzzles on the subject.