4 ms·

Computer built using swarms of soldier crabs (2012)

49 points by ofou 3y ago

rkagerer 3y ago
Awe, I thought they really did it, like the fictional Pratchett Discworld computer named Hex comprised in part of ants.
- kochikame 3y ago
  Or the computer inside the game in the Three Body Problem novel which is composed of people waving flags
  - bigger_inside 3y ago
    Or the computer in Children of Time, also comprised of ants. (Though I also came here to say: Three Body Problem. Pretty well done in the Chinese TV show.)
  - izzydata 3y ago
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0GvSM_HevY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0GvSM_HevY This needs to be translated. This is the depiction of the "human" flag computer in the recent Tencent adaptation plus some kind of explanation of how it relates to modern computer hardware.
    - WaitWaitWha 3y ago
      Very neat link, thank you. It is an educational video to explain how CPUs work using 30 million Qin soldiers.
- jayGlow 3y ago
  there was a short story about a computer being made out of a swarm of birds. http://www.rocketstackrank.com/2015/12/a-murmuration-by-alastair-reynolds.html?m=1 http://www.rocketstackrank.com/2015/12/a-murmuration-by-alas...
  - rkagerer 3y ago
    The review is upside down!
a_t48 3y ago
The caption "Some of Brutal Legend's missions have you drive alongside your band's tour van, protecting it from marauding motorcycle demons. Image courtesy Electronic Arts." seems a little misplaced. :)
DeathArrow 3y ago
https://archive.fo/sjmvF https://archive.fo/sjmvF
mwcremer 3y ago
Obligatory https://xkcd.com/505/ https://xkcd.com/505/
7373737373 3y ago
For a computer out of springs: https://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/mechano.html https://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/mechano.html
DonHopkins 3y ago
I posted this a few days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429420 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429420 DonHopkins 11 days ago | parent | context | favorite | on: The Neural Net Tank Urban Legend >[...] with a probable origin in a speculative question in the 1960s by Edward Fredkin at an AI conference about some early NN research [...] RIP Edward Fredkin, who recently passed away on June 13, 9 days ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fredkin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fredkin >Edward Fredkin (born October 2, 1934, died June 13, 2023) was a distinguished career professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and an early pioneer of digital physics. >Fredkin's primary contributions include work on reversible computing and cellular automata. While Konrad Zuse's book, Calculating Space (1969), mentioned the importance of reversible computation, the Fredkin gate represented the essential breakthrough. In recent work, he uses the term digital philosophy (DP). >During his career, Fredkin has been a professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Fairchild Distinguished Scholar at Caltech, and Research Professor of Physics at Boston University. Ed Fredkin - Reversible Computing (Keynote from the CCC's Workshop on Reversible Computing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROv1HX-gdas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROv1HX-gdas Fredkin tells a great story about making Stephen Wolfram's eyes pop out of his head by showing him how to transform his own rule into a reversible rule. Reversible Computing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing Fredkin Gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredkin_gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredkin_gate Digital Physics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_physics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_physics Conservative Logic, by Edward Fredkin and Tommaso Toffoli https://web.archive.org/web/20061017232512/http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/download_documents/ConservativeLogic.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20061017232512/http://www.digita... Digital Philosophy https://web.archive.org/web/20170729191558/http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170729191558/http://www.digita... Google Scholar: Edward Fredkin https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5QMmygwAAAAJ&hl=en https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5QMmygwAAAAJ&hl=en Rudy Rucker writes about his CAM-6 in the CelLab manual: Cellular Automata Laboratory: Fourmilab home: Origins of CelLab: Classical Era: Von Neumann to Gosper http://www.fourmilab.ch/cellab/manual/chap5.html http://www.fourmilab.ch/cellab/manual/chap5.html >Computer science is still so new that many of the people at the cutting edge have come from other fields. Though Toffoli holds degrees in physics and computer science, Bennett's Ph.D. is in physical chemistry. And twenty-nine year old Margolus is still a graduate student in physics, his dissertation delayed by the work of inventing, with Toffoli, the CAM-6 Cellular Automaton Machine. >After watching the CAM in operation at Margolus's office, I am sure the thing will be a hit. Just as the Moog synthesizer changed the sound of music, cellular automata will change the look of video. >I tell this to Toffoli and Margolus, and they look unconcerned. What they care most deeply about is science, about Edward Fredkin's vision of explaining the world in terms of cellular automata and information mechanics. Margolus talks about computer hackers, and how a successful program is called “a good hack.” As the unbelievably bizarre cellular automata images flash by on his screen, Margolus leans back in his chair and smiles slyly. And then he tells me his conception of the world we live in. >“The universe is a good hack.” [...] ON THE SOUL: Ed Fredkin, Unpublished Manuscript http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/on_the_soul.pdf http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/... >The John Cocke Theory of Dreams was told to me, on the phone, late one night back in the early 1960’s. John’s complete description was contained in a very short conversation approximately as follows: >“Hey Ed. You know about optimal encoding, right?” >“Yup.” >“Say the way we remember things is using a lossy optimal encoding scheme; you’d get efficient use of memory, huh?” >“Uh huh.” “Well the decoding could take into account recent memories and sensory inputs, like sounds being heard, right?” >“Sure!” >“Well, if when you’re asleep, the decoder is decoding random bits (digital noise) mixed in with a few sensory inputs and taking into account recent memories and stuff like that, the output of the decoder would be a dream; huh?” >I was stunned.

49 points by ofou 3y ago

rkagerer 3y ago

Awe, I thought they really did it, like the fictional Pratchett Discworld computer named Hex comprised in part of ants.

kochikame 3y ago
Or the computer inside the game in the Three Body Problem novel which is composed of people waving flags
- bigger_inside 3y ago
  Or the computer in Children of Time, also comprised of ants. (Though I also came here to say: Three Body Problem. Pretty well done in the Chinese TV show.)
- izzydata 3y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0GvSM_HevY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0GvSM_HevY This needs to be translated. This is the depiction of the "human" flag computer in the recent Tencent adaptation plus some kind of explanation of how it relates to modern computer hardware.
  - WaitWaitWha 3y ago
    Very neat link, thank you. It is an educational video to explain how CPUs work using 30 million Qin soldiers.
jayGlow 3y ago
there was a short story about a computer being made out of a swarm of birds. http://www.rocketstackrank.com/2015/12/a-murmuration-by-alastair-reynolds.html?m=1 http://www.rocketstackrank.com/2015/12/a-murmuration-by-alas...
- rkagerer 3y ago
  The review is upside down!

a_t48 3y ago

The caption "Some of Brutal Legend's missions have you drive alongside your band's tour van, protecting it from marauding motorcycle demons. Image courtesy Electronic Arts." seems a little misplaced. :)

DeathArrow 3y ago

https://archive.fo/sjmvF https://archive.fo/sjmvF

mwcremer 3y ago

Obligatory https://xkcd.com/505/ https://xkcd.com/505/

7373737373 3y ago

For a computer out of springs: https://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/mechano.html https://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/mechano.html

DonHopkins 3y ago

I posted this a few days ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429420 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429420 DonHopkins 11 days ago | parent | context | favorite | on: The Neural Net Tank Urban Legend >[...] with a probable origin in a speculative question in the 1960s by Edward Fredkin at an AI conference about some early NN research [...] RIP Edward Fredkin, who recently passed away on June 13, 9 days ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fredkin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fredkin >Edward Fredkin (born October 2, 1934, died June 13, 2023) was a distinguished career professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and an early pioneer of digital physics. >Fredkin's primary contributions include work on reversible computing and cellular automata. While Konrad Zuse's book, Calculating Space (1969), mentioned the importance of reversible computation, the Fredkin gate represented the essential breakthrough. In recent work, he uses the term digital philosophy (DP). >During his career, Fredkin has been a professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Fairchild Distinguished Scholar at Caltech, and Research Professor of Physics at Boston University. Ed Fredkin - Reversible Computing (Keynote from the CCC's Workshop on Reversible Computing) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROv1HX-gdas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROv1HX-gdas Fredkin tells a great story about making Stephen Wolfram's eyes pop out of his head by showing him how to transform his own rule into a reversible rule. Reversible Computing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_computing Fredkin Gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredkin_gate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fredkin_gate Digital Physics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_physics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_physics Conservative Logic, by Edward Fredkin and Tommaso Toffoli https://web.archive.org/web/20061017232512/http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/download_documents/ConservativeLogic.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20061017232512/http://www.digita... Digital Philosophy https://web.archive.org/web/20170729191558/http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170729191558/http://www.digita... Google Scholar: Edward Fredkin https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5QMmygwAAAAJ&hl=en https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5QMmygwAAAAJ&hl=en Rudy Rucker writes about his CAM-6 in the CelLab manual: Cellular Automata Laboratory: Fourmilab home: Origins of CelLab: Classical Era: Von Neumann to Gosper http://www.fourmilab.ch/cellab/manual/chap5.html http://www.fourmilab.ch/cellab/manual/chap5.html >Computer science is still so new that many of the people at the cutting edge have come from other fields. Though Toffoli holds degrees in physics and computer science, Bennett's Ph.D. is in physical chemistry. And twenty-nine year old Margolus is still a graduate student in physics, his dissertation delayed by the work of inventing, with Toffoli, the CAM-6 Cellular Automaton Machine. >After watching the CAM in operation at Margolus's office, I am sure the thing will be a hit. Just as the Moog synthesizer changed the sound of music, cellular automata will change the look of video. >I tell this to Toffoli and Margolus, and they look unconcerned. What they care most deeply about is science, about Edward Fredkin's vision of explaining the world in terms of cellular automata and information mechanics. Margolus talks about computer hackers, and how a successful program is called “a good hack.” As the unbelievably bizarre cellular automata images flash by on his screen, Margolus leans back in his chair and smiles slyly. And then he tells me his conception of the world we live in. >“The universe is a good hack.” [...] ON THE SOUL: Ed Fredkin, Unpublished Manuscript http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/on_the_soul.pdf http://www.digitalphilosophy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/... >The John Cocke Theory of Dreams was told to me, on the phone, late one night back in the early 1960’s. John’s complete description was contained in a very short conversation approximately as follows: >“Hey Ed. You know about optimal encoding, right?” >“Yup.” >“Say the way we remember things is using a lossy optimal encoding scheme; you’d get efficient use of memory, huh?” >“Uh huh.” “Well the decoding could take into account recent memories and sensory inputs, like sounds being heard, right?” >“Sure!” >“Well, if when you’re asleep, the decoder is decoding random bits (digital noise) mixed in with a few sensory inputs and taking into account recent memories and stuff like that, the output of the decoder would be a dream; huh?” >I was stunned.